The trick here is to move them leaving plenty of soil intact, like 1 foot in diameter and up to 1 foot deep of soil per plant. Keep the strongest canes in the center of the diggings. Smaller canes may get sacrificed where they are near the edge of the dig. No need to partially cut down--those new leaves are feeding the new roots.

Advice would be different for woody shrubs or small trees, or if you had done this from late autumn until late winter during dormancy.

How will the new planting location be better for handling the spreading?

Thank you. Sorry, I didn't realize you had replied, my settings must be wrong. They will definatley be in a more contained area that I can harvest from 4 sides. Last year I practically had to get in my pool to harvest the ones in the back. Thanks for your advice. My plant to cut them was just to make them easier to move. Some Many of them are about 6 feet tall. I will probably leave some where they are for this year, just incase I don't get a good crop from the ones that I move. Next year I will move the rest. Do raspberries need particularly good soil?

Now that you indicate that you will leave some the task becomes much easier. Just dig from the edge of the present row throwing bare rooted shoots in a wheelbarrow until you have enough for your new row. As you plant prun away excessively long roots and also prune planted canes back to 18" max. height ( just so you can easily identify the presence of a row).

Now the bad news. After this year's harvest mow off the old patch and keep it mowed short until plants starve out and fail to send new growth. It may take a few years.

I don't recommend bare-rooting actively growing raspberries, the new roots are just too fragile. Best to keep the soil intact when moving. Use soil dug from the move-to spots to replace the original plant dig spot holes.

The height of a raspberry cane will not complicate moving the plant, unless the cane is so long and spindly that it would bend and crimp during the move. Canes just starting to leaf out would not be top-heavy.

Blackberries can tolerate more rough handling and partial bare-rooting.

In answer to part of your question, yes, you will probably lose this years crop if you move them now. Certainly if you cut them back. Can you wait until they are dormant?

I could wait, but I'd rather take my chances and leave a few behind, just incase. This year they will likely be hanging into my pool (actually a treat when you are floating around on a raft, but they look like a huge ugly mess. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try to move them without cutting them and take as much soil as possible.. I wll leave the ones farthest from the pool to ensure that I get at least some berries this year.

Last year about this time I dug up a bunch of shoots and a few canes that had spread between the rows in my dad's garden and just tossed them in a wheelbarrow, later transferring to a few buckets, then drove them 5 hours south to my sister's house in Lexington (KY).

Mimimal care was taken in the digging, transport, or planting of these and sis had thriving 4-5' tall plants by mid summer with a decent crop.

I've also dug up seedlings and canes from dad's garden this time of year or later and transplanted them into my garden and they've grown fine even though they weren't dormant. (That is just a half mile walk not a 5 hour drive). Probably not as good of a yield but I was not extraordinarily careful with the roots.

I move my new ones around a lot too. I agree that now is ok to do it with minimal problems..