Thinning raspberries???

[sparkles2307]

So, I planted raspberries last year. They are very young yet, just leafing out, and I am noticing a LOT of off-shoots coming up about 6-12 inches from the main plants. Do I need to get rid of those shoots or is that how they produce so I should leave them be?

 

[journey11]

I'm not sure about all varieties, but I think you are supposed to thin them out, keeping only the 4 strongest shoots per square foot. They are supposed to bear a better crop that way. Then I mow mine down to the ground every fall. (I do that with both my everbearers and fallbearers, but not everybody manages their everbearers that way, for one big crop.)

 

[lesa]

If you leave them, very soon you will have a mess of berry bushes- making it very difficult to harvest, without grave injury! Best to get rid of the extras-unless you are going for a "wild" effect and don't care about picking. Good luck!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Are these thornless rasberries? I wouldnt touch them until early next spring. If you already have leaves one them you might risk killing them during the transplant if you are not very careful. Mine are in a hedge row with plants side by side but only about 6 inches thick. These rows run for about 300 ft and seem to produce yearly with out any issues,

 

[Whitewater]

Mine are doing the exact same thing, but because it's a very new patch (I only planted the raspberries last year!) I'm going to leave everything the way it is for this year and most of next and see what happens.

I was told that raspberries produce fruit on their 2nd year canes, so if you plant a raspberry this year, it will grow canes and so on, but it will produce fruit on those canes *next* year so you want to leave them alone until after they bear. You get rid of them after they bear, to make room for the new growth.

My little volunteers are all Heritage, which is good, because the main cane has died, I think, and so if I want Heritage raspberries, this mass of volunteer canes is what's going to give them to me!

I only have one 2nd year cane this year thanks to rabbits, so I am jealously eyeing that one, and figuring that I'll have to start from scratch and leave it alone (again) for one more year, in order to get back on track.

I may get a handful of berries from this single cane, but all the new growth on it suggests that next year's crop will be much better, and from then on, we'll be where we're supposed to be.

stupid rabbits!

Anyhow, in answer to the OP, frankly (as another MN gardener) I'd just leave them be for right now. Let them grow, and see what happens. You can always get rid of them next spring.


Whitewater