Propagating raspberries is easier than it seems. The plants are generally very difficult to kill, which is a great advantage for anyone who needs the delicious fruit in their own garden. In general, there are two different methods of propagation: either by dividing the plant or by digging cuttings from an existing plant. You can find out the exact steps and instructions on how to propagate raspberries below.
Raspberries are very vigorous, but the quality of the berries suffers if the plants are not propagated properly. With good propagation and planting methods, your chances of having a healthy plant that produces juicy berries increase.
Method 1: Take cuttings
This is one of the most popular methods of propagating raspberries. Each year the raspberry bush produces canes or shoots that thicken and grow. The first set of rods is called Primocane. Often these are sections of the plant that thicken and form a kind of woven basketthe base of the raspberrythe picture.
The canes can also grow underground and root some distance from the main bulb. The sudden appearance of green, leafy shoots moving away from the main raspberry bush leads to offshoots that grow out of the primocanes and these are often smaller canes. These younger, green shoots look like little suckers hanging from the thicker canes. To propagate red raspberries with these cuttings, you need the following tools:
- a garden spade
- Rubbing alcohol
- sharp secateurs or a knife
- a pot
- Potting soil with a slightly acidic pH (6.5-6.7)
Winter is the best time for propagating and planting raspberries. Be careful to protect the propagated cuttings and avoid freezing the plants due to frost.
- First, select an area of the main raspberry plant from which you want to take the cutting for propagation. It should be a healthy area that shows no signs of rot or insect infestation. The Primocaneshould be healthyand have several offshoots that emanate from it.
- Choose a section that has not grown too deeply into the main plant as you don't want to damage your existing raspberry.
- Using a sharpened garden spade cleaned with alcohol, cut through the primocane and separate a section of offshoots and roots from the mother plant. Gently brush some soil away from the roots so you can get a better look at the cutting. You can use pruning shears to cut off most of the primocane, leaving only parts of the cuttings with adult roots.
- Each cutting should have several healthy roots to be considered for propagation.
Caring for raspberry cuttings
Place the cuttings in a pot with soil with the pH required for raspberries of 6.5-6.7. Spray them with a little water, being careful not to drown the plant. The soil should be loose and not tightly compacted. Fortunately, raspberries grow quite well in the wild, and even if you don't try too hard,the cutting shouldthrive well. Place the cutting in a sunny, weather-protected place.
If you wait until early or late spring to propagate cuttings, the plant will be immature when the summer heat sets in and scorches the soft leaves. By propagating in late winter, the plant is already established by the time it has to survive the summer heat.
Since the propagation is very sensitive to cold, you should cover the ground with mulch or place the plant in a sunny spot. If the weather turns cold and rainy, it is better to put the pot on your porch or in a greenhouse. Water the cuttings when the soil is dry to the second knuckle when you insert a finger into the soil.
Method 2: Propagating the tops of the plant
A good method for propagating raspberry plant cuttings is to create your own mini raspberry plant and then cut it off from the main plant. This method is also suitable for other variants of the raspberry plant, e.g. B. for black or yellow raspberries. Prepare the following tools:
- secateurs
- Sterilizing fluid or rubbing alcohol
- A paperweight or a medium sized stone
- Pot
- Slightly acidic soil
It is important to find healthy tops of raspberry bushes. Then each tip is buried into the ground a short distance from the plant, using a weight to gently hold the raspberry in place. The adult plant will continue to provide the tip with sufficient moisture and nutrients while the tip responds to the soil and forms its own roots.
After a few weeks, when you remove the stone and the top of the raspberry is stuck and won't come out of the ground, you canone the raspberrycut by cutting them close to the ground. It is important that you use sterilized scissors for all cutting work. Wait until the soil is warmed by the sun. This means that late afternoon is the best time of day to get the new raspberry plant out of the ground.
Use a brush to loosen the soil from the cutting and inspect it for viability. Check that the roots have grown well and when you are sure that the propagation has been successful, plant the cutting in a pot with slightly acidic soil. Mist the cutting with water until the top layer of soil is moist, then place it in a sheltered spot that gets full sun during the day. It's that easy to propagate raspberries!
