How to I.D. rasp canes - autumn or winter?

[gorgeousgrower]

That meant to say autumn or summer in the title !!!!

Hi,

I've moved allotments recently and the new one has hundreds of raspberry canes all down one side of the plot. The problem is I don't know if they are autumn or summer fruiting.

Apart from waiting until fruiting time, is there any other way of identifying which type they are? I've pruned out lots of the old wood as this doesn't seem to have been done for a few years. I'm left with many sturdy 3 and 4ft high single canes spaced a couple of feet apart, some of which look like they've had a few (barely a few!) fruits at the very top of the cane.

Don't know whether to carry on chopping (as for autumn fruiting) or leave these single canes alone to see what happens.

Any ideas?

[WrexTheDragon]

Not easy to identify raspberry canes, as you have said you need to wait and see when they fruit.

I would be tempted not to prune until you know what they are?

[SueA]

I think I would cut all of them down to the ground & then see what happens when the new canes come up & if & when they fruit. If they're summer fruiters then the canes you have left with the remains of fruit at the tips won't fruit again as these should have been cut down after fruiting last summer & non-fruited canes saved & tied in. If they're autumn fruiters then these canes would all be cut down in winter when dormant & the new canes will fruit.

[Alison]

Regardless of if they are summer or autumn varieties, if the cane has fruited then it's finished. If you've cut out all the dead stuff and then do the ones with old fruit on and there's nothing much left then it sounds like you've probably got autumn ones but you won't know for sure until later this year.

[gorgeousgrower]

I am a lucky girl Bilbo - I also found 3 rhubard crowns and a few strawberry plants .... treasure for sure

Does the fact that the canes are all self supporting mean that they're probably autumn ones? Or are some of the summer varieties pretty sturdy too?

One more question - I plan to move them sometime in the future but is it best to do this after fruiting and then cut back at appropriate time, or move and cut back at same time. I'm thinking that the latter might be a bit too shocking for them

Thanks everyone for your advice.

[ladylottie]

That meant to say autumn or summer in the title !!!!

Hi,

I've moved allotments recently and the new one has hundreds of raspberry canes all down one side of the plot. The problem is I don't know if they are autumn or summer fruiting.

Two years ago when I took on my lottie I had the same problem! There were canes cut down to about one foot high, so I left them as they were to see what would happen. I had a massive crop - starting from June and finishing at the beginning of October. So after they'd finished I just cut all the canes down to about a foot high again, and the same thing happened last year - a massive harvest.

I still don't know whether they are Summer or Autumn, but I read somewhere (just wish I could remember where) that if you cut half of your Autumn raspberries down to the ground and others down to a foot high, the season will be extended. This is what seems to have happened with me. So this year I have cut them all down to the ground to see what happens, as an experiment.

There are two 16 foot rows and I support them with metal rods at each end of the row and in the middle and then wind plastic clothes line round them to stop them being blown over (they are about 7 foot tall). The canes are very sturdy.

Not sure if I've helped at all - I can only say what I've done. But if I were you, I'd leave them as they are and not cut them hard and just see what happens.

[eieio]

I have the same problem. Got my allotment this time last year and there is a 6ft by 10ft patch of rasberry canes at the bottom. Have no idea if they are summer or autumn so I cut them down last year and they fruited quite late. This year I have cut them down again - this is what my 'lotment neighbour has done too!

[Alison]

If you cut them all down and they fruited late the following year then they are autumn ones. Summer ones fruit on the previous years canes which you had cut away.