American Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)

How much light does an American Red Raspberry need?

Give raspberries full sun whenever you can, with at least six hours of direct light a day. They also tolerate part shade, though a sunnier spot is the better choice for a strong raspberry patch. Full sun is the preferred condition when you can give it.

• Light: Full sun and part shade (full sun preferred)^1,2,3

How often to water an American Red Raspberry

Raspberries need medium to wet soil moisture through the growing season. From flowering until harvest, give the canes about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) of water a week. The soil itself can be occasionally dry or occasionally wet without causing harm, as long as it drains well overall.

• Water: Medium to wet⁴

Best soil for an American Red Raspberry

Good drainage matters for raspberries, and the soil should also stay moist rather than soggy or bone dry. That same soil can also swing to occasionally dry conditions or to occasionally wet ones without lasting harm, as long as the bed keeps draining well overall. Aim for a soil pH between 5.6 and 6.5, a mildly acidic range for raspberries.

• Soil drainage: Well drained, moist, occasionally dry and occasionally wet^5,5,5,5
• Soil pH: pH 5.6–6.5^6,7

Hardiness and temperature

USDA rates raspberries hardy in zones 4a through 8b. Zone 4a marks the coldest end of that range, and zone 8b marks the mildest end. If your garden falls within zones 4a to 8b, winter cold is not a barrier to growing this plant outdoors.

• Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b^5,1

Fertilizing an American Red Raspberry

Raspberries are heavy feeders. That classification means the canes generally need to be fertilized, rather than grown without any supplemental feeding. Expect to fertilize on a regular basis rather than just once, since this plant's feeding need is rated as heavy.

• Fertilizer: Heavy feeder⁴

Pruning an American Red Raspberry

Raspberries benefit from hard renewal pruning as well as light shaping. Do this pruning sometime between December and February. Both hard renewal pruning and light shaping fall within that same December through February window. Gardeners in Oregon's Willamette Valley, for example, prune anytime in that same window.

• Pruning: Hard renewal pruning and Light shaping (Jan–Feb, Dec)^6,7

How to plant an American Red Raspberry

Pick a planting spot that falls within USDA zones 4a through 8b, where raspberries are rated hardy outdoors. Space new plants 3 to 6 ft (0.91-1.83 m) apart to give them room to spread. Mature canes also reach 7 to 10 ft (2.13-3.05 m) tall.

• Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b^5,1

Winter care

This plant's hardiness extends across USDA zones 4a through 8b, covering cold winters as well as milder ones. That hardiness rating means the canes can stay outdoors through winter within those zones. This raspberry is also deciduous. Gardeners in zone 4a face colder winters than those in zone 8b, but both fall inside this plant's hardy range.

• Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b^5,1

How to propagate an American Red Raspberry

Raspberries can be propagated by division. They can also be propagated from stem cuttings. Those are the two propagation methods recorded for this plant, with no other method listed. Either division or stem cutting works as a way to start new raspberry plants from an existing plant in your garden.

• Propagation: Division and stem cuttings^5,5

Common problems

Several pests are recorded on raspberries, including raspberry beetle, spotted wing drosophila, raspberry crown borer and spider mites. Two diseases are recorded as well: phytophthora root rot and fire blight. These are the pests and diseases documented for this plant, covering both insects and plant diseases.

• Common pests: raspberry beetle, spotted wing drosophila, raspberry crown borer and spider mites^8,8,9,10
• Common diseases: phytophthora root rot and fire blight⁸

Questions and answers

What kind of light do raspberries need?

Raspberries need full sun, meaning six or more hours of direct sunlight a day. They also tolerate part shade, but a sunnier location generally works better.

When should you prune raspberries?

Prune raspberries sometime between December and February. Use a mix of hard renewal pruning and light shaping, since both types of cuts fall within that same window.

How do you start new raspberry plants?

You can propagate raspberries by division or by taking stem cuttings. Those are the two methods recorded for this plant. Either method gives you a new raspberry plant to grow on its own.