[strangerachael]

Is there any way you can tell which are which at this time of year? I have recently taken over a new plot with lots of rasps, none of them have been pruned, and I don't know when or whether to prune them.  Some are quite short with no signs of recent fruiting, and smooth stems, others are taller with shrivelled fruit on and slightly prickly stems. I was told that the ones with the slightly prickly canes were the summer ones, but they look to me more likely to be autumn ones.
If I can't work it out, what will happen to the summer ones if I prune the whole lot down to the ground at the end of winter?

[JaK]

My autumn canes still have a little fruit on them. 

[sunshineband]

What will happen if you prune down summer ones is no fruit until  summer 20013

My guess is that the ones wih a few fruits on them are autumn fruiters and should be cut down around February, whilst the ones with new growth coming up and no sign of fruiting are the summer ones to fruit summer 2012.

The autumn ones will throw up new canes to fruit late summer/autumn 2012.

Hope that helps 

[Living in Hope]

2013 would be a bit of a wait but 20013!!

[sunshineband]

2013 would be a bit of a wait but 20013!!

Whoops !! 

[JayG]

Hedge your bets by cutting down the oldest-looking canes (darker, drier, woodier, and with any luck showing signs of the remains of this year's fruit clusters.)

This should leave the "new" summer fruiting canes to fruit next year, and some of the already-fruited autumn fruiting ones which will probably produce a few berries next summer (as well as the autumn crop proper from new canes.)

Hope this helps rather than adds to the confusion (if in doubt just leaving them is a better option than cutting them all down as has already been pointed out!)