Raspberry Emergency

[Martin B]

Well, emergency might be a slight exageration.

Just took over an allotment and about 1/6 of the plot is covered in raspberry bushes.

They obviously haven't been pruned and I was wondering what I should do.

Some of the bushes are 5' high, I thought that in November time you needed to take them down to ground level.

What should I do with them/What can I do with them?

Is it too late to prune? Shall I let them go wild for a year?

Regards,

Martin

[Aberdeenplotter]

Really depends on how much of the ground you want to keep in Raspberries.

Whatever area you want to keep in raspberries, I'd be for creating rows with canes no less than 18"apart. get posts and wire in to support the canes.

I have5 ft between my rows

[Two_Sheds]

^ if they're summer ones.

Autumn ones don't need supports
I only have autumn ones, and I prune them down to the ground end of Feb.

[veggiechicken]

Summer or autumn fruiting raspberries? If you don't know you could take out all the old dead wood and wait and see. Also any that are in the way.
Mine are jumbled up together and I can't tell tother from which. They let me know when the time is right!

[jackie j]

If you don't know which ones they are I was told the prickly ones ( stems ) are Autumn so cut down and the smooth ones summer, hope that helps.

[Aberdeenplotter]

^ if they're summer ones.

Autumn ones don't need supports
I only have autumn ones, and I prune them down to the ground end of Feb.

I defer to your superior knowledge about autumn varieties my lady. I don't have any of these

[Martin B]

Thanks for your help!

[biggreenfingers]

You should also see white/greyish colour buds along the stems of new growth that will bear this years fruit. You shouldn't cut these canes. The other canes that fruited last season will be weak and also look paler with some of the bark peeling. At least this is the case with my raspberries. I will try and get a photo tomorrow during daylight if you want ?

[VirginVegGrower]

Autumn fruiting ones tend to be taller and a bit thicker stemmed in the case of mine. I keep mine as AP does.

[zazen999]

Unless they aren't - my purple earlies were so tall at home that we dug them up and put them in the top of the lottie as they kept getting in the way - they can get to 7-8 ft and are much taller and thicker than the autumn ones.

I'd cut down any that look like they have fruited or have any disease or problems, and tie the rest in for now

[VirginVegGrower]

Ooh what purple earlies are those....nommy nommy nom?!

[zazen999]

Glencoe I think....flippin lovely and incredibly tall! No suckers, but they clump and you can split into 2 or 3 when you uproot and replant them. Almost tree like - if you prune the top you get two new leaders - one to the left and one to the right - which then grow across the path right in Mr Z's way. And [as all of our rasps are] no spines. We specially chose all 4 of our varieties to be spineless.

[VirginVegGrower]

I want that one! Hmmmm....,

[Scarlet]

^ if they're summer ones.

Autumn ones don't need supports
I only have autumn ones, and I prune them down to the ground end of Feb.

I prune my autumn fruiting varieties down to the ground but the last few years the fruit has been so heavy I've had to support them with makeshift strings - well over 5ft tall and trailing in the ground with the weight of the fruit. I'm putting in a single post at each end of the row this year with a wire to hold them up off the ground.

[Aberdeenplotter]

If you don't know which ones they are I was told the prickly ones ( stems ) are Autumn so cut down and the smooth ones summer, hope that helps.

Doesn't work that way unfortunately. many summer fruiting raspberries are prickly. I grow Glen Ample which have no prickles and have lovely big berries