Autumn work in raspberries. Proper care, pruning and top dressing of raspberries in the fall. Snow retention techniques
It's no secret that autumn is a hot season for gardeners. And their favorite adds worries fragrant berry. Every gardener to the end holiday season thinks about how to care for raspberries in the fall so that there is a good harvest. In this article, we will consider step by step which raspberries require care and how pruning is done in the fall. How to feed raspberries in the fall after pruning?
Work in the garden should be done in stages . The first stage of work should be carried out immediately after harvesting, and the second - closer to winter. After harvesting, pruning and shaping of bushes, soil preparation and top dressing, and, if necessary, pest control are carried out. The second stage includes tying up and covering, if necessary.
Raspberry pruning:
Many summer residents, when preparing raspberry bushes for winter, are limited to feeding and bending down the branches, but the correct autumn pruning raspberries. When and how to do it right? And in general, why is it needed:
- firstly, so that the fruits do not shrink, only 7-9 shoots are left so that the plant has enough light, moisture and nutrition;
- secondly, the ovaries are formed on one- or two-year-old stems, so the bushes should be regularly rejuvenated;
- thirdly, it will minimize the likelihood of diseases or pests in the next season, since most of the fungi and insects are concentrated in the upper part of the branches.
If we answered the question why, then the question of how to cut raspberries in the fall remains open for now? Consider the possible options.
1.Plain
Suitable for varieties with weak vegetation, stimulates the development of biennial shoots. It consists in shortening the stems by 2/3 of their length, and the weak, thin or dry lashes are removed completely.
Many recommend completely removing the two-year-old stems that have been fruiting this summer, especially if the plant is not formed by a bush, but is grown in separate vines. Uncircumcised two-year-olds, although they will give an ovary, but in small quantities, and the fruits will be quite small.
To renew bushes with weak vegetation and poor yields, they resort to cutting them at the root, followed by covering with mulch. In this case, all pathogens are completely removed and the growth of young strong branches is stimulated.
However, it is impossible to completely cut off the aerial part of chokeberry varieties, for example, Cumberland, otherwise you can be completely left without a crop.
2.Double
More suitable for remontant varieties, for example, Shelf (Polka), since plants must have great strength growth. It consists in double pruning of growth points - in spring and autumn. In this case, more young branches are formed that will bloom next year. This technique can only be used in the southern regions. Otherwise, after the second cutting of the tops, the side pagons will not have time to grow, and the yield will be lower. 
3. Trim to shorten
It consists in cutting off the top of the shoot. It is suitable for tall stems that are not prone to branching, as well as for accelerating the maturation of annuals.
If the question "How to cut raspberries in the fall?" we answered, then the question "When?" Not yet. Pruning is best done immediately after harvest. If remontant raspberries are pruned in September, after the second wave of the harvest, then ordinary raspberries can be pruned at the end of summer.
Fertilization and soil preparation
Caring for raspberries in the fall certainly includes preparing the soil for winter. First you need to clean the surface of the beds. If mulch is used, it should be removed and burned to avoid breeding and spreading pests. And scatter the ashes containing potassium under the bushes. Be sure to get rid of weeds. Clear the ground of fallen leaves, in which various insects settle down for the winter. Under the bushes, it is advisable not to dig it up, but to loosen it deeply. This is due to the fact that the root system is located close to the surface, and with deep digging, it can be inadvertently damaged.
After pruning, you need to make sure that the plant stocks more useful substances. This is necessary so that the bushes develop better next season. In addition, for many varieties it is important that the stems become woody, and this will also be facilitated by proper feeding. Therefore, caring for raspberries in the fall should include top dressing. Then a new question arises, how to feed raspberries in the fall after pruning? 
She loves loose soils rich in organic matter. Therefore, you can start fertilizing it with the introduction of chicken manure or cow manure. It is important to remember that if rotted manure can simply be spread out under the bushes, then chicken manure should be diluted in water in a ratio of 1:50 and left for at least two days, otherwise it will lead to root burns.
Favorably affects and watering herbal infusions, for example, nettle or dandelion, the main thing is not to do it later than mid-September.
It can be fertilized with urea, prepared according to the scheme: for 1 weave, 50 g of the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
To increase plant immunity, you can take 3 g of zinc sulfate and 5 g of manganese sulfate per 1 m2.
