Pruning Raspberries and Loganberries

I have some one year old rasberry (Autumn Bliss) and loganberry (rubus thornless) plants (planted last year which have a lot of new shoots without fruit and a few smaller fruit bearing branches. Should I leave the new non-fruit bearing shoots on or cut these off to give the fruit more nutrient? Many thanks

Kind regards

Fran

Raspberries and Loganberries bear fruit on the previous year’s growth so it is important to prune correctly.   If you cut these new shoots off now you will not get any fruit the next year.

Your Autumn Bliss raspberry is an autumn fruiting variety so the previous year’s shoots should be cut back to ground level in mid-winter leaving the new fruits to grow and produce fruit next autumn. To give your raspberries nourishment in early March apply slow-release general fertiliser, fish, blood and bone for example, then mulch with well-rotted organic matter.

Loganberries produce best on 1 year old canes. Do not prune the bush for the first year after it is planted. In subsequent years, as soon as harvesting has finished, cut down the 2 year old canes to ground level and tie in the new canes which will have grown during the summer. Prune the new canes back to approximately 20cm/8 inches high. Feed your loganberries in late January apply a 5cm/2"  mulch of well rotted manure or compost to the surface of the soil surrounding the bush to a radius of at least 30cm/12". Water when necessary, especially as the fruit begin to colour.  

Hope this helps 

Kind Regards

Jo - Horticultural Advisor / Kitchen Gardener