Raspberries gone wild

[hannabarn]

How can I rejuvinate this mess? I discovered these raspberries abandonded behind my neighbor's garage. They only vist a few times a year and I sort of caretake the place.

I miss Northern Wino. She could tell me what to do!!!

 

[Wade E]

I sy have a picking party and then thin it out!

 

[hannabarn]

They are so thick that there aren't many berries. I just wonder when is the best time to divide them into rows?

 

[pelican]

The wild raspberries that grow on our property grow thick like that too - I'd say you could make some rows and see if that helps cut down the overcrowding plus you'd be able to get in between to pick what there is.

When is the best time? My reading on this topic says summer pruning right after the fruit bearing is done - remove the bearing canes to make way for the new shoots. Once they've borne fruit those canes won't bear again.

Raspberries, especially a well established patch like that, grow like weeds. You could mow rows now and thin out what you leave and probably do no great harm. Worst that could happen is you take out some of the first year canes and it takes another 2 years to get a good fruit crop, but short of a whole lot of roundup or a digger, you wouldn't be able to 'get rid' of those raspberries at this point (my opinion, could be wrong~ )

Just remember waste not want not! pick them berries as you thin them out!

 

[hannabarn]

Thanks Pelican. I have picked a few berries but they are almost done as a lot of the berries have fallen off. I guess I will just get in there and thin them into rows for next year. I thought they were blackberries so I didn't watch them very close.

 

[Wade E]

Why, dont you like Blackberries?

 

[hannabarn]

I love blackberries but they won't be ripe here for another 3 weeks so I just didn't pay any attentiont to these bushes,

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

I know a fella that has a patch like that, he actually rototills paths through it. Does no harm.

 

[hannabarn]

Thanks JW, I think that is what I will try. Seems like the easiest approach!!

 

[grapeman]

I would take a heavy duty mower and mow them down. Then use the tiller to leave rows about 12 inches wide from what comes back up.












With luck they will develop into a row like this- black raspberries. This is the high tunnel I took care of last year. The new person isn't doing much with it and the canes are 12 feet high. Stepladder anyone?

 

[pelican]

Hey Barney, we've seen the before pictures - we will want to see the After ones as well!

 

[hannabarn]

If the weather cooperates, I will start cutting them tomorrow! I will take pics as soon as I am done. They are still producing some berries but I think it will be alright to cut them down!

 

[hannabarn]

Looks like a good year for choke cherries!

I can't reach this one with the hedgecutter but I have a 6' rotaty mower for my 8N tractor so I think I will mow it down with it.

 

[hannabarn]

After unloding 2 trailer loads of wood I went down and got started> Lots of work for an old man!! I ran out of gas about 2 PM! Doesn't take me all day to do a days work any more!!!! What do you think about the rotary mower. Should I mow them down low or leave then about a foot high!!

 

[grapeman]

So you work faster now than when young huh? That must be so because you can do a full days work in less than a day! SOunds like you still do plenty in a day to me!


I would take them down low myself so there isn't a lot of stubs to trip over. It would be good if you could clean the rows up with a tiller to make it narrower.

 

[Wade E]

Ive never seen a raspberry bush that tall!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hannabarn]

Wade, I think you looking at the chokecherry tree!!!!!!!!!

 

[hannabarn]

 

[hannabarn]

Ran out of room on the above post. Pics are after I mowed the raspberries down. If I rototill rows, how far apart should I make the rows?

 

[grapeman]

Wait until you see a bit of new growth. At that time determine how wide of a strip you have. If it is 10 feet wide, make two rows out of it. You really need about 7 or 8 feet per row, so you use the edges in my example to form two rows. Any closer than that and it will get overgrown like it was before.