How to Prune Raspberry Vines

Keeping raspberry vines, or canes, clipped back and tidy not only makes the area where your raspberries grow look nicer, but also allows the plants to produce more berries as competition for water and nutrients is kept to a minimum. When you prune raspberries you also make harvesting the berries simpler, as they become more accessible when fewer canes are in the way. Luckily, pruning raspberries is a straightforward task that only needs to be performed once a year in the fall to ensure a hearty crop of fresh berries the following year.

Hand pruners

Instructions

- 1
  Harvest all ripe berries through the season until there are none left in the fall. The fruits produced this year have grown on 2-year-old canes, which will not produce again next year. Any old canes that didn't produce fruits are older than two years.
- 2
  Inspect the raspberry area to look for fresh, green canes with vibrant green leaves in contrast to the dark reddish-brown canes, which feature dark green leaves. The green canes are this year's new growth and next year's fruiting canes.
- 3
  Cut back an older cane to the point where it grows up from the ground using hand pruners. If you cannot reach the ground point, clip them as far down as you safely can. Pull the cane from the raspberry bush area and discard.
- 4
  Continue to cut away the older canes one at a time and remove them as much as possible until all that remain are the fresh, green canes of this year's growth.
- 5
  Allow fresh canes to grow undisturbed for the entire following season, collecting berries as often as available, until the following fall. Repeat Steps 2 through 3 every fall to remove the 2-year-old canes and leave only the new canes each year.

The Best Blackberries for Containers

When Do Blackberries Start to Grow?

Growing Berries