If lower leaves they turn red on the shoots, this indicates a lack of phosphorus and potassium. And they, by the way, help the plant survive the winter. In this case, raspberries should be fed with superphosphate or monopotassium phosphate in the amount of 40 g per plant. Bulk fertilizers are applied to grooves made at a distance of 30 cm from the stems, or in the middle of the row-spacing, and then watered.
It is better not to apply nitrogen compounds before winter, since excessively active growth at this time will have a bad effect on the wintering of lashes.
Top dressing can be done after harvesting, or re-flowering, if we are talking about remontant varieties. But this should not be done after mid-October.
In autumn, you can think about transplanting bushes or adjusting rows, although this can only be done by summer residents from the southern regions. A few tips for planting raspberries properly:
- she prefers sunny places, protected from wind and drafts;
- planting can be done when the leaves begin to fall and a white basal bud appears;
- plants are planted in rows according to the scheme: 70 cm apart and 1.5-2 m between rows;
- V landing pit it is recommended to add humus and a small amount of ash;
- if it is planned to form bushes, then it is recommended to plant two plants in the planting pit at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other;
- when planting, the replacement bud should be several centimeters below the ground;
- when planting bushes in a trench, you can arrange a trellis, for this, poles are installed along a row with plants and a wire is attached to them at a height of 1 m, and branches are already tied to the wire at a distance of 10 cm from each other;
- when planting, you need to make sure that all the roots look down;
- planting material in autumn can be one-year-old young shoots, cuttings harvested after leaf fall, and varietal material from the nursery;
- raspberries do not like neighborhood with potatoes, strawberries and tomatoes;
- you can check the quality of the landing by pulling the bush, if it does not pull out, then everything is done correctly.
Autumn watering raspberries
Very often, gardeners are interested in the question, should raspberry care in the fall include watering? And if so, how often and to what extent?
The answer to this question directly depends on weather conditions. If the weather is dry, it is recommended to pour 1 bucket of water per 1m 2 of the plantation 1 time in 2 days. Firstly, it will save the plant from premature dropping of foliage, which is necessary for storage. nutrients. And secondly, it will not allow the roots to freeze in case of unexpected frosts. Watering should be stopped when night frosts begin.
Protection against diseases and pests
- From fungi, the plantation can be treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
- To combat moss and lichens, the ground around the bush is treated with a pale solution of copper sulfate.
- From insects, raspberries can be treated with Fufanon, Actellik or Intavir solutions immediately after harvest.
- Fufanon is prepared in a proportion of 10 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water, this amount is enough to process 8 bushes. 1 ampoule of Actellik insecticide is diluted in 2 liters of water, and 1.5 liters are used ready solution per 10 m2 of plantation. Intavir is produced in tablets, before use, 1 tablet is dissolved in a bucket of water and all bushes are treated.
Raspberry shelter for the winter
1. When should raspberries be covered?
Firstly, if heat-loving varieties are planted on the site. And even if the varieties are frost-resistant, winter winds and drafts can be fatal for them.
Secondly, if there is little snow in the region in winter.
Thirdly, if the probability of early frosts is high.
2. Technology and terms of shelter
Before proceeding with the shelter of the bushes, they must be tied up and bent down. And even if there is no danger of freezing, a raspberry garter is necessary so that the plant does not break under strong winds and under the weight of snow. There are several ways to bend stems.
- To begin with, the bush is collected in a bundle, and then tilted and fixed with brackets, sticking them into the ground.
- Wooden stakes are stuck along the edges of the row, between which two wires are pulled at a height of 20 cm and 50 cm from the ground. Further, each lash separately, or their small bundles, is bent in an arc and attached to a stretched string. First, at a height of 50 cm, and after a while, when the branches get used to the position, they are lowered to a height of 20 cm.
- Small bunches of lashes are bent in an arc and attached to the lower part of neighboring bushes. This is the least expensive and easiest method, but is suitable if the risk of freezing the plant is low.
- Vertical tie method. A support peg is placed in the center of the bush and a raspberry bush is already tied to it, which is wrapped with agrofiber on top.
It is important to remember that the upper part of the bent bushes should be at a distance of 30-40 cm from the ground, depending on the region. In addition, the garter must be carried out before the onset of frost. Otherwise, the water in the stems will freeze and there is a high risk of breaking them when tied up.
