Raspberry bushes are very unpretentious and take root in almost any conditions. Despite the fact that they do not require seasonal care to please gardeners with juicy fruits, timely pruning of the bushes will significantly increase the harvest and have a positive effect on taste qualities berries To increase the fruitfulness of raspberry bushes, it is necessary to thin them out and periodically remove all excess so as not to interfere with new shoots. Raspberries are pruned both in summer and autumn, after fruiting and before frost. We'll talk about when to prune raspberries after harvesting in order to achieve a wonderful harvest for the next summer season.
Raspberry bushes reproduce using the root system. At good conditions, raspberries produce many shoots, whose lifespan is limited to two years. In the first year, the shoots continue to develop and grow without producing fruit. Only in the second year do they become lignified and produce berries, soon after which they wither, giving way to young shoots.
In order for the bush to take root better on your site, you must follow a number of important rules:
- It is advisable to give raspberries a special place, located on the sunny side and maximally protected from strong winds;
- If you are going to plant a bush in the fall, you should start preparing the soil a month before this event. If you stopped at spring, then the land is cultivated in the fall, so that when the snow melts it will be ready for work;
- Raspberry bushes require periodic irrigation with water, especially in regions prone to dry and hot summer climates. With a lack of moisture, the bushes risk simply drying out, however, an excess of water will destroy young stems;
Wood ash prices
wood ash
Types of raspberries
Caring for bushes depends not only on the climatic conditions of a particular region, but also on the type of raspberry, which has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Table 1. Types of raspberries
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| This type of shrub is the most common and has excellent adaptive abilities, taking root in any soil. From year to year, traditional raspberries produce a stable number of young shoots and root shoots. The only drawback of this species is its relatively low fertility in comparison with other “competitors”. Classic raspberries reach a weight of 4 grams | |
| Remontant raspberries are the record holder for yield. Its shoots are capable of producing crops twice in one season, with the second harvest being accompanied by riper and larger berries. This advantage is actively used in warm regions of Russia, which maintain hot weather until mid-autumn. Unlike classic raspberries, remontant raspberries produce a harvest just one year after planting. If you plant such raspberries at the beginning of autumn, by mid-August they will already have ripe berries. | |
| Berries large-fruited varieties reach a weight of 20 grams, exceeding several times the berries of classic raspberries. Raspberry branches of this type branch very actively, which leads to an increase in the resulting berries. On one branch large-fruited raspberries can fit as many as forty berries. Due to this feature, it is advisable to tie large-fruited raspberry bushes to sticks to avoid them breaking off |
Pruning raspberry bushes
As already mentioned, in order to have a rich harvest, you need to be able to cut off everything unnecessary in a timely manner. The myth according to which the more branches a bush maintains, the more fruit it will later bear, is quite naive. Not all stems will retain their fertility next season. The gardener’s task is to rid the bushes of branches that are beginning to dry out in order to allow new shoots to sprout.
Pruning raspberries in autumn
Raspberry bushes are adjusted depending on their type. If we are talking about traditional raspberries, the stems of which have a two-year lifespan and produce berries at the end of their life cycle, then they are simply processed. With the onset of autumn, it is enough to remove all the stems that bear fruit to clear space for one-year-olds that ripen for the next summer season. The same rule should be followed when working with large-fruited raspberries.
The main goal of autumn pruning is to get rid of stems that have just brought harvest.
Observations show that autumn is a favorable period not only for pruning adult bushes, but also for planting seedlings. Seeds planted in spring take longer to take root, while autumn seedlings have the second half of autumn and all winter to get stronger under the snow. We talk about how autumn planting of raspberry bushes is carried out below.
Remontant raspberry
This type of raspberry is capable of bearing fruit twice per season, so before pruning its stems, you should answer the question - for what purpose are you growing it? If you need a one-time harvest, then processing will be no different from processing traditional raspberries. If the climate and other possibilities allow harvesting twice, then all the stems are cut off, without exception, in order to later re-collect the berries from annual stems.
