Cut back the lateral (side) branches to 12 inches in length for black raspberries and 18 inches for purple raspberries. I can remember helping my Dad to prick out seedlings, even before I could see over the top of the potting bench. The plants will fruit on new growth. You need to treat the summer ones slightly differently to the autumn ones.Prune all of your autumn fruiting raspberry canes to … A summer fruiting raspberry cane only fruits once on each stem, so they should be cut down to ground level after harvesting. Pruning Late Summer/ Fall Raspberries. During the autumn, cut down to soil level all canes that bore fruit during the summer. • Autumn-fruiting raspberries. Pruning Raspberry Plants. Pruning at this time will help to ensure that the plants have had time, over the dormant winter months, to store plenty of carbohydrates in their root systems. The first thing to do is to determine whether your raspberries are summer fruiting or autumn fruiting. Pruning raspberries is another winter job. Summer fruiting ones are ready in June or July. Here are a few things to remember when pruning your raspberry plants: Not everyone will prune the exact same way – including the experts. Pruning autumn fruiting varieties is simple - you just cut down all the canes. Pruning Summer Fruiting Raspberries. Pruning can also be done in early spring before the start of growth, at the same time removing shoots damaged during the winter. Leave the bottom of the cane to fruit the following spring or early summer. Once you have removed the old canes, examine the remaining stems that began to grow … Raspberries that fruit in late summer/early fall on this season’s growth (primocanes) are best pruned in around February (late winter). Raspberries | Pruning | Gardening Information | Thompson & Morgan. Prune off the top of the cane of a two-crop raspberry that has borne fruit; cut the cane back to the lowest point on the cane that bore fruit (usually about 45 inches from the ground). The new advice for pruning raspberries goes like this: "Remove old canes in late winter by cutting them into pieces with pruning loppers." Summer fruiting raspberry canes make their fruit on stems that are one year old, as opposed to Autumn fruiting varieties that fruit on their new growth. Prune in late winter (February), cutting back all the canes to ground level before new growth commences. Cut these back to live growth. Leave the healthiest and strongest canes. Raspberries are pruned in late winter (February), when the vegetation is highly inflamed and the nutrients contained in the wilting shoots have been transferred to the root system. Also, prune out the tips of the canes that have died due to winter injury. If your canes give fruit in September or later they’re autumn fruiting. Remaining canes should be spaced about 6 inches apart. My next mistake was leaving out something important – thinning the new canes when they come up in spring. Pruning is not only an important part of proper raspberry plant care and maintenance, it is also a way to ensure and improve the development of the fruit crop. Written by: Sue Sanderson Plants and gardens have always been a big part of my life. In the spring when pruning raspberries, remove all the weak, diseased, and damaged canes at ground level. When pruning is completed, remove the pruned material from the garden area and destroy it. • Summer-fruiting raspberries. This page provides advice on how to prune raspberries and when you should prune your autumn fruiting raspberries. Ready in June or July prune in Late winter ( February ), cutting back all the canes ground. Just cut down all the canes to ground level after harvesting the lateral ( side ) branches to inches. 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