Many summer residents are wondering how to cover raspberries for the winter? The best protector from winter frosts is snow.
For sheltering plants use:
- spruce branches, which, in addition to protecting against frost, also repels mice;
- various nonwovens, they can be selected depending on the strength of the frost;
- earth or humus - suitable for undersized varieties with thin flexible lashes.
If you want to get the maximum yield from raspberry bushes, then you cannot let its growth take its course. With regular picking of berries without the necessary and proper care, it will give only 25% of the possible. There is only one way out - to prepare it for the winter. Knowing how to properly prune raspberries in the fall will help save plantings and provide yourself with a harvest next year.
When is the best time to prune raspberries?
Raspberry bushes are pruned to achieve the following results:
- thinning bushes to get them a satisfactory amount of light and ventilation;
- productivity growth;
- an increase in the resistance of bushes to frost;
- prevention of wintering of pests and fungal diseases in the shoots;
- external neatness of the bushes.
They say that it is better to cut raspberries in autumn time, and not in the spring, since fungi and insects remain to winter in the stems. You can also cut in the spring, because at this time you can see what condition the bush is in, which shoots need to be removed for sanitary pruning.
It is difficult to indicate the exact timing of autumn pruning, but the main signal for the start of the operation is the end of fruiting. Experts recommend pruning raspberries 3-4 weeks before the onset of frost (some gardeners argue that it is more expedient to prune remontant raspberries after the first frost). Consequently, autumn pruning time ranges from July to October.
Raspberries need to be thinned out regularly so that they do not diverge in breadth.
Some gardeners also use summer pruning. It is performed to accelerate the formation of young stems and increase fertility. You can limit the growth of the raspberry bush, for this all young stems are cut out around the main bush.
Alternative opinion
The most effective is the method of pruning raspberries according to Sobolev, named after the Russian founder of raspberry growing. It does not require special training, even a beginner can handle it.
According to this method, pruning dates fall in spring and autumn. The first pruning is carried out in May-June, when the shoots grow up to 1 meter. Later, such an operation is impractical to carry out, since the stems do not have time to strengthen before frost. In the spring, the stems are cut to 15 cm, and in the fall - to the base of the soil to prepare the raspberries for the winter.
How to prune raspberry bushes in autumn
Effective pruning of raspberries in the fall covers the following steps:
Video: Pruning raspberries in autumn
How to properly trim the old one (anti-aging pruning)
As a standard, raspberries are bred on the same soil for about 10 years, 15–18 years is considered maximum period, since the soil during this time is already greatly depleted, especially if it is not fertilized. The productivity of bushes is significantly reduced not only because of the soil, but also because of the aging of the root. The influence of low temperatures, insects and diseases does not allow the buds to form normally, from which replacement shoots and offspring then appear.
Without correct pruning shoots may appear on the bush, which only create density, but do not increase the yield
The gardener often wants to save his reliable variety, and not plant another, so the plantation needs to be rejuvenated.
This can be done like this:
- In September, it is necessary to deepen the shovel near bad bushes to the full depth at a slight angle to the bush. This operation should be done around the entire bush;
- The main roots will be chopped, the bush can be pulled out with the root. You need to look so that the root offspring are not damaged, because the essence of the method lies in their presence. You should not dig up all the bushes at the same time, it is better to do this in several visits annually, otherwise you will have to be left without berries at all;
- The pits from the bushes are covered with humus or compost and watered. In the spring, mineral fertilizer is applied to this place. Thus, the remaining bushes will bring berries, and new shoots with their roots will appear on the territory of the dug out ones. In a year they will have real replacement shoots.
So in a few years it is available to rejuvenate your raspberries without ceasing to pick berries.
How to prune repair raspberries
Not everyone understands that there is a big difference in pruning traditional raspberries and remontant. In the first, berries are formed on two-year-old shoots; in the remontant, they are also formed on annual ones. This greatly affects the way the shoots are cut.
Repair raspberry has high yield, improved palatability, adapt well to different weather conditions
Any bush has about 8-10 main shoots, and annual shoots are already coming from them. To have more of them, you need to pinch the growth point of any shoot, then it will give another 4-5 shoots. The resulting shoots will also need to be cut by 10 cm to obtain a new tillering. Next year, the shoots inside the bush are cut out so that it is not too thick, and the outer ones remain intact. As a result, out of 10 stems, it is realistic to get about 100, and all of them will bear fruit equally well.