General rules
When processing raspberry bushes, there is a general set of recommendations that applies to all types of bushes without exception:
- Start by trimming any stems that are broken, infected, or dry out. You also need to get rid of annual branches that look more like grass, since it is pointless to expect berries from them. The stems should be removed from the roots;
- Get rid of all two-year-old stems. Since raspberry shoots grow from underground, there is no need to leave stumps when pruning. Don’t be afraid to cut the shoots level with the soil, this will not destroy the bush, but on the contrary will give it strength;
Video - How to prune strawberries correctly in autumn
Preparing raspberries for winter
Pruning bushes is just the beginning long journey, which will allow raspberries to comfortably survive the cold and bring a rich harvest. There is still debate about the exact timing of pruning. Some gardeners insist that spent stems should be removed immediately after fruiting, others prefer to process raspberries immediately before frost.
Since each gardener's experience is individual, it does not make sense to advise a specific date when approaching one to begin preparing for pruning. It is only worth noting that the closer the winter cold, the more brittle the stems become. The gardener’s task is to skillfully bend the bushes to the ground and wrap them. If the stems become thin and too brittle, there is a high risk of breaking them and losing the bush.
Removing leaves
The optimal moment for bending raspberry bushes is the end of September. By this time, the shoots retain their flexibility, which is what the gardener needs in order to give the plant the desired shape. Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to remove all withered leaves. The danger of such leaves is that as cold weather sets in, they tightly fit the bush, blocking the buds. Such an obstacle negatively affects the kidneys and can lead to their death.
To get rid of unwanted leaves, you need to use a tough glove. Using smooth movements from the base of the branch to its end, walk your hand through the bushes. You may not be able to calculate the force correctly the first time, but over time you will easily adapt. The main thing is to remember that dry leaves come off without much resistance, so the pressing force should be very light.
Methods for planting raspberries
Preparing raspberries for winter depends on the way you organized the planting of bushes. To summarize, we highlight two main planting methods:
- Planting with single bushes. This method is optimal for those gardeners who grow a small amount of raspberries. In order to plant a bush, a hole is dug, the dimensions of which reach 40 cm by 50 cm, and the planting mixture from which the raspberries will grow is distributed. After this, the roots of the plant are lowered into the hole and covered with soil on top. The optimal distance between bushes, allowing them to grow freely, is one meter;
Bending down bushes
The purpose of bending raspberries is to prevent them from coming into contact with falling snow and low temperatures. The closer the stems are to the ground, the better they will survive the winter. At the same time, when tying the bushes, it is important not to overdo it, since a tightened plant risks withering before spring days.
Bending raspberries is carried out in several ways, depending on the means and intentions of the gardener:
- Take a bunch of stems and tie a one kilogram stone to it, placing it on the ground. This way the stems will not be able to get above the cobblestones and become hypothermic from the fallen snow. At the same time, make sure that the stone does not crush the plant;
- If your raspberries were on a trellis, tie them to the bottom wire. Remember that the beam should not rise higher than 30 centimeters above the ground. Nylon threads are well suited for tying stems;
Mulching the soil
Despite the unpretentiousness of raspberries, it is not recommended to use fertilizers that cause an acidic or alkaline reaction in the soil. For example, when using sawdust as a coating, avoid the coniferous option. The list of the most neutral mulches includes:
- Straw;
- Peat;
- Rotten foliage;
- Compost.
It is worth considering that a significant part of the compost consists of nitrogen, which can cause the bushes to rot in the spring season, as a result of which the raspberries will acquire fungal diseases and weakened immunity or begin to rot.
To be effective, mulch must be spread in a layer at least five centimeters thick. Do not forget that the soil must be prepared for mulching by watering it abundantly for several months. Otherwise, the earth risks drying out, and with it root systems raspberries
The most important moment Caring for raspberries is their systematic pruning. These activities begin at the seedling stage. After planting the plant in the ground, it needs to be shortened to 0.5 meters. In the future, raspberries should be pruned throughout the season using pruning shears.
Purpose of pruning raspberries
The remontant raspberry variety is ready to please the summer resident with its fruits starting from the first year of fruiting. The remaining varieties acquire buds and fruits only in the second year of growth. Being involved in the two-year growing season, the shoots should be removed as unnecessary, as weak and not suitable for further use. Instead, new, young shoots will grow from a powerful root, which will give a good harvest.
If pruning is not done with the arrival of autumn, the abundance of new shoots can greatly thicken the bush. In turn, this circumstance will negatively affect the health of the plant and yield:
- Dense bushes produce fewer berries;
- The fruits become small and lose their former taste;
- Poor ventilation of plantings contributes to the development of fungal diseases of the plant;
- Pests infest faster in dense “thickets”;
- New shoots do not have time to get stronger by winter, and therefore there is a high probability that the bush or shoots will die by spring.
