Pruning Raspberries

BeckyM · February 2015

Hi all I have recently taken on my first allotment which already has quite a few fruit trees and bushes growing on it. There are a lot of raspberry canes and I was wondering how I know whether they are summer or autumn fruiting? I don't want to prune them wrong and end up killing them! We got the allotment in November and there were a couple of old raspberries left on the canes, I'm not sure if this means they are autumn ones or if they were just really determined summer ones?! I don't have much experience growing fruit so any help is much appreciated.

Dovefromabove · February 2015

Are there any newer looking canes which don't show any signs of having borne fruit? If so then I think you've got summer ones - prune out the old ones and leave the younger ones, tying them in to a supporting framework.

If all the canes look about the same age then they're likely to be autumn fruiting - cut them all down to ground level.

If there's a supporting framework in place that might also give you a clue as summer fruiting raspberries need a taller support than autumn ones.

BeckyM · February 2015

Thanks Dovefromabove, I'm off to the plot this afternoon so I'll have a closer look. There is support in place but it doesn't look like they were ever tied to it - although the plot was quite a mess so I'm not sure how long it was since anyone last went on there.

Dovefromabove · February 2015

If they're summer fruiting raspberries then the canes that fruited last summer are likely to have been tied to the supports while the new canes are loose and will need tieing in.

When did the previous owner vacate the plot? That might give us another clue

BeckyM · February 2015

I've just been and checked them and I *think* the canes all look the same age, everything looks like it had fruit on it last year. They're not tied to the supports and there were some older bits that looked like they'd been pruned down to the ground last year.

Not sure when the previous owner vacated, I think it was about May-June time as the weeds were very well established!

Dovefromabove · February 2015

I think I'd treat them as autumn fruiting and cut them all down to ground level. If they're autumn fruiting they'll fruit this year. If they're summer fruiting they won't - they'll grow new canes which will need tying in and which will fruit next summer 2016.

If they've been neglected then in the spring (March?) I'd give them a good mulch of well-rotted manure and a sprinkling of Fish Blood and Bone (according to directions on the pack).

Pruning Raspberries

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