Trimming pattern remontant raspberry includes removal of old shoots
Dutch gardeners prune raspberries in the fall, with the result that they have achieved excellent results: 30 kg of berries per bush throughout the season. Here we should not forget about top dressing and sufficient watering, since significant volumes of berries require a lot of mineral and other components, which are not enough in the soil.
Work in the raspberries in the autumn is carried out only after the bushes have reached the age of two. It can be practiced after the last harvest, when the cold sets in and the leaves fall. All large shoots are pruned almost on a par with the soil, only small stumps of 5-7 cm are retained, young stems are cut out completely. If you do not prune raspberries in the autumn, then in the spring the bushes grow stunted, and the variety may completely lose its ability to be repaired.
What to process and feed after
Autumn top dressing is carried out after the raspberries are cut and the soil under it is dug up.
You can apply the following fertilizers:
- place bird droppings in liquid form throughout the plantation;
- manure is applied before digging to mix it with the soil. It is not only a fertilizer, but also great way cover for rhizomes in winter. Consumption per 1 square meter- 4–6 kg. You can not apply manure more than 1 time in 3 years, it is better to alternate it with other fertilizers;
- compost is considered an excellent top dressing. It is obtained from plant waste (leaves of trees, tops, weeds, carrion), which are overheated over the summer;
- you can plant green manure: blue lupine, mustard, vetch-oats. They are planted in June, and before winter they are buried in the ground. They rot and become excellent fertilizer to spring;
- the addition of peat enriches the raspberry soil. This element should be combined with other top dressings so as not to overdo it;
- mineral fertilizers(superphosphates, potassium salt) are introduced into the soil at the rate of 40–60 g per bush. Between the rows, grooves are made at a distance of at least 30 cm from the bush and fertilizer is poured there.
Nitrogen fertilizers should not be applied, as they lead to strong growth, and after pruning, raspberries must go into a dormant state. Reckless use nitrogen fertilizers can lead to freezing of the plant in winter.
Raspberry bushes grow well and give a rich harvest on soils rich in chemicals.
Thinking about how to fertilize raspberries in autumn, look at appearance plants. He will indicate the need for the introduction of certain fertilizers:
- poor growth and yellowing from the center of the leaf to the edge indicate a lack of magnesium;
- potassium deficiency leads to the appearance of brown edges on the leaves, the bushes do not winter well;
- if the leaves are yellowish with green veins, this indicates iron deficiency;
- when there is not enough phosphorus, the stems become thin;
- if the leaves on the bushes are small, yellowish, raspberries lack nitrogen. Its excess is manifested in the excessive growth of leaves and stems, unripe berries crumble, and the yield decreases.
So, autumn pruning of raspberries is necessary for both traditional and remontant varieties. It allows you to correctly prepare plants for winter, ensure their cold resistance and resistance to diseases, harmful insects. If it is not produced, then next year the yield of raspberries will be much lower.
Raspberries are among the most popular shrubs with healing berry Very good taste. This unpretentious plant gives a bountiful harvest, starting from the second year after planting, subject to proper care and processing. If the care is wrong, then the shrub grows strongly and the raspberry crop is rather meager. In this article you will learn how to care for raspberries in autumn.
Raspberries. autumn care
The best time of the year to process raspberries is autumn period. At this time, it no longer bears fruit, therefore, to collect better harvest- create special conditions for wintering.
First prepare the soil. Everything that has accumulated over the summer under the bushes is removed in the fall, then burned, or put into compost. This procedure is necessary to remove pests that want to overwinter in this mulching material. The soil that remains open must be loosened or carefully dug up.
For better growth and raspberry yields, only acid-free soil with a high content of organic elements is needed. To do this, once every 2 years, in the fall, raspberries are dug up and fertilizers are made from humus or compost. There they add wood ash in the amount of four to five kilograms per square meter. If you want to make chemical fertilizers - you can use only potash and phosphorus. If this condition is not met, then annual plant will grow vigorously and drop foliage early, which will lead to freezing of unripened young wood.