You should not spare the strong stems, because pruning them is the only right decision in the desire to get a stable harvest of quality fruits. Spring and autumn pruning acts on the bush as a stimulator of the growth of new shoots, overgrown with many buds. And the removal of outdated and low-quality stems contributes to the rejuvenation of the bushes. As a result, they get sick less often.
Pruning in spring
At the end of March - beginning of April, when the sap has not yet begun to actively move, raspberry shoots are cut off by 11-15 cm to strong buds. Having thus slowed down their vertical growth, the bush directs its energy to new fruits. Sprouts that have been broken are pruned back to healthy buds. And those that died after wintering are completely removed.
In order for not only the remontant variety, but also the summer variety to bear fruit longer, pruning is carried out at different heights. It is permissible to cut shoots at a level of 15 cm from the soil. Moreover, the lower the cuts, the later the bushes will begin to bear fruit.
During the period of active growth of young shoots, old cuttings must be cut to the root or cut down with a shovel. The shoots that have managed to grow 25-30 cm are inspected and the strongest ones are identified. Weaker copies are removed. If spring and summer pruning is carried out taking into account all the rules, then by winter a meter of ridge should contain no more than 16 healthy young bushes.
Rules for summer pruning raspberries
After harvesting the entire crop, raspberry bushes must be pruned. The branches of the summer raspberry variety that bear fruit are cut off at the base. At the same time, it is important to ensure that no stumps remain, because they can become a target for diseases and pests. You can carry out these activities in the fall, but summer pruning will have a better effect on the plant, because new shoots that set buds will receive more nutrition.
In addition, in the summer, in order to ensure the future harvest, it is necessary to monitor the growth of raspberry bushes inside and outside the plantings. For this purpose, excess shoots are removed once every 10-14 days. This technique will prevent the rooting of shoots, which will simplify the gardener’s work.
Pruning a raspberry bush in autumn
Two-year-old shoots that produced a harvest in summer period and are not removed immediately, you can prune them in the fall. At this time, not only outdated branches are removed from the bushes, but also those that look weak, dry or sick. It is important to cut them back to ground level and then burn them immediately to kill infections, fungus and pests.
Also in the fall, young shoots are cut off, which by September-October have not matured enough to survive the frost. As a result, the plantings will be suitable for further successful wintering.
Remontant varieties can bear fruit until late autumn. But, as soon as all the berries from the annual shoots are collected, they are cut off. Those shoots that did not have time to be pruned at the end of autumn are removed with the arrival of spring. It is preferable to do this before the beginning of April, before the juice begins to actively move.
Important: both in spring and autumn, after pruning the bushes, they must be sprayed with special preparations that protect the plant from possible diseases and harmful insects.
Pruning raspberries according to Sobolev
The technique of pruning raspberries according to A.G. Sobolev gained popularity and proved its effectiveness even during the existence of the USSR. And to this day it is successfully practiced by gardeners all over the world. The method is to trim the bush at the designated time, strictly following the main rules.
The tops of annual shoots are shortened for the first time when their length is from seventy to one hundred centimeters. This is often done in May-June. The shoot is cut to ten to fifteen centimeters, which promotes the development of lateral shoots. The buds, in the axils of the leaves, become active a couple of days after pruning. And already at the end of summer they transform into shoots reaching 0.5 m in length. They will give a good harvest next season. Therefore, it is so important to have time to prune on time so that all shoots ripen successfully and do not freeze in winter.
The second decisive pruning is done in the spring, after wintering. As soon as the bushes are overgrown with leaves, about 15 cm of the apical part is removed from the side shoots. These manipulations stimulate the massive development of the kidneys located in the sinuses. And by the time the berries begin to ripen, the bush will be covered with a couple of dozen branches with ovaries.
Thus, pruning according to the method of A. G. Sobolev allows:
- Double, and sometimes even triple the final harvest from a raspberry plantation;
- Extend the time interval for fruiting of a regular raspberry variety, similar to its remontant relative;
- Increase the number of flower buds formed on the bushes.
This technology also includes traditional autumn pruning. For the winter, raspberry fields are cleared of diseased, weak and unripe shoots. Despite the simplicity of the method, pruning according to A. G. Sobolev will give a good result only if:
- All pruning rules will be followed, and agrotechnical conditions will also be observed: selection and planting of seedlings, watering, fertilizing, etc.;
- Promptly cut off side shoots that thicken the bushes. Thinning pruning promotes high yields and good health of raspberries, protecting them from fungal diseases and pests.
