I have no experience with raspberries, but lots of experience with blackberries. Several years ago, I got a brochure from my county extension agent and the basic information was that the canes that grow this year will produce berries next year, then die. The dead canes are particularly susceptible to some diseases so it's best to get rid of them. Now that can be done one of two ways. When they are through producing for the year, you'll have lots of canes that grew up this year but won't produce until next year, so you can just prune out all the dying canes, leaving the new growth. That is a daunting task. The alternative is to mow down all of it, then let the new growth start over, and that's what I did each year. When mine were through producing for the year (in June in Navarro County, Texas), I mowed the whole patch with my brush hog, then went over it again with the finish mower to cut them even shorter and mulch or chop them up, then I broadcast pelletized fertilizer and watered it in. Quick, easy, and no other maintenance, work, or expense except for watering and picking berries, and we had a good, big crop every year.
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