For fertilizer with mineral additives, grooves are made with a depth of up to twenty centimeters and located at a distance of thirty centimeters from shrubs. For each bush you need about 60g. superphosphate fertilizers and 40g. potassium salts. Feeding in autumn helps to increase the number of flower buds and, as a result, increase the yield for the next season.
Raspberry care in autumn. pruning
An important step is pruning, which must be done in the fall in order to minimize the number of pests. Harvest branches bear fruit for two years. After harvesting, the shoots that have already worked out their own are cut out to the very root. Pruning is done in such a way that stumps should not remain. At the same time, in very long shoots, which are one year old, the tops are made shorter.
Repair raspberries are cut completely, all stems in a row, regardless of age. For black raspberries, along with pruning of spent stems, they shorten everything side shoots up to 30-50cm.
Watch the video: Pruning raspberries for the winter. Raspberry Care Rules
In ordinary raspberries for the winter, annual shoots are bent to the ground at a distance of up to 30 cm so that they are covered with a thick layer of snow. The remaining leaves must be removed very carefully so as not to damage the buds growing in the sinuses. Winter-hardy varieties it is not necessary to bend to the ground, but it is enough to tie it into a bundle or attach it to a support. If the weather is dry, then the raspberries can be lightly watered in the fall.
We hope that our article on how to care for and prune raspberries in the fall was helpful. in the country, you can grow a good crop if you listen to the advice of experienced summer residents.
Today, many gardeners grow raspberries in their plots, which must be properly prepared for winter period. Caring for raspberries in the fall is a very important procedure and should not be neglected. In this article, we will tell our readers how to properly prune bushes at the end of the season, what to do for normal fertilization and top dressing of the soil, as well as bending down raspberry bushes before winter.
In order to understand how to care for raspberries in the fall, you should know the characteristics of a particular variety of berries. to the most important autumn work includes pruning bushes. It is very important to properly form the bushes, removing all unnecessary pagons. This will allow not only to form them correctly, but also to determine the degree of density. Since during frosts the plant will spend a lot of energy on maintaining normal life, it is advisable to remove extra pagons and stems in order to facilitate wintering and save more strength. Processing raspberries in the fall has many benefits.
First of all, it should be noted that pruning needs to be done, because it makes it easier to deal with various harmful insects. Mostly pests and fungi accumulate on the upper part of the crowns and on the top of the stems and leaves.
When the leaves are shed in November, pathogenic microorganisms enter the ground and penetrate to the root system. Some organisms may remain on the plant until the spring thaw. Therefore, raspberries in the fall must be processed, removing from the site everything that can destroy the plant.
With the help of pruning, you can clean the bush from excess shoots, making it easier to feed them. In the process of work, you can leave up to 9 shoots, on which the berries will always be large and juicy. If there is more greenery on the plant, the set fruits will not all be able to ripen equally well, since the bush will not have enough strength to evenly distribute minerals and life-giving juices. In this regard, the harvest will be small fruits. In addition, they will be sour, not sweet, and you will not be able to appreciate the taste of any variety of raspberries.
Pruning raspberry bushes makes it possible to increase future yields. Of course, first of all, it all depends on the variety of the berry, but the effectiveness of this method of care is undeniable. Berries can be tied up on one-year shoots that appeared in the spring on two-year-old branches. Sometimes they will immediately appear on one-year-old shoots. This is usually observed in remontant raspberry varieties. Thus, it will be necessary to cut the raspberries at the end of October in order to increase the yield in the next season. 
When pruning, farmers can leave 30-35 centimeters of the main stem for branching the bush, or cut it completely below ground level.
Gardeners have several types of plant pruning. There are three main ways: double trim, regular, and shortening.
Shortening is very easy. The completely above-ground part of the raspberry bush is cut off. This method is more suitable for the most common varieties of berries that do not produce large yields, as well as for those with a weak degree of vegetation. Shortening allows you to eliminate pests by completely removing them from the garden. Including a similar pruning method allows you to increase the level of productivity, stimulating the development of biennial shoots.
When regular pruning is carried out, about 70% of the shoots are removed in the process, and in rare cases, the entire stem. This technique will depend on the raspberry variety. In those varieties of berries that have good vegetation, cutting the entire stem is carried out quite often. The next season, by the beginning of summer, the shoot can already reach a length of almost a meter. If a certain variety has a slowdown in growth, then in the fall the shoots can be shortened by 50-70%. 
