Autumn Raspberry Clarification

[Bigmallly]

All of my last years canes have buds but nothing on this years as yet.

[MarkPelican]

And then you get this variety, which complicates things even more, I have the yellow and the red varieties.
Gelbe Sugana

The description is identical to an Autumn Fruited raspberry pruned as a Primocane. I suppose if they are their own varieties they can call them whatever they like.

The best description of how to prune raspberries I have seen is on the RHS website, there's a video that shows the "normal" pruning of Summer and Autumn fruited but if you look at the description of some of the Autumn Fruited varieties it describes how to prune as Primocane and get two smaller crops.

[Bigmallly]

Have you read this thread Mark?

[1Bee]

So.... a couple of years ago, in a fit of naïve optimism, I bought 6 cheap raspberry plants. I think it was 3 summer and 3 autumn but I'm not certain. The varieties weren't named.

Life happened, I wasn't able to clear a space for them, so I heeled them in, in their pots, and surprisingly they survived.





So what do I do with them? By some miracle I'm a bit ahead this season, and probably have a chance to make a space for them now. How can I tell which is which, and should I cut them back or not?

Any advice gratefully received! :-)

[Martin H]

Get them out of the pots and into the ground. By the end of the season you'll be able to tell which is which: if the new shoots coming from the base don't fruit this year they are the summer fruiting ones.

My tip: make sure the two sets of plants are a long way apart, otherwise they will mix themselves up together in no time at all.

[1Bee]

From what I can see, all the new shoots are coming from the existing cane, not the base?

I'll clear a patch and get them in, then see what happens, thanks.

[Jay-ell]

New growth coming from the existing canes are probably the summer raspberries and this new growth should be developing flowers soon, however if they are confined they may not be putting up too many new canes - that's what happened to my summer rasps before I planted them out last year basically only putting up a cane to replace the old cane. Once I got them in the ground they put up a couple of new canes in spring then a load more in Summer/Autumn

[veggiechicken]

The second photo looks more like a currant than a raspberry

[1Bee]

VC, you were right! When I excavated from the jungle I found I actually had 8 plants, and two were currants (although I'm sure I didn't intentionally buy currants!)

No idea what sort, though...

[veggiechicken]

I suppose you expect me to tell you the type of currant now
Rub a leaf - if it smells blackcurranty it is!
If it has buds, red & white currants have clusters of droopy greenish flowers - hanging like a bunch of grapes. Blackcurrants are less bunchy and purpley

[1Bee]

I wasn't expecting that, honest, VC! I'm content to wait and see.

I just wanted to tell you you were right, so you could have a warm, smug glow all day. ;-)

[1Bee]

Update! Three of the 6 raspberries have fruited on the old canes, and are throwing up new canes from the base. (when I say fruited, I mean, like 3 rasps each... Poor abused, plants. I expect better from them next year).

Now I just have to make sure I label them indelibly, and move them when they're quiet.

Thanks everyone.

[veggiechicken]

Yay!! Raspberries
Do you know what sort of currant you were growing now?

[1Bee]

No, they don't appear to have done anything. But I'll have another closer look when I'm next there - you know how it is this stage in the season - if something isn't late or demanding attention, you don't look that closely when you're tight for time.