Properly pruned raspberry bushes give private gardeners juicy-sweet fruit chocolates. Without pruning, the popular berry bushes turn into a dense tangle of shoots with meager harvests in no time at all. In this tutorial you can read about when and how to prune summer raspberries and autumn raspberries in an exemplary manner.

When to cut raspberries depends on the variety

Table of Contents

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  1. What differences
  2. Types of cuts and dates
  3. Planting, training cut summer raspberries
  4. Planting, training cut autumn raspberries
  5. Cut summer raspberries
  6. Cut autumn raspberries
  7. Cut two-timer raspberries
  8. Cut at the stake
  9. frequently asked Questions

    10. Distinguish between summer raspberries and autumn raspberries

    There are many varieties of raspberries to choose from in tree nurseries and garden centers. Gardeners can choose between summer raspberries and autumn raspberries or take both varieties home with them. To help you make the right choice, the following overview summarizes the outstanding differences:

    • Summer raspberries bloom and fruit on the previous years drives
    • Advantage: early harvest from June with larger fruits
    • Autumn raspberries are blooming and fruiting this year drives
    • Advantage: easy training and cutting care

    In terms of vigour, summer and autumn raspberries pull together. Premium varieties such as 'Aroma Queen', 'Blissy' or 'Sanibelle' boast rapid annual growth of up to 120 centimetres. Anyone who does not ensure order and control here with regular pruning measures will have to contend with an invasive spread of thorny, long tendrils in the garden within a few years.

    Types of cuts and recommended dates

    Bulging harvest baskets with melt-in-the-mouth raspberries are not least the result of a skilful cutting care to the right time. Make sure in advance whether there are summer or autumn raspberries in your garden. It largely depends on when and how you cut the berry bushes correctly. The following overview lists all types of cuts with tips for the best time:

    cut type goal/occasion best time
    Planting and training cut summer raspberries clear shrub structure after planting
    Planting and training cut autumn raspberries light-flooded, controlled growth after planting
    spring pruning Summer raspberries Encourage fruit wood, limit height growth February to March
    summer cut Thin out summer raspberries after harvest
    fall pruning Keep autumn raspberries young and productive after harvest or in February

    Summer raspberries - planting and training cut

    The successful cultivation of summer raspberries is based on a knowledgeable Education on the trellis. In the home garden, a frame made of wooden posts with clamped wires at 30 cm, 100 cm and 180 cm height. The length of the trellis depends on the number of young raspberries planted with an ideal planting distance of 50 centimetres. The best planting time is in early autumn, when rooting progresses rapidly in the sun-warmed soil. How to successfully plant and train summer raspberries:

    • After planting or in February, cut back all shoots to 30 centimeters, or 4 eyes
    • Cover with a layer of fall leaves fixed with pine twigs or compost
    • Remove the winter protection in early to mid-March
    • In May per linear meter the 5 to 10 strongest rods tie well distributed on the trellis
    • Cut off all remaining tendrils at ground level

    In the course of the season you tie the selected rods - corresponding to the growth - vertically to the wire trellis. Please use flexible binding material, which does not cut into the soft bark. Since summer raspberries grow up to 120 centimeters a year, individual shoots sometimes protrude beyond the trellis in autumn. Between November and February, prune the tips of the canes to within a hand’s breadth of the top trellis wire.

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    Rose gloves protected against annoying spikes.

    Raspberries cannot deny that they belong to the rose family. The most popular varieties are riddled with sharp spikes. So that the scratchy tendrils don't spoil your enjoyment of trimming, impenetrable rose gloves ensure pain-free work. Made of leather or puncture-resistant nitrile and with extra-long cuffs, you are well armed with the special gloves for cutting all thorny berry bushes such as raspberries, gooseberries or blackberries.

    Autumn raspberries - planting and training cut

    Autumn raspberries make cutting care easy for you. Since the berry bushes are cultivated once a year, there is no need for time-consuming tying and training on the wire trellis. You give the flexible tendrils reliable stability by hanging a wire mesh or similar grid horizontally between two wooden posts at a height of 80 to 100 centimeters. Here the rods can grow through and do not tip over under their sweet load. This is how you correctly complete the planting and training pruning of autumn raspberries:

    • After planting or in February, cut back all shoots to 30 centimeters or 4 buds
    • Cover the planting site with leaves and fix a thin layer of compost
    • Remove winter protection in good time before budding begins
    • In May per running meter 15 to 20 strong rods choose
    • Cut off all remaining shoots just above the ground and pull them out of the bush

    The annual cultivation of autumn raspberries easily allows twice the number of fruit canes per meter of cultivation area compared to summer raspberries. It should not be more than 20 rods, because too dense growth promotes fungal infections, such as the dreaded rod disease.

