How to Cover Raspberries for Winter: Preparing for Winter

Raspberry yield is greatly influenced by high-quality bush care throughout the growing season and beyond. The plant needs proper winter preparation to ensure a high-quality harvest next year. Shoots should be pruned in the fall, watered promptly, the soil mulched, and provided with reliable shelter from the winter cold. Following this set of measures will ensure the plant survives the winter successfully.

Autumn preparation of shrubs

Experienced gardeners begin the first stage of winter preparation in the summer. From mid-August, they actively apply mineral fertilizers to promote the maturation of the woody part. This is achieved by using fertilizers high in potassium and phosphorus and completely excluding nitrogen. In addition to increasing yield, these fertilizers also prepare the plant's root system for winter. The last fertilizer application is in early October, before the onset of severe frosts.

Mulching

To preserve the plant's root system, mulch the soil. This increases soil moisture and promotes good growth. Use organic matter with a neutral-to-acidic pH. Straw, peat, or rotted leaves are good choices. Avoid using compost for this purpose, as it contains more nitrogen. Furthermore, during a mild winter, compost will cause the lower parts of the shoots to rot.

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Mulch should be applied in a 5-10 cm layer. Any less will not adequately cover the root system, and too thick a layer will cause branches to rot. During thaws, too thick a layer of mulch can often lead to fungal diseases or septicemia on the shoots. Before applying mulch, water the soil thoroughly to prevent the raspberries from overwintering with dry roots.

Tying and additional shelter

After the bush sheds its leaves, the raspberry canes are bent down to the ground. To do this, drive wooden stakes or metal rods into the soil and stretch a wire through them. The wire should be no more than 20 cm above ground level. With the first snowfall, the canes closest to the ground are buried beneath the snow, preventing them from freezing. The canes are tied in an arched position with thread or strong nylon ribbons.

Watering in autumn

All raspberries are given generous watering in the fall. Watering should be done regularly starting in early September. The last watering should be done two weeks before the expected frost date. Frequent watering is especially important if there is little rainfall in the fall.

Experienced gardeners recommend watering raspberries for the last time after a layer of ice forms on the soil. Each plant requires 3 liters of water. This is enough to supply the root system with moisture and protect it from drying out during the winter months.

Pruning and methods of its implementation

Experts disagree on the timing of pruning raspberries. Some gardeners believe raspberries should be pruned before the cold weather sets in, as sap flow has already ended and the plant tolerates the pruning well. Others believe excess branches should be trimmed after fruiting has finished. They argue that this allows the plant to conserve energy to prepare its root system for winter.

However, most experienced gardeners take a middle ground and recommend thinning raspberries in early September. During this period, the plant still retains a fair amount of sap, but its growth rate is already slowing. When pruning raspberries, the first step is to remove old shoots that are no longer bearing fruit. Diseased and damaged branches are also completely removed.

To prevent raspberry bushes from spreading throughout the entire plot, the root system is also trimmed. To do this, insert a bayonet shovel into the ground around each bush, leaving a 30 cm gap. Use it to cut off the ends of the roots.

To improve the quality of the harvest, double pruning is used. In this case, in addition to the usual removal of unwanted shoots, young branches are pinched from above. This stimulates the development of a new group of daughter buds. With the arrival of spring, the shoots are shortened again and cut back to the first fully developed bud. To prevent the planting from becoming too dense, a 30 cm space is left between individual shoots.

Top dressing

After pruning the raspberries, all debris is removed from the area and burned. Fallen leaves and old mulch are also collected and destroyed to protect the plants from harmful insects that gather there to overwinter. To ensure a successful winter, weak plants are fertilized. Nutrients increase the likelihood of surviving frosts.

In the fall, apply organic and mineral fertilizers, alternating them seasonally. Avoid using nitrogen-containing substances in the fall to avoid stimulating foliar growth. This is dangerous for the plant, as young shoots don't have time to harden before the cold weather and will die from frost in the winter.

You can use any of the following types of fertilizers:

• potassium-phosphorus in the amount of 30 g per plant;
• superphosphate in the amount of 60 g per bush;
• potassium sulfate is added at 40 g per specimen;
• potassium monophosphate 35 g per plant.

