Pruning raspberries - How and when to prune raspberries

 Raspberries are fruits loved by almost everyone. Not only are they tasty in every form, but they contain a lot of vitamins. The fruits are delicious both right after picking them from the bush and in juices, syrups and jams. For this reason, more and more people decide to grow them in their own garden or orchard. However, this requires following a few essential tips and rules. If you are wondering how and when to prune raspberries and how to take care of their cultivation, you will certainly be interested in our advice.

Pruning raspberries - essential tips

Cultivation of raspberries is quite a demanding job. The use of appropriate care treatments is necessary here and allows us to use all the advantages of these excellent fruits. An activity that must be implemented is the proper pruning of raspberries. Regular pruning affects the abundance of crops and makes them easier to harvest. They should also be done so as not to allow the bush to become too dense. Regularly, every year, you need to remove part of the annual shoots. The rule is that we leave about 5 of the strongest, and then shorten them by 1/4 of the length. Sticking to this will make the raspberry bushes grow properly and ensure abundant fruiting. Lateral root shoots should also be removed - we can use them as new cuttings. When pruning the bush, pay attention to weak shoots, which, for example, bend downwards or look sick. Let's get rid of them right now. Pruning raspberries makes the bushes stronger and fruiting more plentiful. How to prune raspberry bushes? A sharp pruning shears will definitely come in handy here - thanks to this we will not damage the bush. Let's use proven equipment from well-known and respected manufacturers. If you have pruning shears, make sure they are sharp. Blunt tools can injure plants.

Cutting raspberry bushes is one of the basic care treatments that these plants require. Due to this, the bushes are rejuvenated, thinned out. The right amount of light can successfully reach the shoots and air exchange between the branches is easier. Cutting also prevents many diseases. Remember to properly prepare for this procedure. The time and method of raspberry pruning depends on what seedlings we have in our cultivation.

Pruning raspberries after planting

Probably, when planting raspberries, we wonder when to start pruning them. Well, already in the spring, immediately after planting them, we gently prune them for the first time. Thanks to this action, new shoots grow from the buds near the ground and at the roots. Otherwise, the bush will bear fruit, but in the next year it will not grow new shoots, and thus fruiting and growth will be weaker and weaker. It is worth mentioning that during vegetation, it usually grows up to four shoots from the root collar.

When to prune raspberries?

If we are wondering how to properly prune raspberries, first of all, it is worth paying attention to the type of seedling. They are divided into two types - summer and autumn varieties. Summer raspberries bloom on last year's shoots, and the fruit is harvested in the summer. Autumn raspberries bear fruit on this year's shoots.

We distinguish raspberries:

bearing fruit on annual shoots

recurring raspberries

raspberries bearing fruit on two-year shoots

A raspberry variety that bears fruit on one-year shoots

Cultivation of the summer variety requires a bit of practice and a lot of time. It bears fruit in June, and the fruits grow on two-year shoots. Remember to prune them immediately after fruiting. Let's not postpone this activity for later - let's remove branches that have leaves. Leaving shoots may contribute to the development of diseases. Pruning will properly prepare the plant for new shoots that will appear in the same year. The shoots are cut about 20 cm above the highest attachment of the shoot each year after they grow up. Fruit will appear on these shoots the following year. We usually leave up to six of the strongest shoots. In the case of the summer variety of raspberries, it is also important that their cultivation takes place with the help of supports, stakes, ropes or wires that will support the shoots. As soon as the shoots grow up, they should be fastened. The fruiting process of summer raspberries can be accelerated - it is enough to grow fruits in tunnels. After harvesting the fruit, all shoots that bear fruit should be removed from the ground. Space the new shoots evenly and tie them to the wires.

Repeated fruiting raspberries

Repeating fruiting raspberries are those that bear fruit on two-year-old shoots for the first time in the season, and then on one-year-old shoots in autumn. These are raspberries from which bushes we can get a large crop in a given year. Therefore, pruning is extremely important for them. They are made in late autumn, below the place of fruiting, so that in the following year they bloom again and bear fruit twice. Raspberries that repeat fruiting tend to be very dense, once a season it is worth making a thinning and phytosanitary pruning. To get rid of unnecessary, damaged, broken shoots that needlessly take up space for other shoots.

Fruiting raspberries on two-year shoots

Raspberries bearing fruit on two-year shoots are those that bear fruit on a shoot that was released in the previous year. It is recommended to lead such bushes with supports so that long shoots do not lie on the ground. With such seedlings, we cut them around August. Cut the woody shoots, leaving the young ones that grew in May. If these young shoots seem to be too much, it is worth removing the excess to increase the quality of the remaining shoots. A raspberry bush bearing fruit on two-year-old shoots should have up to 8-10 healthy shoots left.

The main rules for pruning raspberries:

We remove the lateral root shoots that can be used as new cuttings.

We remove weak shoots, excessively bending or falling down, showing signs of diseases, so that they do not collect light and space for healthy branches.

It is also worth pruning the most overgrown shoots, thanks to which the bush will give more abundant crops in the next year.

Autumn raspberry pruning should not be done too late, as it weakens the frost resistance of the plant. What's more, if we cut them too late, they can be damaged by frost.

Varieties that are less frost-resistant are pruned in spring.

Healthy cut shoots can be thrown into the composter, but the diseased and woody ones are better burned or thrown into the trash. There is a possibility of carrying diseases or eggs of pests through poorly disposed shoots.

We use good quality equipment that is properly sharp and disinfected.

Raspberry bushes must be properly cared for, as they are sometimes attacked by, for example, the raspberry leafhopper, which can be recognized by the growths and thickenings on the root collar.

Unfortunately, shrubs are also attacked by fungal, viral or battery diseases. Timely removal of infected shoots is a good method of disease prevention.

Let's try to make cuts on sunny days, if rains are coming, it's better to postpone cutting for another day. Wounds after cutting must have time to heal and rains are not conducive to this process.

Let us remember that by pruning raspberries, we make them healthier, the risk of dangerous diseases or dieback of shoots is minimized, and the yields are more abundant. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the tips that we have included in the article spring fertilization of the garden, where we suggest how to adjust fertilization to your garden. When deciding to grow raspberries, let's take care of our shrubs properly, and they will repay us with numerous fruits that we all love. Raspberries can be easily grown in home gardens and allotments, so it is worth providing yourself with fruits from our own source.