All agrotechnical measures must be carried out taking into account the planting climate zone and weather conditions. The timing may vary for each region. Therefore, the gardener must rely on his own experience and observations.
Pruning raspberries is an important and necessary part of caring for raspberries. garden plot and the guarantee of a harvest of tasty and aromatic berries. Fruiting shoots without shortening pruning lose their vigor and stop producing fruit. Unfortunately, few people know about the rules of this procedure, although avoiding thickening of the raspberry tree is quite simple: pruning is necessary - in spring, summer and autumn.
Why do you prune raspberries?
Raspberry is a shrub with amazing tasting berries that have healing properties. Often, gardeners reduce work in a raspberry garden to just planting bushes, and then the berry patch becomes an impenetrable thicket of greenery from which it is impossible to harvest. Only well-groomed raspberries can produce many berries. An important element of care is pruning.
Pruning is an activity aimed at increasing productivity and creating conditions for the development and growth of the bush, which means the following actions:
- cutting out dead shoots;
- cutting off frail, deformed and damaged shoots;
- shortening shoots;
- removal of root shoots.
Only well-groomed raspberries will give the gardener a good harvest.
The purposes of pruning are:
- preservation of fruiting. Life cycle The plants are biennial, and after the second year of raspberry life, the fruiting shoots dry out. As a result, the plant requires the formation of bushes for a new harvest, in other words, pruning;
- increasing productivity. The raspberry bush has powerful roots and strives to produce as many shoots as possible. This leads to a decrease in the number of ovaries and a decrease in the quality of the crop. To stop the uncontrolled spread of root suckers and shoots, pruning is done;
- preventing thickening of the bush. Uncut biennial dry branches thicken the bush and create obstacles to the growth of young and strong shoots. After trimming 1 sq. m leave 8–12 healthy young stems. The bush will receive enough sunlight and will delight the gardener with a bountiful harvest;
- prevention of the development of diseases and pests. The presence of a large number of dry branches and thickening of the bush contributes to the appearance of insect pests or the development of fungus, the proliferation of bacteria, which has a bad effect on the yield and even leads to the death of the raspberry tree as a whole.
Raspberry pruning technology
To increase productivity as a result of pruning, you need to know the technology, timing of its implementation, features for different types. Depending on the purpose and time of pruning, the length of the cut will be different:
When pruning a diseased raspberry branch, the cut is made above a healthy bud.
Raspberries are pruned with pruning shears while wearing thick gloves to avoid wounds on the hands from the thorny stems of the plant.
All pruned shoots are removed from the site in order to prevent infection of raspberries and other crops.
Seasonal pruning
Pruning must be done in a timely manner. Some of the actions are carried out in the fall, when the crop is harvested, and some - in the spring, to prepare the plant for the growing season.
Goals spring pruning are:
- preventive control against the possible development of diseases and the appearance of pests;
- achieving full sun coverage of the bushes;
- slower growth of central shoots upward;
- stimulation of active growth of lateral buds.
Immediately after the snow melts in the garden plot, without waiting for the soil to completely warm up, prune the raspberries in this way:
- Weak and dried shoots are removed with garden pruners, and diseased shoots are shortened to the first healthy bud.
- Annual shoots are cut out, leaving up to 5–8 per bush.
- The remaining branches are shortened by a quarter of the length so that the length of each shoot is 120–150 cm.
In spring, raspberries are pruned immediately after the snow melts.
You can shorten the length of the stems in another way. This is the so-called ladder method:
- All plant stems are divided into 4 groups.
- The first group - dying stems - is removed completely, close to the ground.
- The following 3 groups of shoots (young stems) are cut to different heights:
- For some, the top of the head is cut off by 10–15 cm;
- the other group had twice as much - by 20–30 cm;
- the last part is cut off, leaving half the height of the shoot.
Thanks to this, the long shoots will bloom and bear fruit first, then the shorter ones. And only at the end of summer - cut off by half.
Pruning raspberries in summer
Summer work in the raspberry field is about prevention. When a bush blooms, shoots with wilted tops that are affected by diseases or viruses are revealed. Trim them to the first healthy leaf. There is no need to wait until autumn or spring to remove diseased shoots - they deplete the plant more than the weeds on the site.
