Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Kate_S on August 05, 2015, 10:04
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Having obtained the allotment last Autumn, I was not sure whether the raspberries were summer or autumn. I can see that they are summer, so now I want to cut them back. I know that I must cut the older canes down to the ground, But I see on here about tying back the younger canes. The canes are very tall and some are spindly. They seem to keep growing!so I am not sure what to do! How do i tie them back? Sorry I am new to this and my books don't explain clearly! Is there is a website, you tube video i can watch? :unsure:
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Hiya - RHS is a stonking website and here is their vid on dealing with your question. :D
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/raspberries?type=f (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/fruit/raspberries?type=f)
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I grow summer ones and tie them into their supports with a coloured twine because I don't always get round to cutting them down in autumn so when spring arrives I know which ones were last year's. When I'm cutting out last year's fruiting canes I also cut out the most spindly new ones, and the taller ones are reduced in height to make them more manageable. Any new growth from the current year is tied in with a different coloured twine so I know what's what. My 4 foot wide rasp bed has 6 foot wooden supports at each corner plus others at intervals along its length. I use Wilko's cheap washing line tied at 2 foot intervals from bottom to top around the frame so I can tie in the canes as they grow to keep them straight. Any rasp suckers growing outside the area are easily pulled out. This year I've quite a lot of new growth in the centre so will need to add some supporting plastic wire or twine across the width to stop them flopping over the other canes.