Looking after raspberry bushes: how should they be pruned?

Prune raspberries according to their fruiting habit. Summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting varieties crop on canes of different ages. Identify your variety first: cutting every cane to the ground can remove the next summer crop.

Understand the two types

Summer raspberries fruit on canes that grew the previous year. Those canes die after cropping, while new shoots from the ground prepare the following year's harvest.

Autumn raspberries fruit on the upper part of the current year's canes. If the lower, unfruited section remains, it can crop the next summer. The timing varies with variety and climate. These are canes and new ground shoots, not separate raspberry trees.

Pruning summer raspberries

After harvest, cut the canes that have fruited down to ground level. Retain strong, healthy young canes for next year and tie them to supports if needed. Remove weak shoots and excess suckers to leave room and light for the remaining canes.

Pruning autumn raspberries

For one autumn crop, cut the canes to ground level in late winter. For an additional, smaller summer crop, remove only the upper section that fruited in autumn. Keep the healthy lower section until it has produced its summer crop, then remove that cane.

The cut therefore depends on the fruited section, not a universal height of 80 cm. Use clean, sharp secateurs and remove dead or damaged growth.

After pruning

Keep the soil moist but well drained. Well-rotted organic matter can help; additional feeding should suit the soil. Control suckers outside the row so plants remain accessible for care and picking.