rasperry suckers

[Eden]

Hi there, last year I planted 10 Joan J rasperries and for the first year they fruited really well. ~I thought this year I'd be laden with them but there has been hardly any at all. After fruiting last year I cut them all down (as supposed to) then this spring I gave them a good mulch of compost out of my bin. What went wrong? I think they also have lots of suckers, coming from the roots, do they need cutting right off and getting rid of? Many thanks

Eden

[Madasafish]

Did you cut everything down?
You are supposed to leave the new growth - which fruits the next year...

[PAULW]

MADASAFISH
Not with Joan J they are primocanes the fruit grows on this years growth and you cut the canes to the floor in the winter.

[Alison]

Are you sure they are suckers, not just new growth?

[SimonCole]

I'd let the suckers grow and help the raspberry patch develop.

[TPeers]

Joan is a late variety - I wouldn't expect fruit until late July/August and given the wet and cold year to date maybe a week or two latter than that. Give it some time, any growth that is there at the moment has the potential to give you fruit sometime this side of the first frosts in Oct/Nov.

Only cut down the canes that have fruited over the winter, and don't cut too early as you reduce the leaves and therefore the ability of the plant to create food for itself. Personally I wait until the plants are dormant in Jan/Feb to do any pruning/ cane clearance.

I always go back to the 'Rule of Thumb' when removing canes to tidy the bed, first remove fruited canes then look and see what is left, the boooks say 8-12 canes per stool, spaced at 3-4" intervals along your support structure which is a perfect world! If the growth is within the area you have given to the fruit, space the canes at least a thumbs width apart and tie in. Anything outside the area you have set is a sucker and can be cut out, anything within is good and can be kept!

If you have too many canes in an area after removal of fruited canes then remove the thinest - these will produce the smallest fruit and thin canes yield less fruit than thick canes.

Good luck - the fruit will turn up soon!

Terry

[Eden]

Thank-you everybody for your advice - much appreciated!!

[Ratty]

Can I hijack this thread a moment and ask about support for raspberries?

MY dad gave me a load of Autumn Bliss canes in February this year - I've planted them in two long narrow beds about 12'x2', spacing the plants about 18" to 24" apart and they're doing great.

To be honest they don't look like they need support at the moment!

How high do they get?

How much support do they need?

Also, am I right in assuming I cut them all down to ground level in February?

Once I know what I'm dealing with, I can think about erecting some sort of frame and net over them too!

[Madasafish]

About 1-1.5 metres tall.

For autumn ones, I use two posts - one at either end of row.. and one crosspiece on each post (about 2/3 metre wide) at the top mounted horizontally (like a cross> run 1 wire from each end of each crosspiece to the other post ... so you end up with the tops of the rasps poking through the two wires ( which are about 1 meter tall). Prevents the berried branches falling down. No need to tie in or such stuff).
Cut down Feb and all starts again...

(I shred branches for a mulch).

[Ratty]

Thanks for the advice

[shirlthegirl43]

More on the same topic:

My rasps have fruited not mightily but quite good considering I planted dead sticks about this time last year! I have 3 plants but not sure what type they are. There are a couple of suckers per plant which are now about 5 foot high. Question is, will I get fruit on these suckers this year?

The fruit I have had was on new growth this year so I guess I can cut those canes out now - they look pretty scraggy after the weather we have had too.

There is no sign of flowers on the suckers and I am not sure whether to cut them off or leave them now.

[TPeers]

More on the same topic:

My rasps have fruited not mightily but quite good considering I planted dead sticks about this time last year! I have 3 plants but not sure what type they are. There are a couple of suckers per plant which are now about 5 foot high. Question is, will I get fruit on these suckers this year?

The fruit I have had was on new growth this year so I guess I can cut those canes out now - they look pretty scraggy after the weather we have had too.

There is no sign of flowers on the suckers and I am not sure whether to cut them off or leave them now.

Autumn fruiting canes fruit on this years wood, summer types on the previous years wood. In all cases do not remove canes until after they have produced fruiting spurs!

Raspberries are a suckering, woodland fruit. It is therefore normal to get suckers - they are not 'bad'. The only criterion for judging them is 'do you want that cane?'

Hope this helps

Terry

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks Terry. guess that means I can cut out the ones that fruited this year and tie in the new ones. If they seem too much next year I may thin them a bit then. Hoping for a better crop next year but happy to have gotten 500grams this year - after I realised it was a blackbird that was getting to them before me in the mornings Didn't grudge him his share at all - it was funny watching him pinching them.

[TPeers]

I'd be tempted to leave everything alone until Jan/Feb - you may get late fruit on the older canes, and the additional canes will support the unfruited ones through any autumn storms. Raspbery canes are quite brittle.

If the unfruited canes don't product this autumn you should get a nice crop off them early in the season next year.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks again. I planted them against our garden fence and they are quite sheltered there so who knows what might happen!

I will leave well alone and see what nature brings my way!