Growing and Pruning Raspberry

Raspberry is a nutritious fruit that belongs to the genus Rubus. The fruit is of high nutritional importance, since it is rich in vitamin C, iron and folate, and contains no fat, cholesterol and sodium. There are basically two varieties of raspberry viz. the red raspberry (scientific name Rubus idaeus) and the black raspberry (scientific name Rubus occidentalis). Both red and black raspberries are commercially grown all over the world.

Raspberry is a perennial, thorny shrub that produces shoots from the ground, known as canes. The plant is either erect, semi-erect or trailing and bears palmately compound leaves with 3-5 leaflets, the middle being the largest. Raspberry flowers are small (1 cm in diameter), white or pink in color and are borne either singly or in groups. The plant bears fruits in the second year of plantation; the raspberry fruit is an aggregate of drupelets type. Here are some useful tips for growing and pruning raspberry.

Growing Raspberry

Raspberry can be grown in vegetable gardens or greenhouses. In terms of fruit bearing, there are two raspberry types, namely, June-bearing and fall. The former crop, as the name suggests, bears fruit in June or July; whereas, the latter crop is everbearing and bears two harvests per season. For better crop yield, it is important that the fruits are not exposed to extreme climates like very hot or cold conditions. Besides this, if the soil is too wet, then the fruits are susceptible to fungal infections. Keeping this in mind, many cultivators prefer crop cultivation during spring or summer.

Based the location, choose the appropriate raspberry variety and purchase the plantlets. Make sure to select disease and pest-resistant varieties. For plantation, prepare the soil bed in early autumn, as you do for other crops. Raspberry can thrive well in any type of soil (either sandy or loamy), provided that there is proper drainage system and the soil pH is in the range of 5.5-7. Grow the plantlets at an average depth, leaving a space of 8-16 feet between two plantlets.

Water the raspberry plants regularly, as they have a shallow-root system and are less tolerant to drought conditions. Biennial canes (survive for two years) are produced; the canes, developed in the first year of plantation, are vegetative (that bears only leaves) and called as the primocanes. As the primocanes flower in the next year, they are referred to as floricanes, which eventually bear fruits. After you successfully grow the first plantation, the plants can be easily propagated by using a variety of techniques.

Pruning Raspberry

For proper maintenance of the Raspberry plants, it is advisable to prune them to a manageable size using sharp garden tools. While doing so, it is advisable to wear thick gloves to protect from the thorns. Raspberry pruning is done twice a year, first in the late winter or early spring and second in summer.

In the first pruning, remove all the canes that already bore fruit, as they will not fruit again. You can recognize these canes by their thin and brownish colored barks. Make sure that there are only 4-5 healthy and sturdy canes per foot in the row. You can also prune the short canes, as well as those that are growing outside the row. Everbearing canes can be made to fruit only once in a season by pruning the canes in early spring. This way, you can achieve a good fall harvest. The second or summer pruning is done to remove dead and diseased canes. You can also prune canes that are expanding outside the row.

For the weed control, you can plant ground-covers such as rye, millet, oat and buckwheat, which also enrich the soil with organic matter. Speaking about the fertilizers, you can supplement the soil with organic compost and farmyard manure. By following these basic tips for growing and pruning, enjoy a good harvest of flavorful raspberry fruits.