Pruning raspberries in the summer in July: how to do it right so that there is a good harvest

Berry bushes are considered unpretentious plants, and some summer residents think that they do not need to be cared for. Raspberries grow very fast. Shoots that move away from the root draw juices from the bush, thicken the plantings. The ovary is poorly laid in the thickets, but fungi that cause raspberry diseases are activated. Pruning old thorny branches in summer helps to strengthen young shoots and helps them survive the cold. After the procedure, the berries are easier to pick.

Why trim raspberries?

Gardeners who have been growing shrubs for years say that it is necessary to remove extra branches, but it must be done correctly.

To stimulate yields

Shoots formed on raspberries in the first season do not give berries. In almost all varieties of culture, the buds that give flowers are laid on 2-year-old shoots. After fruiting, they die off, but are replaced by new stems growing from the root. If obsolete branches are cut in a timely manner, young shoots will produce large berries next year.

Insect and disease prevention

If you leave all the young branches, the raspberry plantings thicken, the ventilation of the plants is disturbed, the rays of the sun cannot break through the thickets. Favorable conditions arise for the reproduction of fungi, pests start up.

Pruning raspberries after fruiting helps to avoid thickening, prevents the activation of pathogenic microorganisms that cause:

• mosaic;
• anthracnose;
• leaf curl;
• powdery mildew.

When removing old 2-year-old shoots, it is easier to pick berries, their taste improves. Fruits that ripen in the sun acquire sweetness. Plant diseases are less common.

Formation of correct bushes

After pruning, raspberries look attractive, there are fewer prickly branches, and young stems develop better, gain strength to survive the cold season. Proper formation of bushes contributes to increased yields.

Optimal timing of the procedure (table)

You can cut raspberries in any season, except for winter, the first time the stem of the plant is shortened when planting in the ground. Work is completed no later than a month before the onset of frost.

Spring

When cultivating a berry bush, you need to adhere to the rules of agricultural technology that help preserve the characteristics of the variety, accelerate the development of shoots.In early spring, when the snow has just melted, all the branches look the same. The best time for pruning is determined by the condition of the kidneys. If they swell and try to open up, it's time to get started. The tops of the shoots are shortened to different heights, which allows you to lengthen the fruiting.

Summer

Single pruning of raspberries is not enough to reap excellent harvests of berries. In June, thinning of shoots falls. As soon as July has come, dead branches are removed. In August, the number of young shoots is normalized.

Autumn

The region of raspberry growth affects the pruning period. After picking berries, the bushes are attacked by parasites. Insects settle in old branches, so dried shoots are burned. To have a good harvest, you need to learn when and how to prune raspberries in the fall.

The bushes will have time to stock up on nutrients if they are shortened not just before frost.

Using the table, it is easy to determine the optimal timing of autumn work.

Pruning MonthSouth RegionsFrom 15.07 to 15.10Middle stripFrom 11.08 to 20.10Siberia, UralAll August

Territory of Russia

Pruning raspberry shoots is done in October, but should remain at least 3 weeks until autumn ends, winter comes.

What tools are needed to carry out the work

Inventory used for cutting raspberries must be decontaminated in advance, otherwise an infectious disease can be transmitted through individual parts. For gardening you will need:

1. Secateurs or special scissors. With the help of the tool it is convenient to deal with the undergrowth.
2. Lopper. Suitable for cutting thick stems.
3. Knife. Allows you to correct irregularities.

Fallen leaves, dry shoots are raked. Alcohol, kerosene, vodka, potassium permanganate solution are suitable for disinfecting equipment.

Raspberry trimming methods

Varieties of berry bushes have different resistance to frost, bear fruit and grow differently. If pruning was not performed in the summer, all work begins in the fall and for ordinary raspberries includes removal:

• under the root;
• biennial shoots;
• broken and diseased stems;
• damaged branches.

Young shoots are thinning out. In addition to simple pruning, other methods of shaping the bush are used. When shortening the shoots of semi-repair strawberries, you need to take into account its features.

