Pruning red raspberries

By Al Cooke
Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007

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Pittsboro, NC - “Anyone know when and how to prune red raspberry bushes”?

Pruning red raspberries differs slightly from pruning black raspberries. In summer, soon after harvest is complete, remove all fruiting canes. These are going to die anyway and the sooner they are removed, the less likely they are to harbor and spread disease pathogens. Do not pinch or tip prune red raspberries in summer. Wait until late winter, then head them back to about five feet high.

You will also want to thin the remaining canes in late winter. Remove at ground level the thinnest and weakest canes so that the canes remaining are no closer than 4 to 6 inches. That means leaving only 3 to 4 canes per foot of row. Failure to thin these canes usually results in weak stems and small berries. It also makes harvest more difficult.

During the growing season new shoots will arise along the row. These form the basis of the harvest for the following season, so allow them to develop within the defined row, about 1 to 1½ foot wide. Use a sharp tool to remove those that grow outside the row; this also facilitates ease of harvest.

If you have the Dormanred variety, they will be trailing on the ground and need to be tied to stake or trellis.

Finally, for those who are thinking maybe raspberries are a good thing to plant, there is nothing automatic about them. Look for varieties developed in the south such as Southland, Dormanred, or Heritage. It doesn’t matter how big and shiny the berries are in a picture from a catalog produced in Michigan, Oregon, or Ontario. Those berries would be real nice if they would survive in Chatham County, but they tend to lack tolerance of our hot, humid climate. Raspberries tend to do best in deep, well-drained soils well fortified with organic matter and in full sun.

For more information on growing raspberries in your garden, see the Horticulture Information Leaflet at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8204.html