Cuttings from Raspberries

[Bozone]

I have two raspberry bushes in my back garden that grew from 99p cheapies from a Tesco sale. This was two years ago, first year didn't get much but second year they produced really well.

Trouble is they have now grown reaching some 6ft, above my small apple tree. The bushes are currently bare as its winter and I'm not sure what best to do? Can I cut these and plant for new bushes, just trim them back or trail these along the fence horizontally. I'm pretty new to growing anything and am so impressed they're still alive I'm going to make an effort to nurture them this year.

Any advice would be appreciated

[Una]

Standard raspberries bear fruit on canes that are in their second year. Everbearing rasperries bear fruit on canes that are in their first year, then again the second year. After the second year, canes of both types poop out.

For standard raspberries, you can now cut off at the ground all canes that had fruit last summer. Leave all young canes. For everbearing raspberries, optionally, cut off all canes. Probably your raspberries are standard ones.

Una

[Rick]

Some Raspberries produce two crops, one (usually smaller) in the spring on last years canes, and in the fall on new canes. Some only produce the fall crop. Both can be cut to about 3 inches, but you will loose the spring crop from second year canes. If you want both crops, keep the second year canes until after the berries are picked and then cut them out. If you have trouble with (spits on ground) brown rot, it is probably best to cut them all down in the late fall after the harvest and burn the canes. They like a lot of nutrients so fertilize them before they start to green up. You could probably start new plants from fresh new cane ends, but they do tend to spread like crazy so that is not usually an issue. If you want new bushes to plant elsewhere, tie a weight to the end of a sturdy cane and bury it about two inches into the ground. It will root.

[Jim Elbrecht]

Google 'tip layering'. If they aren't grafted, that should be the easiest way to propagate them.

Jim

[Bozone]

Thanks very much for thid good speedy advice. I'll go out this weekend and cut them back.

Thats presuming the wind speed has dropped below 60 knots by then!