Simple and understandable instructions for pruning remontant raspberries in the fall for beginners
Pruning remontant raspberries is an important step in planting care. To get a high yield several times a season, you need to properly prune the berry bushes. Step-by-step instructions for novice gardeners will help you perform plant sanitization competently, quickly and easily.
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Why prune remontant raspberries in the fall, what does it give
Timely autumn pruning of remontant (that is, capable of bearing fruit throughout the growing season) raspberries makes it possible to harvest berries with excellent varietal characteristics until the onset of the first frost.
If you leave the raspberry unpeeled, it will lose its "doubled" properties the next year. The second important task of autumn pruning is keeping plantings in a neat condition and solving pest problems.
Is it necessary to trim
Repaired raspberries begin to bear fruit on the shoots in the first year of planting. In order for the plants to give an increase in high-quality fruiting shoots in the spring, such a bush must have a good rest during the winter.... That is why fruiting cuttings and young shoots from remontant raspberries are removed in the fall. So the root system will accumulate the maximum amount of nutrients for the new season.
With the onset of the first spring heat, the bush will start up new strong shoots with a large number of fruit buds.
Optimal timing of the procedure
There are some tricks in choosing the timing of pruning remontant raspberries. To get the maximum yield in the second year of planting, the autumn harvest period is reduced by 30-40%. In this case, most of the bush is cut out in September, flush with the ground. Those who plan to get most of the berries in the fall are pruned in late November-early December.
Important! Pruning remontant raspberries too early stimulates intensive bud formation and jeopardizes future crops.
The approximate terms for pruning remontant raspberries in the Russian Federation are as follows:
- Kuban, South Caucasus - October-November;
- Middle zone of Russia - end of September;
- Northern regions - late August - early September.
Types of trimming
Any kind of thickened raspberry will degenerate anyway. She gives meager harvests and is often sick. To prevent such a situation, experienced gardeners leave no more than 5-6 berry-producing shoots on the bush. There are several types of pruning remontant raspberries.
Formative
The repair bush gives berries twice a season on this year's green shoot. If the branch is not removed for the winter, it will release fruit buds in the spring, but the berries will be small and collect them once in the summer.
It turns out that there is no formative pruning in remontant raspberries. With the onset of the first stable frosts, all productive raspberry shoots are completely removed at the root. The task of the gardener is to leave exclusively the root system of the remontant raspberry in the winter, in order to prevent the degeneration of the variety.
Anti-aging
To rejuvenate remontant raspberries on the site, use their own planting material. Shoots of this summer are not cut at the root in the fall, but to a height of 20-25 cm. In the spring, such shoots are divided and transplanted to a new place.One of the sprouts is left in the ground so as not to disturb the overall architecture of the garden.
Attention! No more than 5-7 leading shoots are left on one plant for reproduction.
Sanitary
Sanitary pruning of remontant raspberries is carried out throughout the season. In spring, gardeners always remove raspberry shoots, which act as a kind of "parasite" of the bush. Sprouts up to 10 cm high are cut with a shovel to a depth of 6-8 cm so as to remove them with a root, but not damage the mother root system of the bush.
Throughout the season, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plantings and eliminate sick branches affected by pests and diseases.
How to properly prune remontant raspberries
Thoughtless pruning of remontant varieties can ruin the bush, so you need to act very carefully.
Required materials and tools
A standard garden pruner with short handles and long, curved blades is sufficient for cleaning raspberries. The main rule is that the tool must be well sharpened, the spring mechanism is lubricated.
Important! The blades of a blunt pruner "grind" the cut, which is especially dangerous for the plant. Through such a wound, fungal spores enter the plant, the raspberry plant instantly becomes infected and becomes very sick.
Pruning schemes
Repaired varieties bear fruit for up to two months or more. During autumn cleaning, it is important to cut absolutely all shoots at the root. The exception is those bushes that were left for cultivation.
Step-by-step instructions for pruning
Pruning remontant raspberries in the fall is as simple and straightforward as possible:
- They rake from the site leavesto expose the soil with young growth.
- Shoots of any height are removed flush with the ground using a pruner.
- The brushwood must be collected and taken out of the raspberry tree.
If there are beds with ordinary raspberries nearby on the garden plot, at the end of all activities it is worth filling the rhizomes with crushed coal or ash.
On a note! All work in the raspberry patch is carried out in protective gloves and clothing made of dense material.
Pruning features
Consider the features of caring for plants of different ages.
Young raspberry
Young shoots are harvested in the fall under the root, leaving no stumps. In the northern regions, remontant raspberries do not have time to give two harvests per season, and bears fruit in September. To help the raspberry plant survive the harsh winters, fall shoots are cut in the spring when the young growth appears. In this case, the old branch nourishes and preserves the root during the long Siberian winter.
Old
If it was not possible to remove productive shoots in an old raspberry tree in the fall, pruning is carried out in early spring before bud break. Otherwise, the bush will waste energy on the maintenance of the vegetative part.
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Slicing processing and further care
At the time of fruiting of remontant varieties of raspberries, the main pests of this culture go into hibernation, so the berries are not damaged by worms. Such varieties are extremely rare.
After cleaning, it is necessary to apply fertilizers to restore the strength of the plants. In the fall, it is recommended to use organic fertilizing: compost, diluted bird or rabbit droppings, rotted manure.
Repaired raspberries are very demanding on moisture. It is extremely important to carry out the autumn "charging" watering so that the bushes leave in the winter safely. If the autumn turned out to be dry, after cutting the raspberries, they dig a trench 20-25 cm deep along the beds and fill it abundantly. The next day landing mulch with straw, sawdust, pine needles. The layer thickness is 15-20 cm, it is left until spring.
On a note! Drip irrigation is the best way to irrigate berries that are demanding on moisture during the flowering period. It requires minimal intervention from the gardener, but effectively moisturizes the deep soil layers in the rows.
Conclusion
Pruning "long-playing" raspberries requires special skill from the gardener and some "flair". If desired, all skills are acquired in 2-3 years of hard work and a scrupulous attitude to business. And the reward for your efforts will be a harvest of delicious, aromatic berries until late autumn.