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    Cutting raspberries with bypass or anvil shears?

    The botanical classification of raspberries as a rose family is not only expressed in growth with thorn-armed shoots. Likewise, a solid wood indicates the close relationship to rose bushes. This requires sharp pruning shears for the cut, which leaves clean cuts. Specialist shops offer bypass and anvil shears for this purpose. Bypass scissors work with two sharp cutting edges that split a shoot without fraying the edges of the wound. However, the bypass mechanism requires more effort. In contrast, an anvil shears cut with less effort, but there is a risk of crushing the drive. The reason for this is the way it works with a sharp blade that presses the branch against a blunt anvil and only then cuts it. Since each function has individual advantages and disadvantages, the decision is subject to your horticultural assessment.

    Prune summer raspberries twice a year

    Beginning with the second year, summer raspberries thrive with two generations of rods on the trellis. Side by side stand last year's fruiting tendrils and this year's canes for next year's raspberry harvest. This can cause confusion even among experts. So that you don't accidentally cut off valuable young canes and leave old canes standing, cut your summer raspberries after harvesting. How to do it right:

    • After the harvest, cut off all the empty tendrils to a hand’s breadth above the ground
    • In exchange, select the 10 best rods and tie them to the trellis
    • Cut off excess shoots and pull them out of the berry bush

    As illustrated in the figure below, young raspberry canes have sufficient light, air and space for vital growth after summer pruning. The tendrils will be spared from pruning until next spring. Only in February or March cut back shoots that are too long to an advantageous height of 150 to 180 centimetres. Take this opportunity to thin out dead or frozen wood at floor level.

    Summer raspberries thrive on the man-high wire trellis. After harvest, cut off any worn canes. Tie up the ten strongest tendrils this year. In February, trim the shoot tips to a harvest-friendly height of 150 to 180 centimetres.

    Cut autumn raspberries once a year

    Autumn raspberries grow, flower and fruit in the same year. Like all fruit trees that bear fruit on this year's wood, pruning is easy. The year after planting, select 15 to 20 of the best vines for that year's harvest. An uncomplicated rhythm for the annual pruning then sets in. How to do it right:

    • Cut autumn raspberries after harvest
    • Cut all tails to within a hand’s breadth of the ground
    • Cover the bed with leaves and needle brushwood or pile it up with compost

    Clear the protective mulch in spring in good time before they sprout. Young tendrils will begin to grow rapidly, allowing them to grow through the recommended wire mesh. If more than 20 canes thrive per meter, select the most vital shoots in May and thin out the excess. Please measure the size of the cut according to the rule of thumb: the fewer canes of fruit, the larger and juicier the raspberries.

    In the fall or early spring, cut all of the tails at the base. Autumn raspberries thank the radical pruning with strong shoots and large, juicy fruits.

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    Sleeping eyes guarantee fresh growth after the winter

    After the autumn pruning, there is hardly anything left of autumn raspberries. How can it be that next year, mighty, densely leafed tendrils with delicious raspberries will appear here again? The solution to the riddle lies hidden within sleeping eyes, which are almost invisible under the bark and in the rootstock. Specifically, these are buds in a resting state. Pruning the shoots above ground causes dormant buds to be activated. Just in time for the start of the growing season in spring, raspberries sprout from their dormant eyes brought to life.

    Special case two-timer raspberries

    There is no new type of raspberry hidden behind the variety designation 'Two-Timer-Raspberries'. Rather, they are autumn raspberries that are blended like summer raspberries. In fact, any autumn raspberry can bear fruit on both this year's and last year's canes. Breeders take advantage of this property and offer hobby gardeners two-timer raspberries, such as the well-known 'Sugana', as a special variety innovation. There is no pruning after the harvest so that the fruit canes will bear raspberries a second time in early summer of the following year. This cut care follows:

    • After planting: cut back to 30 cm or 4 buds
    • In May of the following year: select 10 to 15 of the best rods per running meter, remove all the others
    • First harvest in June on last year's canes, second harvest in August on this year's canes
    • Cut off all two-year-old canes in February/March each year, leaving the previous year's canes for a harvest in June

    Commercial fruit growing leaves two-timer raspberries in the dust. The reason is primarily the complex cultivation, coupled with a longer harvest time and a lower yield per plant. Since productivity and work efficiency are secondary in the snack garden, the focus is on the new raspberries with the double harvest on each fruit cane.

