A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 still confused about raspberry pruning

I have both summer-bearing and everbearing varieties in my garden, and I want to make sure I prune them correctly.

For my summer-bearing varieties (Indian Summer, Latham), the 1st-year canes don't produce fruit, so the only thing I should do is cut the 2nd-year canes to the ground in the fall or winter.

For my everbearing variety (Fall Gold), the 1st-year canes bear fruit on the tips in the fall, while the 2nd-year canes bear fruit lower down during the following summer. So I need to cut the tips off the 1st-year canes in the winter and cut the 2nd-year canes to the ground after they produce, in the fall.

Is this correct?

Thanks in advance,
Rob

According to planting and care instructions from Nourse Farms, to get 2 crops on your everbearing raspberries, simply prune as you would your summer bearers.

I've tried that, but I've found that for me I get a much better quality crop with larger fruits from the fall crop, so I simply cut all the canes to the ground each winter so that all the energy goes into the first year canes and into the fall crop of berries.

You mean leave the 1st-year canes alone and cut them down after the 2nd year? I thought it helped to cut off the tops of the 1st-year canes, to help fruit production in the 2nd year.

Wow, that's a bit scary. I noticed fruit on only some of my 1st-year canes last fall.

Thanks,
Rob

The canes that are too tall, I top in winter, back to just above my top wire, otherwise I just leave them alone.

I just picked my first couple of Tulameen raspberries. YUM! The tallest stems of my Honeyqueen are approaching 6 feet (these are the ones I pruned completely back to the ground) and are starting to form buds and flowers. A few have already set fruit. It looks like I'm going to have a bumper crop