I have a well rooted raspberry plant that has almost exclusively brown canes, which have many buds on them. Should I cut these canes to the ground to let new more vigorous canes grow? I got this plant from a friend last summer/fall and enjoyed a number of raspberries from it, then I didn't prune it because I don't understand all the instructions I have ever read in the many places I've looked. I think this vine is everbearing. Aren't those, and all raspberry plants, said to produce fruit only on vines that are two years old? In that case, shouldn't I leave the brown canes to bud out on the many buds they have? I did prune out the narrower canes and reduced the number of canes to about 5 not very tall (up to two feet) and not very thick canes (about 1/4 inch). My other 7 raspberry plants are another story entirely: they have new green very small canes so no problem with pruning those yet. They are at least three years old and haven't produced a single complete fruit, possibly since they were in a very dry area on top of a hill.

I just planted them all with a couple of double handfuls of pure vermicompost in each hole, in a place with the best sun I can muster (about half a day in the middle of the day). I'm putting them in the ground to give them a chance to grow as much as possible, till the apartment complex management puts in a new landscape plan next fall. At which point I will have to put them into the boxes that will be provided by management. I need advice on pruning that one plant, and the others later.

The one bigger plant with brown canes, I don't actually know the variety. I think the others are Heritage.

I'm two blocks from the beach in Santa Cruz, CA. Mild winters, warming summers as everywhere in this age.

As I said I need pruning advice, and any other sage comments.