Do This Forgotten Trick and Your Raspberries Will NEVER STOP Producing, by Bill Barnes on YouTube. 31 min 36 s.
- Video length
- 31 min 36 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Check your raspberries have been in the ground for at least a full growing season. Young first-year plants need all their energy for roots, so leave them alone this year.
Wait until February, while the plants are still dormant and before new buds start to swell. Timing stays the same as normal pruning. Only the decision changes.
Look along the row and pick out the thickest, healthiest canes. Aim to keep 6 to 8 of the strongest canes for every metre of row.
Cut every other cane right down to the ground, about 2 to 3 cm above soil level. Clear the cut canes away so they do not shelter pests.
Tie the canes you kept to your support wires, spacing them roughly 10 to 15 cm apart. Good airflow matters in a damp summer.
Feed the row with a general purpose fertiliser in spring and mulch around the base. Water in dry spells while the early crop is swelling.
Let the retained canes flower and fruit in early summer, then pick that crop as normal. It comes earlier than your autumn harvest.
Cut those same canes to the ground once the early crop finishes. The fresh primocanes growing from the base will then carry the full autumn flush.
Repeat every February, keeping 6 to 8 canes per metre and cutting the rest. Do not keep fewer than that or the early crop drops off badly.
Tips and common mistakes
Retaining too few canes is the commonest mistake. Varieties like Joan J give a poor early crop if you skimp on the number you leave standing.
Only established plants respond well. A first-year cane has not built the reserves to carry two crops.
Frost still ends the season and the plants still go dormant, so do not expect fruit in winter.
Wear gloves and use sharp secateurs. Blunt blades crush the cane and leave a ragged cut that invites disease.
Questions
Can I do this with summer-fruiting raspberries?
No. Summer varieties already fruit on last year's canes and are pruned straight after picking. This technique is for autumn-fruiting types.
How many canes should I leave per metre?
Leave 6 to 8 of the strongest canes standing per metre of row and cut all the rest to the ground. Keeping fewer weakens the early crop.
Will it work on new plants?
Not in the first year. Give the plants a full season to establish, then start double-cropping the following February.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
