[Katejs]

I have some raspberry canes on my new plot.  I gather the pruning requirements are different for summer & autumn fruiting varieties, but my problem is, how do I tell what kind I have?

About 50% of the canes have dried-up side shootscoming out horizontally from the cane, so I'm guessing they fruited last year & I should chop them down regardless?

The other 50% are just straight brown (but not 'dried-looking) canes with little buds all the way up.  I'm not sure whether I should cut these down or not - they don't look 'new' in the same way that my garden sumer-fruiting canes look, but they aren't old & withered either.

There are also a couple of very small >1ft green canes, but I think these may have seeded from elsewhere as they are out of line with the others.

Heeeeeellp....!!   

[gobs]

Oh, noes! This year, hardly!

Helpies:

1. Most allotment sites will have summer ones.(I know, I know, not much experteese in that)

2. You can accommodate the autumn ones for summer fruiting and see what you are getting next year.

3. Here( I must emphasize this for weather conditions), my autumn ones are a forest of foliage, no flower buds. It's quite the contrary with the summer ones.

[mumofstig]

If you cut them right down, you will get no crops on summer fruiting ones next year, although if they are autumn ones they will be fine.

I'd cut all of them half way down, that way you'll get some fruit from them whether they are summer or autumn types.
Next year label which is which so you can prune them properly next winter

[Salmo]

Autumn raspberry canes will all look the same at this time of year. My guess is that yours are summer fruiting and the non fruiting canes are to ready to produce this years fruit. As a general rule Autumn varieties seldom grow taller than about 4/5 ft high and do not need to be supported. Summer ones on the other hand usually grow 6ft +

Cut the canes with side shoots right down to the ground and also the weak ones.

Whether they are Summer of Autumn fruiting the ones you leave will fruit in June/July.

If they are Summer ones they will grow new canes which will not fruit this year.

If they are Autumn ones they will also grow new canes but these will fruit this Autumn giving you a second crop.

[Katejs]

Thanks - they aren't tall (about 4ft) and aren't supported - they're quite sturdy, much more so than the summer ones in my garden.  I guess one problem may be that the previous plot holder might not have pruned properly last year either, so there could be a couple of years' worth of canes.

If I had to bet, I'd put my money on autumn fruiting, but I will just take down any that appear to have fruited and see what happens - at least I should get some.

But if autumn-fruiting canes will produce some summer fruit in the 2nd year, as well as growing new canes to fruit in the autumn, is there any harm in leaving them to do that anyway - or does it weaken the plant?

[gobs]

I never tried, Kate, so cannot say, what the crops would be.

I only advised for this year doing so, as you say, you will get a crop, whichever ones they are.

I am fixated on the idea that they are summer ones. But you can happily cut down a couple entirely in February time and see if new canes fruit for you in the autumn.

[mumofstig]

But if autumn-fruiting canes will produce some summer fruit in the 2nd year, as well as growing new canes to fruit in the autumn, is there any harm in leaving them to do that anyway - or does it weaken the plant?

They fruit much better on newly grown canes,  the growth is stronger when pruned properly.
The half way approach is not good for either sort, but at least you would get some crop - and be able to tell which is which. That's the only reason for suggesting it.

[DD.]

A few years ago, due to illness, I didn't get around to cutting down my "Autumn Bliss".

The crop was pants.