The double pruning method is suitable for all varieties of raspberries. Most often it is used for remontant berries. The most important thing is to always take into account the growth activity of the plant. It should form freely lush crown in order to maintain the possibility of good fruiting. In order for the bush to constantly bear fruit, it is necessary to shorten the sprout point both in autumn and in spring. As a result, it will be possible to achieve plant growth in all directions. New branches and pagons increase the next year's crop volume, if pruned in the fall in a timely manner.
Video “Why do you need pruning in the fall”
From the video you will learn why to trim the bushes in the autumn.
Fertilizer and top dressing
Processing raspberries in the fall means not only timely pruning but also the application of fertilizers to the soil. In order for the harvest to be large, it is necessary to allow the plant to accumulate as many nutrients and minerals as possible. At the right fertilizer soil next year you will be able to see positive result. Timely top dressing made is also needed so that by winter the stems become stiff, increase in diameter and stock up with the necessary substances that will protect the plant from frost.
Fertilizer and top dressing are relevant for varieties that will be subject to shortening and the standard pruning method. In this regard, it is advisable to start preparing the plant as early as August or September, depending on the raspberry variety grown. 
It is advisable to apply the first top dressing to the soil after the last ripe berries have been collected, or during the second flowering of raspberries in September (for remontant varieties). Carbamide is usually applied to the soil.
It is advisable to use a small dose, but to feed more often than once. For one hundred square meters of land, it will be enough to use 50 grams of urea. It is diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
You can replace the drug with a natural fertilizer. For this, liquid mullein, bird droppings diluted in water, is suitable. Application organic fertilizers is not inferior to chemicals, some of them can even have best effect. Within a few days, it will already be possible to notice the effect of organic fertilizers - the stems will begin to grow faster, the foliage should become a darker saturated color. The pale color of the leaves usually indicates a lack of trace elements in the plant.
If you provide the plant with proper care in the fall, then it will be able to overwinter well and begin to grow faster in the spring.
In the spring, nitrogen mixtures can be used to fertilize raspberries. Thanks to the nitrogen components entering the soil, it is possible to increase the metabolism of the plant, accelerating growth and increasing the volume of young shoots. 
If you plan to prune before winter, you can fertilize in the second half of October, and then let the raspberries rest for a few weeks. After a month, you can start pruning.
Bending bushes for the winter
If you grow raspberries in your garden, then you should remember to prepare the plant for wintering. The most important thing in this is to maintain resistance to frost. Regardless of the raspberry variety, it will need to be covered from frost. This applies even to the most frost-resistant varieties that can withstand very low temperatures. 
The main way to prepare raspberry bushes for winter is to bend down and tie. When planning to harvest next season from one-year-old shoots, you will need to place them for the winter as close to the ground as possible. This will protect the shoots from the wind (the wind is very dangerous for such seedlings), as well as shelter from frost with snow, retaining more heat.
To begin with, all tops and side shoots are cut off, leaving only trunks up to 85-90 centimeters in length. Then all the stems are gathered together and tied with twine. You will need to tie a small weight to the rope to keep the stems off the ground. Bending must be done early. This is due to the fact that at the end of autumn and at the beginning of winter, the flow of juice along the branches is already significantly slowing down.
Accordingly, flexibility and their elasticity is lost, bending the branches, you risk breaking them. Therefore, the process is best done in mid-autumn, while the branches bend easily. 
You can also use the burying method. It has already been proven that the earth is the best natural insulation for plants. Therefore, you can dig them to a sufficient depth. To do this, gardeners dig small indentations to the length of the stems, then tie them up and bury them. You can take the land from the site, if there is too much, by increasing the height of the embankment (the optimal soil layer is up to 20 centimeters). It is very important to dig up the stems in a timely manner with the onset of spring so that the plant does not suffocate without access to oxygen.
Video “Care for a bush in autumn”
From the video you will learn how to care for the bush before wintering.
Raspberries are one of the most popular shrubs among gardeners due to their unpretentiousness, as well as incredibly tasty and useful berries. Given that correct processing you can expect a bountiful harvest in the second year after planting. Wherein Special attention should be given to caring for raspberries in the fall and preparing them for winter.
