Primocane

Primocane is a term used in the cultivation of cane fruits to describe the first-year growth of a perennial cane, typically arising from a plant’s established root system. Primocanes grow during the growing season and usually bear leaves and sometimes spines. In many cultivated raspberries and blackberries, the canes that fruited in the previous year are called floricanes and produce fruit before dying back, while the primocane—the canes that have not yet fruited—continues to grow and stores energy for future fruiting.

Some cultivars are bred to bear fruit on primocanes, a pattern known as primocane-fruiting or everbearing. In these varieties, fruit can form on the current year’s growth, often from late summer to fall, depending on climate. This expands the harvest period and can allow a second crop from the same plant in a single season under suitable conditions. Management of primocane-fruiting plants varies by species and climate, but generally involves pruning and training practices designed to balance fruiting on current-year canes with the development of next-year canes.

In traditional season-long cultivation, growers typically remove floricanes after fruiting and allow primocanes to grow for potential fruiting the following year. The term primocane helps growers describe growth stages and tailor pruning, training, and harvest strategies to the specific fruiting habit of a Rubus crop.