To obtain a rich harvest of raspberries and the growth of bushes, certain care is required, in particular, pruning of branches. It should be noted that in different seasons - spring, summer and autumn - this process has its own subtleties and rules.
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If you do not properly prune raspberries, the berries will turn out to be small, since they will miss the sun due to the abundance of leaves.
Spring processing
Usually, spring processing of raspberries begins in March-April, the snow should completely melt, but it is not necessary to wait for the soil to warm up.
- When examining the bushes, it is necessary to remove dried, diseased, thin and unnaturally shaped whips. To do this, use a pruner or garden shears.
- Damaged branches must be cut before the first viable buds.
- In total, about 8-10 pieces should remain, which are shortened by 20 cm. At the same time, the height of the bush remains at least 50 cm.
- About 2 m is left between the rows of a large raspberry, and about 0.5 m between the bushes.
There is also an unusual way of pruning the branches, which will ensure that the berries ripen throughout the season. To do this, you need to distribute the bush into 3 parts and trim as follows:
- the first level is shortened by 15-20 cm;
- the second level is to cut the branches in half;
- the third level - leave 15 cm from the length of the shoot.
With this method of cutting, the berries ripen gradually, from July to September-October.
Note that when planting raspberries in the spring, pruning will help the crop take root quickly.
Summer and autumn processing
During the flowering period of raspberries, damaged foliage and diseased branches are removed. Young shoots more than 20 cm high from the center of the bush are cut out every one or two weeks, but the root system of the shoots must be chopped off with a shovel.
To increase the yield of raspberries, double pruning is recommended:
- In early June, when the branches grow to 100-120 cm, you need to cut off the tops by 5-7 cm, which will increase the supply of nutrients to them. Excess shoots are also cut out during the summer.
- In the fall, a few days before the cold snap, diseased and damaged branches are removed. Thin ones and those that have yielded in the current season are also pruned. The distance between the bushes is at least 60 cm. Next, you need to tie up the shoots, press them to the ground and fix them. As soon as the snow falls, you need to sprinkle the shoots with it.
Such pruning methods are used for common raspberries, which bear fruit once a year.
There is also repair grade, especially loved by gardeners, which also needs timely processing.
During the first fruiting season, young branches grow on raspberries. In the middle of summer, flowers appear on them, and by the end of summer - berries. In the next season, all annual branches need to be cut at the root, save only hemp 3 cm high. This treatment can be carried out after harvesting - in October or November, under favorable weather conditions.
It is also necessary to prune the raspberry bushes to protect them from infections and pests.
In order to protect the stumps that remained after pruning from negative weather conditions, it is recommended to cover them with insulation, even if the winter in your region is warm and snowless.
Timely pruning of remontant raspberries helps to rejuvenate the bushes. Then the shoots must be removed completely. This manipulation must be done correctly in order to avoid the death of the bush. Remember that you cannot:
- Cut off the branches as soon as fruiting is over.
- Prune raspberries while photosynthesis is still going on in the leaves.
- Prune the newly planted bush.
In autumn, first of all, you need to remove weak and dry branches, after which 5-6 strong and healthy ones with 3-4 healthy buds remain.
Do you know how to properly prune berry bushes?
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