Raspberries- support or not?

[hamamelis]

I've just bought in some new raspberries for the plot, and I've been reading up on what sort of thing they like (nowt else to do with the weather like it has been). I can't help noticing in some of the books I have, it insists that summer fruiting raspberries at least need a post 'n wire support, but the pictures demonstrating pruning have no supports...

So far as I've been able to spot down the 'lotment site, no-one there seems to have bothered tying theirs in to a frame, so what do you people do? Does it seem to make a difference either way?

Thanks for any info; I'm poor 'n lazy, so I don't want to buy posts and put 'em up if it doesn't make a lot of difference!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Raspberries will grow very well without support, no doubt about that. They are however much easier to manage if they are supported and less susceptible to wind/weather damage as well. Wind can break the canes and snow canbring them down. Also, if tied back, they are less likely to give you a shower if you brush past them when they are wet.

[sugar]

A good raspberry cultivar will give huge yields, without support, you will have broken canes and loose fruit...

[northepaul]

Presumably you have summer bearing raspberries then?

I tie mine up (ie next years fruiting stems) as I cut the old years branches out. It gives them support, as said above.

[hamamelis]

I got both summer and autumn fruiting ones.
I've just today stuck the summer ones in the ground. They're in a straight line, with space at each end, so I could add supports if I decided to, but I just got to wondering whether or not to actually bother...

I haven't planted the autumn ones yet; they're going in a different bed in a more sheltered spot.

[Alison]

I semi support mine in that I have two lines of wires which trap the canes between them (about 3' apart. I tie in some of the larger canes but others just get supported by the wires.

[rustylady]

How many plants did you put in, and how long is your row?

[sugar]

Presumably you have summer bearing raspberries then?

I tie mine up (ie next years fruiting stems) as I cut the old years branches out. It gives them support, as said above.

I have both summer bearing and autumn bearing raspberries, 4 varieties of each. I 'm please I've put a support system, I only wished I made it higher (now 150 cm , would have preferred 200cm). Some varieties grow well over 2 m high (Himbotop, Tulameen and Glen Magna) and could benefit from additional support ...

I've several branches of both summer and autumn raspberries snapped of under the weight of the fruit.

[northepaul]

I have both summer bearing and autumn bearing raspberries, 4 varieties of each. I 'm please I've put a support system, I only wished I made it higher (now 150 cm , would have preferred 200cm). Some varieties grow well over 2 m high (Himbotop, Tulameen and Glen Magna) and could benefit from additional support ...

I've several branches of both summer and autumn raspberries snapped of under the weight of the fruit.

Sugar, you can bend them across the supports, and if they're still too long, cut the ends off. They'll come back fine. Dont forget to give them a nice mulch over the winter to protect the roots.
I have tulameen too, its a lovely, lovely fruit!

[VirginVegGrower]

We use a post and wire system for our summer and autumn raspberry fedge. It works well and I do as above with summer - tie in new growth for next year and prune out those that have fruited this year, but if you've only just planted, I assume you've got "sticks/canes" to leave for a bit, rather than needing to tie in/prune out.

[sugar]

Sugar, you can bend them across the supports, and if they're still too long, cut the ends off. They'll come back fine. Dont forget to give them a nice mulch over the winter to protect the roots.
I have tulameen too, its a lovely, lovely fruit!

Problem with cutting them back is that the side shoots will grow stronger. You'll end up with plants that are more of a mess and you'll have less ventilation when growing the same amount of shoots : more risk of rotten fruit. So you need either cut some of those shoots back or reduce the number of canes. In the end, you'll loose some harvest by cutting the tops back.

[Thelma Sanders]

I found Alan Titchmarsh's advice is about right - Autumn fruiting rasps don't need supporting but the summer fruiters do.
Joan J is neat and tidy with it's annual haircut to the ground, but the unnamed summer ones (grown from cuttings from another plot) are all over the place if they're not tied in

[zazen999]

I don't support any of mine - apart from the Glencoes which can get up to 8ft tall if you let them.

All the summer and autumn ones are left and any that fall onto the path are just chopped back. I get ample for our needs as it is so no need to increase yields.

[northepaul]

Problem with cutting them back is that the side shoots will grow stronger. You'll end up with plants that are more of a mess and you'll have less ventilation when growing the same amount of shoots : more risk of rotten fruit. So you need either cut some of those shoots back or reduce the number of canes. In the end, you'll loose some harvest by cutting the tops back.

The 'side shoots' that come up next year, are the fruiting stems for the year after, if you cut them out, you'll have no branches for the year after. Or if you have too many still, you could dig them out and plant them elsewhere as new canes.
Cut the tops back now (when they're too long for the supports) rather than next year, when there's fruit on them.

[realfood]

I support all of mine to prevent wind damage. It also provides support to the anti-bird netting, otherwise I would get no fruit.