Autumn raspberries - too late?

ampersand

I didn't cut down my canes[usually do it Feb/March] and now they're springing new leaf. Is it too late to cut them back now?

Thankyou for any advice.

bromsgrovebarry

No do it right way and you should be fine. Cut all canes down to nearly ground level with autumn fruiting types.

ampersand

Thankyou bb - off outside to do it right now.
Just to be sure - these are big arching stems, as tall as me! that are now leafy.
Still ok? - I know they should have been cut right back before now.

RAS

ampersand

The official thing to do is take them off to the floor, even though they are big arching stems all leafy, even now.

I cheat (as taught by one of the guy's on the plots). I take them down to about 75cms. That way I get a small harvest on the old canes after the summer raspberries have finished and then an autumn harvest later. Depending when the old canes finish fruiting, I cut them out before the new canes get fruiting if possible.

I probably get a smaller autumn harvest but think that the longer period of fruiting is worth it.

kevin.rd

definitely too late now, wait for summer

bromsgrovebarry

Autumn fruiting varieties fruit on current seasons growth and so are pruned to ground level in late winter or early spring. Summer fruiting types fruit on previous season's canes and the canes that are yet to fruit are unpruned and left to fruit the following year. As long as you are sure they are autumn and not summer flowerering types you can prune them now.

ampersand

Thankyou all - yes, they are autumn fruiting, forgiving and wonderfully generous croppers. Usually they give some summer berries, then masses of huge berries through to October and early November.