I’m in zone 8 northeast Texas. How do you get your PAF to bloom on the primocanes? I’ve tipped mine to get laterals but stopped tipping early July so I can hopefully get a fall crop. When should it start creating buds and blooms? I see no signs of it.
2 Likes
After you tip them they have to grow new laterals to form buds and blooms. It will take a while. It depends on the weather and how vigorous the growth is. They only fruit on the tips. Stop tipping at least a month before you want them to bloom. Those that you’ve tipped will grow more laterals and that will make next springs floricane crop much better.
2 Likes
Thanks
1 Like
Should I give them more fertilizer? I fertilized them in early spring right before they came back from being dormant, before the primocanes began growing. And what fertilizer should I use to promote blossoms and fruit? My nursery said to use bone meal, which I’ve never used before. I used organic fish emulsion in once and spray with Spray and Gro every 2 to 3 weeks.
1 Like
additional lessons from experience: i thought pruning PAF tips with developing buds would result in lateral formation, thereby delaying budding and eventual fruiting; the trade-off would be a larger harvest of primocane berries, just later in the season, as well as a greater floricane crop the next year.
but once i removed the budding tops a couple months ago, no laterals grew, and no other buds grew. it’s as though the cane, once committed to reproduction (flowering, fruiting, seed formation), isn’t going to expend further energy on vegetative growth. (anthropomorphic description: “you messed with my sexy time, now i’z gonna sulk.”)
in the future, i will continue to top my primocanes, as long as they haven’t formed buds. once they do form buds, i’ll leave them alone, even if they weren’t ideally topped beforehand.
4 Likes
Hi,
Good information here! I planted PAF last spring. Wasn’t expecting many berries in the first year but ended up with a decent amount. Not enough to make a pie but a few berries a day for a solid month. I have no idea what to expect now with the floricanes in the Spring. Where will the berries emerge? I’d like to trim back the primocane tips now that they are done. But I don’t want to cut away anything that should produce more berries when they become floricanes. Also, is it okay to trim/prune in the fall or should I wait until spring? Thanks
Those primocanes will become your spring bearing floricanes so only trim back dead areas if you want the full effect of floricane berries. They will not grow any longer than they are now. You will need to cut the floricanes back after they bear next spring and I oven do that in the summer. I only cut back dead stuff in the fall/winter.
Okay thanks! Very helpful.
1 Like