How Do I Prune Raspberry Canes and When Should I Do It?

Incorrect raspberry pruning — either cutting at the wrong time or cutting the wrong canes — is one of the most common reasons for a raspberry row that produces no fruit the following year. The pruning method is not complicated, but it is different depending on whether you have a summer-fruiting or autumn-fruiting variety, and understanding the distinction before reaching for the secateurs is essential.

Pruning summer-fruiting raspberries

Immediately after harvest — in July or August — cut out all canes that have just fruited. These are identifiable because they carried fruit and are now beginning to die back; their bark is usually brown or brownish-grey and they have the remnants of fruiting laterals along their length. Cut them at the base, at soil level. Leave all the new green canes that grew up during the fruiting season untouched — these will carry next year's crop. In autumn, tie the remaining new canes to the support wires and tip the tops to the height of the top wire.

Pruning autumn-fruiting raspberries

Autumn-fruiting raspberries are much simpler. In late winter — January or February — cut every single cane to the ground. There is no selection to make: everything comes out. New canes will emerge from the base in spring, grow through the season and produce fruit at their tips from late summer onwards. This can feel alarming when you first do it, but it is correct — a completely bare row in February is exactly what you want with autumn types.

Summer tip pruning in spring

For summer-fruiting varieties, in late winter or early spring, tip the tops of the overwintered canes to just above the top support wire. This is not essential but removes any frost-damaged tips and encourages more productive lateral development along the upper portion of the cane.