Raspberries: Plantation Pruning

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Experienced raspberry owners know that among the many advantages of raspberries is their ability to quickly enter the fruiting phase. The harvest of berries is formed already on the stems of the second year of life, from which fruit branches develop very quickly. The stems that have borne fruit die off, but due to this botanical feature, a caring gardener adds to the hassle

Sanitary pruning and preparation of plants for winter

In July, you have to visit the raspberry grove at least 2 times a week to keep up with the ripening bulk berries. But if you think that at the end of the fruiting period there will be less worries in the garden, then you are a little mistaken. Shrubs need to be thanked for their generous harvest and help them prepare for winter. This means that after harvesting, pruning should be carried out in order to remove all these dying two-year-old stems from the bush. This will provide new shoots with better sunlight and it will be easier for them to complete their development this season in order to gain strength before wintering.

Such rejuvenating pruning is combined with sanitary pruning, removing all dry, damaged and poorly developed shoots from the bushes with pruning shears. In addition to cutting out old and diseased branches, all the tops of the young are simultaneously shortened. Shortening is carried out to the height of the palm or a little less. This technique also has a beneficial effect on the ripening of shoots and their accelerated preparation for winter.

It should be borne in mind that if the bush has been damaged by disease or attacked by parasites, most likely it will not be possible to remove these branches so that pathogens do not spread throughout the site. And therefore, after treatment with shrubs with pruning shears, it is recommended to treat the plantation with disinfectants.

Spring and summer standardization of shoots

Normalization of plants will have to be carried out in the spring after wintering. Bushes need to be examined for damage, freezing. Such areas are cut out sparingly - until the first living kidney.

At the beginning of summer, normalization is also performed. The right time for this will come when young shoots reach a length of about 0.5 m. At the base of the bushes, remove all root suckers lagging behind in development, which greatly thicken the bush. Raspberries require a lot of moisture, and these extra shoots will lead to overconsumption of water and nutrients in the soil, which the shrub needs for rich fruiting. In addition, such a preventive measure will protect against the development of a fungal infection, favorable conditions for which just arise with excessive thickening of the plantings.

An unusual way to rejuvenate the plantation

It is considered normal to give the site a rest from raspberries for 2-4 years. Some gardeners use a rather interesting method of "migration" of bushes from one place to another. Fruiting stems in the fall are removed from the plantation along with the root, and new offspring are left to grow only on one side of the bush. In the next season, fruiting occurs on last year's stems and the procedure is repeated again. In this case, the vacated soil area is processed. In 3-4 years, the shrub will move almost a meter, and the bush bears fruit in fresh soil. After 5 years, the direction of movement is changed in the opposite direction.

Which varieties will not need support?

An enviable harvest also adds to the hassle of the gardener. Lateral fruit branches are crowned with a cluster of inflorescences, from which berries subsequently develop. The zoned varieties, which are distinguished by higher yields, are also famous for their long shoots with the tip bending under the weight of the berries. They lean down and even touch the soil, which makes raspberries lose their attractive presentation, and the berries attract even more insect parasites. To avoid this, as well as to facilitate the work of harvesting, it is recommended to install supports under the branches of such varieties in advance.

It is most convenient to use a trellis as a support. It is not difficult to build it. To do this, 2-3 strong threads, ropes or wires are pulled along the bushes between several posts dug into the ground. But even these worries can be avoided if you initially choose erect varieties with thick shoots for your garden. They will not bend under the weight of a ripening crop, and there will be no need to install a support.