How to prepare raspberries for winter

1. Trim the raspberries

Try to spend procedure at least 2-3 weeks before the arrival of stable frosts. First of all, remove dry, diseased and broken branches. Do the same with the shoots from which you harvested during the season. As a rule, they can be identified by their dark, woody bark. Take a sharp pruner and cut the branches right down to the roots.

In addition, remove all young growth - weak green shoots with a diameter smaller than a pencil. They will take away strength from the bulk of the bush, and even risk not surviving the winter.

Leave no more than 8–10 strong and thick young shoots on the raspberry bush. If there are leaves on the stems, cut them off with pruning shears or carefully remove them with your hands. They can rot, which will cause plant diseases. Shorten the tops of each branch by about 10–15 cm.

Remontant raspberries - those that bear fruit throughout the season until late autumn - need to be pruned completely. That is, remove all shoots at the root, leaving no stumps.

Burn the cut branches and greenery or take it outside the site.

2. Feed the raspberries

Remove weeds in a bed with plants and loosen the soil around the bushes with a hoe to a depth of about 2–3 cm.

A complex mineral fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium is suitable for feeding raspberries. In stores and garden centers you can find special mixtures labeled “autumn” or “autumn.” The main thing is that the product does not contain nitrogen. This element will stimulate the growth of green mass: raspberries will not go dormant and may not survive the winter well. The application rate and method of applying fertilizers vary depending on the manufacturer. The necessary information is indicated in the instructions on the package.

Instead of complex fertilizer, you can apply about 40 g of potassium monophosphate or 60 g of superphosphate for each bush. Scatter granules of one of the selected products and embed them into the soil with a hoe to a depth of 5–7 cm.

If you do not want to use mineral fertilizers, take organic - for example, wood ash. Sprinkle the powder on the soil around each bush. One plant will need approximately 200 g.

3. Treat raspberries against diseases and pests

Carry out the procedure in dry, calm weather and make sure that there is no rain in the next couple of days so that the product does not wash off the branches before it begins to act.

Since eggs and larvae can successfully overwinter in the ground, it is important to cultivate the soil in the raspberry garden in the fall. For this you will need insecticides. For example, dilute 5 ml of “Biotlin” in 10 liters of water or 4 ml of “Aktara” in 10 liters of water. Water the plants with one of the solutions at the root. One bush will need approximately 3–5 liters of mixture.

Fungicides are needed to protect against diseases. For example, dilute 2 ml of “Topaz” or 4 ml of “Homa” in 10 liters of water. Generously spray the raspberry stems with one of the working solutions from bottom to top, and also cultivate the soil in the garden bed.

4. Cover the raspberries

Mulch the soil in raspberry gardento protect the root system of plants from freezing. To do this, sprinkle peat, straw, humus, sawdust or bark around the bushes in a layer of 15–20 cm. Remontant raspberries, the stems of which were removed at the root, must be covered with the same layer of mulch.

After this, collect the branches of nearby bushes, carefully tilt them towards the ground and tie them together. In this case, there is no need to try to lay the raspberries on the ground; it is enough to fix the plants in the form of arches.

Raspberries are a fairly cold-resistant crop and can survive frosts in this form. But if you live in a region with a harsh climate or snowless winters, cover the bushes with spunbond or agro-fabric folded in five to six layers. Secure the edges of the material with metal staples or something heavy.

In the spring, with the arrival of positive temperatures, the covering material will need to be removed so that the raspberries do not dry out.