Raspberries fruit in the summer.
Raspberry plants fruit on new cane growth, so pruning for the winter will involve removing the old fruiting canes. Gardeners must also control late crops or foliage blooms and control the size of the new canes so they do not become damaged during the winter months. During the later winter months, gardeners can prune the canes back to control height and make for easy fruit picking in the summer.
Instructions
1. Wait for the raspberry plant to finish producing its summer crop. Note which canes produced fruit this summer and which did not. Use garden shears to cut the canes that fruited down to the ground level. This encourages the plant to focus on growing fruit on the new canes.
2. Monitor the plant for any late fall fruiting. Remove the fruit as it comes in. It is susceptible to mold damage and may harm the plant over the winter.
3. Remove any foliage from the tips of the canes that does not fall on its own in the late fall.
4. Monitor the canes that did not fruit for any bending or signs that they are top-heavy. Use garden shears to cut these canes back so they do not bend. High winter winds can cause bending canes to snap, preventing fruit production.
5. Cut all the canes back to 5 feet or under in the late winter. Remove any damaged or thin canes.