During the summer, measures are also taken to prevent the raspberry bush from growing wider. As they appear, shoots are cut off - shoots that emerge from the ground at a distance of more than 20 cm around the bush. This procedure is carried out with pruning shears or cutting off excess shoots with a shovel, digging to the depth of a bayonet. Thanks to summer pruning raspberries develop fruitful branches in the center of the bush.
Raspberry shoots are trimmed with pruning shears or excess shoots are cut off with a shovel.
Autumn pruning of raspberries can be done at the end of fruiting, that is, at the end of summer or autumn: by that time, the two-year-old shoots that bear fruit have already begun to die off. First, the bushes are carefully inspected and shoots that have finished bearing fruit are identified, as well as young shoots that will bear fruit next year.
Before autumn pruning of raspberries, the bushes are carefully inspected and old shoots that have finished bearing fruit are identified, and young shoots that will bear fruit next year
Autumn pruning consists of the following steps:
Pruning neglected raspberries
Is it possible to extend the vegetative period of a raspberry tree without destroying the old one, which has been producing crops for more than 10–15 years? Partial rejuvenation carried out on warm September days or in spring will give results. To do this proceed as follows:
- Select old, low-yielding bushes and remove them along with the roots.
- Using a shovel, digs are made around the bush in order to cut off all the roots, after which the root is carefully removed. The work is carried out in such a way as not to damage the root shoots located remotely from the main old root.
- Empty holes after the root are filled with compost or nutritious humus. In a year, full-fledged shoots will grow on the new rhizomes.
To rejuvenate raspberries, rhizomes are dug up from old non-fruiting bushes.
The procedure for removing old roots is repeated for 3–4 years in a row, gradually removing all old fruit-bearing bushes from the area.
Methods for pruning raspberries
There are different ways to prune raspberries.
Double trimming
The bushes begin to form in early spring and are completed only the next year. Carry out double pruning in this way:
Double pruning is effective if the conditions and time for shortening the shoots at the final stage are strictly observed. At correct use According to all the rules, instead of a single shoot, a miniature raspberry tree is formed, which will soon be covered with berries and will delight the gardener with a harvest throughout the growing season.
The disadvantage of this method is the thickening of the raspberry bushes, deterioration of sunlight and ventilation of the bush, which leads to diseases and even loss of the berry bush. To avoid damage to the bush or loss of the berry plant, increase the distance between rows to two meters and between bushes in a row to 1 meter.
Video: double pruning of raspberries according to Sobolev
Pruning for propagation
From trimmed young healthy shoots, gardeners obtain excellent material for propagating raspberries. Carry out the following actions:
The advantage of this method is that the cuttings retain the qualities of the raspberry variety.
Features of pruning remontant varieties
The types of pruning described above are used by gardeners on common raspberry varieties that bear fruit once a year.
Remontant raspberry varieties are good because:
- bear fruit several times during the growing season;
- have high productivity, fruits appear already in the first year, since their replacement shoots have upper buds. Therefore, when some of the branches die off after a year, the amount of harvest from the bush decreases.
For remontant varieties, the pruning procedure is as follows:
- After the end of fruiting, the entire above-ground part of the dead branches is cut off.
- The soil around the bush is shallowly loosened and watered. This is done at the end of October or beginning of November, focusing on favorable weather conditions. During the winter period, the bush will not freeze and will gain strength for abundant fruiting next year.
- In the spring, when the buds swell, sanitary treatment is carried out: shoots that have frozen in winter or dried out are removed onto the first healthy bud.
U remontant raspberries cut off all shoots after fruiting
Next year, young, strong, healthy shoots will grow, which will give a good harvest of berries.
Raspberry - fruit crop, which at proper care will give the owner a bountiful and tasty harvest. By carrying out pruning in each growing season according to the rules, any gardener will achieve excellent results and a good harvest, will delight himself and his loved ones with aromatic berries and medicine, indispensable for colds in winter.
It is generally accepted to prune regular and remontant raspberries in the fall. It would seem at first glance a simple and understandable procedure, but it also has a number of subtleties. Our article explains why, when and what needs to be done so that removing excess shoots does not harm the plant, but, on the contrary, makes it possible to survive the winter without problems, significantly increase the upcoming harvest and improve the quality of the fruit.
