

Pruning Red Raspberries


Fine Gardening - Issue 144

Photo/Illustration: Darlene White





Red raspberry plants, before pruning.
Photo/Illustration: Ann Stratton

Before you start, know your primocanes from your floricanes

Red raspberry plants, after pruning.
Photo/Illustration: Ann Stratton




4 simple steps to pruning raspberries

Photo/Illustration: Judy Simon

1. Remove last year’s canes


2. Narrow the row

Step 3: Cut out the weaklings.
Photo/Illustration: Ann Stratton
Step 4: Attach the canes to a trellis.
Photo/Illustration: Ann Stratton
Step 4: Attach the canes to a trellis.
Photo/Illustration: Ann Stratton

3. Cut out the weaklings


4. Attach canes to a trellis


What about black raspberries?



View Comments


  1. fromaway46 12/27/2015

    How are you preventing disease spores on dead canes from over wintering if you don't prune them until late winter?

    1. robertdegraff 04/30/2017

      Can I prune in the spring if I didn't in the winter

      1. carlamstad 05/07/2017

        Best to prune in the Spring. The dying canes provide nutrients to the root crown over the Winter.

  2. user-7008221 08/18/2016

    I have two rows of raspberries. I mow down one row every second year to avoid pulling out the old canes. Does this cause any problems?

  3. cathyosman 05/29/2017

    A garden helper accidentally cut our raspberries to the ground. Will they come back?

    1. user-7008677 06/19/2017

      Yes, of course. Then you can start over. Actually, a lot of people choose to just have one crop each year in the case of Everbearers like Heritage. The autumn crop is usually smaller ,so they feel that they can skip it. They prune all the way down to the ground instead of the floricane system. The canes always come back.

  4. lisamanske 05/29/2017

    When I was a child we had a huge raspberry patch. We never pruned or thinned it. We got gallons and gallons of berries out of that patch, every year.

  5. user-7008694 06/27/2017

    for the last few years the yield of my wild raspberries has dropped to about half from 2-3 yrs ago, does picking them reduce future plants? these are on the side of my pasture field among some dead fall trees.theres also some blackberries among the raspbs ,do they hinder the raspb?when or should i fertilize , and with what????? thanks for any help

  6. bettytengesdal 07/07/2017

    What is with my berries that have been so beautiful. We do prune out at end of the season. but now some of the berris are beautifulo red on one side and perfectly white on the other. Why? Then in the other patch the berries were nice sized and firm in the past and are now smaller and when you pick them they come apart in pieces. What should I do to restore the nice firm berries that I have previously had on these plants?

  7. karengriffithschomin 07/15/2017

    I mistakenly removed the green canes. Thought they were weeds as they looked just like the stinging nettle that was within the bushes. The brown stems are producing lots of berries. Have I destoyed the bushes?

    1. davidsmartin 08/02/2017

      Not destroyed -- they will grow back. But you probably will not get many raspberries next year. The following year you should be fine again.

  8. user-7008862 08/31/2017

    If you just cut off excess canes at ground when thinning bed wont the continue to grow back? If you try to pull them out you seem to damage root of larger plant to which they are attached.

  9. patience_wright 09/07/2017

    should I prune now as I had a good spring harvest and a small end of summer? or do I let them go until spring and prune?

    1. paypalactivate 06/12/2019

      There's a lot of questions here from readers that are growing raspberries and need help. I wonder hrblockemerald card if the author will return to answer questions.

  10. user-7008877 09/07/2017

    We just bought a hobby farm, it has a HUGE area of raspberries, I didn't get any fruit from them this summer.
    How do I take care of them? Should I mow them all down and start fresh. They are probably 20 feet wide.

  11. caitlinadair 09/15/2017

    I am growing Latham red raspberries. We had a terrific crop this year, and I have just removed the spent canes. The new canes are 8-9 feet tall! Would it be okay to prune them back to 5 feet tall now (in the fall) or do I have to wait until spring?

    1. user-7008948 10/11/2017

      Mine are 8-9 feet tall too. I am wondering the same as you. Did you ever get a reply?

  12. user-7008948 10/11/2017

    I have Latham raspberries and was wondering how best to winterize them as I live in the northeast. Some of mine are 8-9 feet tall and have a fence around them. Should I prune them, leave them alone, or what?

  13. akkipanwar12 05/01/2019

    Hi everyone if you are connect the right way then you have choose the more option are available and you are connect the download firefox any time the web browser are nice working if you are choose.

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