Q&A – How do I prune my new raspberry plants?
Question:
This past spring I planted some red everbearing raspberry plants. They are primocords so I wanted to know how to prune them later this winter. I don’t want to ruin them as they don’t produce this coming spring. Please advise.
Answer:
There are two different kinds of raspberry (biennial[primocane/floricane] and everbearing) and each has its own pruning requirements.
UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese describes how primocane/floricane raspberries work. The plant will send up a primocane that will not bloom or set fruit the first year. The second year the same cane is called a floricane and will bloom and fruit. It will then die and can be removed. While the floricane is fruiting the plant will send up a new primocane for next year. Pruning consists of removing the floricane after it dies. The primocane can also be tipped to increase fruiting the next year.
Everbearing raspberries fruit on the first year’s cane and then again on the same cane the next year. Alabama A&M University Extension Specialist Rudy Pacumbaba says the canes will fruit from the top down. In the winter or early spring prune off the part of the cane that has already fruited. The rest of the cane will fruit again the next year.
As it is not definitive what kind of raspberry plants these are, do not prune until after next year. That way you can see if they are primocane or everbearing and prune correctly.
Related Resources:
Pruning and Training Caneberries (Blackberries and Raspberries)
Growing Raspberries in the Home Garden
This past spring I planted some red everbearing raspberry plants. They are primocords so I wanted to know how to prune them later this winter. I don’t want to ruin them as they don’t produce this coming spring. Please advise.
Answer:
There are two different kinds of raspberry (biennial[primocane/floricane] and everbearing) and each has its own pruning requirements.
UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese describes how primocane/floricane raspberries work. The plant will send up a primocane that will not bloom or set fruit the first year. The second year the same cane is called a floricane and will bloom and fruit. It will then die and can be removed. While the floricane is fruiting the plant will send up a new primocane for next year. Pruning consists of removing the floricane after it dies. The primocane can also be tipped to increase fruiting the next year.
Everbearing raspberries fruit on the first year’s cane and then again on the same cane the next year. Alabama A&M University Extension Specialist Rudy Pacumbaba says the canes will fruit from the top down. In the winter or early spring prune off the part of the cane that has already fruited. The rest of the cane will fruit again the next year.
As it is not definitive what kind of raspberry plants these are, do not prune until after next year. That way you can see if they are primocane or everbearing and prune correctly.
Related Resources:
Pruning and Training Caneberries (Blackberries and Raspberries)
Growing Raspberries in the Home Garden