[simpson-allen]

My Primocane Autumn Bliss plants seem to be throwing up hundreds of shoots all over my raspberry beds. Do I treat these as I would suckers on roses and pull them up as they're draining goodness away from the original canes. Or, like I would strawberries, treat them as an opportunity to propagate new plants which will develop into an independent productive cane? My standard summer fruiting variety is much less prolific with the new shoots mainly confined to the base of the main plant. Many thanks as ever in advance for your help.

By the way the growing advice page on raspberries seems wrong. It describes primocanes as the summer fruiting variety and standard canes as autumn. Just thought I'd mention it.

[JayG]

My Primocane Autumn Bliss plants seem to be throwing up hundreds of shoots all over my raspberry beds. Do I treat these as I would suckers on roses and pull them up as they're draining goodness away from the original canes. Or, like I would strawberries, treat them as an opportunity to propagate new plants which will develop into an independent productive cane? My standard summer fruiting variety is much less prolific with the new shoots mainly confined to the base of the main plant. Many thanks as ever in advance for your help.

Both! If they produce suckers where you don't want them it's best to dig them out (they'll come up somewhere else if you just hoe them off.)

If you want new plants just let them grow, dig up (severing the connectioin to the parent plant) in late autumn and re-plant. My Autumn Bliss tend to be invasive and I've had to install a physical barrier in the soil to keep them where I want them (although only on one side - they've gone under the path and are growing up through the hedge now!  )

By the way the growing advice page on raspberries seems wrong. It describes primocanes as the summer fruiting variety and standard canes as autumn. Just thought I'd mention it.

Can't see the reference to primocanes per se, but the description does seem to have got them the wrong way round. I'm sure John will pick that up if he reads this thread. 

[simpson-allen]

many thanks for that Jay. I know what you mean by invasive, some of mine have gone under the greenhouse foundations and emerged inside! Just for the record though, they're not like rose suckers insofar as they wont place a drain on the main plant and affect it's productivity?

[JayG]

They're not the same as rose suckers which usually grow from the rootstock, and are so vigorous they rob the food from the rose proper.

I suppose in theory that raspberry suckers must be dependent on the parent for at least a while, so if you don't want new plants they are best removed, and if you do want new plants maybe just restrict them to one per parent (if you are able to trace them back!)

It's not something I'd worry about much though - if yours are anything like mine, especially this year, the main problem is trying to restrain them!  

[John]

By the way the growing advice page on raspberries seems wrong. It describes primocanes as the summer fruiting variety and standard canes as autumn. Just thought I'd mention it.

Not any longer!