Step-by-step instructions for pruning raspberries

Why is it needed

As a rule, raspberry embryos appear on the shoots of the second year of life. Although there are special remontant varieties that begin to yield in the first year. Both types of raspberries require renewal of the shoots. After the second year of growth, fruitful shoots begin to hurt, lose their strength and ability to set berries.

In addition, without proper pruning, up to 20 shoots can appear on the bush in the spring, which create unnecessary density in the planting. The abundance of extra stems leads to a decrease in berries and yield, as the plant spends energy on the development of sterile shoots. In such thickets, pests are much easier to start and plant diseases spread. Often, such shoots from uncircumcised bushes grow sluggish, before wintering they do not gain strength and freeze slightly. It is absolutely clear that knowing how to prune raspberries is useful and useful information to form healthy and productive bushes.

detailed instructions

Shoots are removed and shoots are shortened 3 times a year - in spring, autumn and summer. Moreover, each pruning carries certain goals. In the spring, this procedure is planned for March-April, depending on the climate. First of all, inspect all bushes and remove frozen and unhealthy stems. Now, from all that remains, choose the strongest shoots, and cut the rest at the very base. If raspberries have frozen tops, then they are cut off to 1 healthy kidney.

After that, you need to carefully monitor the regrowth of young stems. The number of shoots should not exceed 40 pieces per 1 running meter of planting. After the young shoots grow up to 30 centimeters, all excess will need to be removed. It is these young branches that will become the basis for the next year's ovaries. In the summer, when the raspberry crop is harvested, immediately get rid of the fruiting shoots. They will no longer yield a crop, so they are cut out at the very base.

Removing the growth takes a special place in the proper care of raspberries. New shoots should not be allowed to appear further than at a distance of 20 centimeters from the center of the bush. Therefore, all shoots that have moved away to the side must be removed immediately. As soon as they come out of the ground. Pruning raspberries in the fall involves the removal of fruiting stems (in the event that you did not do this in the summer), diseased, broken and dried branches. All that remains must be carefully tilted and pinned to the ground so that the shoots are covered with snow and they do not freeze. With frost-resistant varieties, such manipulation is not necessary.

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Annual bushes

Annual raspberries are called remontant. They have their own characteristics for care and pruning. After harvesting, around September-October, it is necessary to completely cut off all the shoots without leaving any stumps. In the spring you will see a lot of new growth emerge from the rhizome. Moreover, many shoots will be clearly weaker than the rest.

You will need to get rid of them.If you do not thin out the young bush in the spring, then in the summer thickets will form in the raspberries, where pests and diseases will start to grow. It will also have a detrimental effect on the harvest. After the next collection of berries, everything is cut out again at the root. This constant renewal carries with it a lot of positive aspects. In general, it can be noted that caring for one-year-old raspberries is many times easier than for ordinary ones.

Double cropping

Correct double pruning of raspberries shows excellent results in different varieties. At the same time, gardeners need to understand that this method requires a special attitude to caring for the culture as a whole. You will have to think about this even at the stage of planting seedlings. You need to sparingly fertilize the furrows with mineral and organic fertilizers. Further, it is also important to monitor the appearance of weeds, pests, loosening of the soil. Only with a high level of care can you expect further results.

This pruning method was founded by the famous gardener A.G. Sobolev. He recommends doing the first pruning in the last days of May or early June. Until this time, young shoots reach sizes of 70-100 centimeters.

At the shoot, pinch off the very tip at a distance of 10-15 centimeters from the top. This manipulation stimulates the growth of lateral stems. By the end of summer, these new shoots can grow up to 50 centimeters. Remember that the first pruning of raspberries according to Sobolev should be carried out at a strictly agreed time, otherwise the lateral stems will not have time to get stronger before the onset of the autumn cold.

In the fall, the bushes are thinned out. Sobolev himself removed the growth, left 4 shoots on the bush and made it so that the free space between the bushes was about 2 meters. Do not forget about the rest of the care measures. A second phase of double pruning is planned for next spring. When the bushes are covered with green foliage, you need to remove the tops of 5-10 centimeters of all surviving shoots. If you carry out such pruning correctly, then dormant buds will begin to wake up on the bushes, new fruitful shoots will begin to grow, and there will be many times more ovaries.

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