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gardenlove
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Rasberry plant not producing
HI my name is Megan and I'm a newbie at this whole thing... I have this Rasberry plant that I purchased two years ago. It was already growing when I purchased. I have yet to have any rasberries though and I'm getting really bummed about it. Any suggestions on what I can do??? FYI I live in CT THANKS
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opabinia51
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gardenlove
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well I have been reading about it and I don't think I'm cutting them back far enough. In the fall I cut back all the runners but I don't cut down the main root. I have heard the term "Mowing" alot all of a sudden and I'm just wondering if it means what I think it meanswhich is cutting it down to ground??? 
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opabinia51
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If I understand you correctly, I think what you are doing is cutting back the new runners? That is what gives you the new fruit. What you want to do is cut back the old canes and let the new runners come up. They will give you fruit for the next year.
And definately do not take the roots out. They provide your plant with nurients that it needs to grow and produce fruit.
And definately do not take the roots out. They provide your plant with nurients that it needs to grow and produce fruit.
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gardenlove
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opabinia51
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Alright just to see if we can figure this out together (and don't worry, sometimes getting things straight is tough, I've been there.) Does your plant have woody canes on it now?
If so, read on. If not just say no and we'll go from there.
If you have woody canes on your plants that have a few leaves but very little fruit; cut them down to the grouind, right to the dirt. And wait for the new runners to come up. You may get some fruit from them this year.
In the fall, they will be woody. Cut them back to the ground. You should have new runners coming up, if not next spring you will.
Build a little wire fence along your plants that you can tie the canes to as the grow. The can get up to 6 feet tall depending on the cultivar you have.
Fertilize your plants with organic fertilzers. In the fall when you cut back the old canes, chop the canes up or mulch them with the lawnmower and add them back to the soil. Also add some mulched leaves followed by manure. Composted chicken manure is great, steer manure is good, composted sheep manure is good and the list goes on.
You can also save up your eggshells and crush them and add them to the soil throughout the year. They actually have a carbon to Nitrogen ratio that would rate them as a green (like manure as apposed to leaves).
If so, read on. If not just say no and we'll go from there.
If you have woody canes on your plants that have a few leaves but very little fruit; cut them down to the grouind, right to the dirt. And wait for the new runners to come up. You may get some fruit from them this year.
In the fall, they will be woody. Cut them back to the ground. You should have new runners coming up, if not next spring you will.
Build a little wire fence along your plants that you can tie the canes to as the grow. The can get up to 6 feet tall depending on the cultivar you have.
Fertilize your plants with organic fertilzers. In the fall when you cut back the old canes, chop the canes up or mulch them with the lawnmower and add them back to the soil. Also add some mulched leaves followed by manure. Composted chicken manure is great, steer manure is good, composted sheep manure is good and the list goes on.
You can also save up your eggshells and crush them and add them to the soil throughout the year. They actually have a carbon to Nitrogen ratio that would rate them as a green (like manure as apposed to leaves).
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gardenlove
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okay that makes sense but what other types of canes are there because mine are a purple color and don't look like a tree stem? but thats good information because I just bought another raseberry plant whiches is a Heritage Raseberry and that looks like a tree branch!! Thank you so much again for your help because I am determined to make the dumb thing produce hehe
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opabinia51
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With your new one, leave the wood until the fall. Some runners will poke up and then you can prune back the established cane and let the new canes come up.
Glad that we started to figure things out here! Oh, and enjoy your raspberries, they are my favourite berries. So nice just with some milk, or in a bumbleberry pie, or just a raspberry pie. They are good in a savory roast beef dish. The list is endless.
Once your plants get producing, you'll have raspberries coming out of your pockets so, let us know what recipes you use and any tricks of the trade that you pick up on growing them.
Cheers and have fun!
Opabinia
Glad that we started to figure things out here! Oh, and enjoy your raspberries, they are my favourite berries. So nice just with some milk, or in a bumbleberry pie, or just a raspberry pie. They are good in a savory roast beef dish. The list is endless.
Once your plants get producing, you'll have raspberries coming out of your pockets so, let us know what recipes you use and any tricks of the trade that you pick up on growing them.
Cheers and have fun!
Opabinia
Sorry to butt in on this but I grow raspberries and thought that you may still cut the wrong bits out if the raspberry cane turned a bit "woody" at the end of the first year.
Gardenlove there are 2 types of raspberry autumn fruiting and summer fruiting.
Autumn fruiting are easy, they grow, produce canes and fruit in just one year and you cut them to the ground at the end of the year or the start of the next year. Then it all starts over again, year after year. Nice and easy.
Most raspberries are however summer fruiting. These are treated differently. They also produce more fruit then autumn raspberries.
These fruit on old, or year old canes. So the canes that grow this year will not bear fruit this year but will bear fruit next year. So if they turned a bit woody at the end of the year you might cut them out at the end of the year you will have no year old canes next year.
On a producing raspberry plant you will have this years growth and last years canes. Leave this years canes to grow. Last years canes will bear fruit and when they have fruited and died back you can cut them out - leaving what has grown this year on the plant to be next years fruiting canes.
My concern was that this years canes may turn a little woody at the end of this year and you may cut them out. Thus pruning out the canes that will bear next years fruit.
It is not easy to put into words but once inspiration dawns it is easy. Or do as I do and grow autumn raspberries.
Gardenlove there are 2 types of raspberry autumn fruiting and summer fruiting.
Autumn fruiting are easy, they grow, produce canes and fruit in just one year and you cut them to the ground at the end of the year or the start of the next year. Then it all starts over again, year after year. Nice and easy.
Most raspberries are however summer fruiting. These are treated differently. They also produce more fruit then autumn raspberries.
These fruit on old, or year old canes. So the canes that grow this year will not bear fruit this year but will bear fruit next year. So if they turned a bit woody at the end of the year you might cut them out at the end of the year you will have no year old canes next year.
On a producing raspberry plant you will have this years growth and last years canes. Leave this years canes to grow. Last years canes will bear fruit and when they have fruited and died back you can cut them out - leaving what has grown this year on the plant to be next years fruiting canes.
My concern was that this years canes may turn a little woody at the end of this year and you may cut them out. Thus pruning out the canes that will bear next years fruit.
It is not easy to put into words but once inspiration dawns it is easy. Or do as I do and grow autumn raspberries.