Pruning raspberry primocanes?

12 years ago

Lots of new raspberry canes this year. I have an unknown (Freecycle) primocane-bearing variety planted 2012, got flowers on the tips of the canes last summer but no berries (maybe I covered too soon against SWD and they didn't get pollinated). This spring I cut the tips off where I saw the shriveled flowers (cut my old canes on Encore and Killarney at the same time). Now that variety has primocanes 4ft tall (very erect) already, still green. Flowers (look like no petals) on the lower parts of the older (peeling) canes I tipped this spring.

I'd like to see if I get berries on the older canes this year, it doesn't look like anything on the new shoots. Do I have to cut the new canes back to get them to form laterals? Is it too late in the season? I don't think the canes were green last year when the flowers formed, maybe they were floricanes but definitely flowers were on the tips, and this year there are flowers lower on the same canes. I hadn't pruned them at all since planting small green primocanes in 2012. The ones that flowered in 2013 weren't as tall and erect as the new canes are this year, so I'm sure they were 2nd year canes and now are 3rd year. Didn't see all this growth last year so I'm a little confused as to what I actually have.

Should I leave everything alone until after the berries (if I get any) on the older canes are harvested, and then just cut those off at the base?

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Comments (7)

jstubbs_gw
12 years ago
Sounds like you're doing things right - if they just went in in 2012, the first year (2013) will be a little different than this year since they were still getting established, so I'd just wait and see what happens.
2ajsmama
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, but wondering with these 4ft tall straight green canes - do I tip them to get laterals later this year or next? Or just leave them until next summer?

Got my first (2) ripe raspberries today - Killarney. Lowbush blueberries coming too (a handful today). Next weekend should be busy. No rain to speak of (less than 1/4" on Wed) past 2 weeks so I've got the drip hose on them - do I want to be sparing with the water on the Killarneys right now, or generous? Encore right behind them. Have some green fruit on TC but mostly still flowers. The unknown raspberry just has some of these bare-looking flowers (it was later than the other raspberries last year, and I didn't have TC to speak of).
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jstubbs_gw
12 years ago
Generally, reds don't do much if you top them, whereas black or purple raspberries do grow many additional laterals. So, if they're red, I'd leave them. During flowering / fruiting it's usually suggested to make sure the plants get 1.5 to 2" of water per week.
Michael
12 years ago
I've read with Royalty, a purple both to tip it and not to, hmm. The last 2 years I waited for the canes to get to the top trellis wire and then tipped them and got zero laterals, maybe don't tip is what I'll go with this year. sorry, don't remember the tipping dates but the canes would have been at least 4' tall at tipping and I'd guess there was at least 1 month of frost free weather after tipping.
jstubbs_gw
12 years ago
Michael, you can top, or not top, purples but if you do top them then the suggested height is to top when they're around 3' and to take off 4". Maybe topping higher prevents branching?
2ajsmama
Original Author
12 years ago
These are reds so I'll leave them alone. Ran the soaker hose for a few hours the other day and 3 days of rain expected starting tomorrow. No ripe berries today but I'll check Killarney again 1st thing in the AM. I'm still getting strawberries! Squirrels gave up (though slugs still a problem), I picked a quart out of app. 100sf bed that I just picked a pint from on Sat. Probably another pint slug damaged.
jtburton
12 years ago
I didn't tip my Royalty purple raspberries last year and they got to about 6ft but no laterals. The trouble was that they need to be tied to a trellis wire to keep them from falling over with their fruit load. I'm about 50% complete with their first fruiting year.

I also have Caroline red raspberries (primocane fruiting) and I do not summer tip them. The primocanes are starting to flower now but last year the bugs were so bad I just cut the tops off and thew away the berries. I have been using the floricane crop which arrived early (early-June) before the bugs and heat become a problem.