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Old raspberry canes - give tlc or replace?

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  • Old raspberry canes - give tlc or replace?

    Sorting out our new allotment plot, we've found a row of raspberries towards the back. As the plot was untended for 1-3 years they are in a bit of a state, though many of them are starting to produce tiny fruits (2-3 'bobble' - too damn fiddly to do anything other than put straight in the mouth !!!).

    Do raspberries go 'wild' from neglect (hence the tiny fruit) and may be beyond help??

    Of course, I've no idea the variety, but the little fruitlets do seem to be from old canes rather than this year's new shoots.

    My question is whether some TLC this year (such pulling out old canes, pruning well @ end of season, tieing in new canes etc) would bring them back to health for next year. Otherwise would I be best ripping them out and replacing them with new & known varieties when they are available....

  • #2
    Summer fruiting raspberries (which are the ones producing fruit about now) fruit best on the canes which grew last year. The new canes (fresh green ones) will produce fruit next year. Sounds as if your raspberries may be a bit of a jungle. Any pictures? I would start by cutting out all old brown canes (you can do it now if they're not bearing any worthwhile fruit).

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    • #3
      Try tidying them up by removing the old and unproductive stems, to encourage young canes to sprout to replace the ageing canes.
      After a year or two, they might become usefully productive again.

      Any fruit plant/bush/tree that isn't regularly and properly pruned will produce smaller and lower quality fruit, but can be restored to full productivity with removal of the old "past their best" parts that could do with having young vigorous shoots replace them.

      If no luck after a year or two of failed attempts at revival, you could then bin them.
      .

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      • #4
        I would go half and half. Try and rescue what you have but possibly back this up with some bought later fruiting varieties in the autumn!
        My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
        to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

        Diversify & prosper


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        • #5
          Originally posted by rustylady View Post
          Summer fruiting raspberries (which are the ones producing fruit about now) fruit best on the canes which grew last year. The new canes (fresh green ones) will produce fruit next year. Sounds as if your raspberries may be a bit of a jungle. Any pictures? I would start by cutting out all old brown canes (you can do it now if they're not bearing any worthwhile fruit).
          Here's a view of the row of raspberries -- we've already cleared a load of suckers that were dotted around the dead-grass area in front. ( our demi-plot ends just beyond the raspberries ).


          The remainder is/was a mix of this year's, last year's (with tiny fruitlets), previous years (dead) and grass/bramble/weed...

          Having read the comments from you good people I think we'll tidy them up this season, try to pull them back to a straight row, removing the dead/old/rubbish canes. If I can get enough bamboo canes I'll construct a bit of a frame and tie-in the new shoots ready for year - something I've done at home to make things a lot easier to manage.

          Longer term we want to net the whole area and fill the area in front (currently full of suckers) with strawberries & current bushes. I'm tempted to get a few nice new canes and replace some at one end, but I'll wait & see if there are some offers at the likes of T&M.

          In case any genius can identify the specific variety...




          They definitely seem to be fruiting off last year's canes, though the fruit it still quite tiny.

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          • #6
            I would follow Snadgers advice by going half and half. I made the mistake of grubbing out a row of old canes (because the crop was falling) and replaced them with 2 highly recommended varieties only to find that the new canes produced raspberries of much inferior taste. A bird in the hand is worth two in the raspberry bush..............

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            • #7
              My canes are around 10 years old - or at least the raspberry beds are. Before going to the hassle of replanting, last winter I covered witha 10cm layer of compost - as normal - but in febrarury added a layer of wood ash - potash- and composted turkey manure.


              Canes are spurting away this year: more growth than for years and fruit crop looks great.. and all with little rain.

              Makes me think...

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              • #8
                I replanted a raspberry bed a few years ago and it had not been taking very well, however beginning of this year I put a mulch of leafmould down and have topped this up with grass clippings and the new canes are coming up thick and fast so a bumper crop next year.
                Welcome to the vine JPDW, the "suckers" that you dug up should have been dug up and replanted as that is how raspberries reproduce.

                Ian

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                • #9
                  I've often thought about mulching with grass cuttings but was worried that it would leech the nitrogen from the soil. Do you reckon I should go for it?
                  An té nach gcuireann san earrach
                  ní bhaineann sé san fhómhar.

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                  • #10
                    I too inherited some overgrown raspberry canes of unknown variety. It's a long row and was in a right state. I thinned it out quite a bit and am gradually reducing the weeds around the base. Last year the fruits were excellent but this year they have been smaller and not as sweet along much of the row but I have noticed tonight that the canes at one end are much bigger so I need to work out what I've done better at that end of if it's just the light or something

                    Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

                    Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

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                    • #11
                      I have had autumn fruiting rasperrys in containers for about 15 years that have been ok. I have pulled out the roots and planted them in garden soil, fed with wood ash so I will wait and see.

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                      • #12
                        New rasp plants are only a couple of quid apiece and will fruit in a year (a little). I'd be ripping half out and replacing. I have a row of Joan j and a row of glen ample. Both thornless and plenty of berries. The berries off Joan j are huge. Taste wise they're both great.

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