| Pruning raspberries will result is a better production | | | | mold is a disease that needs to be controlled, if |
| of fruit the next year. With a little basic | | | | not it can be easily carried over to the next |
| maintenance you can grow a healthy, thriving | | | | seasons fruit crop. To prevent this from |
| crop in your home garden to enjoy for years to | | | | happening, simply remove the late fruits or |
| come, it is well worth the time it takes. | | | | flowers as they develop by picking or pruning |
| The proper pruning, and at the right time of the | | | | them from the plant as soon as you notice them. |
| year are very important. The results can be very | | | | Two other common maintenance practice that |
| rewarding and noticeable the following year. Soon | | | | needs attention is when the new canes grow too |
| after you have harvested your last raspberry, | | | | tall and become weighted down by there own |
| the canes that produced the berries need to be | | | | weight, this can cause serious damage to the |
| removed by simply cutting them back to ground | | | | plant during a simple thing as a wind storm. To |
| level. This will encourage the growth of new | | | | prevent this from happening, cut off the tip |
| shoots for the following year, and it will also help | | | | growth in the fall to remove the excess weight. |
| in the prevention plant disease and insect | | | | Foliage on the plant tips that hasn't fallen off the |
| problems that can harbor in or on the old canes. It | | | | plant in the late fall like the lower leaves have, |
| is very important that you only remove the | | | | should be removed by hand picking them from |
| canes that produced fruit, new shoots that grew | | | | the plant, they can easily become a place for |
| that season and haven't produced any fruit are | | | | diseases and insects to harbor over the winter |
| the ones that will produce next years crop. | | | | months and become a problem the next season. |
| One thing that should be watched for is the new | | | | Once your fall maintenance has been completed |
| growth that starts to flower or even produces | | | | you are finished until early spring when you do |
| fruit, this usually happens due to weather | | | | some trimming as soon as yo see the buds on |
| conditions. The flowering or development of fruit | | | | the canes start to develop. Cut the canes back to |
| will occur toward the tip of the new canes and | | | | the live buds. |
| ripen late season. This late crop development will | | | | If this is the first pruning of the bush, make sure |
| seldom ripen properly and usually becomes | | | | that you leave enough cane to keep the plants |
| covered with a disease called "gray mold". This | | | | root system alive. |