My raspberries did great this year. :-D They have stopped producing fruit a few weeks ago. I have read that you should prune the canes in fall to late winter. This year we have had lots of rain and I fertilized the plants with kelp spray this spring besides just adding compost as I have in the past. The result is that they have grown much more than usual. I have 3 wires holding them against a garage wall. the bed is 3 feet wide. I then have a 2 foot path between the raspberry bed and another garden bed. Now the raspberries are growing so big that the path cannot be walked in and they are reaching the next bed. I was tucking the branches behind the wires for a while but there are just too many now. Could I go ahead and trim them back now? Would that ruin next year's production? They had been in this bed for 4 or 5 years and I have never had them grow this much before. It is getting difficult to weed the next bed with those raspberry plants grabbing me and scratching me up. :'( moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
I always cut my canes right back each year at the end of Autumn (September) and it does no harm to the next years production - at least not here in Scotland. Our raspberries don't form until the end of July/beginning of August and are, usually, more than an inch in size and very tasty. :-D
I don't think I was clear as to what I was asking. I know that you are supposed to cut them back in the fall. I wans asking if I could cut them back early, like now, or would it reduce my harvest next year. Mine were ripe earlier this year because we had much warmer weather this spring. They ripened about the first 2 weeks in June. They are a smaller variety also. If yours ripen in August, and you cut them back in September, then you gave them a month after harvest. I wonder if I could just wait a month after my harvest, but it will still be the warm growing season. If it will reduce the harvest next year significantly, I'll just put up with them reaching out and scratching me now.
If your raspberries have finished producing fruit for this year then there's no harm in cutting them right back now. If you leave your raspberries unpruned the bushes won't yield more berries and future crops could actually be reduced. Unpruned sushes can lead to problems such as early die out of the raspberry canes. Pruning raspberry plants does more than just keep your plants under control. Raspberries can be prone to disease and pruning inhibits the spread of disease throughout your patch.
Okay :-D Thank you Eileen. I noticed that all the growth was on top so when I cut them I will be removing almost all of the leaves. I'll try to grow some from cuttings as a back up or maybe I'll find another area to grow some. I found a robin's nest right in the middle of it, and yet they felt the need to take a bite out of each cherry on a nearby tree when they were surrounded by the raspberries. It's abandoned now so I won't be evicting a bird family.
I got them all trimmed back and it looks so much better. :-D There is still about 20% of the leaves left so it looks nice, not just a bunch of stems sticking up like I thought it would be. I was surprised at how many dead stems were in the back and I cut out several large dead canes. The air can circulate better, light can reach the ground and I wont get scratches every time I venture by it. I was able to get into the tomatoes in the next bed and trim them up too and I found my first ripe tomato of the season! If I hadn't trimmed the raspberries this tomato would not have been found.
So glad you found that tomato!! Bet it tastes lovely. :-D My canes always look so neat and tidy too when I cut them back. Every year there are dead canes which I cut right out allowing for new growth the following year. Do let me know how your raspberries crop for you next year won't you?
Earlier this spring, I cut back all the raspberry plants by my driveway. They are sort of neglected by the current occupants and are closer to our house, so it's alright. They were ugly and an overgrown tangled mess. Since I cut them, I have noticed that the plants are much healthier, and they are producing more berries. I don't even like raspberries, and really care more about the plant's appearance, but hubby is enjoying them!
