Knowledgebase
maintaining black raspberries #792036
Asked May 22, 2022, 10:55 AM EDT
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
Primocane and floricane describe the stage of growth a raspberry cane or branch is in.
Primocanes are the green, fleshy stalks that grow each year. Black raspberries produce primocanes from the buds at the base of the floricanes. These clumps or “hills” stay where you originally plant them. Canes of black raspberries that produced berries in the previous year will be dead, so cut them back to the ground. Since black raspberries are not as hardy as red raspberries there may be other canes that may have been damaged by the cold and will be brown and brittle. Cut all dead canes off as close to the ground as possible.
Black raspberries are pruned three times a year: in the spring, summer and after fruiting Primarily, pruning is done in spring when lateral branches are cut back to approximately 8 to 10 inches in length in early spring. The second time to prune is called "tipping" or "heading back" of the new canes or primocanes. When grown without a support structure, summer tipping is done when black raspberry canes reach 24 inches in height inches. Tipping is done by removing the top 2 to 3 inches of new shoots as they develop. The third pruning event involves the removal of all of the floricanes that have finished producing fruit.
A mulch of straw other appropriate material for weed control, and conserve soil moisture in raspberry plantings where soils are well drained. The following posts will teach you about black raspberry pruning.
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-raspberries-home-garden#choosing-raspberry-plants-331662