Autumn raspberries: to prune or not to prune, that is the question!

So, I have some raspberries. I know that there are two different kinds: Summer/early raspberries, which create berries on the branches of the last year, this is why the common advice is not to prune them at all. And then there are autumn/late raspberries, which create berries on the branches created earlier in the season. The common advice there is to prune them at the end of the season a feet/30cm above the ground.

Now, I have a autumn raspberry (variety is "Himbo-top") which produced already a lot of berries and I actually planned to cut it, but now it branches out and creates new blossoms/berries (see pictures). Last year, I cutted back the only branch it created and this year it created also just one branch. Now I am thinking, maybe I should just leave it as is, which would also align more with permaculture principles :)

What are your experiences with autumn/late raspberries?

My zone is 7b in Germany.

I say screw the conventional advice on this one, when it comes to rasberrries I tell all my customers 'if it's brown cut it down'. Eventually you will work out which ones are dead by looking at them but they tend to be old brown and woody the whole stem is dead so it all comes out. That way you dont accidently cut the summer fruiting ones and I seem to get a longer more spread out season with the autumn ones if they are left alone.

Henry Jabel wrote:I say screw the conventional advice on this one, when it comes to rasberrries I tell all my customers 'if it's brown cut it down'. Eventually you will work out which ones are dead by looking at them but they tend to be old brown and woody the whole stem is dead so it all comes out. That way you dont accidently cut the summer fruiting ones and I seem to get a longer more spread out season with the autumn ones if they are left alone.

Thanks Henry for your reply! I guess I will go with that and even leaving the browns as is. As far as I know bees and small wasps and other insects using them as a shelter to get over winter.

There is also a method with Autumn raspberries to get two crops, leave the old canes and they will fruit again in early summer, then cut them down and the new canes will fruit as normal in Autumn. You will need to cut them back if they like it as they get to congested and then you just get mould not raspberries.
those new shoots in your picture are not what people mean by new canes, new canes come from the ground rather than halfway up old canes.

Skandi Rogers wrote:There is also a method with Autumn raspberries to get two crops, leave the old canes and they will fruit again in early summer, then cut them down and the new canes will fruit as normal in Autumn. You will need to cut them back if they like it as they get to congested and then you just get mould not raspberries.
those new shoots in your picture are not what people mean by new canes, new canes come from the ground rather than halfway up old canes.

Thanks Skandi, this sounds like a great idea! Will let them grow and see what will happen next spring!

Look what I saw today! The main branch broke off, now I am confused haha

In my humid zone 7a environment, I have to prune my twice-bearing raspberries to the ground each winter to remove the over-wintering pests and diseases that slowly reduce the vigor of canes as they age.  I lose a small spring crop, but I get an earlier, bigger "fall" crop that continues for a far longer harvest season.  The end result is probably about equal overall yield, but the fall berries, coming on the end of primocanes (first year) are a LOT easier to harvest than the spring berries, which come farther down the same canes in the second year, and tend to get lost in all the vigorous new growth.

I think I figured what happened: I think the wind almost broke off the main cane a few weeks ago and then the plant started to create new shoots right under where it broke off. Now it is a real exciting thing to see what will happen. I would call this nature pruned by itself haha.

Ben Knofe wrote:I think I figured what happened: I think the wind almost broke off the main cane a few weeks ago and then the plant started to create new shoots right under where it broke off. Now it is a real exciting thing to see what will happen. I would call this nature pruned by itself haha.

It's interesting what happened to you raspberry bush Ben! Now you can do the experiment.

What I learned about raspberries (I have the two different varieties too, here in the Netherlands):
the summer-raspberries, fruiting in June, you cut the branches that had fruits (only those ones!) directly after you harvested all fruits (so that will be in July);
the autumn-raspberries you prune by cutting everything 10 cm above ground in January / February.

I am just getting my arctic variety started that hugs the ground like thyme. The literature tells me to just run over it the fall with a lawnmower. Now I just have to get brave enough to do it without killing it.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
It's interesting what happened to you raspberry bush Ben! Now you can do the experiment.

What I learned about raspberries (I have the two different varieties too, here in the Netherlands):
the summer-raspberries, fruiting in June, you cut the branches that had fruits (only those ones!) directly after you harvested all fruits (so that will be in July);
the autumn-raspberries you prune by cutting everything 10 cm above ground in January / February.

Sounds great! I'll keep you posted throughout the winter :).

Aren't there also varieties who create two times fruits per season?

Robert Ray wrote:I am just getting my arctic variety started that hugs the ground like thyme. The literature tells me to just run over it the fall with a lawnmower. Now I just have to get brave enough to do it without killing it.

Send images!
What variety is it?
My Thyme is not on the ground at all haha.

Current state of the raspberry I did not touch since our conversation! :)

Current state as of now. Still untouched! The really cool thing are the two new shoots at the bottom left. Pretty far away actually.