Raspberry cuttings query..

[chris]

A while back I cut down my all gold, and some branches off my glen ample (the ones that fruited).

to stop the resident cats using the bed that these are in as a loo, I just left the cut down branches over the floor of the bed.

I've noticed, recently, that some are throwing shoots - despite the wood looking dead. Last week I put one in some compost, and the shoots have doubled in size. Just stuck the others in the same pot of the compost now to see what would happen - will these eventually root, and be able to bear fruit, or are they just using whatever sap is left in these cuttings?

They've literally been on the floor lying there for months mind.

[Two_Sheds]

They probably will root, yes.

In my first year I used raspberry prunings as supports for my peas - they all rooted, bladdy things

[Poddington Pea]

I've done the same thing as an experiment, mine have buds but no roots
I'll be keen to know how your's get on!

[FB.]

I've done the same thing as an experiment, mine have buds but no roots
I'll be keen to know how your's get on!

Be patient.
Rooting can take anything from a few weeks to a few months, depending on climate and variety.
Some might not root at all before they dry out.
Root growth slows considerably when temperatures are stuck below 5'C, but increases rapidly when it warms, for as long as the soil remains damp.

Cuttings would have the best chance of growing if put in a black pot (black soaks up the sun and pots warm quickly when the air warms). Fill the pot with compost, cover with a clear plastic bag to keep in the humidity.

I recently compared an apple rootstock grown in a large black pot (in a sunny spot) with one grown in the ground.
The barrel-grown one was already showing six inches of spring root growth, while the open ground one had less than an inch of new root growth; the ground is very wet and we've had a cold winter. Wetness keeps the ground cold, while the hard winter will have cooled the soil considerably.

[Poddington Pea]

I've done the same thing as an experiment, mine have buds but no roots
I'll be keen to know how your's get on!

[chris]

Why are they sprouting shoots ? I'd have thought they'd root first? Would they do better in a greenhouse?

Thanks!

[FB.]

Why are they sprouting shoots ? I'd have thought they'd root first? Would they do better in a greenhouse?

Thanks!

The shoot buds were pre-formed in autumn. The stems do not yet have pre-formed "root buds" because stems don't normally need them.
The stems will create some root initials in due course - often as a result of water stress - but it will take at least a few weeks longer than it takes for a ready-formed bud to sprout.
A bit like if you pin-down a blackberry stem or strawberry runner; it takes a few weeks for roots to develop from the stem.

[chris]

Ah I see, thanks. Sorry TS I missed your reply. That's cool, some free plants. I've done that already with my blackberry - the cut down stem is getting those white bulges, ready for the roots I guess, only snipped some off a couple of months ago!