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I have recently bought a house and there is a frame in the back garden with raspberry canes growing up it.

I have no idea whether they have borne fruit over the summer, or indeed how old they are.

Is the best course of action to cut them down to ground level ? and see what happens next summer ,or dig them out and replace them in February next year?

Either way, I suppose I cannot expect fruit until 2019?

The usual time to cut down Raspberry canes is late winter/early spring. They will produce fruit on the new growth the same summer, (or autumn, depending on the variety).

Leave them a few month yet before cutting. When you do prune them they should not be dry inside, otherwise they are dead. We never use to cut our right down to the ground but were pretty severe, also want to angle the cuts to provide maximum spread of new growth and prevent overcrowding.

Thank You for taking the trouble to reply.

This is sound advice which I will follow.

Kind Regards

You'll know by now if these are summer or autumn fruiting. If the former, cut out the fruited canes but leave new growth as this will fruit next year. If the latter, prune all the canes to ground level round about February. All raspberries like a good mulch of well rotted manure and a general purpose fertilizer.

Thank you.I think they must be summer fruiting canes.The problem is I am unable to identify the fruited canes.

Then I'd suggest cutting them all to waist height now and removing any that don't develop new shoots in early Spring down to ground level then prune out some of the remaining stems so as to leave 4-6 good strong waist high stems with new fresh shoots on in each 'cluster' by mid Spring.

Great advice - thanks.