Pruning raspberries?

[mnhunter2]

My raspberries had snow cover about half way up the stalks and when they have been leafing out and gowing most have no leaves on the top 12"-16" and I was wondering if I should prune them back to the point of full leaf growth orjust wait and see what happens?

[Glockophile]

I prune them down below half in the fall and leave them.

[KEN W]

Sounds like you have everbearers.Did you get fruit on those top 8-12 inches l;ast fall?What is the name of the variety?

Everbearers get fruit on the top half of the new canes in the fall and then the bottom half the next summer.If you have everbearers.....

[KEN W]

DO NOT CUT THEM OFF AT THE GROUND in the fall if they are everbearers.You will be losing half the crop.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I cut mine off at the ground in early spring (ie as soon as the snow is gone). They appear to be doing well.

[Ralph Wiggum]

DO NOT CUT THEM OFF AT THE GROUND in the fall if they are everbearers.You will be losing half the crop.

Actually, from what I have read, you won't get two crops, but the crop you get will be substantially better (ie bigger).

I hope that's the case

[KEN W]

Sorry Ralph but you are wrong.....on everbearers you get a crop on the top half of the new or primocanes in the fall.Those same plants will then give you a second crop on the bottom half of what are now florocanes the next summer.If you cut them at ground level in the fall.....you are giving up the second crop the following summer.

Both kinds of raspberries basically give the same amount of berries,depending the variety....but everbearers split it in half.

Examples of everbearers are Heritage and Redwing from the U of M.

Examples of summer bearing only varieties are Latham and Canby.The majority of people have Latham....hence the idea that you cut them off at the ground as soon as bearing is over.

Either way you go.....it is best to cut off the old brown florocanes in July as soon as the are don bearing.There will be new green primocanes coming up along side them.

[Steve Foss]

Sorry Ralph but you are wrong.....on everbearers you get a crop on the top half of the new or primocanes in the fall.Those same plants will then give you a second crop on the bottom half of what are now florocanes the next summer.If you cut them at ground level in the fall.....you are giving up the second crop the following summer.

Both kinds of raspberries basically give the same amount of berries,depending the variety....but everbearers split it in half.

Examples of everbearers are Heritage and Redwing from the U of M.

Examples of summer bearing only varieties are Latham and Canby.The majority of people have Latham....hence the idea that you cut them off at the ground as soon as bearing is over.

Either way you go.....it is best to cut off the old brown florocanes in July as soon as the are don bearing.There will be new green primocanes coming up along side them.

Ken is correct.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I hate to disagree, but straight from the Nourse Farms HSOforum:

Quote:

Most everbearers will produce the best crop if NOT allowed to fruit in early summer. We recommend this approach.

I guess I will see how my patch performs this year.

[KEN W]

Well,I grow Redwing from the U of M.Bears half in summer and half the previous fall.

Useing logic,that doesn't seem possible.I pick in Sept and there is no way you get more berries if you don't let them finish the next summer.

It would be interesting to weigh the amount doing both.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Useing logic,that doesn't seem possible.I pick in Sept and there is no way you get more berries if you don't let them finish the next summer.

I am guessing if you don't allow them to fruit twice, the plants will put that energy into the single crop.

FWIW, mine are Autumn Brittens from Nourse. Put them in last spring and am anxiously awaiting getting a decent haul this year. Man, I love raspberries

[Steve Foss]

I've grown everbearings for years (I'm reasonably sure these were Heritage varietals). I've pruned them both ways, and when pruning as Ken described, my two crops were more bountiful in total than the single crop. This was done over about 8 years time, but was 20 years ago, and it's possible things have changed with newer varieties.

I will add that the difference wasn't a big one and that, in the end, whichever style best suits your gardening philosophy or time commitment is the one to go with. Myself, I like spreading out the crops.

If Ralph's nursery recommendations were based on crop bounty or plant health and he's growing that variety (the nursery comment did use the term "most" when describing everbearers), then I'd definitely follow the nursery recommendations if it were me growing them. They should know what's best for the plants they sell.

[KEN W]

I am guessing if you don't allow them to fruit twice, the plants will put that energy into the single crop.

They would have to have more canes or larger canes to get more berries just once.

I guess I prefer to have decent amounts of berries twice than all at once.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I guess I prefer to have decent amounts of berries twice than all at once.

By all means, do it your way. Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers or insult your horticultural knowledge.

[KEN W]

Ralph....you didn't.We will always do things our way.Have you let them produce in the summer?Autumn Britton is a good raspberry.

I wish we could grow blackberries this far north....I would rather eat them than raspberries any day.

[Steve Foss]

Ken, there are tons of wild blackberries in far northern Wisconsin, which should be about the same lattitude as Mapleton. Maybe it's more a case of lighter, more acidic soils in that part of Wisconsin vs the heavier, more alkaline soils where you are?

[Ralph Wiggum]

We will always do things our way.Have you let them produce in the summer? Autumn Britton is a good raspberry.

We just put the bare-root plants in last spring, so we got a small crop later last year (albeit more than I was expecting for the first year). They are coming in well now, so I am excited to see how they produce. They were tasty...and huge!

[KEN W]

I believe wild blackberries will grow this far north.But as far as I know domesticated blackberries won't.All winter kill above the ground except 2 new ones.Since they are a bi-annual and produce berries on 2nd year canes....you would never get any.

Now,from what I understand the U of Ark has developed the first blackberry that produces fruit on the first year's grwth.There are 2 varieties called Prime Jane and Jan.The only problem with them is......will they have a long enough growing season here to produce berries before the frost kills them.You would basically cut all growth off at ground level like Ralph says and try for only one fall crop.

[Steve Foss]

Ken, sounds like a good blackberry variety to experiment on.