Why prune raspberries and is it necessary to do this in the fall (for winter)
The goals of pruning any raspberries, including autumn ones, are:
- thinning the plantings so that the bushes are better ventilated and
received more sunlight; - increase in productivity (fruiting);
- preventing overwintering of harmful insects and fungal diseases in shoots;
- improvement of winter hardiness;
- giving the bushes a neat look appearance(additional aesthetic function).
When to prune raspberries in the fall: optimal timing for the procedure
Delay with autumn pruning regular raspberries You shouldn’t, on the contrary, you need to cut out fruit-bearing biennial shoots as early as possible, and also, without fail, weak and sickly annual shoots. This is explained by the fact that in autumn the activity of various pests becomes more active for the last time, and raspberries are a crop that is quite susceptible to diseases. Therefore, the sooner you prune regular raspberries, the better.
Specific timing for pruning regular raspberries autumn, of course, is quite difficult to name, but the main signal to start the procedure is the end of its fruiting. Therefore, if the raspberries bear fruit already in August, then it is worth pruning the bushes already in this summer month.
Regarding timing of pruning remontant raspberries, then there is no point in pruning it immediately after summer fruiting, because it bears fruit again in the fall, that is, its pruning should be carried out exclusively in the autumn, preferably after leaf fall (since the bush transfers nutrition from the leaves to the root).
In any case, you need to have time to prune raspberries for the winter. 3-4 weeks before the onset of sub-zero temperatures(although some gardeners believe that remontant, on the contrary, needs to be pruned after the first frost). Thus, the approximate timing for pruning raspberries in the fall is Middle lane(Moscow region) - this is the second half of August-September, in the Urals and Siberia - August, but in the South of Russia ( Krasnodar region) - from July to November.
Attention! It is believed that it is best to prune raspberries in the fall, and not in the spring, because pests and spores of harmful fungi overwinter in the stems. However, it is also allowed , since in early spring the condition of overwintered raspberries is clearly visible, which is exactly what is needed for sanitary pruning.
Like all berry plants, raspberries have their own characteristics and, accordingly, their own pruning rules.
Basic rules for autumn pruning of raspberries (after fruiting) for the winter:
Important! If during the season the raspberries were constantly affected by various diseases and pests, then in the spring you absolutely need to do this.
Video: pruning raspberries in the fall - what needs to be trimmed
Double trimming
Attention! Double pruning is carried out only for regular raspberries, in the remontant one, the annual growths are not touched, since the harvest is also laid at the ends of their shoots.
If your raspberry bushes have a lot of tall but unbranched annual stems, then you should also get rid of them, since they still won’t give a good harvest. As a rule, in this case, perform double trimming according to Sobolev.
First time V early summer (late May-June) when the shoots reach 70-90 centimeters, the top of the head is trimmed by 10-15 centimeters. Thanks to this pruning, additional shoots are formed from the leaf axils of the raspberry tree, in other words, the stem will begin to branch, which means that more flower buds will form in the fall, and, therefore, the bush will bear fruit more abundantly. 
Second time you need to trim the tops by 5-15 centimeters either in the fall or early spring (optimal), thereby new side shoots will also begin to branch and produce even more berries.
Video: double pruning raspberries to increase raspberry yield
Advice! If you plan to carry out double pruning to increase the yield, then in this case you should plant the raspberries at a greater distance from each other, since the bushes will thicken thoroughly.
Do I need to prune remontant raspberries for the winter?
Remontant raspberries differ from ordinary raspberries in their high fertility - you can collect 2 harvests from a bush in 1 season (summer and autumn).
However, it is worth knowing that its (remontant) second harvest (autumn) is less tasty, while the first (summer) is not inferior in taste to the usual one.
However, it makes sense to have both regular and remontant varieties on the plot in order to eat tasty and healthy berries both summer and autumn.
Remontant raspberries bear fruit on both one-year and two-year-old shoots, therefore in the fall you can cut off all the shoots at the root. In this case you will receive more abundant autumn harvest.
Pruning of remontant raspberries at the root should be done in late autumn, when the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
If you want more uniform fruiting(but less abundant) in 2 stages(once in the summer and again in the fall), then annual shoots should be left.
However, in the conditions of, for example, the central zone (Moscow region), it is better to cut off remontant raspberries completely for the winter (to get 1 good harvest in August-September), but in the south of Russia and in regions with a longer warm period - annual shoots are possible and even better leave.
In general, remontant raspberries can be pruned in the spring.
