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It is winter pruning season in the fruit garden, the leaves have almost all gone and the plants are going in to dormancy.Ìý When it comes to pruning, some things don’t change for example, the parts of the plant that will carry the flowers and fruit each year. I suggest to first-timers that they become familiar with this characteristic because it dictates the way you prune.

Why bother?Ìý Pruning is a technique used to control the growth of a plant, to improve/maintain the shape or to limit the size and sometimes to improve the flowering and/or fruiting performance. Some would say that good pruning helps to extend the useful life of a plant.

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I always start my winter pruning programme with my conventional summer fruiting raspberries, perhaps because it is the easiest one – no real decision-making required!Ìý The crop is planted as single stems or canes and at planting time they are cut back to within 20-25cms from the ground. In the first growing season, in real time let's say that will be 2011, new shoots will emerge from the ground around each original cane and grow to a metre high or thereby - they will not produce any fruit.Ìý During the following winter (2011/12) these original shoots can be cut down to ground level leaving the new growths intact. They will remain dormant and should be given some basic staking to prevent wind damage. In their second spring (2012), you may apply a dressing of general fertiliser around the roots and mulch with some well-rotted farmyward manure.Ìý As these canes burst in to growth the flowers will soon appear to be closely followed by fruit.Ìý Even as the flowers turn to small fruitlets, new growth will start to appear from ground level once again and should be protected from damage when fruit picking starts. Beware over-zealous pickers; they may not appreciate the importance of this ‘stuff’ that is getting in the way.

When the fruit-bearing canes have given their all, they will die off to make way for the new growth. At this time of year, when the leaves have fallen you will be able to detect the old dark brown stems from the new growth which is lighter in colour. Need I go on – the old canes of darker hue are cut out as near ground level as possible and in my case they go through the ‘chipper’ ready to use as a mulch. Once again remember to tie up the new growth to prevent wind damage.

Lesson learned – conventional raspberries produce their fruits on one-year-old growths. Autumn fruiting varieties require different treatment. More of that anon.

Jim McColl presents ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland's the .