How to Prune Red Raspberries

Fresh red raspberries: This wonderful sweet-tart fruit is delectable right off the vine, piled in a bowl with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, or as part of a fruit salad.Note that raspberries produce fruit on 2-year-old canes. Therefore, during a plant’s first year of growth, the canes remain unpruned.Good pruning encourages the plants to produce well year after year. Here are some helpful tips to make sure you do it right.

Instructions

1. Remove all fruiting canes after your harvest is complete, usually in mid- to late summer. These normally die back anyway, and doing so reduces the risk of disease.

2. Do not pinch off or prune the main cane tips until late winter. Then prune back the canes to a height of around 5 feet.

3. Thin out the remaining canes in the winter to improve next year’s crop. Prune those that are weak or thin, cutting them out at ground level, so that the remaining canes are spaced roughly 4 to 6 inches apart.

Resources

• Planting and Caring for Raspberry Plants