Content
Fruit shrubs require careful care from the gardener, without which their productivity gradually decreases. Pruning is very important for raspberries: if not done in spring and autumn, a neat plantation will quickly take on a neglected look and become a breeding ground for pests. In order to properly prune, experienced gardeners recommend that beginners adhere to a scheme verified over the years and certain deadlines.
Juicy fragrant raspberries are a favorite summer treat for children and adults. In order for a fruit shrub to please with a good harvest every year, it must be carefully looked after. And the main point of crop care is proper pruning.
The event has the following goals.
Advice
It is very easy to distinguish old shoots from young ones. They woody towards the end of the season, are covered with brown scaly bark and have side branches. Young shoots are reddish-green, flexible, devoid of side shoots.
Raspberry pruning is done in stages throughout the growing season. At each stage, the event pursues different goals, therefore, the following plan for performing the procedure is recommended for beginners.
With the arrival of spring, growth processes are activated. If at this time, you can correctly trim raspberries, you can achieve high productivity.
In the spring, the following activities are performed:
During the winter, some of the shoots will certainly freeze or break under the onslaught of snow. If they are not cut off in time, the risk of fungal infections and pest colonization increases. Timely sanitation will protect the growth.
Spring pruning of the top of the shoot is necessary to align the raspberry tree in height. This will make harvesting easier and give the shrub a well-groomed look. The second reason to trim the tips of the shoot is to stimulate dormant buds. Raspberries bear fruit on last year's branches. The more young growth emerges from the buds, the higher the yield will be.How high to trim raspberries depends on the scheme used.
Summer works are of a preventive nature. A close inspection will allow the grower to identify excess shoots that obscure neighboring ones and impair the ventilation of the bush. At the same time, the most developed branches are left on the bush, which are covered with side shoots from crown to base.
Important!
When more solar radiation is received, the sugar content of the berries will increase.
The culture is prone to the formation of a large number of root suckers. To remove excess growth, use a shovel to cut the roots and cut off the offspring from the mother liquor. Also, during the summer season, it is necessary to cut out diseased and damaged branches in a timely manner.
Pruning raspberries in the fall is aimed at preparing for a successful wintering. For this, a number of activities are performed:
For a successful wintering, the bush needs to save resources as much as possible, so all excess growth must be removed. Two-year-old branches that have borne fruit in the current season, as well as too young sprouts with unripe bark are cut.
Vegetation is cut flush with the soil. When pruning, no more than 10 of the most developed annual stems are selected.
In order to prevent pests from sheltering on the site, they thoroughly clean up plant residues. All cut branches are taken outside the garden and burned. The deciduous mass must also be removed (the leaves often harbor pests or cause buds to decay).
Advice
To avoid damaging the buds, the leaves are removed with a pruner.
In the fall, check the growth of root suckers again. Cut them off with a shovel if necessary.
The final stage of preparation for the dormant period is the bending of the branches. Try to bend the vegetation as low as possible to the soil, it will winters well under the snow.
The timing of pruning raspberries largely depends on the region of its growth. In the South of Russia, it is unlikely that it will be possible to cut shrubs in time in the spring - it is easy to miss the moment. Moisture evaporates quickly in hot climates, and very little snow falls in winter, so a haircut will do more harm than good. Most of the work is done in the fall. The optimal time is October or early November.
In a harsh climate, they try to carry out all work in the spring, since nature wakes up slowly. In autumn, only two-year branches and plant debris are removed. Spring work is carried out before the start of sap flow - in April, and autumn work - before the cold weather, so that the wounds have time to heal.
A few useful tips will help you choose and prepare the right tool for the job.
Consider several popular raspberry pruning schemes that gardeners successfully use on their plots.
Gardeners plant raspberries in spring or in the fall depending on climatic conditions. Spring planting is preferred in harsh climates because the suction roots require warmth to grow. To stimulate rooting, the seedling must be pruned immediately. If this is not done, a double load will fall on the plant - the growth of green mass and the development of the root system.The planted bush should be cut at a height of 20 cm.
Advice
For autumn planting, pruning is performed the next spring.
To stretch the time of fruiting, many gardeners use a pruning scheme to different heights. In the spring, all overwintered shoots are conventionally divided into 4 parts. The first part is shortened by 15 cm, the second part is cut off 30 cm from the crown, half and a quarter of the height are left from the next branches, respectively.
The advantage of this scheme is to extend the fruiting period. The berries will appear in stages, starting with the longest branches.
Most gardeners prefer a new agrotechnical method of growing raspberries - double pruning according to Sobolev.
Double pruning is done in spring or early summer. In seedlings that have reached a height of 0.8-1 m, the crown is cut by 15 cm. After that, the growth of the bush in height stops, dormant buds awaken. During the growing season, a powerful stem with 5-6 branches up to half a meter long will grow from them. It turns out a miniature tree.
The next spring, after the sanitation of the bush, the lateral branches are shortened by 15 cm. This manipulation again spurs the plant on the development of growth from dormant buds. At the same time, the harvesting period is extended until the end of the season, and productivity doubles.
Advice
To avoid excessive thickening of the raspberry tree with this formation scheme, place each bush away from neighboring ones. Leave a distance of 80-100 cm between copies, and 2 m between rows.
The remontant variety differs from ordinary raspberries in fruiting on two types of shoots - one-year and two-year. The first wave of berries appears on old branches, and the second - on young growth.
Pruning remontant varieties in the following way.
In harsh climates, it is better to grow remontant varieties in an annual crop: the second wave of the crop often leaves under the snow, and never matures.
Every gardener dreams of getting a rich harvest from his raspberry tree. To achieve the goal, you will have to make a lot of efforts, because the culture will require thorough care and two pruning.
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