How to Prune Raspberry Bushes for a Bumper Crop of Delicious Fruit

Harvesting fresh raspberries from your home garden is a fulfilling experience, and with some thoughtful pruning, you can maximize your harvest. By removing old and diseased canes and thinning out new growth, you not only promote healthy plants but also significantly boost your fruit production. Clearing away dead material enhances airflow, reduces the chances of pests and diseases, and sets the stage for the long-term health of your plants.

However, your pruning approach will vary depending on whether you're working with primocanes (first-year canes) or floricanes (second-year canes). Below, you will find expert tips on the best times and techniques for pruning, ensuring that your raspberry plants thrive and reward you with a bountiful harvest.

When to Prune Raspberry Bushes

Major pruning should occur in early spring, after assessing winter damage but before bud break, says Marvin Pritts, Ph.D., professor of horticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. Pruning dead and diseased canes during this time will ensure that your plant has a successful growing season by allowing it to grow with proper airflow and sunlight penetration. "For black raspberries, tip pruning may be needed in June to prevent primocanes from getting too long and to encourage tip rooting," says Pritts.

Primocane Raspberries vs. Floricane Raspberries

There are two types of canes in the raspberry family—primocanes and floricanes. Knowing when they bear fruit will help you determine when and how to prune them. Primocane bushes, also known as everbearing raspberries, produce fruit on first-year canes, typically in late summer or fall. In contrast, floricane raspberry bushes, also known as summer-bearing raspberries, produce fruit on second-year canes that grew the previous year, usually in the summer.

How to Prune Primocane-Fruiting Raspberries

Pruning primocane-fruiting raspberries is simple if you only want a fall crop, says Pritts. Cut the canes to the ground in early spring before new canes emerge, using a mower, hedge trimmer, or loppers. "The emerging canes will grow throughout the summer, flower, and fruit in the fall, then simply mow them down again next spring to repeat the cycle," he says. 

Getting two crops, one in the summer and another in the fall, from primocane-fruiting raspberries is challenging but not impossible, says Pritts. For a summer crop, leave some primocanes behind through fall and winter to form floricanes, which may produce a small summer crop in the coming year. Space the canes about 6 inches apart to leave room for new primocanes to grow. However, this isn't a common practice because it's more work, and extra fruit isn't guaranteed.

How to Prune Floricane-Fruiting Raspberries

Floricanes will die back after harvest, says Lisa Rayburn, horticultural extension agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. She adds that your location will determine when to remove the floricanes. "In USDA hardiness zone 5 and colder, prune the floricanes after the most frigid of winter weather has passed," she says. This minimizes the risk of winter injury. "In warmer climates, remove the floricanes when they die back after harvest to open up the canopy and reduce the risk of disease."

In late winter, before the buds swell, Rayburn advises removing any remaining weak, dead, or damaged canes. "Thin the canes, leaving three to four of the most vigorous canes per square foot," she says. Very tall canes can be cut back to 4 to 5 feet tall for ease of picking.

How to Prune Black Raspberry Bushes

As new primocanes emerge on your black raspberry bushes in early summer, Rayburn advises pinching off the top 2 to 3 inches when the canes are between 2 and 3 feet tall, as this will encourage the development of lateral branches where the fruit will be next season. "After harvesting your black raspberries, remove the spent floricanes as the canes die back," she says. Rayburn says to remove any dead or weak canes in late winter, leaving three to six of the most vigorous canes per crown and cutting back the lateral branches to 8 to 10 inches long.