Are You Supposed to Prune Raspberry Bushes in the Fall?

Demystifying Pruning

• If you are confused about when to prune raspberries you are not alone. Confusion is common over when to prune because there are two types of raspberries and each has its own pruning requirements, according to the National Gardening Association. Raspberry plants are divided into summer-bearing and fall-bearing varieties. In addition, while the raspberry clump plant itself is perennial, each of the canes that grow off the plant are either annual or biennial by nature. When pruning, you cut the canes down to the ground.

Summer-Bearing Raspberries

• Summer-bearing raspberry bushes produce fruit in June, in most locations. These plants flower, bloom and bear raspberries on the canes that grew the year before. After a summer-bearing raspberry plant has produced fruit for the season the canes that bore fruit will not bear a crop the next season, so it is safe to prune those canes after harvesting all the fruit.

Fall-Bearing Raspberries

• Also called everbearing, fall-bearing raspberries produce fruit in the late summer and fall. The fall crop is produced on new canes the plant produced during the summer and those canes can produce a light crop early the next summer. Regardless of whether you want two crops, you do not prune the canes of fall-bearing raspberry bushes immediately after you pick the crop. Wait until the next year. Then, if you do not want an early summer crop you can prune the canes down to the ground in the early spring. Otherwise, wait until after the plant produces an early summer crop and then cut last year's canes down.

Miscellaneous

• Raspberry plants come mainly in black or red varieties. Yellow raspberries are a variation of red raspberries and purple raspberries are a hybrid cross of black and red varieties. They begin producing fruit in the second year and remain productive for 15 to 20 years. Although there are too many varieties of raspberry plants to list, common summer-bearing raspberries varieties include Boyne, Honey Queen, Latham, Nova and Titan, while commonly available fall-bearing varieties include Amity, Autumn, Fall Red, Heritage, September Red and Trailblazer. Your local garden center will have a selection of the best varieties for your area.