Video: repair and regular raspberries - differences in care, including pruning
Thus, autumn care for remontant raspberries is much simpler, since for the winter it is usually cut off completely, which means that annual shoots do not need to be bent, tied up and covered for the winter (although mulching with rotted manure is a great idea, because the mulch will also an excellent feeding in early spring).
Beginning gardeners also often ask: Is it necessary to prune remontant raspberries in the first year after planting them? If you planted it a month before the onset of frost, then it is quite possible to leave a stump 15-25 centimeters high.
Interesting! Some gardeners say that they have semi-remontant raspberry. However, this term is incorrect. In essence, it means that the variety is actually remontant, but late, which means that in the middle zone (Moscow region), especially in the Urals and Siberia, it simply does not have time to produce a second harvest.
Video: how to prune remontant raspberries
Gartering young shoots for the winter and other procedures for preparing raspberries for winter
There are 2 ways of gartering for wintering young raspberry shoots:
By the way! About how to properly tie raspberries in autumn and spring, you can read .
So, pruning in the fall, which is very important for raspberries, has its own nuances. By trying to follow them, you will undoubtedly achieve an increase not only in the yield, but also in the quality of the berries.
Video: pruning raspberries for the winter and other rules for caring for raspberries in the fall
Despite the fact that raspberries are unpretentious, you cannot do without competent measures to care for them, otherwise instead of a bountiful harvest garden culture wild, non-fruit-bearing thickets will grow in your garden. Pruning raspberries in the fall is the most important procedure, but this must be done in a special way and at a certain time.
Why do some homestead owners collect “buckets” of berries from an ordinary ordinary bush, while others collect just a little? Perhaps it's all about the peculiarities of care. This also applies to pruning raspberries. When and how to prune raspberries correctly? There are several technologies. But today we will talk about one thing - autumn pruning.
It is rare that a garden or vegetable garden does not have a raspberry tree. This shrub is considered unpretentious, and, according to most, requires almost no maintenance. And is it really necessary to prune raspberries? The answer is clearly yes.
If the bushes grow densely, the fruits will not be large and there will not be many of them. The taste characteristics of raspberries will also deteriorate (due to lack of sufficient lighting, nutrition, water, and wind blowing).
The pruning procedure is also necessary to prevent diseases, and simply to facilitate harvesting, since there is more space between the thorny bushes, and accordingly, picking berries is more convenient, faster and “without consequences” in the form of scratches.
Basically, fruiting buds are present only on “two-year-olds”. It is these shoots that will bear fruit. And if the old bushes are not removed in time, then they will not allow the young shoots to grow normally, and in this case the raspberries will bear little fruit and will not have such tasty berries.
However, there should not be too many young shoots, so they are also removed, thinning out the raspberries. So if you carry out autumn pruning, you are guaranteed an excellent harvest of large, tasty fruits. In addition, in an aesthetic sense, neat bushes look more beautiful.
What is needed for the procedure - necessary tools
What is “smart pruning”? These are the main points plus many important nuances. The tools you will need are a pruner. It must be sharp, otherwise you will harm the shoots and they will dry out or get sick. Instead of pruning shears, you can take garden shears for thorny bushes; they are convenient because they have long handles (although some, on the contrary, find it more convenient to work with short handles, like those of a pruning shear).
For complex cases I need a garden knife. It is useful when the bush is cut unevenly (when the cut is wrinkled and does not have a round cross-section). This tool will help straighten the cut.
A lopper can also be useful where the trunks are too thick. A rake will be needed to remove cut branches and other “garbage” from the raspberry plantation in order to subsequently burn it all. Poorly sharpened tools increase the risk of raspberries being damaged by fungal diseases due to uneven cutting of the bushes.
Pruning Raspberries in Fall - Step-by-Step Guide
Raspberries are perennials with a two-year development period. That is, it is two-year-old bushes that produce the harvest. To ensure regular fruiting, the berries do not become smaller, and the raspberry tree does not turn into thickets, systematic thinning and shortening of the bushes is necessary.
As a rule, preparing raspberries for wintering is combined with autumn pruning. All fruit bearing, diseased, and damaged bushes are removed (under the base), as well as excess young shoots. All this is then burned.
Pruning raspberries in the fall is done about a month (a little less) before frost (check the weather forecast first). This period is considered optimal for these purposes.
How to prune raspberries correctly in autumn? During the summer, one bush produces up to twenty young shoots. And there should be no more than ten left (when raspberries are arranged in rows) and no more than twelve (when arranged in bushes).
