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The ability of raspberries to grow quickly, its unpretentiousness and resistance to pests confuse many summer residents, who naively believe that such a plant will do without additional care. If you look closely at the chaotically growing raspberry tree, you will see that there are very few berries among the leaves. This means that the amount of harvest does not depend on the green mass and density of the bushes; on the contrary, a properly pruned raspberry tree bears fruit much better. Most gardeners trim their bushes in the spring, but many experts recommend doing this in the fall as well.
Is it necessary to prune raspberries in the fall and how to prune raspberries correctly in the fall - these are the main topics of the article.
When to prune raspberries: autumn or spring
This question cannot be answered unambiguously, since According to the rules of agricultural technology, raspberries need to be pruned several times throughout the season. As a rule, this is done in order to prevent excessive thickening of the bushes, and also by pruning they stimulate the appearance of new shoots on which berries are formed.
The development cycle of an ordinary perennial raspberry is two years: annual shoots appear in the spring, they are colored green, flexible, and do not bear fruit, but flower stalks and ovaries form on two-year-old stems.
It can definitely be said that leaving dry branches in the raspberry field that have not had time to bear fruit, damaged and fallen leaves is completely wrong. All this can become a source of infection; insects often infest waste, fungus and mold spread.
Besides this obvious reason, autumn pruning of raspberries They are also performed to thin out bushes, get rid of old shoots, and shorten annual branches.
In general, caring for raspberries in the fall is as follows:
- Removing dry and damaged branches.
- Shortening annual shoots.
- Cutting at the root of old two-year-old stems.
- Bush formation.
- Control of gaps between bushes and between adjacent rows of raspberries.
- Sheltering bushes for the winter.
Usually in autumn pruning remontant varieties of raspberries, but ordinary two-year-old bushes also need this treatment.
Why is it necessary to prune raspberries in the fall?
“Should I prune raspberries in the fall?” – many gardeners ask themselves. It’s such a pity to remove only strong shoots and shorten overgrown bushes. You need to remember one important rule: “Raspberries must be looked after.” And one of the main stages of care is autumn pruning of bushes.
You shouldn’t feel sorry for your raspberry tree and leave all the branches. Removing dry and damaged branches in the fall and shortening the stems in the spring is not enough for a bountiful raspberry harvest.With this approach, the number of berries will be maximum only for two years (the lifespan of a raspberry bush), after which the amount of harvest will sharply decline - you will be able to collect only 20-30% of what was in previous years.
Raspberry bushes need to be constantly updated, removing two-year-old shoots and stimulating the development and growth of one-year-old young branches. A lot of branches is not an indicator of productivity. On the contrary, green shoots take away the strength of the bush; the berries on such raspberries will be small and not so tasty.
How to prune raspberries in autumn
The amount of harvest, as well as how much effort you will have to put in in the spring, largely depends on how to properly prune raspberries in the fall.
If you prune raspberry bushes in the fall, following all the requirements of agricultural technology, then in the spring the gardener will only have to remove frostbitten stems and thin out the bushes a little. In order for there to be a lot of berries on the bushes, no more than ten stems should grow from one rhizome.
And then, for the good development of such a number of shoots, raspberries need to be fertilized abundantly, because the microelements contained in the soil are not enough for several kilograms of berries. That's why It is advisable to leave no more than 5-6 shoots in each bush.
Scheme for pruning raspberries in the fall for beginners:
- Cut off all diseased stems, as well as dry branches damaged by insects or with signs of fungal infection. Raspberries are highly susceptible to infection by fungal spores, this is facilitated by thickening of plantings and strong foliage of shoots.To prevent infection of the bushes, it is necessary to plan pruning correctly: the branches should not overlap each other, but should be arranged, as it were, like a fan.
- Branches damaged or broken by the wind must also be removed - they are cut off at the root, without leaving stumps. If this is not done, the damaged shoot will draw a lot of strength from the entire plant, and the raspberries from this branch will still be small and tasteless.
- It is better to cut off all two-year-old shoots at the root. This is done immediately after harvesting the raspberries.
- Whether or not to cut young annual shoots depends on the climatic characteristics of the region. If the winter is warm, you can leave them as is, after tying them together to protect them from the wind. In cold regions, it is recommended to cover raspberries, first shortening the young shoots. Annual stems do not have time to harden, so they easily freeze and disappear.
- Those shoots that appeared in the raspberry tree in the middle of summer should also be cut out - they would still be of no use. These shoots are too weak and fragile to survive the winter.
Digging raspberries
An alternative to autumn pruning of shoots is digging up raspberry bushes. This procedure is performed not only in the fall; for efficiency, digging is carried out every two months.
The essence of this method is that raspberries sprout new shoots from the roots. If you cut all the shoots with a bayonet shovel, digging to a depth of 25 cm, then there is a high probability that the young shoots will not disturb the idyll of the bushes.
Proper pruning in this way guarantees the neatness of the bushes in the spring - raspberries do not grow in the rows, the bushes look neat and well-groomed. If you dig up raspberry bushes every two months, you can skip autumn pruning. After harvesting, all that remains is to remove dry and damaged branches.
A complex approach
As mentioned earlier, autumn pruning of raspberries is very important, but this is not the only care measure.
To keep the berries juicy and large, you will have to prune raspberries several times a season:
- Before the onset of frost, remove broken and damaged branches, cut out diseased bushes, as well as shoots that have appeared between the rows.
- In the spring, after the frosts have passed, you can begin the next stage of pruning. At this stage, old stems are cut out, young annual shoots are shortened, thereby opening a new growth point and stimulating branching of the stems.
- The next time you pick up the pruning shears is when the raspberry stems grow too much. This can happen at the end of May or in July - the only important thing is that the length of the shoots should not exceed 80-90 cm. As soon as the shoot is shortened by at least 10 cm, the growth of lateral shoots is stimulated - the bush grows in the right direction, there are more and more berries .
- In the last days of September, these side shoots should also be shortened; by this time they should have grown by 40-50 cm. This is done so that the stem thickens and grows bark, in preparation for the winter cold.
As a result of such comprehensive pruning, raspberry bushes will grow in a controlled manner. As a result, the shoots should look like a fan: 4-5 new shoots grow from each branch. All young shoots are covered with berries, which increases the raspberry yield significantly.
The final stage
After pruning, all that remains is to cover the raspberries, preparing them for the winter cold. There are situations when it is better to leave the bushes as they are - when winters in the region are warm and temperatures can rise to above zero. In this case, condensation will appear under the covering material, which will provoke infection of the raspberries by fungus, the development of rot and mold.
In most Russian regions, it is recommended to cover raspberries with the onset of cold weather. First, the branches are tied together and grouped into piles, then the raspberries are covered with agrofibre or other impermeable material. This will protect the plants from icing and strong winds.
Bending raspberry bushes to the ground is very effective, but it can only be done at air temperatures above +5 degrees, otherwise the stems will become brittle and brittle.
Proper pruning of raspberries in the fall is indeed necessary. After all, this is the only way to control the density of plantings, shape the shape of bushes and branches, and influence the number and size of berries.
The technique for pruning raspberries in the fall is described in detail in this video:
