Raspberries come in many different colors which have the conventional red together with black, yellow and purple. Each variety demands similar growing conditions and is fairly easy to raise and maintain. Raspberries normally reach heights of 36 to 60 inches tall with a 24 to 36 inch spread. However, pruning is an important characteristic of growing strawberries, along with the pruning techniques may vary by raspberry variety. You may develop freestanding plants or use support and prune them to keep shape and size.
Planting Raspberries
Because raspberries can grow tall and wide, it is important to space them correctly, because they need good air circulation to assist leaves dry quickly and reduce the danger of disease. When planting, space yellow and red raspberries plants 2-3 feet apart and leave about 8 feet between rows. Purple and black raspberries require 3 to 4 feet spacing between plants and 8 to 10 feet between rows. You are able to plant raspberries in fall or early spring at a location with full sun and great drainage.
Red and Yellow Raspberry Growth
Red raspberries are perennials that make thorny, biennial canes. The summer-bearing variety grows to full size the first year and produces fruit the second year. Everbearing varieties of yellow and red raspberries grow two plants on the exact canes. These varieties bear fruit at the fall of the first year and in the summer of this second year. Red and yellow raspberry varieties may grow as shrubs or you can stake them. The plants are easier to manage and have a tidier look when grown utilizing a stake or trellis system
Black and Purple Raspberry Growth
Black and purple raspberries are clump-forming plants which make arching canes and produce fruit in summer. They do not need a support system, but it is possible to develop them on a trellis to stop them from propagating. Black and purple raspberries do not send up new shoots out their hill or clump, however, the canes will arch and reach down to the ground surface in which the canes may take root and develop.
Pruning Raspberries
Summer-bearing varieties are pruned after harvest and also in spring. When pruning after harvest, you keep about 12 of the most vigorous new canes, and when utilizing a trellis system, tie them into the trellis. In early spring, remove any canes which have grown out the growing region and some that appear weak. It is possible to force everbearing varieties to produce just 1 crop per year by pruning back the entire raspberry bush through early spring.