    Cut raspberries on a stick

    In a small garden, for cultivation in a tub on the balcony, training on a stick is suitable for raspberries. Instead of installing a wire trellis or hanging a trellis, use a wooden pole about 2 meters high for support. Plant your favorite raspberry variety in close proximity to the stick in rich, well-drained soil. A plant cut to 30 centimeters promotes vital branching. Tie the 5 heaviest rods to the pole with soft hose ties. Cut off excess ground shoots at the base.

    After harvesting, cut back autumn raspberries to a short stub and detach the branches from the post. On summer raspberries, thin out the canes that have been removed after harvesting to make room for this year's shoots. These guide you successively up the staff. As shown in the figure below, there should be no more than five rods on the staff.

    If there is a lack of space, raspberries thrive on the stake. More than five canes of fruit should not gather at the staff. Therefore, consistently cut off excess ground shoots.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are raspberries self-fertile?

    In fact, raspberries thrive without any problems as solitaires and give you a rich harvest. An additional pollinator variety is not required. If space allows, we still recommend planting two raspberry bushes to maximize yields. In addition, you effectively prevent crumb fruiting if you grow two raspberry varieties. Pure self-pollination always involves the risk that the raspberries will simply fall apart when picked.

    According to the instructions, I cut back the autumn raspberry 'Aroma Queen' close to the ground in spring. It's been two weeks now and still no budding. What to do?

    Time of pruning and budding are not directly related. As an autumn raspberry, 'Aroma Queen' will take until mid/late May to start this year's growth. A supplementary supply of nutrients and regular watering are helpful. Give ripe compost with horn shavings (32.93€) or an organic berry fertilizer. (3.94€) If no sprouting can be seen from the soil by the end of May, the raspberry has probably died.

    My summer raspberry is in full sun and bore a lot of fruit in the first summer. Since mid-August, the leaves have turned yellow and not a single new shoot has grown. Should I fertilize and prune the berry bush before fall?

    As a result of cool, wet weather, your summer raspberries will probably go dormant earlier. The plant transfers the remaining nutrients from the leaves into the roots, turning the foliage yellow. Raspberries are no longer fertilized from the beginning of August, otherwise the berry bushes could not ripen and freeze before winter. Only in the spring do you administer an organic fertilizer again. On summer raspberries, the older, worn shoots dry back in winter and are cut off to the ground in February.

    Are raspberries suitable for keeping in pots with trellis?

    All raspberry varieties can be kept in buckets as long as a sufficient supply of water and nutrients is ensured. An integrated trellis provides sufficient support for the long shoots. It is important to note that you repot the raspberries more frequently so that new shoots develop in the substrate. If a rootstock becomes too large, you can safely divide it in autumn or spring.

    Is it possible to plant young raspberries on a site where raspberry bushes have been before?

    Unfortunately that is not possible. Raspberries belong to the rose family, whose growth is associated with soil fatigue. This is a natural process that prohibits a complete succession of rose plants or at least involves considerable disadvantages. If one raspberry bush follows the next, you will struggle with sick, weak and stunted plants. You can either plant plants from another family at the location for three to five years or you can exchange the soil over a large area.

    Are there raspberries without thorns?

    A colorful array of thornless raspberry varieties makes cultivation even easier and, above all, less painful. The innovative variety Primeberry Autumn Amber thrives as an uncomplicated autumn raspberry with yellow fruits and does not have any thorns. Those who prefer to harvest red raspberries from thornless tendrils prefer Primeberry Mailing Happy. The dwarf variety Lowberry Red Princess, which has also made a name for itself as a premium thornless variety, is ideal for the small garden.

    Our two-timer raspberry branches very little. Can I encourage branching through a cut?

    Raspberries do not naturally branch very well. Rather, the berry bushes form very long, annual rods. Only in the second year do the annual canes branch out. These side branches then bear fruit in turn. The two-timer raspberry combines this growth with a slim, upright silhouette. You can't enhance the natural branching with a pruning. The two-timer variety 'Sugana' becomes quite bushy anyway because it forms both annual and biennial wood.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    If a raspberry bush presents itself as a hopeless tangle of branches with many old and few young shoots with miserable fruits, this is usually due to typical mistakes in pruning.To save you from unpleasant problems when growing raspberries, the following table draws your attention to the three most common pruning errors:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    never cut impenetrable thicket of lazy tendrils Cut raspberries at least once a year
    Cut summer raspberries like autumn raspberries failure of the next harvest on summer raspberries after the harvest, only cut off the empty canes
    Autumn raspberries cut in summer Total failure of this year's harvest After harvesting, cut off autumn raspberries completely flush with the ground
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    tips

    Raspberries tend to have a pronounced growth with runners. Planting with a root barrier is an effective way to prevent the berry bushes from taking over the entire garden. Line the planting pit about 30 centimeters deep with pond liner or a special rhizome barrier.

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Vegetable garden