Topic: Raspberry Pruning

[donlottie]

Hi Guys, been clearing out weeds from around inherited raspberry bushes Got about 8 that I can see. Can I have some advice on please. I have cut out all the dead wood. existing branches are now falling over. Do I need to set in canes and tie the branches. Also does the fruit come on last years growth or this years growth and how can I tell Etc? Or do I cut it back to the ground every year

[plot76]

Likewise, advice please, my canes were put in last year, and have given some good fruit, this years growth is now about 5' tall.

Do I cut last years canes down, and tie up the new growth for next year, how high should I allow it to grow

Apologies to donlottie for highjacking your post

[donlottie]

No probs plot 76 glad to help. Hopefully someone will be able to answer both of our questions.

[calendula]

pruning depends on whether that are summer or autumn fruiting - for summer fruiting you will be cutting them down well after fruit has finished, say in the autumn but for autumn fruiting you will cut back in the winter - you only cut back on the stems that have fruited and by the time you come to cut back you can always tell which it is as these stems tend to start to die off anyway

raspberries will need staking if you have disturbed the roots during weeding, they are not deep rooted plants and this is easy to do, so to save them it might be best to stake or tie in new growth, it really depends on what their nature is - I have 3 areas of raspberries and only 1 needs tying in the other seems to self support themselves.

[real food]

Why don't you have a look at my website at www.growingyourown.info and go to to the navigation bar drop-down lists of fruit>soft fruit>raspberry and you will find the information.
Your main problem will be to decide whether they are summer fruiting or autumn fruiting. If they are flowering now, they are probably autumn rasps. Ask your neighbours and see if they know.
Hope this helps.

[OllieC]

I would say that Autumn varieties should be fruiting now or soon in most places... just to confuse things. I know it's warmer down souf, but we've been picking Joan J on this years wood for over a month, and they're one of the later ones.

Either way, if they're falling over you need to tie them to something that's not falling over!

[donlottie]

Many thanks, will tie them up, think they are summer fruiting because some already had three or four on. No signs of flowers either. Think thats my lot for this year.

[greenfingered fiend]

Hi all. At the weekend I picked up about 12 canes (potted) in the clearance for £2.50. I have cut them down to about 10 inches. Should I plant them out now or over-winter them somehow.

Thanks.

[valmarg]

The basic rule for summer fruiting varieties is that they fruit on the previous year's growth.  If you have these varieties, the canes that you have picked the fruit off this year should be cut down to ground level.  The new shoots that have grown this year should be tied in to produce fruit next year.

Donlottie and plot76, it should be obvious which varieties you have.  If the canes you have picked the fruit off have gone brown, and you have new green canes that have sprouted from the base, you have summer fruiting varieties, and should be treated as above.

The primocane, aka autumn fruiting varieties produce fruit on the current year's growth.  In the spring you cut the canes down to ground level, and the new growth produces the fruit.

JoanJ is the autumn fruiting variety we have, and the fruit is fantastic.  Very large berries with a wonderful flavour.  The only anti with JoanJ, and its a very minor anti, is that it suckers all over the place.  I bought 6 canes last spring.  OH planted them alongside the greenhouse.  Thanks to the suckers we have a better crop inside the greenhouse than the ones planted outside.  Well, I'm a dreadful hoarder, and you can't look a gift horse, etc.  It will have to be sorted out, but in the meantime I'm just enjoying the wonderful fruits!!

valmarg

[davholla]

Where did you buy Joan J from ?

[valmarg]

I bought JoanJ mail order from DTBrown.  Most seed catalogues have them, the price doesn't vary much.  DTB's 2008 catalogue has them  - 6 canes £11.75 or
12 canes £18.50 (saving £5.00) plus £2.95 p&p.

valmarg

[Barnowl]

I would say that Autumn varieties should be fruiting now or soon in most places... just to confuse things.

Our loganberries had been and gone by the end of July!

[davholla]

I bought JoanJ mail order from DTBrown.  Most seed catalogues have them, the price doesn't vary much.  DTB's 2008 catalogue has them  - 6 canes £11.75 or
12 canes £18.50 (saving £5.00) plus £2.95 p&p.

valmarg

That is almost twice the price of Autumn bliss is it worth it ?

[flowerlady]

And this is a VERY useful tip !!!

After you put your stakes in, string the wires along the rows, three wires 18" apart should do you ... and here is the clever bit ...

Tie in the new years growth to the SAME SIDE OF THE  WIRE ... then when you come to prune it out there is no mistake !!  ;D

The following years growth then gets tied to the other side ... etc etc etc  ;)   :D ;D

[valmarg]

That is almost twice the price of Autumn bliss is it worth it ?
[/quote]

Haven't got Autumn Bliss, so cannot compare.

I'm more than happy with my buy.  As I've already said the fruits are really large with a wonderful flavour and a very large crop.  It's the first Autumn variety I've grown, and would have no hesitation recommending it.

valmrg

[cacran]

Oh, I still am not sure what my Raspberries are, early or late ones. I got the allotment last year and was told they were late ones. I have two beds of them. I cut them all down to the ground early on in the year and weeded around them.Anyway, my raspberries came into fruition just before my strawberries started becoming more scarce. they are still fruiting but more prolifically now. they are quite tall some of the canes are withered.
From what I say can anyone confirm one way or the other for me, please?

Shall I cut doen the withered canes, they seem to come away from the ground really easily?

[Barnowl]

If the canes fruited despite being cut to the ground last year, they must be lates.


Re varieties - our lates are Tiny Tims. they actually start quite early and go on cropping for ages and have a good flavour, so we're very pleased with them.

[Kea]

So just to simplify it a bit (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm just following my own observations here!).
If they are fruiting heavily on canes that have gone brown (i.e) last years growth they should be summer fruiting and you should cut those canes out and tie the new green ones in.

If they are fruiting on green canes (heavily...I say this because my Glen Moy produced a small amount of fruit on new canes and I planted it in February and it's a summer fruiting variety) then it's an autumn fruiting or primocane variety and you cut it down to just above the ground late winter/early spring.

I've got two summer and one autumn and have decided to plant Joan J as my second autumn variety.....can't have too many raspberries! Yum!!!!   

[davholla]

In March I planted MALLING JEWEL and they did not fruit (unsurprisingly).
Should they be pruned or not ?

I also thought that the rule is simple - when they finish fruiting prune them.

[cacran]

Thanks Barnowl.