Marlene:

You must have a healthy situation there for your black raspberries if they are growing like that. Once again, the Jellyman advice is prune back the laterals, to 2 feet or less. You may get fewer berries, but they will be larger and better quality, and that is the game for the backyard grower.

You did the right thing by removing the floricanes. When confronted with the question of whether or not to prune back caneberries, the answer is almost always yes.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks again, jellyman. I really didn't know if this would be a good location for the raspberries, because it is kind of wet, on a downslope (in dry Colorado), and also doesn't get full sun. I am going to try to download a picture from photobucket, but if I don't succeed, thanks so much.
{{gwi:122860}}

Guess it worked. You can see it's a teeny, tiny raspberry patch.

Sshadygarden:

Well, yes, it's teeny compared to some, but the raspberries look very good. I don't really see a problem with drainage at that spot -- they seem to be getting about the right amount of moisture.

I don't see serious overgrowth of the plants either, and, given the fact that they are your primocanes (they will bear next season as floricanes), and they will still have to endure the tender mercies of a Denver winter, you might want to wait until spring to do your pruning. At that point you can assess any winterkill and prune that off first before determining whether more pruning is needed.

Oh, and congrats on successfully posting a photo. That is an achievement in itself to some of us.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Hey, thanks again! I'll wait until spring to prune.

Marlene

I feel terribly uninformed! 2 of my 3 new plants survived and have produced lots of lateral canes, but the plants very short and spread out now. What am I supposed to be doing here?? THANKS!

Ann

catlady:

Can we safely assume your plants are also black raspberries, or are they something else? Where did you buy them, and what did it say on the label? I don't know why your plants would be short, but what is short in actual feet or inches? Lateral canes grow from the sides of the main vertical canes. Is this what is happening, or are your main canes simply lying on the ground? If so, stake them up.

It's hard to suggest what you should be doing when we are going on so little information.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Ditto Don. More info, with pictures, would be helpful.

They're Jewel black raspberry from Raintree. Honestly, I have to check them to see where the canes are coming from, but I think they're coming off the short (6-8") canes that I started with. I'll write again soon, and if I can figure it out, I'll post photos. THANK YOU for your help & concern!!

Ann

OK, here's the scoop. I have 2 survivors (of 3.) On one, the original 8" cane looks dead, but from the soil are several huge canes which cascade up and then outward several feet. Where they touch the ground, they branch into 4-8 smaller "shoots." (I don't know the terminology, as you know!) On the other plant, large canes come off the original 8" cane and do the same thing, cascading outward and then branching. Overall the plants are only 1-2' high, and look nothing like Shady's plants shown above. Was I supposed to support those large canes? They seem pretty flexible...maybe it's not too late to try to get them up?

Please help! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Ann

Yes, if you are trying to maximize fruit production and quality for next year you should support them up.

The tips that have arched to the ground and then branch out are trying to root into the ground. If you want more plants you might choose to go ahead and let them root, or even help them by digging a little hole for them and or mounding some dirt on them and maybe even putting something to hold them down so they don't get dislodged.

OK, so I'm ready to act, and I'm really not sure what's ideal. Do I build something to pull them up? Do I put little cages around them? Is there a "best" way to do this?

How high should I try to get them to go?

I bought cable ties and I have stakes, and then realized I have no idea what I'm doing....

THANKS,
Ann

hello,

I have totally rearranged my black raspberries---I now have 7 plants spread out over about 30' with 3 posts and cables to support them as needed. Two of the plants already go about 6' in the air, others are only a foot high. I'm hoping someone can tell me or direct me to instructions ---I don't know the terminology, and I don't know how best to prune for maximizing production.

Thanks in advance!!

Ann