Q&A for How to Prune Raspberries

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My raspberry canes have grown to be about ten feet tall. Should I cut the tops off to make it easier to harvest? Would this make the plant healthier and produce more berries or would it hinder the plant?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Yes. It is helpful to trim the tops. Doing so will encourage more lateral growth, and it will make harvest easier.

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Question

I have lots of suckers. How do I remove them without damaging the roots?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

If the suckers have grown away from the main plant, you can dig them up without damaging the root system. For suckers close to the main stem, simply cut them off at ground level.

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Question

When is the best time to move the raspberry plant?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Protect the root ball and transplant any time in the dormant season, especially late winter.

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Question

Japanese beetles have decimated my black raspberries. Can I cut the whole thing down to start over next year?

Community Answer

You don't need to do that. Buy a product that kills Japanese beetles either by spray or with a bag. We use the bags and were surprised at how well they work. The spray has to be timed, as you don't want to poison your own berries -- you can only use that before berries.

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Can I move raspberry plants in December to another spot after pruning?

Community Answer

While pruning in December shouldn't stress out your plant much since they are dormant, moving them might cause them to die.

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Question

I have a thornless blackberry bush that grows laterally nearly 25 feet. It is 3 years old and has not produced any raspberries. I did cut it back after the second year. Could that be the reason for the lack of berries?

Community Answer

You are not getting any raspberries because it is a blackberry bush. They are separate plants.

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Question

How do I prune my raspberries when they're out of control?

Jennifer Balevre

Community Answer

It depends on the type of raspberry. If they are summer bearing raspberries, the easier way to prune an overgrown bramble is to wait until late winter/early spring because you won’t have next years primocanes to worry about yet to make it even worse. Cut out all of the gray canes that are peeking (those are canes from the previous year), then start thinning out your primocanes from the previous year which will now be your Florocanes. Keep the best looking ones and thin to about 5-6 canes per foot. If they are black raspberries, at the end of the previous summer, you also want to cut down those long arcing canes to about 4 feet so that they will start to grow out.

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