One crop VS Two crops?Pruning which way gives you the most raspberries?
Thank You very much!
Josephyou will get more fruit if you allow both crops but its a pain to manage the canes for both so i just mow them to the ground and harvest the primocane crop. cuts down on disease issues as well.
Do primocanes fruit earlier when pruned this way?
no but the crop is bigger because the plant isnt setting fruit twice.
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Thank you!
Yep. Joan Js are definitely better managed as a primocane crop. Keep in mind you’ll need to stake and thin them. They’ll produce until frost.
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never staked mine but definitely need to thin. 2nd year after planting they stand by themselves which i like.
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Why do you think they’re better as a primocane, just because it’s more convenient?
@steveb4 I’m jealous! I’ve never had any raspberries (when they’re full of fruit) keep upright. Likely because my spot is only in 5-6 hrs of sun.
@Adamsmasherz Just my experience that the floricane crop on Joan Js is underwhelming.
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How do you thin them?
Wouldn’t it be the same yield,just at different times of the year?
The Primocane grows fruits on the outer half of the cane,if left to overwinter,it fruits on the lower half of the cane the following Summer.
If you prune the primocane to the ground after it fruits on the outer half of the cane,you lose the fruit on the lower half of the cane.
Do the primocanes somehow fruit more without the energy also going into the floricanes if you prune out the primocanes out after they fruit?
Wouldn’t the floricanes be all done fruiting by the time the new primocanes are starting to fruit if you leave all of the canes?
How do floricane fruiting raspberries fruit?On the whole length of the cane in the Summer of the second year,or just on the lower half?
If you prune the tips of the primocanes,and or floricanes of raspberries like you do with blackberries,do you lose berries,or do the extra laterals that grow because of the tipping make up for what you lose by tipping,and or pruning?
Should you just let the all of the canes grow as long as they can to get the most berries?
Thank You very much!
Joseph
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most raspberries need a trellis but joan j has short canes only about 4ft. the 1st canes after planting are weak but the new ones stay upright. at least here anyway. mine get full sun.
i thin to 4-5 canes per foot. i pick the 1st. biggest ones that come up then prune out all others after that.
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yes if you want to double crop them you cut off the top of the cane after its fruited so energy goes into laterals for the next years floricane crop. like what was mentioned, joan j doesnt set much fruit on the floros. heritage on the other hand is one thats worth double cropping as it puts out a decent floro crop. hope that clears things up. most good nurseries will tell you if its worth double cropping a certain variety.
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This is my 1st crop of Joan J floricane. It’s producing a lot of berries. As it’s ripening, I already see the primocanes are starting to produce. It doesn’t seem to be nearly as much as the floricanes. I am also very surprised that it’s ripening so soon. I hope it goes all the way to September. This is what it looks like now. https://youtu.be/sTlu1gSL-fY
with mine the primocane crop producers much more than the floricane. so much so i just cut them down every spring and harvest just the primocane crop.
Down here in the south… TN zone 7a…
I double crop and get two great crops.
Don’t have Joan J… but do have Heritage reds and fall golds.
My P-cane crop starts early Sept… and goes into November… it is more of a trickle in crop… a few every day or two… steady production but not a bunch at one time. Ideal for fresh eating.
Then my Fcane crop starts last week in May and continues until end of June… BIG crop… many more than we can eat daily… which let’s us freeze some and jam some.
If you have a longer season like me… definately recommend double cropping.
It seems that many that are in shorter season zones prefer to Pcane crop only.
I would recommend you establish perhaps a small bed apart from your others… and try doublecropping a couple years. You will find out if that works for you or not.
I get raspberries for a month+ in the spring/early summer… and then get raspberries Sept-Nov… 3 months in the fall.
Love it.
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I grow mine and prune them, thin them… pretty much just like this guy demonstrates in this youtube vid (from Maine).
I use V trellis system too, love it. Watch his vid to the end… notice how thick the canes are in the beginning and lots of small canes too… but when he gets done, only the best, large canes are kept and they are separated to each side of the V trellis.
that works very well… All of your fruiting canes are tied to the outside of that V, and as they are fruiting that spring/summer (if everbearing type)… the new P-canes have room to come up in the middle of that V trellis…
Here in TN about a month after my F-canes finish fruiting… I take them out… which gives my P-canes more room to grow, more sun, I tip prune my P-canes when they get around 48" and then each cane tip will send out multiple fruiting laterals (for a bigger fall crop).
He recommends removing all canes necessary to achieve 3-4 canes per ft along your row.
That might vary some by variety… he was growing Red’s in that bed and like my Heritage Reds they root shoot aggressively so you have to take out as many as needed to accomplish that. Leave the best ones, and remove the others.
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That is very informative. I will definitely play around and see what will work here. You should take a look at Joan J. It looks like it will be continuous ripening from floricane to primocane.