When do I trim back Raspberry Canes?

[Laura]

This year my raspberries are producing like crazy.........and they are 'reproducing' canes at an amazing clip.

When do I trim back my canes? Do I clip down the dead ones at the same time? Should I trim them all back, or do I leave some of them tall?

They are red raspberries, I believe they are 'ever bearers'. I got a few in the early summer, and now again in hugenormous amounts!

Thanks for you help.
Laura

[nhlivefreeordie]

This year my raspberries are producing like crazy.........and they are 'reproducing' canes at an amazing clip.

When do I trim back my canes? Do I clip down the dead ones at the same time? Should I trim them all back, or do I leave some of them tall?

They are red raspberries, I believe they are 'ever bearers'. I got a few in the early summer, and now again in hugenormous amounts!

Thanks for you help.
Laura

Laura,

On ever bearers you can do one of two things. If you want two crops next year, ( spring and fall ) you will need to leave some of the new canes on to overwinter, cut all canes that produced fruit this year back to the ground. Leave 4-6 of the new primocanes to produce that spring crop. The other option if you don't mind losing the spring crop, is to cut all of the canes to the ground, you lose the spring crop of berries, but this often means a HUGE fall crop. My Heritage and Anne ( yellow variety ) are still producing the fall crop, and I will cut back all of the canes after they finish.

[Laura]

Thank you so much for the advice!!
Laura

[fancyfowl]

I have opted for the fall crop. I just mow off with the brush hog. less disease and insect problems too. I rototill down each side of the rows so they dont get too wide. They need some sun and warmer nights tho this year, very slow in coming on.

[bookwormom]

thanks guys, you took the words right out of my mouth, I had wondered just the same, In my instructions it says to cut the patch down in spring and I have been bush hogging it around middle march. but I would like to do it earlier, like after it first frosts and wondered if that would be okay.
I let one row go for early berries and my main patch gets mowed down. this seems to have been a good year for raspberries.

[mtwildflower]

My raspberries grow only on the canes that grew the year before. I will cut back the ones that produced this year and leave the new growth tall.

I had an amazing raspberry crop this year too.

[Laura]

Just picked about 2lbs of raspberries off my bushes yesterday and there is PLENTY more where that came from.......little baby berries.

We have not had a "hard" frost yet......but it's coming.

1. When should I cut the canes back (opting for fall only harvest)?

2. Should I cut them all the way to the ground, or leave a stem, and if yes leave a stem, how much?

3. Should I mulch over the cut stems to protect them from winter? If so, how deep?

Thanks again!!
laura

[nhlivefreeordie]

You trim the canes back after the leaves have dropped, probably late November early December. Leave about 2-3" of cane. If this is their first year, you can mulch them with straw or something else that won't mat, after the first year they generally don't need to be mulched.

[Laura]

SWEET!
Thank you
laura

[macgeoghagen]

My mom keeps raspberries. she has them in sort of a clump in 2 rows of the garden. every winter she trims back one row and leaves the other. raspberry canes produce fruit in their 2nd year. the 1st year they are growing, the 3rd and after they are just foliage. so every year the raspberry crop alternates.

[nhlivefreeordie]

My mom keeps raspberries. she has them in sort of a clump in 2 rows of the garden. every winter she trims back one row and leaves the other. raspberry canes produce fruit in their 2nd year. the 1st year they are growing, the 3rd and after they are just foliage. so every year the raspberry crop alternates.

She is letting the plant rest every other year? Might be something to that for summer bearers, they are the ones that fruit on the fluorocanes in the second season. I chose all ever bearers, which is a misnomer, they fruit spring and summer if you leave the new canes on each fall, that seems like a lot of extra work, at a time when other things are happening, so I opt to cut them off and get a huge fall harvest.
It is interesting that she rested the plant after each harvest, similar to what we do with new strawberry plants, that way the plant is able to recuperate after a big production. I may order some summer bearers this year just to try that and see what happens.