Double and triple cut specifics

To significantly increase the yield of berry crops in mid-latitudes, gardeners use the Sobolev method. At the end of spring, stems 80 cm high are shortened by 10 cm. The method helps to enhance the development of side shoots, stopping the growth of the top. By autumn, 8 branches appear on the bush, which are covered with spruce branches for the winter. When the next spring comes, the young side shoots, which will reach a height of 0.5 m, should be cut back by 15 cm.

When using the Sobolev method, raspberry turns into a remontant variety, pleases with berries until the end of September.

Experienced gardeners shorten, remove dried shoots in spring, summer and autumn, using the triple pruning method. By the end of the next growing season, 2-year-old raspberry stems are removed and thinned out the rest of the growth.

Biological features of raspberry pruning after fruiting

If you shorten the branches after picking berries, they have time to get stronger before frost. Old shoots die by this time, and they must be removed so that pests do not start in the bark, spores of fungi that cause more than one disease do not remain overwintering. About 20 young branches appear at the raspberry bush over the summer, of which half is left.

Step-by-step cutting technology

After picking the berries, it is necessary to inspect each plant to identify damaged and dead shoots that should not be left.

Regular raspberries

Before the procedure, carefully sharpen the pruner so that the wound is small. After disinfecting the instrument:

1. Remove broken and diseased branches.
2. Get rid of weak shoots that won't survive frost.
3. Cut out 2-year-old stems so they don't shade young shoots.
4. Thinning thick plantings, pulling out weeds, cutting down excess bushes to surface level, digging the soil.

After autumn or summer pruning, ordinary raspberry varieties are advised to fertilize with wood ash and process with iron sulfate. In Siberia and the Urals, young branches are bent to the ground for the winter and covered with spunbond or spruce branches, old shoots are burned.

Pruning remontant raspberries

Many gardeners grow berry bushes that produce not one, but several harvests per season, and fruits are tied even on annual stems. In the southern regions, replacement raspberries are cut in autumn, in mid-latitudes - in spring.

When growing a crop for one crop, after the onset of frost, the bushes are shortened at the root. The procedure cannot be carried out earlier, otherwise the young shoots will sprout and the raspberries will die.

To get 2 harvests, the work is done in 2 stages. Having collected the first berries, two-year-old shoots are cut out under the root, on which there were fruits. In autumn, dry, weak and diseased branches are harvested and burned, bushes are fed.

The Cumberland raspberry grows very quickly, which has a black color. To increase its productivity, at the end of June, the stems of 2 meters in height are shortened by 20 cm, and the young shoots are cut off at the point of growth.

In October or November, when the shrub goes dormant:

1. Remove problematic branches.
2. Get rid of the weak stems pointing inwards of the raspberries.
3. Long shoots are shortened by a third.
4. Biennial shoots are cut down to the ground.

Next year raspberries will be planted on side branches. Cumberland gives a large number of large fruits for a long time, if you leave up to 12 shoots.

Nuances of pruning single crop varieties

To ensure normal illumination of the bushes, to prevent the activation of pests, and fungi, and viruses, on ordinary plant varieties that bear fruit once a season, during pruning:

1. Secateurs remove diseased and dried branches.
2. Thin out annual shoots, leaving no more than 8 pieces on the bush.
3. The stems are shortened by ¼ so that their height was up to 1.5 meters.

Raspberries will bear fruit longer if the branches are divided into 4 parts in spring, the first ones are cut by 15 cm, the second by 20, the third by half, the last ones are cut to a stump.

How to care for and how to feed the bushes after pruning

Regardless of when thinning and shortening work is carried out, raspberries need to be watered thoroughly.Caring for ordinary and remontant plant varieties after pruning includes fertilizing with organic matter or mineral fertilizers. Bird droppings are dissolved in water using a ratio of 1 to 30. Manure is brought into the ground, per 1 sq. meter is taken 6 kg. To increase productivity, the soil is diluted with peat.

If pruning is done in autumn, raspberries will need micronutrients. Bushes are fertilized with a complex containing phosphorus and potassium. Remontant varieties are fed with Bordeaux liquid. When the moisture is absorbed after watering, the soil in the planting is sprinkled with a thick layer of mulch. In regions where winters are harsh, raspberry shoots are tied and bent down, covered with a thick layer of leaves, a film is placed on top, in which holes are pierced.

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