How to Grow and Prune Raspberries

Growing Raspberries

• 1

  Plant raspberries in well-draining, fertile soil with a pH between 5.6 and 6.2 and full sun exposure. Space multiple plants 2 feet apart in a row. Space rows 8 feet apart.

• 2

  Water the plants so they receive 1 to 2 inches every week from planting until harvest. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation system to prevent wetting the foliage.

• 3

  Spread 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch, such as wood chips, straw, shredded leaves, grass clippings or sawdust, around the raspberry plants to deter weeds and retain moisture.

• 4

  Feed young raspberry plants two applications of 1 lb. of a well-balanced, 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100-foot area, preferably 10 days and 40 days after planting. Afterwards, fertilize the plants two times a year, preferably in March before growth and then in May, using 3 lbs. of a well-balanced, 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100-square-foot area.

• 5

  Install a trellis to support the growing canes of raspberry plants. Pound a 7-foot-tall, 3-inch-wide wooden post 1-foot-deep in the ground at each end of the row. Insert identical metal posts ever 15 feet within the row. Extend two parallel lengths of high tensile wire, one on each side of the posts, 5 1/2 feet above the ground. Also extend two parallel lengths of wire 30 inches above the ground. Attach growing canes to the wires with elastic ties.

Pruning Raspberries

• 6

  Clip off the top 2 to 3 inches of the canes of purple and black raspberries during end spring or early summer, leaving the sturdiest canes behind. Cut the lateral branches of black raspberries down to 12 inches and those of purple raspberries down to 18 inches.

• 7

  Cut 3 inches of side shoots in late May to increase fruiting area. Prune off the old fruiting canes at soil level after the last summer harvest.

• 8

  Snip off weak, broken and damaged canes of red or fall-bearing raspberries in early spring, or from January to March. Cut down new canes that extend the 1- to 1 1/2-foot row width to assist light penetration and air circulation. Thin out the sturdiest remaining canes 6 inches apart. Prune old fruiting canes after the summer harvest down to the soil surface. Collect clippings and destroy.