What work does raspberry need in preparing it for winter
In order to grow tasty and juicy raspberries, the shrub will need a little care.
It is autumn that is considered the most suitable period for processing raspberry bushes and creating favorable conditions for their wintering. The process of preparing raspberries for winter consists of several activities:
- trimmings;
- thinning;
- cleaning the surface of the raspberry;
- digging the soil (every two years);
- fertilizer application;
- removal of fallen leaves;
- bending branches (in regions with frosty and little snowy winters);
- shelters.
Not only raspberries, but also its bark and leaves have useful properties.
Autumn care steps
To complete all the stages on time, you should know the order of work.
pruning
Raspberries are pruned in autumn in order to rid the bushes of old, diseased or damaged branches, which will draw strength from the common bush, without giving any crop. Leaving healthy and strong shoots, next season you can expect a large number of especially large berries.
It is the two-year-old shoots that should be removed, cutting them to the very root and not leaving even a small stump. It is advisable to burn everything that is cut off so that the pests on the shoots do not spread. One-year-old, but too high branches need to be shortened by cutting off the tops. After completion of work, about seven to ten powerful and healthy shoots should remain on the raspberry bush. In remontant varieties, all stems are cut off completely, regardless of age.
Shrub pruning is necessary in order to improve fruit quality and increase yields.
Pruning is carried out after the end of the harvest. At the same time, the terms may vary depending on the variety: the early ones are cut in early or mid-September, the later ones - in mid-October. The main condition is the fulfillment of all necessary work before the first frost sets in.
top dressing
Before fertilizing raspberries in the fall, prepare the soil. You need to start by cleaning the mulch that has lain on the surface for the entire warm period of time: fallen leaves, dry branches, straw are collected and sent to compost, or burned.
If it is not possible to feed the shrub in the fall, then you can use the help of green manure plants, which are sown in advance in the summer
At the stage of digging, feeding is just carried out. For this you can use:
- manure (introduced in the process of digging at the rate of 5 kg per 1 sq. m);
- bird droppings (distributed in the form of a liquid throughout the territory of the raspberry after it is dug up);
- compost (rotted tree leaves, peat, corn cobs, bird droppings);
- peat (applied at any time and improves soil structure);
- organic and mineral fertilizers (applied every 2-3 years).
Often, before wintering, superphosphates and potassium salt are used as top dressing (60 and 40 g per bush, respectively). They are brought into special grooves of twenty-centimeter depth, made at a distance of 30 cm from the bush.
It is important to consider that the use of nitrogen fertilizers is categorically not allowed in autumn, since they actively influence plant growth, which is completely unnecessary for them in winter.
In the absence of the possibility of feeding raspberries with ready-made fertilizers, you can resort to the help of green manure plants (vetch-oats, mustard, blue lupine), which are sown between the bushes in June, and in late autumn are embedded in the soil and, rotting over the winter, enrich it with nutrients.
Other procedures
To prepare the shrub for winter, it is wrapped and covered with a film.
In addition to the main activities for preparing raspberries for winter (pruning and top dressing), there are other equally important works:
- Removing dead leaves.
This must be done very carefully (so as not to damage the kidneys), running your hand from the ground to the top along the shoot. - Watering.
Before wintering, the soil in the raspberry should be abundantly moistened. - Mulching.
Covering the soil with a layer of mulch from 5 to 10 cm allows you to maintain an optimal level of moisture and save root system from freezing in regions with especially low temperatures and little snow. As a mulch in the fall, the use of rotten leaves or peat is optimal. - Bending down.
It is necessary in areas where winters are very frosty and with little snow. To do this, strong pegs are driven into the ground, to which a wire is fixed at a height of 20 cm from the ground. Then the raspberry branches are bent to the wire in the form of an arc and securely tied with nylon ribbons. - Shelter.
For regions with particularly severe frosts and windy winters, it is recommended to cover the bushes. To do this, the bushes are tied and wrapped with a film, or they make fences to protect them from the wind.
Summary of autumn care: video
At proper preparation raspberries by winter, the plant will safely survive the cold and next season will delight you with a plentiful tasty harvest. The main thing is to take into account in the process of caring for shrubs not only their variety, but also the climatic features of the site on which they grow.
