[Enfield Glen]

My summer Raspberry crop was not that good again this year, they were quite a few but were mostly on the small side. I did thin them out last year to around 20 canes in a 6-7ft square space.

They have been in place for about 20 years, no idea what variety, and in recent years have bee getting very tall.

I pruned the tops off the new growth yesterday and most of the canes were already over 8ft.

Is it time to replace them or should I be a bit more harder with pruning and thinning?

[Goosegirl]

Looking at the area they're in, I think they need more thinning-out as they could be competing for nutrients; however as they are rather old, it may be the best thing to replace them. I don't think you can plant new ones in the same bed unless you replace the soil so either do that or find another spot.

[snowdrops]

When you say you pruned the tops out is that the extent of the pruning you will do on them?Canes of  Summer raspberries should be pruned to the ground after they have fruited leaving new canes to grow & replace them, also taking any weedy looking ones out & thinning canes to leave 4 or 5 canes per plant.

[Enfield Glen]

I removed all of this years fruiting canes leaving on the new growth this year. I chopped about a foot of the top foot/18 inches as I can only support them up to about 6 foot.

[snowdrops]

That does sound very tall for this seasons new growth, mine are lucky if they make 4ft before they fruit. I think if the fruit production is poor & theyre 20 years old it is maybe time to replace them

[victoria park]

My raspberry method is to let them migrate naturally year after year. So, each year when the canes have fruited I dig up just a few of the oldest from say the North, and leave the new canes that has spread Southwards. It's a big patch and this way none of them end up being more than 10 years old. It's a sort of long period crop rotation as they march up the plot taking all before them, and seems to work as the new canes are almost always more productive. I do the same for both Summer and Autumn fruits.

If anything I need to be a bit harsher as I will never ever manage to deal with the swelling huge Autumn crop about to delight me.