We bought new raspberry plants last summer - everbearing crop - and planted them in their forever garden bed last March. They did produce berries last summer. Below is what they looked like in July. They only grew slightly more from that and only the plants at the far end of the garden. We did not prune them. Some branches are still wrapped around the twine, others just flopping around. Most did not grow all that tall. A few branches about 5' if I unwrapped them from the twine. Should I be pruning them back now or should I have done it in the fall? What happens if I just leave them alone? Thanks! Raspberry garden July 2 2010 ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden )
I contacted a friend in East Texas who grows raspberries, and this is what she told me: After a cane bears fruit, cut it to the ground. In spring after the first growing summer, cut the canes to 4-5 feet. The everbearing will have fruit on the tips, and later down on the cane and then next summer even lower down. She advises "tipping" the canes in spring before the leaves appear, then after the first and second harvest, leaving the bearing cane until it bears the next summer and then cutting it to the ground. I hope this is clear. She had to explain it to me twice before I got it. You are probably a lot quicker than I am!
Thank you - that's very helpful. Seeing as how most of them didn't even reach the 5 foot mark that should be pretty easy to prune them. No sign of leaves yet due to the cold weather so maybe I'll leave them alone for a couple more weeks.
