In order for varietal raspberries to bear fruit well, it is necessary to properly care for them. An important point in this matter is pruning raspberries in the fall, because raspberry shoots live only two years – in the first it branches, in the second it gives a crop and then dies off. Especially the question of how to correctly cut dead branches of a plant worries beginner gardeners. Read about all this below.
Pros and cons of autumn pruning
In order to properly perform all the necessary manipulations with raspberries before winter, you need to have an idea of how to cut raspberries in the fall. This procedure is one of the most difficult and can be a problem for beginner gardeners. Not only the information in the article, but also the video at the end of the recording can tell you how to cut raspberry branches.
What are the obvious advantages of pruning carried out on the eve of winter? This procedure will help to make the thickets less dense in order to get a rich harvest in the season, the berries will not lose their excellent taste and will have a large size. Pruning will help prevent the appearance of insects that can greatly harm the plant, as well as prevent the occurrence of unpleasant diseases. And new shoots will be able to gain enough strength to survive the winter with honor and not freeze and die by spring.
The usual remontant raspberries are pruned in different ways, only the second one is pruned in the fall, while the usual one is to be pruned in the summer, after harvesting. When pruning remontant raspberries, you can enjoy berries all summer, but there is a significant drawback – the plant will be more susceptible to possible diseases and pests. Also, this type of raspberry cannot be cut off the crown, because in this case it is possible to ruin part of the crop that appears on the upper third of the shoot.
Instructions
About three weeks before the arrival of winter, you need to plan for pruning raspberries. Before it starts, they must inspect the bushes and decide which ones to leave for the next year, and which ones are to be pruned. In autumn, old shoots that have already been fruiting, diseased and damaged, weak young ones that may not survive the winter, two-year-old shoots that have been yielding for several years should be removed. You also need to cut off all broken and too thickening stems. How to prune raspberries in autumn? This can be seen on the video. There is also a general guideline.
It is important to leave 4 developed shoots on each of the bushes so that good berries grow on them next year.
The distance from the ground should not exceed 30 cm, the rest should be cut off. The best distance between adjacent bushes is about 60 cm. In the event that the plants have grown very strongly, individual shoots can even be cut down with a shovel. To perform this procedure, the tip is stuck into the ground in a circle several times, not forgetting to indent at least 20 cm from the bush. Then they dig the soil outside the formed circle. You also need to cut the leaves of the plant, but in no case cut them off simply so as not to damage the buds.
We advise you to put gloves on your hand and run them down the shoots. Do not leave the leaves, as they will begin to rot and can adversely affect the normal growth of the kidneys. After the cleaning of the plant before winter is completed, it can be bent to the ground to reliably protect the raspberries from frost. A wire can help carry out this procedure. If the winter is not snowy, then snow should be poured under the bushes on their own to prevent the plant from dying off. Before the appearance of snow, after pruning, raspberries must be dug up and weeds removed. Feeding the plant and treating its shoots with iron sulfate or phytosporin will also help. After watching the video and following the instructions, even the most inexperienced gardeners can correctly prune raspberries in the fall.
Important nuances
Novice gardeners are often worried about the question – is it important to cut raspberries in the fall, or can this be done in the summer? Experts are sure that it is best to prune just before winter, before the first cold and frost. Some gardeners still prune the shoots of the plant in August, after the last harvest. Thus, the forces of the plant are directed to form more young shoots, which can then be planted.
In the event that you have remontant raspberry varieties, you do not need to wait for the onset of late autumn. It still will not give advantages, and pests and diseases will be able to freely attack the bushes of the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately start pruning immediately after the last harvest. In order to prevent dense thickets in raspberries, it is necessary to leave the same number of young shoots as you plan to cut. The more space between the bushes, the better the sun’s rays will penetrate into them and air circulate. That is, the berries will be able to quickly gain strength, become large and tasty.
Video “Pruning raspberries”
Experienced gardeners know that raspberries should be cut after harvest. Why? Watch this video for explanations.