It's best to spread mineral fertilizers in trenches dug 30 cm around the bush in a circular pattern. Then, cover them with soil and water thoroughly. prepare raspberries for winter, you can use rotted manure at 4 kg per square meter with mandatory digging.

Prevention of pests and diseases

Disease prevention is a mandatory step in winter preparation. After fertilizing, the bushes are sprayed with a special solution. It's prepared by mixing 10 liters of water, 20 grams of Karbofos, and 30 grams of oxychloride. Apply 1.5 liters of this solution to each plant. Treatment can also be accomplished by dissolving an Intavir tablet in 10 liters of water. If moss or lichen grows near the raspberry patch, spray the plants with copper sulfate.

Technology and timing of bending raspberries

Many inexperienced gardeners bend down raspberry bushes after frost, making a mistake. This often causes shoots to break, damaging the internal vascular structure, and ultimately leads to the vine's death in spring due to insufficient nutrient supply throughout its length.

Avoid tying all the stems of a single bush together into a bundle, as this method doesn't protect the stems from the cold if they're above the snow surface. Before tying, remove any leaves from the stems by gently running a gloved hand from the bottom of the stem to the top. This simple procedure preserves the integrity of the buds and increases the raspberry yield next year.

After removing the leaves, bend the branches down. Tie a 1 kg stone to the bundle of branches and place it on the ground. Everbearing varietiesThe raspberry canes growing on a support are simply attached to the crossbar below, ensuring the resulting bunch is no more than 25 cm tall. This will prevent the separated raspberry stems from growing above the snow line and freezing. Additionally, you can cover the bent raspberries with spandex. This will allow the plants to breathe and protect them from the cold if there isn't enough snow.

Timing of covering in autumn and uncovering in spring

The ideal time to cover raspberries for the winter is after the leaves have fallen and before the first snow. At this point, the branches are still flexible and the rhizomes are already well developed.

With the arrival of spring, it's important to uncover raspberries and tie them to supports promptly. Uncovering them too early can lead to severe wood burns due to significant temperature fluctuations. Furthermore, strong winds often blow in March, damaging the wood.

Raspberry bushes should be uncovered gradually. After the snow melts, the covering layer is removed. This is necessary to allow air to circulate through the lower parts of the branches and the mulch layer to prevent them from rotting. Then the shoots are lifted and tied to a support. This procedure continues until mid-April.

Preparing remontant raspberries for winter

These raspberry varieties are characterized by high yields and the ability to bear fruit on both one-year-old and two-year-old branches. To maximize the harvest, the timing of all planting activities is staggered, allowing the plant to bear fruit longer.

But since the highest-quality harvest is ultimately obtained on one-year-old branches, it's not worth wasting time and effort preserving last year's. Therefore, after the onset of severe frost, the entire woody part of the plant is cut back, leaving small stumps and small basal stems. The roots are insulated with mulch to ensure they survive the winter successfully. The covering layer should not be too thick, to prevent the plant from rotting if the winter is mild.

Frost protection and snow retention systems

If raspberries grow in an open area To prevent snow from lingering on the bushes, a special snow retention system is installed. For this purpose, special barriers are installed on the windward side. Polycarbonate or plywood sheets dug into the ground are a good option. The former is preferable for durability, as polycarbonate does not rot or crack in frost.

If a snow guard needs to be secured, it is tied to a support. The structure is positioned so that the wind doesn't hit the raspberries. Therefore, it should be positioned away from the wind in winter. The required location can be determined using the wind rose from the local hydrometeorological service.

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If there's insufficient snowfall or it's blown away even with a snow retention system, the raspberries are additionally covered with a special material. Lutrasil or spunbond are used for this. In this case, the branches are bent to the ground and several layers of non-woven material are laid on top. In areas with harsh winters and little snow, an arched cellular polycarbonate layer is also laid on top.

Conclusion

With proper preparation for the coming cold weather, raspberries will survive the winter well and delight you with a bountiful harvest of delicious and healthy berries next year. It's important to complete all planned activities and carry them out on time.