Raspberry advice please

[mothhawk]

I have autumn fruiting "Joan J" rasps, but they are misbehaving. They are about two feet high, and starting to flower. Nearly every stem has a bunch of flower buds on it.

So, should I leave them and hope they will fruit twice this year, or should I remove the flower buds so they can grow to their proper height, and hope they have flowers again in July ready for autumn?

[MarkPelican]

Leave them and accept the harvest. They won't be as big and fruity as later fruit but will be fine.

Primocane raspberries can fruit on last years growth and you'll get two crops so this suggests either you didn't cut them back hard enough last year (and they're fruiting on last years growth) or they're fruiting early.

[mothhawk]

Cut to the ground in January, Mark, so definitely not cropping from last year's growth.

[Kirk]

I would leave them to do whatever they want this year. If they fruit earlier then expected then that is the situation. Then leave them to build up reserves from the leaves and cut to ground level sort of November to January time in readiness for next year. When hopefully they will be better behaved.

Always remember one nursery explained that the "summer" and "autumn" ones were actually "the same" in their fruiting habit, it was us humans that made a distinction. Strangely he was right, it is our idea that having a winter in the middle makes it 2 years not 1.

[veggiechicken]

I never interfere with a raspberry, whenever it decides to flower/fruit. I just chop out the dead wood after fruiting, whenever that may be. Summer or autumn, I treat them all the same.

PS My JoanJs are in flower too

[Martin H]

I left a few of last year's stems on my Joan J this year and they are flowering now. This year's shoots are growing nicely but no flower buds yet.

[Bigmallly]

I often wonder why we interfere with nature................I would leave them to it & let mother nature do it's thing.

[mothhawk]

Thanks everyone. You all say leave well alone, so that's what I'll do. Let it sort itself out and enjoy the early fruit