Raspberries, Cuttings?

[Sanjed]

Hi.

I've been cutting down my summer raspberries, all to about 6- 12 " off the ground, trying to ensure i've got 6 or 7 nodes on each of the stems, and i was wondering.

Is there even a 10% chance i would be able to use the cut off tops as cuttings and get them to root ? I've never seen mention of it, perhaps because of a slim success rate, but is it worth giving it a go ?

edit: ok, well i've done a bit more searching and i'm going to try it, seems like it works ok for some people.

[quark1]

Look - what have you to lose by giving it a try?

Do it while the tops are still 'green' and who knows? Try around 5-6 shoots/tops around a pot and see what happens. Not too labour intensive and the reward could be great.

If you've had to thin entire areas/sections of suckers - these will strike new bushes very easily. I've often had to rip them out with very little consideration before - not handed them on immediately - but have kept in bucket of water for up to a week and those who have receivd the excess have had good crops first year after replanting - 6 plants enough for singleton living alone for rasp/cream or garnish for icecream!

Good luck.

[Paulottie]

Summer raspberries fruit on previous years stems. ie...you cut out anything that has flowered and leave new growth unpruned but tied in.

Re rooting cuttings.... well normally you would go for suckers as Quark says but if you wish to try just (use currant/gooseberry method) make a slit in the soil with spade put some sand in the bottom for drainage prune about 18" long and only leave 2 or three leaves. insert in slit keep watered for a month or so.

[Two_Sheds]

Every cutting you take off a raspberry will grow roots ... they must be related to bindweed or sumfing

[rustylady]

Cuttings should root easily - wouldn't bother with a pot. Just make a slit trench with a spade, pop the cut stems in (make sure they're the right way up), water and firm in and leave them to it.

[Sanjed]

damn.

when i bought them at the beginning of the year they were stems about 8" tall, planted them and they fruited from the original stems and also produced loads of suckers, i cut out all the fruited growth to the ground and cut the suckers down to about 12" because i thought that's how you keep them in check...... er. they'll still produce next year, but i realise i've probably just "cut" my next years produce down by about a third.

ah well, it's all a learning experience. thanks for the advices about how to set the cuttings though. i'll get them in the ground later.

the autumn one is going well now though, so glad i got both types. just so i'm clear on this as well, the autumn one gets cut right down to the ground in about january right ?

[rustylady]

the autumn one is going well now though, so glad i got both types. just so i'm clear on this as well, the autumn one gets cut right down to the ground in about january right ?

You can cut them down as soon as they've finished fruiting if you want to make the plot tidy. Just being nosy really, but whereabouts in Suffolk are you?

[Sanjed]

i'm in ipswich. and i have one of the only front gardens that's been turned over completely into a vegetable plot