Raspberriesareextremely
versatileplantsandcangrowin most
situations,thoughtheyprefera
sunnysightwithfree-draining,
slightlyacidicsoil.
Theyalsogrowwellin large
containers,makingthemideal for
gardenerswithsmallplots.
Youcanbuycontainer-grown
plantsallyearround,thoughsummer
isn’tthebesttimetogetthemin the
groundasthesoilwillbedryand
they’llneeda lotof watering.
Thebesttimetoplantis winter,
whenyoucanbuybare-root
canescheaply.
Thesearesmallerthanpot-grown
plants,butoncein thegroundthey
willgrowrapidlyaslongasthey are
kept well watered and fed.
Removefruitedcanestomakeroomfornew,saysRuth
I
Thasbeenanexcellentyearfor
raspberries,andgoingoutinto
thegardenfirstthingtoharvest
berriesfortheday’sbreakfasts,
ortofreezeforwintercrumbles, has
becomea morningtradition.
Nowthesummercanesarealmostall
spentandarelookingtiredandragged,
thoughtheautumn-fruitingvarietieslook
promisingfora fewweeks’time.
Thefruitedstemsneedtobecutback
rightdowntothegroundtomakeroom
fornewgrowth,andalsoforthisyear’s
juvenilecanesthat will mature and fruit
next summer.
Simplyworkyourwayalongthe
row,cuttingbackoldstemswithsharp
secateurs,takingcarethatyoudon’tnick
anyhealthynewgrowth.Rememberto
wearglovestoavoidinjuryfromthorns.
Oncetheoldcaneshavegone,work
yourwaybackandcutoutanyof the
freshgreengrowththatlooksweak,
spindlyorovercrowded.Thentiein the
remainingcanestohorizontal wires – it
reallyis thateasy!
Below,I alsoshowyouhowtotake
a brokenpieceof plant– in thiscase,
frommybargainsalvia– anduse it as
a cutting to grow a new one!
Curbackthisyear’sfruitedcanes
on summer-fruiting raspberries
Taking a cutting using a broken stem
2
Takingthetop4in(10cm)ofstem,
removethelargeleavesandanythat
are wilted, leaving smaller, healthy ones.
3
Dipthebottomendofthe
cuttingin hormonerooting
powderorgeltoboostroot
development and tap off the excess.
4
Insertthecuttingintoa smallpot
containinga dampenedmixof
seedandcuttingscompost and
perlite or vermiculite.
1
Checkthatthestemis worthusing
(discardif brownandcompletely
wilted) and cut off the flower head.
5
Sealthepotin a clearplastic
bagandplaceit somewhere
warmandlight,but away from
direct sunlight.
Step
by step
When to plant
Raspberriesarehappy in
pots and borders
Whenthecuttingstartstogrow,
moveit toa largerpotwhenitsroots
areshowingatthebottom of its
current container
Cutbackright
at the base
6 AMATEUR GARDENING10 AUGUST 2019
Canessoonstart
to look tatty
Whenharvesting
raspberries,weleavethe
lower-growingfruitwhere
theyareastheymayhave
beennibbledbymiceor
pecked by birds.
Bare-root in winter is best option