New to raspberries how to figure out what type?

We bought a house last fall and one side of it had a large raspberry patch. The house had been unoccupied for about a month before we moved in so the gardens were very overgrown. After doing very minimal research about how to care for raspberries I decided to cut them down to about an inch above the ground in late October and wait until this spring to see what showed up. Well, during the winter I was doing some reading and discovered how you care for them has a lot to do with what variety you have. Sooooo, how do I figure out what type I have?

You need to let them grow, then monitor when the canes produce fruit. Watch canes that sprouted this year and see when the fruit ripens, if any. Then do not cut them down and see if they bear fruit the following spring. If canes that produce fruit this year in the fall produce fruit next year in the spring, then you have an everbearing type.

This is what I observed so far. A few very thin small canes grew out of the sides of the inch or so of old cut-down canes and those produced berries that started ripening about two weeks ago. The new big canes that grew around the old canes are like 6 feet high now and are just getting buds so I assume the berries will be ready in the fall. I also remember that the plants did have a lot of berries when we moved in last September. So if I am understanding does that mean they are everbearing? And if so, can you point me to a good guide to care for them?

Probably. I think you need to get thru next year to be sure. To confirm, the canes that fruited this month and earlier will die while the new canes will produce fruit this fall as well as next spring. Red, yellow or black fruit?

Red fruit and very yummy. And the tiny canes that produced this year are already starting to wither a bit. So just do nothing to the big guys in the fall and they will make it thru the winter without withering? I am in Zone 5 in west Michigan. I really appreciate all the help and advice.

The general advice, which I do not agree with, is to cut everbearing raspberries to the ground (mow them) after they finish fruiting in the fall. that is supposed to give you a larger, better crop in the fall next year at the expense of the spring crop. I did that one year with my Heritage and Fall Gold raspberries, both everbearing varieties. What happened is that the weeds grew faster than the raspberries the next spring and I almost lost them. I never cut mine at this point, just remove the spent canes. I think it is better to have smaller crops over a larger period of time. Just my opinion but it works for me.

Since the patch was already there, I think you have little to worry about hardiness from them.

Thanks again for all your help!

I live in zone 4 and have heritage raspberries. I would suggest that you take a plant to your local agricultural college and see if they can identify the variety. If they can't perhaps they will recommend someone who could. Cornell University in upstate New York is and excellent internet source of information for all backyard and garden plants. Interestingly enough Cornell developed the heritage raspberry about 35 years ago.

I learned from their website that the reason that I wasn't getting a larger crop was because my plants were being grown in a very large area. It's best to contain the berries to rows that are only a foot wide. I've been using a rototiller to narrow the rows and I've been giving lots of plants away. It would be nice to have the plant identified before you give any away. My plants have a lot of summer berries on them as they still keep growing taller. By all means mow them down this fall because everbearing raspberries only bear on primocanes--one year old canes.

As far as weeds I learned a wonderful trick from a fellow davesgarden forum member named Bert. He takes a paint brush, preferrably a large portrait brush, you decide what size works best for you. He uses the brush to put a dot of straight Roundup on weeds or grass that are in the middle of the plants that he wants to keep. This is very easy to do in the spring when the berry plants are short, but as the plants keep growing I go in from the sides of the berry plants and gather grass strands together. There may be just a few strands or a small fist full. I twist the grass gently and bend it down to the ground and I may have to weight it down. Then I take straight Roundup and paint it more liberally than just using a few drops if it should be a small fist full. It takes a steady and careful hand, but if you should drop some on a raspberry plant, just remove the leaf that the Roundup fell on immediately. Sometimes I hit a raspberry plant without noticing and it seems that the worst that happens is that the plant turns yellow and is stunted. Be sure to visit Cornell's site about raspberries. Congratulations on your wonderful find and new house!!

Thanks Helen. I will definitely visit Cornell's site and MSU has an extension office that I think does plant IDs.

Sorry, Helen, you are not correct. Everbearing raspberries bear fruit on the tips of this year's canes in the fall. The cane overwinters, then bears fruit lower down on the cane the second year. After the second year's fruit is done, the cane will die. That is not a problem because the roots have put out new canes which will fruit in the fall.

