How to Grow Raspberries in Illinois

Remove broken or damaged roots from your raspberry plant before planting it.

Spread out the roots of the plant as you place it in the ground. Set red raspberry plants at the same depth of soil that they were in when purchased, and black and purple varieties about 1 inch deeper.

Cut red raspberries down to about 12 inches after planting, and cut black or purple raspberries down to ground level.

Fertilize raspberry plants approximately two weeks after planting. Use about 2 oz. of 5-10-5 fertilizer for each plant, surrounding the plants all the way around. Beginning in the second year, use 10-10-10 fertilizer once per year in the spring, at the rate of 15 lbs. per 1,000 square feet.

Prune raspberries twice per year: once in the spring before new growth to remove dead canes, and once after to remove canes that have just fruited. Black and purple raspberries should also be pruned a third time: in the middle of summer, pinching back about 4 inches from the lateral shoots.

Provide support for growing canes. Either install a stake or pole and tie canes to it, or construct a trellis. A trellis is built by installing two poles, about 18 inches apart, and running two wires between the poles. Raspberry canes will then grow in between the wires and do not need to be otherwise secured.