How Can I Divide a Raspberry Bush Into Two Plants?

Look over your existing plant to note the kinds of canes extending up from the ground. Clip old canes that are brittle and woody to the ground. Leave the healthy second-year canes that appear red, and shorten the first-year canes that are green and tender.

Use a shovel to dig up approximately half of the green canes, starting 6 inches away from the base if you only want to propagate the plant but don't need to relocate the entire bush during division. Dig up the entire plant starting 1 foot out from the base if you're relocating the bush.

Lay the bush on its side, if you dug up the entire plant, so you can see the roots as well as the canes. Slip the head of the pointed-end shovel between canes near the center of the plant. Force the thin, front edge of the shovel head downward to slice through the roots to divide the plant.

Dig individual holes in the ground for each shoot or plant twice the size of the rootball and 1-foot deep. Replace half the soil in the hole with compost. Plant the shoot or plant into the hole only as deeply as it was previously growing and fill around it with soil to secure.

Keep new plants well-watered for the first month to establish roots; after that, water weekly through the first year to promote growth. Expect to see berries growing on the relocated plants the following year and growth from the transplanted shoots within two years.