I just bought a house with raspberry canes planted in the back yard.
I would like to prune and properly maintain them for next year, but I don't
know which variety they are.
How can I tell whether they are summer bearing or autumn bearing canes?
Thank you
Jon
Wisconsin, USA

In article ,
Jon wrote:
I just bought a house with raspberry canes planted in the back yard.
I would like to prune and properly maintain them for next year, but I don't
know which variety they are.
How can I tell whether they are summer bearing or autumn bearing canes?

If you can see where they fruited this year (i.e. on the previous
year's canes or this one's), you should be able to tell. If you
can't, I suggest pruning as for summer ones and watching what they
do next year.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message m
from "Jon" contains these words:

I just bought a house with raspberry canes planted in the back yard.
I would like to prune and properly maintain them for next year, but I don't
know which variety they are.
How can I tell whether they are summer bearing or autumn bearing canes?

Simply by pruning you can treat many varieties either as summer or
autumn-fruiting.

If some of the canes look old, (greyer, whereas the new ones should be a
caramel colour) and have branches, these have fruited and can safely be
cut down - just so long as there are at least as many straight (FDVO
straight) canes without branches.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 17:34:55 GMT, "Jon" wrote:

I just bought a house with raspberry canes planted in the back yard.
I would like to prune and properly maintain them for next year, but I don't
know which variety they are.
How can I tell whether they are summer bearing or autumn bearing canes?
Thank you
Jon
Wisconsin, USA

I treat all my raspberry canes as Autumn fruiters by cutting them all
to the ground in winter. They weere originally some summer, some
Autumn. If you cut them once I don't see how you would tell which
sort they are.
If there are newer looking canes which have not fruited, then these
are the canes to fruit next year. Cut out the other, older ones which
have fruited. If all appear to have fruited cut them all down.
Don't know how Wisconsin weather compares with ours though.

Another raspberry question.
I have just heard that raspberries need a neutral to acid soil. Mine
is on limestone. Any advice on what to mulch with to make it more
acidic? Would rather not use peat. In the past I've mulched with
mushroom compost. Oops!

Pam in Bristol

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 17:34:55 GMT, "Jon" wrote:

I just bought a house with raspberry canes planted in the back
yard.
I would like to prune and properly maintain them for next year, but
I don't
know which variety they are.
How can I tell whether they are summer bearing or autumn bearing
canes?
Thank you
Jon
Wisconsin, USA

I treat all my raspberry canes as Autumn fruiters by cutting them
all
to the ground in winter. They weere originally some summer, some
Autumn. If you cut them once I don't see how you would tell which
sort they are.
If there are newer looking canes which have not fruited, then these
are the canes to fruit next year. Cut out the other, older ones
which
have fruited. If all appear to have fruited cut them all down.
Don't know how Wisconsin weather compares with ours though.

Another raspberry question.
I have just heard that raspberries need a neutral to acid soil. Mine
is on limestone. Any advice on what to mulch with to make it more
acidic? Would rather not use peat. In the past I've mulched with
mushroom compost. Oops!

If you are actually on limestone, you are unlikely to be able to shift
the pH of your soil, because of the nearly infinite buffer of alkaline
material in the soil. Any acidic matter you add to the soil will
simply be neutralised by the limestone in no time flat.

Franz

The message
from Pam Moore contains these words:

Another raspberry question.
I have just heard that raspberries need a neutral to acid soil. Mine
is on limestone. Any advice on what to mulch with to make it more
acidic? Would rather not use peat. In the past I've mulched with
mushroom compost. Oops!

Compost which has had clean (i.e. untreated) sawdust in it is good. Some
iron filings might help too, if you can get them. (If not, old nails,
etc help.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/