How Do I Divide a Raspberry Bush?

Raspberry bushes produce edible fruit in the summer months and are a good ornamental choice for your home landscape. Raspberries are more adaptable to various soils than other fruit bushes such as blueberries. If you have a large raspberry bush, consider digging it up and dividing the root system into two. This gives you a new plant to locate elsewhere in the garden or to give away as a gift.

Hand pruners or pruning shears
Garden hose
Shovel
Sharp knife

Instructions

- 1
  Prune all the stems back to 6 inches above the ground using hand pruners or pruning shears. Wait until spring after temperatures no longer hit freezing but before the raspberry bush develops green leaves.
- 2
  Water the soil under the raspberry bush until it is wet to a 5- or 6-inch depth at least two days prior to dividing the plant.
- 3
  Insert a shovel into the ground at least 6 inches away from the base of the raspberry bush. Lean back to loosen the soil and then repeat the process all the way around the perimeter of the bush.
- 4
  Slide the shovel into the loosened soil and angle it underneath the bush. Lean back once more to lift the entire root ball out of the ground. Grasp the root ball with your hands and carefully lift it up out of the ground.
- 5
  Rinse the roots of the raspberry bush with a garden hose to wash away excess soil and make the roots easier to see.
- 6
  Place your thumbs in the center of the root system and pry it apart as gently as possible by untangling the roots. If you reach an area that does not separate easily, cut through it with a sharp, clean knife.
- 7
  Replant the raspberry bushes immediately in locations with six to eight hours of sun and with well-draining, slightly sandy soil.

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