Here are some links that explain it.

http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2066e/
http://www.freeplants.com/raspberry-plants.htm

This is a quote from the second link:

"Everbearing red raspberries, also known as fall-bearing or primocane-bearing raspberries, produce a fall crop of berries in late summer on the top third of the cane, and a second crop the next June on the bottom two-thirds of the cane. Everbearing raspberries can be grown for both these crops or they can be pruned so that only the late summer crop is harvested. (Mike McGroaty)

Thanks for clarifying that krowten. It totally makes sense with the growth pattern I am seeing. When the canes die after fruiting on top in late summer and in June the next year, are they just easily cut down and composted? Also, how far apart do you plant yours? Thanks for the help.

Kelly, I do not remember how close I planted them. The plants pretty much decide that after they have been in a few years. As you can tell from the growth cycle, the plants renew their above ground growth on the two year cycle. For me, the canes actually die off enough that you can pull them out of the ground without cutting at the end of the year or beginning of the next. I usually leave the dead canes until I notice them being in the way and pull them out. They are easy to spot.

Below ground, the plants gradually spread and move about accordingly. They send out shoots that come out a little further away from the original plant location each year, so where you plant them does not mean that is where they will stay. Helen's method of growing them in rows makes a lot of sense if you have the space for it. You can also rapidly expand your patch by digging up the spring shoots and transplanting them. Just remember to leave enough behind to maintain the patch, knowing that the 2nd year canes will be gone.

I prefer to mow every fall because I don't have to pick out dead canes and my rows remain intact because by mowing I'm forcing new buds to break below the soil in the spring. It's a very common practice for fall bearing raspberries and I find it so much easier especially with my 55 year old back. My mower does a fair job of making mulch like material that I just leave on the row. I suppose you could rake it off and burn it. Also, I find that the berries picked in the fall aren't as buggy.

Thank you both so much. I love this site (just found it last wk) because everyone is so knowledgable. The one thing I was familiar with about raspberries is how prolific they are. When we bough the house last fall it had been unoccupied for almost 2 months. When we looked at it to buy it the gardens were beautifully manicured. When we moved in it was a jungle. The raspberries were over 7 ft tall and toppling over. And had spread into the grass across the patio from the patch and up behind the siding of the house! Oh well, I got to give a bunch of plants to my sister. Thanks again.

I wish I had the space to do that. However, I also like to nibble on the berries as I work in the garden and walk by. With two everbearing kinds with slightly different ripening times, I get almost continuous raspberries throughout the summer. Since we don't bake or freeze them, it works for us. I sympathize with your back - I'm losing my ability to bend over myself. I figure I'll be gardening only a few more years, then I'll sit on the porch, watching the birds and watching the kids walk by down the street, maybe watch the rain and the growing grass.

Krowten never give up, just keep looking for alternatives that save time and effort. Roundup has really helped me to manage more than I recently used to. When weeding a bed depending on the size of the plant I cover each veggie plant with a plastic drinking cup or the bottom of a cut off vinegar jug or a coffee can and if really big an old 5 gallon bucket that used to hold drywall joint compound. Once each plant is completely covered I spray the Roundup. Weeds die and I'm spared hoeing. This is just what I thought up. I also love the idea that I mentioned in an earlier post from a fellow forum member named Bert. He's the one that kills weeds mixed in with his veggies or other plants by using a paint brush to put a drop of straight Roundup on the offending weed. Keep going krowten!! Maybe we should have an over 50 forum so that we can give body saving tips to each other. Just a thought.

One of the things I do these days is to take a folding wooden chair with me on my garden rounds. I work sitting on the chair pulling weeds or picking blueberries. Sure the chair gets wet from rain (I'm actually on my second chair) but it quickly dries in the sun. I also have a small plastic patio table that I can use to set plants in pots on. Saves bending that way.

When the weeds in the garden start to get ahead of me between the veggie plants or rows of veggies, I use my weedwacker (edger/trimmer) to put them back in their place. That way they are not stealing the sun from the veggies. Hoeing is a lot of work so the trimmer helps me keep up with the weeds when I run behind.