Experienced gardeners, in order to extend the fruiting period of raspberries, trim the bushes to different heights. Some are ten centimeters, others are twenty, others are thirty, others are in half, and others are a quarter. This method of pruning gives smooth fruiting over a long period.
The least-pruned bushes will bear fruit first, and those that have been cut the most will bear fruit later. Please note that significant pruning of all bushes will result in a decrease in yield, although the berries will be larger.
It is advisable to combine pruning with preparation for winter. In this case, immediately after pruning, the bushes are fastened together (or tied) and bent to the soil. In the northern regions, you need to cover the raspberries for the winter.
The pruning height depends on the age of the bushes and their “condition”, that is, how they look. Two-year-olds are trimmed to the base. Annuals are pruned only halfway. It is important to take into account the specifics of growth; the bushier and faster growing the variety, the shorter the pruning should be.
Cut branches should be no higher than one and a half meters (this is the maximum). Varieties that bear fruit abundantly in the first year need to be pruned to the base, as young shoots will grow again in the spring.
In short, the bushes that will bear fruit next year are partially pruned, the old ones are completely removed, and the young ones are thinned out. After pruning, it is useful to treat the remaining branches with phytosporin (or iron sulfate). This will prevent the formation of diseases.
Caring for bushes after pruning
After pruning, the raspberry tree requires care; it is minimal and does not require much effort. First you need to thoroughly water the entire raspberry plantation. After the soil dries, it needs to be mulched.
Carrying out autumn mulching is necessary to protect the soil from the harmful effects of weather conditions (blowing, washing out, freezing). This event guarantees good growth and fruiting of the plantings next year. Mulching is carried out with dry grass or leaves, humus, hay, peat, straw, bark, sawdust.
After this, fertilizing is carried out. If you live in a region with a harsh climate, then raspberries need to be covered for the winter. All these events are carried out shortly before the first frost. Some of the branches are tied to each other and bent to the ground. You need to bend it carefully and at a slight angle of inclination. Otherwise the branches will simply break.
You can use special covering material or natural ones - branches, straw, sawdust, dry leaves. However, if there are a lot of rodents in the area, then it is better not to use natural covering material.
Feeding is most often done with manure, humus, bird droppings, but you can also feed mineral fertilizers. Please note that nitrogen-based fertilizers are contraindicated, as they will cause an increase in shoot growth, but in this case you may not get a harvest.
Features of pruning remontant raspberries
Autumn pruning of remontant raspberries has its own nuances. Despite the fact that this procedure is most often carried out after the end of fruiting time, pruning this type of raspberry depends on the climate of the place where it grows. Autumn pruning is more suitable for warm regions, while spring pruning is preferable for northern regions.
Please also take into account that the remontant variety bears fruit on the shoots of both the first and second years. So there is an opportunity to get a harvest twice. Most often, the second wave of fruiting is not as abundant as the first, however, almost until the first significant cold snap you will be able to pick berries.
Pruning of this type of raspberry in the fall is done before the onset of frost, all old branches are removed under the base. If the bushes are planted in the same year, they are shortened to twenty centimeters. Pruning in the fall also allows you to protect yourself from diseases and pests; they have nothing to reproduce on. In the spring, new bushes will grow and bear fruit.
After pruning, it is necessary to treat the bushes with special solutions. The most popular drug used for these purposes is Bordeaux mixture (three percent solution). All trimmed parts of the raspberries must be burned.
In the spring, non-viable bushes will be found. All branches that are frozen, broken or withered are cut off completely (depending on their condition) or to the “living part” of the bush. This is done before the leaves bloom, in March-April. Periodic pruning of raspberries is the key to a good harvest. This will take a little time, but the result will be impressive.
Conclusion
Raspberries are a widespread berry crop in our country. It does not require special attention, but in order to get a bountiful harvest all summer, you still have to do something. In order for your efforts to bring results, it is important what exactly and how you do it. One of these activities is proper pruning of raspberries.
Now you know how to properly prune raspberries in the fall. It remains to follow some mandatory rules, and the raspberry plant will generously thank you for your care. There are few rules - regular watering, weeding, loosening, protection from diseases and insects, application of fertilizers.
For a gardener who values the harvest from his plot, all of the above concerns related to raspberries are banal and not burdensome, especially since they are “fraught” good harvest healthy and tasty berries.
Loading...