pruning raspberries during harvesting

by Jan
(Auckland, New Zealand)

Should you cut away the stems where fruit has already fruited and been harvested or just leave everything until the end of harvest and prune back hard ?

Doug says that pruning during harvesting isn't something I'd recommend for any plant.

Here in the North - we prune in the very early spring to eliminate extra canes and bring the spacing down to 6 canes per square foot of row.

I have no idea what you'd do down in NZ but my guess is that it would be similar.

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pruning raspberries during harvesting

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Raspberries
by: marnie

I have to cut back the 8 to 10 ft canes after harvesting. Otherwise, the wind, and snowfall breaks the canes. I cut them to 4 1/2 ft right after harvesting, and they still grow to the above heights.

I placed lots of composted manure, planted the canes, and topped with composted sawdust. This supports & holds the moisture raspberries require. I wished I had recorded the variety as they grow larger than a thumbnail, and red/purple in color. Very tasty and sweet, good producer.

This past fall I did a major cut back as they were taking over the walkways. Planning to start another area with canes that come up this year.

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Doug Green