Good afternoon, my reader. Proper care of raspberry bushes is the key to a bountiful harvest. If this is not done, then the size and number of berries will noticeably decrease. We will tell you how to properly cut and prepare the bushes before wintering.
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Raspberry pruning period
Prune raspberries to:
- thin out the bushes, each branch should be well ventilated and receive enough sunlight;
- destroy fungal diseases and pests on old branches;
- get a good harvest;
- the raspberry bushes looked neat.
Raspberry pruning can be done in the fall or spring. During the autumn procedure, insects and fungal diseases on the branches are destroyed, and their wintering is not allowed. In the spring, you can see the state of the bush and which processes can be removed.
It is difficult to determine the exact timing for this procedure. Pruning is done at the end of fruiting, 4 weeks before the first frost. Therefore, in different regions this happens from August to November.
Rules for autumn pruning raspberries
In order for circumcision to be effective, some rules must be followed:
- Weak, dry and diseased shoots are cut out, as well as two-year ones, they differ from the first-year ones in the dark color of the bark.
- The stems are cut at the soil level, the stump can be no more than 5 cm.
- Old and dry shoots can simply be broken out of the soil. Remember to wear gloves to protect your hands.
- If dark spots are found on the branches, then the bush is completely destroyed.
- 5-7 strong annual shoots should remain in the bush.
- One-year-old shoots can be cut by 15-20 cm, this will have a good effect on their wintering.
- All cut branches must be burned.
Anti-aging pruning
It is believed that raspberry bushes can grow in one place for 10-15 years without damage to the crop, then the nutritional value of the soil is depleted. But not only this leads to a decrease in the productivity of raspberries, but also aging of the root system, low temperatures, insects, diseases. To save the variety and rejuvenate the plantation, you can do the following manipulations:
- In September, they dig out bad bushes, burying a shovel around the entire circumference and chopping off the roots. Be careful not to damage the young rootlets during this procedure. Do not remove all old raspberries in one day, stretch this event over several visits, otherwise you may be left without a crop at all.
- The holes from the dug bushes should be covered with compost or humus and watered. This will fertilize the ground, and after a while a new shoot will grow in this place.
Carrying out this procedure annually, you can easily rejuvenate the raspberry plantation without harming the harvest.
Pruning remontant raspberries
Repaired raspberries differ from the traditional ones in their ability to form berries already on annual shoots. Therefore, cropping is different
Up to 10 shoots are left in the bush, pinching a growing point at each. Up to five annual shoots appear from them, which, in turn, can also be cut by 10 cm, for more tillering. Thus, from 8-10 branches you can get about a hundred, which will also bear fruit well.
The remontant raspberry bushes are cut from the inside, the outer ones are not touched. Adult shoots are cut at soil level, leaving a stump up to 7 cm. Young ones are removed completely.
With proper pruning, a remontant raspberry bush can produce 30-40 kg of berries per season. If you do not carry out this autumn procedure, then the branches become smaller and lose their ability to repair.
Fertilizing raspberries
After the autumn pruning and digging of the soil, the plantings should be fertilized. To do this, you can use:
- bird droppings in liquid form;
- manure, it is applied once every 3 years;
- compost;
- siderates, which are planted in June, and in the fall are embedded in the soil;
- special mineral fertilizers, except nitrogen fertilizers.
Raspberries themselves can tell what they lack for growth and fruiting. Take a good look at the bush and give the plant what it needs:
- poor growth and yellowing of the leaves will tell you about the lack of magnesium:
- brown spots indicate potassium deficiency;
- yellow leaves with green veins - lack of iron;
- thin stems - there is not enough phosphorus.
Both traditional and remontant raspberries require autumn pruning. It will prepare the plants for wintering and ensure a good future harvest.
Do you know how to properly trim raspberries?
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You can also read about watering and feeding blackberries in the following article:How to pour blackberries to make the berries sweet