Thanks to the increased temperature and protection from weather elements, canes can reach 8 feet tall over the growing season. Primocane plant growth rate increases when grown in tunnels. This functions to keep the aisles clear and facilitate easy harvest. Keep canes upright by tucking them between the wires as needed. Construct a simple trellis system with removable wires or twine at 2- and 4-foot heights in open-field settings, or 3- and 6-foot heights in high tunnels. Primocane raspberries require little training. Remove low-hanging trellis wire, twine, drip irrigation, and soil moisture sensors before mowing down canes. This is not a common practice because it increases labor without a likely yield benefit. You are unlikely to see an overall yield benefit, but some growers want both a summer and fall crop from the same plants. There is no set number to leave, but be sure to space them at least 6 inches apart and leave ample space for new primocanes to grow. Those floricanes will produce a modest crop again in the coming year. If you would like a small summer crop from primocane-fruiting raspberries, you may leave some primocanes behind to form into floricanes.

Since the primocanes produce a full crop of fruit, there is no need to keep floricanes.

New canes will emerge from the ground in the spring. Use a mower, sharp lopper, or hedge trimmer. Simply cut the canes to the ground each year in the late fall or early spring when they are dormant. PruningĪ major advantage of primocane-fruiting raspberries is how easy they are to prune. New primocanes emerge in the spring after the last year’s primocanes are mowed down.

Raspberry pruning download