Two raspberry patches can look similar in winter and need quite different pruning. Before reaching for the secateurs, find out whether the plants are summer-fruiting or autumn-fruiting. The answer determines which canes you are trying to keep.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s raspberry guide separates these groups and explains their usual pruning routines. Its seasonal advice is written for UK conditions; use local guidance for the timing in a different climate.
Summer fruit follows the retained canes
For the usual summer-fruiting system, canes that have just carried the crop are removed after fruiting, while suitable new canes are retained for the following year’s crop. Cutting everything down because the patch looks untidy can remove the growth you meant to save.
During harvest, mark a few productive canes with loose, visible ties. Later, compare those marked canes with the new growth. A small record made while the distinction is obvious is more dependable than trying to reconstruct the season from memory.
Autumn raspberries offer a different routine
In the straightforward single-crop system for autumn-fruiting raspberries, all canes are cut down in late winter, and fruit develops on the new season’s growth. More involved double-cropping approaches exist, so a plant kept under that system needs its own plan.
If the variety is unknown, check an old plant label, order confirmation or nursery record. Note when fruit appears and on which growth before making an irreversible cut. A mixed row may need separate labels rather than one instruction for the whole bed.
Keep a short patch record: variety, fruiting group, harvest period and pruning action. Inspect ties and supports while working, and use clean, suitable tools safely. The aim is not to leave the fewest stems; it is to retain the right growth for the cropping system you have chosen.