How to prune raspberries in spring

We first started growing raspberries when we had children in the family, because the juicy fruits contain a lot of useful substances, which are especially valuable during winter frosts and the period of ARVI. Without proper preparation, the perennial subshrub produced a very meager harvest, and only after consulting an experienced gardener did we understand what was going on.

For a bountiful harvest, raspberries must be pruned. As a rule, this procedure is performed in late summer-early autumn after the adult branches have completely died/dried out. On the advice of a consultant, we began pruning raspberries in the spring after the snow had completely melted, in March-April.

How to prune raspberries in spring

It is necessary to cut off old dried branches to the very roots. The tops of young green shoots should be pinched so that the raspberries give all their strength to the future fruitful lateral shoots. It is recommended to leave up to 15 young branches on one square meter, no more.

In gardening, there are two types of raspberries:

• Normal - after fruiting is completed, the branches die off, and by the end of summer new shoots emerge that will bear fruit next year.
• Remontant - this raspberry has fruits that grow on branches that have grown during the summer. Thus, the yield of this species is the highest and longest lasting.

How to prune raspberries in the spring if the main pruning was done last fall? After winter, completely dead shoots should be removed at the root, and partially damaged ones should be cleared of only the damaged part.

There is also a method of double pruning - a very old and quite effective one, but few people use it in practice.