Do you have to prune red raspberries every year?

9 years ago

I was told you have to prune red raspberries every year to 12 to 18 inches. Or mow them down to the ground.

Is that true? What happens if you let them grow and only cut them back as needed to keep them from taking over? Will they still produce the same amount of fruit? Or does heavy pruning benefit them?

Thanks

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drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Konrad my comment was directed at the advice in the first post by OP, not yours, sorry, it was unclear. I meant the advice that allen was given (prune red raspberries every year to 12 to 18 inches. Or mow them down) was not exactly correct. Sorry for the confusion.
I have for years harvested a 2nd crop, and the fruit is wonderful, so that advice you found is incorrect. It's as good as any summer fruiting type. I say floricanes are floricanes weather from Summer or everbearing. I defy anybody to tell the difference. If you have done it, you know I'm correct. Are floricane crops no good on primocane fruiting blackberries or black raspberries? Of course not, same with everybearing raspberries.

"harvesting the early summer second-year crop is difficult
because of interference from new primocanes."

Now that is funny, what about summer bearing? Is this not a problem? Handle them the same way you would manage summer bearing primocanes and floricanes.
An everbearing raspberry plant REALLY is a primocane fruiting Summer bearing raspberry plant.

Some harvest a 2nd crop

"If you grow fall-bearing raspberries for an early-summer crop and a fall crop, then prune back the plants after the first small harvest in summer."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/afterharvest-care-raspberries-62059.html

Everbearing red raspberries produce berries from midsummer to fall on the new season’s growth (called “primocanes”). Bud-bearing canes that survive winter also bear light crops in late spring

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/fruits/growing-raspberries-zm0z12onzkon.aspx

Some do believe the summer crop hurts the plants, but IMHO that is nonsense, as stated they are really just primocane fruiting summer bearing raspberries. As is the Ark series of blackberries. Or the Niwot black raspberry that bears a fall primocane crop.

I typically get about 300 raspberries per plant for the summer harvest, about the same for the fall crop.. Maybe less? The summer crop uses 2/3 of the cane, so on everbearing the summer crops are typically larger. Those stating they are smaller, never did it. I can't explain it another way? I have done it for years.

Here is Fall Gold with a summer crop on floricanes. The plants grow numerous laterals and fruits like crazy. The floricanes are on the right. The new primocanes are on the left, completely out of the way. I have found when you keep the floricanes, the new primocanes tend to come up AWAY from existing floricanes. Their is one primocane behind them, most on the left. By July 15th floricanes are finished and removed, and out of the way. So the cane behind them did fine.

Maybe some cultivars do not perform well like this? I have Himbo Top, Fall Gold, Double Gold, Crimson Night, Anne, Kiwi Gold, Caroline, and Polka and take a 2nd crop on all of them. All do fairly well with the 2nd crop.

For Summer bearing where I also have to manage primocanes and floricanes together I have Prelude, Encore, Taylor, Honey Queen, and Cascade Gold.

I also have to manage both cane types with all of my blackberries, and Jewel, Allen, and the primocane fruiting Niwot black raspberry.

For blackberries I have Triple Crown, Black Diamond, Loch Ness, Siskiyou, Marion, Boysen, Navaho, Columbia Star, Chester, Natchez, Newberry, Tayberry, Wyeberry, Nettleton's Creamy White, and Burbank's White.

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Comments (13)

Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
9 years ago
What have you got? The producing floricanes are replaced by new canes which produce fruits the following year only. The producing canes will be dead the following spring and cutting them out,..perhaps also with some other new shoots will help sunlight getting in and you're ending up with sweeter better tasting berries. The primocane have fruit later in summer, if you don't cut canes down then you'll have fruit earlier the following year but inferior in quality as I understand. You can mow to the ground,..I don't have these, like taller plants for the ease of picking.
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well the advice is not exactly correct that you give, but yeah you should mantain them else the dead canes will attract pests. The canes will die after 2 years no matter what.

How you prune them depends on if you have summer or everbearing, and if everbearing you have 2 possible pruning methods.

Konrad I always take a 2nd crop on everybearing, and the fruit is wonderful, far from inferior in anyway.
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OK, well fall bearing bear on the end. Unlike blackberries, raspberries seem to grow lateral branches just fine, so it wouldn't really help there. But it may give you bigger berries, yes. It will not hurt anything. And maybe some cultivars would grow better laterals. I have only been growing one fall bearer, I added some more this year. You could also grow cultivars that are smaller like Fall Gold. It rarely get's over 3.5 feet. Great taste too! I wish i had a problem with a long growing season!
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Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
>>advice is not exactly correct that you give<<
Pretty exact on the floricanes since I grow them.
On the primocane raspberries I was reading up, also said,...

If allowed to
overwinter, these same canes will produce fruit again in early summer of the second year. However,
the quality of this early summer fruit is inferior to both the late summer primocane crop and summer
crops of floricane-fruiting types. Also, harvesting the early summer second-year crop is difficult
because of interference from new primocanes. Likewise, harvesting the late summer primocane crop
is difficult because the primocanes are thinner and taller when the second-year canes are allowed to
grow, too. Most growers sacrifice the early summer second-year crop in favor of a smaller, but higher
quality late summer primocane crop.

Guess your'e not one of the most growers as stated, Drew51

As long it works for you why not.

http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/production/pdfs/rasppruning.pdf
allenwrench
Original Author
9 years ago
I have Autumn Britton, Anne and Caroline I think? If they get to 5 feet or more should I just leave the canes until they die or cut them back every year to 18 inches?
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
9 years ago
Personally, I let them be at 5 feet with the floricane.
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Before & after pruning...canes are longer but most have some die back anyhow.
Kevin Reilly
9 years ago
I let mine do two crops as well. The early crop tastes great, the same as the later crop actually.
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
9 years ago
drew51...thank you for clearing this up.
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
No worries, my bad for being unclear. I know you know your stuff konrad.

melikeeatplants yes, just train them the way you would summer bearng. I cut off the upper fruited 1/3 in the fall. Yeah my floricanes are starting to leaf out. I had such a big crop last year I have been eating raspberries all winter. I made a yellow raspberry crisp the other day, man that was good! I still have a few quarts left. They freeze so well!
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
Poor Allen, sorry for hijacking the thread. I would prune every year because you're giving a home to borers and other problem pests. Diseased canes should be removed too. If left your whole patch can become infected with borers, or fungi, etc.

Do you know what type of raspberries you have? A name?
codym17
9 years ago
I have several latham and heritage that i planted last year, but forgot which is which i have a guess.. I know i am supposed to mow the heritage in the fall but not the latham. Anyway to tell them apart?
drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
9 years ago
Yes, Heritage will fruit on primocanes on the upper 1/3 and Latham will not.

Do you have to prune red raspberries every year?

drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a

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Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta

drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a

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Do you have to prune red raspberries every year?

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