Important information, tips & tricks

Cut back the raspberries

Summer raspberries and Autumn raspberries are cut back differently.

Summer raspberries only produce their fruit on biennial branches while they contribute Autumn raspberries grow on the annual rods.

So before you prune back your raspberries, you need to know what variety your perennials are. One clue is that Harvest time. Summer raspberries are harvested in July. In the case of autumn raspberries, the harvest does not begin until August.

Tips for cutting raspberries in brief

• Cut every biennial cane after harvest
• Remove sick and weak shoots continuously
• Thin out rods that are too close
• Shorten rods that are too long

• Cut back all the rods completely in autumn
• Remove diseased shoots during the growing season
• Thinning out perennials regularly
• If necessary, cut down shoots that are too long

The harvested rods are cut down to the ground. Don't leave any leftovers. They are a good breeding ground for disease.

Cutting back the raspberries as a maintenance measure

Raspberries are very susceptible to fungal infections. In order to curb the spread of the fungal spores, the plants should not be too close together. A maximum of 15 rods per bush is sufficient. Cut out any excess shoots.

By thinning out, you ensure that air can circulate between the rods. This allows the above-ground parts of the plant to dry out well.

This removes the basis of the spores because they need moisture to spread.

Remove sick and weak rods

Root rot and rod disease are among the most common diseases of the raspberry. They make themselves noticeable by the fact that the leaves of the infected cane turn yellow and dry up. Eventually the whole drive dies.

Therefore cut off all diseased rods as soon as possible and do not try to treat them first. Do not dispose of the infected rods in the compost, burn them or throw them in the household waste.

You should also remove weak rods. They only bear a few fruits and unnecessarily rob the plant of its strength.

When to prune your raspberries

You cut the harvested stems from summer raspberries directly after the harvest in summer. When it comes to autumn raspberries, wait until autumn, because the perennials will continue to bear until the onset of frost.

You can cut back sick branches or shorten shoots that are too long throughout the whole gardening year.

Tips & Tricks

Garden experts recommend growing summer raspberries on a V-frame. The one-year-old rods are only tied on one side of the climbing aid, the two-year-old ones on the other side. This makes pruning easier because you know exactly which shoots are annual and which are biennial.