Topic: Raspberry shoots?

[silly billy]

I planted some summer flowering canes in rows as advised and they are growing well but I have noticed that some have new shoots emerging from the ground approx a foot away from the original plant.What should I do with them? They are growing in the paths I have between rows and I am not sure wether to leave them there or not.Can i dig them up and use them as new plants?

[Mrs Ava]

I do just that silly billy.  Mine creep out into the path so I severed them cleanly, replanted in gaps in the row, watered very well, and they grew splendidly.  If you don't keep an eye on them, I do believe they would take over......mmmm....a world overrun with rasberries doesn't sound to bad to me!  :D

[allaboutliverpool]

Presumably you have either put wire supports up for your raspberries, or intend to. I have removed, only yesterday, every sucker as they are called that is more than 6 inches from the wire otherwise it will be difficult to tie them to the wires, they will after all be next years canes.
If you want longer, or more, rows then dig down to the base of the sucker and remove it from the parent plant, keeping some roots on. Either pot them up or plant where you wish them to grow, water well.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments2_my_allotment_in_liverpool.html

[silly billy]

Thankyou both very much thats answered my question and tomorrow I will dig them up and plant another row.Thanks.

[valmarg]

I hope you don't mind me digressing slightly on to autumn fruiting raspberries.  I bought some Joan J plants about 12 months ago, and had quite a good crop from them last year.

Autumn fruiting/primocane raspberies produce fruit on the current year's growth, ie you cut everything down to ground level in the spring.

I hesitate to call it a problem, but we are getting plants/suckers growing quite a distance away from the original planting.  Anything from12-18" to a yard away.  Is this normal for autumn fruiting varieties, Joan J in particular?

Much as I love raspberries, could this suckering become a problem?

valmarg

[jennym]

I have Joan J too, and they seem to be very vigorous when it comes to putting out suckers. They've even forced their way up through gaps in paving stones here.
The good thing is, that if you want to control them, you can be quite ruthless about using a sharp spade to cut down into the root, it doesn't seem to affect the main row. The you can replant or chuck the ones you don't want.

[antipodes]

I have planted 4 raspberry plants, this is my first year, I am dead excited about them! A couple of mine had suckers attached to the base of the "parent" plant so I just left them on, aligned them up in the same row and now they seem to be taking off. So I actually have about 6 plants for the price of 4 hee hee. Apparently from your comments I did the right thing.
Dunno if those babies will fruit this time though? They are Heritage variety, think it is a late summer fruiter??

[beachlover]

My father, who grows more fruit than me rekons that horizontal spread can be a real nuisance, so he digs a 12" trench around his canes and says that curtails it as they travel just under the surface.

[jennym]

..Dunno if those babies will fruit this time though? They are Heritage variety, think it is a late summer fruiter??

They may not if they are a summer variety, for this type you let the canes that grew this year stay over winter (they look all woody and dead but don't worry) and they will fruit next year. With summer fruiting varieties, you normally cut down the canes that have fruited after they fruit, leaving new grown canes to stand over winter and fruit the following year.
Wasn't familiar with this particular variety, and googled it, got some info on this link:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1421.html

[valmarg]

Thanks very much for the answers to my query.  It would appear that, if left to get out of control, they could be a problem.  Not the worst problem in the garden - at least they produce edible (aka delicious) fruits!!

valmarg