How to Prune Dorman Raspberries

Dorman is a cultivar of summer-bearing red raspberry that has been bred to grow in the warmer climates of the southern United States -- where many others cannot survive -- to successfully produce fruit. Unlike other summer-bearing cultivars, Dorman (also known as Dormanred) flowers and fruits along trailing, bramble-like canes as opposed to upright shoots, according to North Carolina State University. Summer-bearing raspberry plantings must be pruned twice each year to keep them healthy, within bounds and vigorously producing fruit.

Pruning shears
Loppers
Gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Cut back all of the canes in late winter to roughly 5 feet long. This helps to keep the canes from massing on the ground in a tangled mess, and makes harvesting and future pruning easier as well.
- 2
  Thin second-year growth of fruiting canes in the late winter, first by removing any dead, damaged or cracked canes all the way down to the soil line. Thin the remaining healthy canes so that there is roughly 4 to 6 inches between each cane. This will make room for sun and fresh air to reach the foliage and fruit.
- 3
  Sever any canes that emerge from the soil outside of the established boundaries of the raspberry hedge or row, typically anything beyond 15 to 18 inches. Cut these down at, or just below, the soil line, or pull them out by the root with gloved hands.
- 4
  Prune the oldest canes that just bore fruit, immediately after the harvest in later summer. Leave three to four healthy shoots for every foot of raspberry row. Sever the canes targeted for removal down to the crown at the soil line.
- 5
  Carefully extricate and collect all of the cane cuttings from the raspberry plants and soil, each and every time time you prune. Leaving the plant materials to decay in situ provides an open invitation to disease, pests and insect activity.

How to Prune Raspberries in Autumn

Second-Year Pruning for Raspberries

Growing Berries