I've messed up, so what now? (Raspberry cane q.)

[gardening_gal]

I didn't realise until recently that I was supposed to cut back (all) the raspberry canes.

I recently cut down everything that looked dead (parts of it really were dead not just dormant, the plant had a hard time last year) and left the canes that had signs of green life beginning to show.

I now have a plant with 2 canes that are around 5ft tall with quite a number of green leaves growing on each. Each 'sprouty' bit of green (sorry don't know what to call it) is around 2-3inches now.

Is it too late to hack it back now? These canes will have been on the go for maybe 2 or 2 1/2 years.

Advice please?

[Kristen]

If they are Autumn Fruiting you could cut them down, and rely on the new Suckers which will grow up and carry fruit this year (you should be able to see them growing already - would be helpful if you could put your Location in your Profile so we know where abouts you are)

If they are Summer fruiting you could try to work out which ones fruited last year (there is a tiny, slim, chance you will be able to see the "core" from last year's fruit, but I expect it will have dropped off by now). Important not to cut down the new suckers that came up LAST year as they will carry THIS year's fruit [on summer fruiting])

I reckon, if in doubt, just leave them be. This year cut down any cane that carries fruit; best to do that shortly after fruiting finishes, whilst it is still easy to see which canes did, and which did not. If they are Summer fruiting that will turn out to be 50%-ish of the canes, and for Autumn fruiting 100% of the canes.

[rustylady]

Don't cut them at all. They are summer fruiting varieties and each sprouty bit will produce leaves, flowers and fruit this summer.

[AllInContainers]

Buy a pack of tie wraps too.

Pop a tie wrap loosely around the base of every cane you have fruit from as it grows, that way you know which canes have and have not produced fruit when you come back to it later. I bought a raspberry last year, and being a total numpty I was busy all summer cutting out all the new canes so the energy went to the existing ones

By the time I realised the error of my ways, I only managed to save 4 canes. I'm still unsure whether my canes are summer or autumn fruiting due to my "summer of cluelessness". The four canes that are remaining on my plant have definitely not fruited yet, but I plan on doing the tie wrap trick this year to help me determine whether it's my year old canes or new canes which are giving me the goodies, and if it's both, what the percentage split is between them.

.... and no I didn't keep the label for the plant either

[gardening_gal]

I haven't got the foggiest if this is a summer or autumn fruiting plant so I'll go with rustylady who seems confident enough for me.

I'll leave them be for now. I haven't had fruit from this plant previously so I've got nothing to work on but I'll be sure to put the tie wrap suggestion into practice this year.

Thanks everyone.

[Nicos]

When we moved house, all my canes...and subsequent suckers got all mixed up so now I have a mixture of summer and autumn and red and gold all mixed up!

so- to be on the safe side I just cut off what looks dead now as g_g has done.From what I understand it just reduces your yield ?

I REALLY must do that tie/wool around the stems this year!

[Kristen]

I REALLY must do that tie/wool around the stems this year!

I just cut them down after fruiting - you can still see the core (from the fruit) on the canes at that time. Leave it for a few months and it shrivels and then drops off, and then the job becomes pretty much impossible ...

Typing something round each cane would work, but for anyone with a lot of canes I doubt that is viable?

[noviceveggrower]

I did that. Cut everything down to a few inches. Well I thought that since none of them had been cut at all for a few years and there were canes and shoots everywhere it was the best thing to do.
Have got a few new shoots appearing now but have lost a load due to wet weather. My raspberry patch was very bad over winter kept having a load of standing water on it. Drained one area and another one flooded.
So am digging area over at moment and intend to restock it in the next few weeks.

[veggiechicken]

My raspberries are completely muddled up, like Nicos's. I don't cut anything out until the spring when it is obvious which canes are dead as dodo's. Most of the time I don't even "Cut" them out ,but stand on the base of the stem - if it snaps its dead
I have way to many raspberries to mark each one.