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Glen coe raspberries disappointing

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  • Glen coe raspberries disappointing

    I ordered some Glen coe raspberries from a big supplier last year, planted them, erected two poles, and strung wire between them. I had lots of fruit this year, but as soon as they turn purple the birds eat them. I can't net them because next years canes have shot up, and are 3m tall. They said they grow to 2m. I tried last years canes down, but I can't do that with next years. Sigh. Maybe I should ditch them, and replace them with better behaved ones. Anyone else grow these?

  • #2
    Personally I would shorten next years canes to manageable size. You won't get quite as much fruit per cane but they will still crop fine. I expect this will make netting easier.

    In my garden I shorten the new canes to 1.5 metres just because of where they are. I still get more raspberries than I can handle. (Glen Moy and Glen Ample as it happens).
    My gardening blog: In Spades, last update 30th April 2018.
    Chrysanthemum notes page here.

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    • #3
      Another option would be to train horizontally.


      Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app

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      • #4
        Originally posted by chris View Post
        Another option would be to train horizontally.


        Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app
        That is what I tried to do last year, but this year there are so many old canes that I was unable to train the new canes. This year the new canes are surprisingly thick.

        Thanks all. I will have to think over this one.

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        • #5
          You have to be ruthless in thinning out the canes or your raspberries will take over the planet.

          When you are cutting the old canes back to the ground after fruiting has finished, chop out all excess new canes as well. Just leave the strongest ones, reasonably spaced apart, so that you can manage next year's crop easily. I bring mine down to a single row of canes no closer than 10cm apart. They still turn into a fat hedge by the following June.
          My gardening blog: In Spades, last update 30th April 2018.
          Chrysanthemum notes page here.

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          • #6
            Glen Coe is generally classified as Vigorous so I would expect long canes. Additionally from what I can read it forms a fairly dense clump and does not give rise to suckers as a normal raspberry.

            Several sites say it is difficult to propogate which it would not be if it sent out the normal suckers that tend to try and take over a plot.

            So it appears that you cannot treat it the same as most (all) raspberry's.
            Exactly how you would treat it I am unsure.

            Being a summer fruiting variety (although one site says it is primocane) you will have to maintain some order or control or seperation of last year and this years growth.

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            • #7
              I have a 3 year old Glen Coe plant, and am quite happy that it doesn't spread like other raspberries as I want it to stay in one place.

              However, I do face the similar problems with you in that some of my canes are up to 4 metres long (they go up 2m then along 2m). I usually chop them back to the ground once they've fruited and tie in the new canes (of which there are usually 2 or 3). This makes netting awkward and the birds do usually have a nibble the day before I would want to pick them!!!

              Some good suggestions above. Keep the new canes short, say 2m, which will make netting easier.

              So far it hasn't produced fruit on canes grown that year so on that basis it wouldn't be classed as a primocane, but its so vigorous it may be possible.
              The more help a man has in his garden, the less it belongs to him.
              William M. Davies

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              • #8
                It was when looking for basic information that one and only one site referred to it as Primocane, think that was in the southern US as well which may (???) make a difference.

                Someone once explained to me why they were all the same anyway, just we consider Winter as seperator between year 1 and year 2. If I recall the point made was they all fruit on wood that is a year old or less, if you treat the growth coming out of the ground like a birthday.
                Last edited by Kirk; 13-07-2014, 07:10 PM.

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                • #9
                  Thanks all. Yes, they do not sucker which is why I chose them since they are between a lawn and a path. Also they are thornless.

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                  • #10
                    The trick appears to be to pinch out the growing shoots of the new canes once they reach about 1.5m tall. This causes the growth of more canes (I've got 8 new canes shooting up from one of mine) and the growth of lateral branches.

                    (Found instructions for this on an American site which covered pruning for black and purple raspberries)

                    If I remember rightly, the site also said that pinching back the lateral branches in spring may also be necessary. Purple raspberries (including Glen Coe) will fruit on those lateral branches.

                    This year I've managed to keep mine within the bounds of the netting.... but it would take them long to escape again

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                    • #11
                      Thanks Pirahna, I'll try that next year.

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                      • #12
                        No problem.

                        I needed to move one of mine last year, so took a chance and took a shortcut.

                        In autumn I cut back all the new canes to about 1m. Dug round the rootball, and moved the whole plant. So I was left with a number of shortish upright canes. It wasn't a good look for the poor thing!

                        This year the harvest is reduced (I did after all move it!) but the chopped canes did grow laterals this spring which have fruited. The overall height is currently less than 2m, including this years (pinched out) new canes.

                        So, you could look at cutting back the tall uprights at the end of this summer/autumn to get a crop you'll be able to net next year.

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                        • #13
                          I will probably leave this years new growth since it is there now. I am able to harvest enough before the birds to make it worth keeping the extra length that is already there. It just means I pick them when red, not purple, so not fully ripe. But I will trim the growing tip in future, to direct the energy into new shoots as suggested. Honestly I should have got autumn raspberries.

                          It is fun to watch the birds queuing up to eat raspberries! Where is the sparrowhawk when it is needed.

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                          • #14
                            You don't have one local?

                            We occasionally have one crash into our garden and take a sparrow/small bird. It came as a bit of a shock the first time I saw it take a bird from outside the patio doors - cheeky thing!

                            My other half thinks it's unfair of me to tempt in the smaller birds with the bird feeders

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