Rasberrie root shoots?

[CJS]

Hi people long time no post . . . done nothing for this year at all, only put a few seeds in today . . . to late? The weather has been so cold!

My 'Jane J; rasberries did well, very well, first season last year, about the only thing that did last year I cut them back in Feb., they are now sprouting well.

The problem I have, if it is a problem . . . there are loads of shoots coming from the roots. If it was a tree I'd call them unproductive suckers and cut them off, are these shoots going to produce viable fruit producing canes?

Be great if they do, more loverly rasberries, if not are they best removed or thinned to put all the energy into the originl plant?

CJS

[Motherwoman]

HI CJS

Don't cut them off!! That is how raspberries grow, unlike blackcurrants or redcurrants they don't form a bush but fruit on the new growth that appears from below ground every year. You should cut away the growth that has fruited at the end of the year. I don't know the variety you have but if it's a summer fruiter then you let the growth that appears in summer from the base stay to fruit in the next summer and then cut it off after fruiting so it's like a continuous 2 year cycle. Comes up one year and fruits the next then you cut it down. If it's an Autumn fruiter then you cut everything down at the end of the year, it fruits on the growth it makes that summer and then you cut it all down again at the year end.

Hope that helps.

Motherwoman

[FelixLeiter]

Joan J is an autumn-fruiting type, which means that the suckers you're seeing are going to grow to fruit at the end of the summer. You may find that they get rather congested as they progress, though, so thin out weaker and / or congested canes through the season. And they can also end up coming up where they should not, in which case rub out the shoots as they appear, ideally before they take over.

[CJS]

Thanks for the replies, exactly what I wanted to know. I had six plants last year, produced a lot of fruit I thought for the first year. If the shoots that are showing this year, at lest a couple of dozen, is any thing to go by, we will have so many rasberries we wont know what to do wth them! . . . Not a problem we will have a look at the recipie books. Its a good job Hazel and I like rasberrie jam
CJS

[Westi]

And you can open freeze them then blitz them up - great with ice cream, & smoothies are great from frozen fruit & there must be raspberry wine & I bet there are some savoury recipes as well!

Expecting to see you on the recipe site then CJS!

Westi

[peter]

Raspberry Vodka is good.

[Johnboy]

Joan J Raspberries are a Primo Cane variety and the pruning regime is different to other raspberries.
With primo canes you get an early crop, a second crop, from last years cane and in the case of Joan J a second crop in the autumn from the suckers that are appearing now. Only when last years cane has finished fruiting again this year should you prune that growth out.
They can be grown simply as an autumn fruiting variety but you are missing out on a very extended crop with many more raspberries.
JB.

[CJS]

Joan J Raspberries are a Primo Cane variety and the pruning regime is different to other raspberries.
With primo canes you get an early crop, a second crop, from last years cane and in the case of Joan J a second crop in the autumn from the suckers that are appearing now. Only when last years cane has finished fruiting again this year should you prune that growth out.
They can be grown simply as an autumn fruiting variety but you are missing out on a very extended crop with many more raspberries.
JB.

Thanks for that Johnboy, thats a bonus I was not expecting, best of all worlds?
CJS

[Elaine]

We grow Joan J too and they are simply brilliant fruits...the flavour is amazing. I still have around 4 pounds of them in my freezer from last years crop.This will be the third year we've had them.

JB, I didn't know that! We cut them down in February to fruit in the autimn. To be honest, we get so much fruit from them, I couldn't cope with extra crops. We initially bought six plants and I'm really glad we didn't get the twelve we first considered.

We have them in a fruit cage of their own, away from the main one and it's just as well. Last year, I made the mistake of leaving all the new growth as it appeared....they almost took over and I had difficulty getting into the cage, let alone harvesting them. Good job they're thornless! Last weekend, I pulled out new growth from the access area and other odd ones.

The raspberry jam was wonderful and I already have "orders" for this year!
Cheers.

[Johnboy]

Hi Elaine,
With Joan J like you I get too many suckers and have to be very selective. I have a waiting list of friends who want my excess.
I also have my old Autumn Bliss canes on the go because they too have been so wonderful I didn't have the heart to do away with them.
So not knowing the collective noun for Raspberries I have decided to call them an "Embarrassment of Raspberries!"
On the other hand I bought the new primo cane "Blackberry Reuben" two seasons ago and I feel that they are not hardy enough for this part of the globe. I have yet to gather a single fruit yet they too should double crop!
JB.

[Elaine]

Hello Johnboy.
An Embarrassment of Raspberries
Oh I love that!

[Elaine]

I put off getting Raspberry canes because I didn't want the hassle of tying in new canes etc.. Another plot holder had Joan J and also had an embarrassment of fruits...he gave me a bucketful! He also told us about the Primo Cane routine so I did a bit of research and liked what I learned.
Hey presto!
They are really no bother at all and we are really pleased with them... and the no hassle pruning.