[Truffle]

Hi all,

Do raspberries have a certain life span or just keep going on and on.....?

I inherited many raspberry plants with my allotment a few years ago and have had many fruit from them. So many that I struggled to keep up with them.

However this year they seem to have gone on strike. There is some fruit but shrivelled up with none worth picking at all. Now I will point out that I have never cut any back at all and I have both summer and autumn varieties but never sure what to do with either. My plot is also very over grown this year due to one thing or another.

I wish to move the raspberries to another area of my plot so, should I start fresh with new plants?

All comments welcome   

[Sparkyrog]

Take canes from the outside of the rows ! summer fruiting raspberries cut out all that have fruited ! autumn fruiting cut to the ground in jan/feb 

[strider84]

I've heard 10 years is the time when you should think about replacing but I have yet to grow any so have no experience only what I have read.

[Truffle]

Thanks Guys.

They are most likely about 10 years old or approaching that. I have also heard that it's been a funny year for raspberries on our site. Didn't want to did them up and move them to find they had gone past their sell by date so to speak.

I shall try and rejuvinate them  before moving them, (will take sometime before I reach that stage) so I wont lose anything by trying.

Thanks for the advice, Sparkyrog 

[Sparkyrog]

it has been an odd year for a lot of people with rasb's 

[Paul Plots]

it has been an odd year for a lot of people with rasb's 

Sudden burst of heat seems to have reduced both the size and keeping qualities of many peoples raspberries - not so bad if they've been watered regularly and mulched.

[3759allen]

i'm no expert at all but from what i've heard you should be able to take the young fresh canes, binning the old original canes.

[JayG]

Raspberry plants do eventually get quite congested, especially if, like mine, you've had to work quite hard to confine them to more or less where you planted them! 

They can also succumb to plant viruses, which can weaken them and reduce the crop, although it doesn't actually seem to kill them (one or two canes on my Autumn Bliss look a bit suspicious.  )

Not for the first time the RHS has some good advice - there are many ways to propagate rasps but whichever method you use make sure you are using a healthy and vigorous plant to propagate from.

Truffle: yours won't have been done any favours by not having been pruned or weeded, although lack of water is another possible issue this year.

[Truffle]

Thanks all for the advice.

I am guilty of neglect so no surprise that they are not performing. Good to know that I do have a chance to redeem myself and give my rasp's a new lease of life.

JayG, thanks for the link. I have read so many different books and websites but just make me more confused (hence why I have not pruned etc) but this one is nice and clear.

 Many Thanks again you have all been very helpful