a raspberry question...

[Scottishnewbie]

do you think if i just chopped a cane off and stuck it in the ground it would root?

and should i cut it down to a smaller size?

[valmarg]

Are you talking summer fruiting or autumn?

Either way, I shouldn't have thought that a cane chopped off, and stuck in thr ground would root readily.

Why not just dig up a cane with some root on and transplant it (for summer fruiting varieties).

For autumn varieties, particularly JoanJ, dig up the suckers that are thrown up well away from the main row, and plant where you want them.

valmarg

[Scottishnewbie]

I was talking about the summer ones. i was chopping all this years canes back to ground level (think i was supposed to do it ages ago but only just getting round to it now!) and noticed that there were quite a few canes, i was reluctant to dig them up as i thought i might damage the ones that i want to have there for next year!

[Brengirl]

I too tried raspberries this year. I lost the labels so not sure which are summer or autumn. However they all tasted good. My problem is that the leaves are all threadbare. Is it fatal?

[sarraceniac]

I too tried raspberries this year. I lost the labels so not sure which are summer or autumn. However they all tasted good. My problem is that the leaves are all threadbare. Is it fatal?

Should be OK. They may have had the leaves decimated by somefink 'orrible. But as they are all just about finished now (even autumn fruiters have nearly finished, up here) I doubt if it will affect them. You could give them a spraying with a general pesticide unless you are organic in case whatever it is that is doing it has left you some eggs for next year. If you are organic then the best you can do is to chop everything back and burn the trimmings which means that your autumns (which unfortunately are usually the heaviest fruiters) will be set back a year. Do try to determine which is which and label them. We've all been there though .

[Two_Sheds]

do you think if i just chopped a cane off and stuck it in the ground it would root?

Yes.
In my first year with rasps, I cut off some tall straight canes to use as pea supports. They all rooted

[Scottishnewbie]

well that's just fabby news! did you vut the leaves and top off or really just cut and stick 'em in the ground?

I lurve this forum!

[Muddy Feet]

I've been on, and am still on, a steep fruit growing curve this year.

On taking over my allotment last year, I had to clear out masses, and I mean masses, of raspberry canes, and I replanted 45 of the canes on another part of the plot.

I would say that 40 of them grew to full height (autumn fruiting, btw), and perhaps all but three fruited (a few didn't for some reason, even though they had flowers...).

Now, I have cut these all back to the ground, just like I did last year, and have taken perhaps 20 cuttings off them and just stuck them in the ground on another raised bed (with manure). I read that you should use a woody cutting, not green/fresh, about 30cm long, and cut above a bud at the top, and just below a bud at the bottom.

And that's it. It won't be until autumn 2010 that I find out how green fingered I have been! But from what I've read, this should work.

[sarraceniac]

Yes. That should be fine. If it should go wrong just take runners next year.

[pipkins]

OK stupid question

How can you tell the difference between summer and autumn raspies if you have not planted them yourself

Thanks

[Muddy Feet]

I was in this position last year - I had no idea what I had.

But by the end of the summer this year, the raspberry canes weren't showing much in the way of fruit, but as I was still harvesting in October, this was how I knew mine were autumn fruiting.

Summer fruiting would have started much earlier, and finished way before October.

(I think!)

[northepaul]

I have a couple that I was given and had no idea what they were, turns out one was a summer one which didnt produce any fruit, and got so tall had to support it and the autumn ones (which produced a handful or so each) are little bushes and dont seem to need support. I have also read this on the vine somewhere.

I got some free canes from another magazine, for which I am going to build a support system.

[sarraceniac]

OK stupid question

How can you tell the difference between summer and autumn raspies if you have not planted them yourself

Thanks

See previous 2 answers. In other words, you can't until they fruit (or don't fruit). I do find that autumn fruiters usually look healthier than summer fruiters, even in winter and - if you've inherited some that are currently dying off then they are probably summers - so prune now it is getting late. My autumns are still throwing out the odd berry. (I want some for Christmas dinner - hate plum pudding.)

[StephenH]

I've been on, and am still on, a steep fruit growing curve this year.

On taking over my allotment last year, I had to clear out masses, and I mean masses, of raspberry canes, and I replanted 45 of the canes on another part of the plot.

I would say that 40 of them grew to full height (autumn fruiting, btw), and perhaps all but three fruited (a few didn't for some reason, even though they had flowers...).

Now, I have cut these all back to the ground, just like I did last year, and have taken perhaps 20 cuttings off them and just stuck them in the ground on another raised bed (with manure). I read that you should use a woody cutting, not green/fresh, about 30cm long, and cut above a bud at the top, and just below a bud at the bottom.

And that's it. It won't be until autumn 2010 that I find out how green fingered I have been! But from what I've read, this should work.

45? And you're taking cuttings to grow even more? Blimy! You certainlky like razzies, don't you? I've got 20 ordered, due in the week starting 7th December, and I thought that was a lot!

[Muddy Feet]

They're great, aren't they? I was picking nearly a kilo a week in the season, if not more, and our two kids love them.

I have plans for making jam as well, which I'm really looking forward to!

Pity it won't be until August 2010.

Enjoy.