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Future berry harvests depend on which shoots you retain. Summer raspberries cut completely to the ground and a closely clipped currant bush may look tidy but lose much of their fruit-bearing wood. Before starting, identify the crop, shoot age and growing system.
Identify the raspberry's fruiting type
Summer raspberries generally crop on second-year canes. After harvest, remove spent canes and retain strong young ones for the next season. Cutting the whole row to ground level every autumn out of habit is therefore unsuitable.
Autumn-fruiting raspberries can be grown for a single autumn crop by removing canes after the season ends and the plants become dormant, or managed in a more complex system retaining some canes. The choice depends on the cultivar and whether fruit has time to ripen on your site. Different systems — RHS.
Distinguish blackcurrants from redcurrants
Blackcurrant care focuses on gradually renewing the bush and retaining strong young shoots. Remove old, unproductive branches at the base instead of shortening every tip equally each year.
Redcurrants have a different fruiting habit, so do not prune them exactly like blackcurrants. Confirm the crop's identity before making severe cuts. Care basics are given separately in RHS guides to blackcurrants and redcurrants.
Work from straightforward tasks to complex ones
First remove broken, clearly dead and access-obstructing shoots. Then assess crowding and mark branches to remove for renewal. If the bush has been neglected, restoring it need not happen in one season; gradual work leaves more opportunity to observe.
Make cuts with suitable sharp tools. Do not leave long accidental stubs or snap branches by hand. Separate suspiciously damaged remains from material intended for mulch.
Label the row and check the result
Marking the cultivar and chosen fruiting cycle on raspberry supports is useful. Photograph currants before and after pruning. In spring, this will help you see where new shoots are developing and whether one side has become too empty.
Pruning is part of care, not a substitute for watering, nutrition or a suitable site. Continue checking soil and plant development afterwards. A useful aim for next season is a well-lit bush accessible for picking, with healthy shoots of different ages—not necessarily identical balls lining the whole path.