Raspberries

[Steve Maskery]

Rather than resurrect this old thread, I thought I'd be better starting a new one.

I planted a Gooseberry bush and a Raspberry cane. Both have grown well but zero fruit, not even flowers. Are they the sort of animal that only crops on last year's growth? I'm pleased and disappointed in equal measure.

Gooseberries grow on old wood. The only pruning needed is to keep the bush tidy.

Raspberries are different and you need to know the variety to know whether it is a Primocane or Floricane type. A primocane type produces fruit on the current years growth and can be pruned down to ground level every year, after fruiting, of course. They also tend to be later fruiting to allow time for the current year's growth. The floricane varieties produce fruit on second year wood. You would prune out all wood that has borne fruit and leave all new growth for the next year.
If you do not know the variety, you could leave all growth on the plant and note which branches bear fruit, the old or the new, and afterwards prune accordingly.

Well I have just harvested my raspberries. All 5 of them. Not very big but good flavour.

So do I now cut them off down to the pot ready for a return match next year? It will get planted in the ground once I have got my fruit trees sorted.

 

[lurker]

When you put them in the ground give the hole a hefty hand full of wood ash.
I assume you will have plenty of that.

 

[SammyQ]

Cut back the fruiting canes only Steve. Leave the others alone, they are next years fruiting ones.

Sam

 

[NickM]

It depends what variety they are. If they are "Summer" raspberries, then you cut down the old wood and leave this year's growth - the fruit will come on those next year. However, if they're "Autumn" raspberries then you cut the whole lot down as they will throw up new canes next year and the fruit will grow on those.

We had a lovely lot of raspberries this year.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well this was just a little twig when I bought it earlier this year, so I guess these are Autumn. Can I split the root to get two plants?
They were delicious, but if this is a typical crop then I am going to need more plants - a lot more plants - to make a single dessert

 

[CHJ]

Despite having a 'bed' of raspberries in the fruit cage the best raspberries we have had for the last couple of years are those that arose and spread as self sets in an odd bed behind the greenhouse, they would appear to be Autumn Bliss (a primocane) or a hybrid of the same, Having not bothered to clear them out when they first started growing we left the canes uncut.

They now produce two crops a year, small early batch on last years cane and late bigger one (we are still picking), we just cut the old growth out as we would with the Floricane.

The only negative we have with them is that they are entangled with the Horse Radish that's in the same plot making it difficult to harvest small roots of that.

May not be tidy gardening but I've come to the stage of If it's happy to grow where it is, let it.

 

[CHJ]

…. Can I split the root to get two plants?
..

When planted where the roots can spread it should slowly increase each year with new canes.

Also worth putting half a dozen cane prunings in a deep slot, spade blade depth, with just a few tip buds left above ground to see if any of them will root. Nothing lost if they don't, new plants for free if the do.
We do the same with Black and Red currents when bushes get near needing replacing.

 

[lurker]

…. Can I split the root to get two plants?
..

When planted where the roots can spread it should slowly increase each year with new canes.

Also worth putting half a dozen cane prunings in a deep slot, spade blade depth, with just a few tip buds left above ground to see if any of them will root. Nothing lost if they don't, new plants for free if the do.
We do the same with Black and Red currents when bushes get near needing replacing.

I do likewise.
for 5 minutes effort, failure is no big deal.
Plants for free on the other hand is disproportionately rewarding.

 

[Steve Maskery]

So much to learn.
Thank you all very much.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A couple of my first crop, taken with a 250mm pack of butter for scale. I have no idea what they are, the tree was sold to me as a "Dr Harvey" - a bit of a joke as my surgeon, a Dr. Harvey has one after I told him they exist. These aren't though as a Dr. H. is green. I can't check it out as the nursery has ceased trading. By the bye.
https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/
These people are good to deal with, their trees are superbly packed and great quality. Get on their mailing list as quite often they do P&P free offers over not a lot of money - saving potentially £15 or thereabouts on a tree or two.
https://jurassicplants.co.uk/
are good for something a bit more unusual. I got a quince from them (purely on price, and that the guy has a doctorate in plant biology) this spring that was one stem about 6" or 7" - now it's a small bush about 2' (in a pot).

 

[Droogs]

When you put them in the ground give the hole a hefty hand full of wood ash.
I assume you will have plenty of that.

To best take advantage of wood ash potassium make the fire with small twigs and branches as these contain more of the ingredients for potash in a form that can be easily absorbed by growing plants apparently than big logs

 

[Steve Maskery]

Any wood ash I have will be from the log burner!

 

[Tris]

+1 for Ashridge, have had excellent young trees from them.
Wood Ash from a log burner will make a great top dressing for your pears when planted but I'd give the raspberries something more balanced, growmore or fish, blood and bone dug in before planting. Raspberries hate wet feet so consider raising a bed for them if your soil is clayey. If you've got a sheltered corner I'd leave them there in the pot until spring and plant then, spread the roots out carefully, not too deep, and watch for the little white buds coming off the roots as these will be the new canes.
Tris

 

[Logger]

We had a few 6 years ago, and they have spread every year to the point they get into the greenhouse next to them. My wife takes out canes each year and gives some away, but we have too many razzers to be able to pick them all, we freeze some, but would need our own raspberry chest freezer to collect them all.

We do very little, my wife cuts them back each year, but once they take hold, they seem to go mad. We don't put ash or anything on them, but they are near the compost bin.

Hopefully after one or 2 more lean years, you will be getting bumper crops.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Good point about the compost bin. I have one, not to make compost so much as to let the worms take the veg. waste back to ground rather than put it in a dustbin. Before the bin, I just buried it in a hole which was covered over after about a month and a new one dug.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I do have a compost bin, two actually. One is currently full of horse muck (but mainly straw, unfortunately) the other is what I am currently using. But with no grass to cut, no hedges to trim and little more than a rhubarb patch, I can't ever see it getting full.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

…. Can I split the root to get two plants?
..

When planted where the roots can spread it should slowly increase each year with new canes.

Also worth putting half a dozen cane prunings in a deep slot, spade blade depth, with just a few tip buds left above ground to see if any of them will root. Nothing lost if they don't, new plants for free if the do.
We do the same with Black and Red currents when bushes get near needing replacing.

I find layering works best, but it is too hot here for cuttings to take well. Basically, any straggly bits of raspberry plant that get near the ground get covered up with soil, and should root. It seems to work, mostly.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

My preferred way to eat raspberries is to add one third sugar by weight, mash them up a bit, and then add to Greek yogurt, or ice cream. Also when making jam, put a little less sugar in, and the taste will be 10 times better. It may not set as well, but it should still keep, as long as your jars etc are sterile. Once opened, it needs to live in the fridge, otherwise it may ferment. I learned it from the River Cottage chap, whose name escapes me. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - had to Google it.

Obviously, that's for next year - now you've eaten all the fruit, there's no chance of some jam on toast till next summer.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ah ....... Hugh Fearless - Eatsitall.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ashridge have free P&P til 24/10 - FREEPP20 is the code.
Well worth a look.