Shrub shoots freeze extremely rarely, and usually flower buds located in the most productive places are damaged. The middle part becomes vulnerable because it is above the snow, and the tops just do not have time to mature properly. How to prepare raspberries for winter correctly? The tops of the bush can freeze even in small frosts. This vulnerability is associated with poor maturation (especially with respect to varieties of repair). The problem is solved by removing part of the shoot. Actually, the preparation of raspberries for winter consists in cutting off excess parts and making fertilizers. Shelter is recommended only in particularly cold areas.
Cutting raspberries in the middle lane is usually done in September. Some gardeners cut only a third of the shoot, bending the remaining two-thirds to the ground. Such preparation of raspberries for winter is explained by the fact that there will still be no secondary growth in the bush anyway, and before the winter nutrients will have time to accumulate, therefore, winter hardiness will increase. The main thing is to bend the shoots correctly and on time. There is no sense in an early push to the ground, and in the late there is a risk of fractures at the base. If the shoots have already become fragile, then you need to bend them gradually, in three steps. Tilting raspberries below 40 cm is not worth it - even with good flexibility they will break. In addition, in a snowy winter, the stems laid too low will rotate. It is most convenient to tie the shoots to a pre-stretched wire. With the formation of infusion, it is advisable to loosen the snow a little (remove the ice crust). Otherwise, kidney damage below the top layer of snow is possible. With trellis cultivation, the branches are tied directly to the trellis.
For many gardeners, preparing raspberries for winter consists in completely cutting off the shoots. These measures are also being taken in the fall, in September, and in colder areas - since the end of August. How to prune raspberries for the winter?
To begin with, all shoots are examined for infection with anthracnose, shoot gall midge injuries, etc. Weakened (damaged) branches are removed completely. Strong and healthy shoots are cut as low as possible, so that the stumps are no more than 10 cm, otherwise further clippings will be difficult, and new processes may bend. Early clipping in no case does not harm the bush. On the contrary, such preparation of raspberries for winter allows you to gain strength for the further development of "green" in the spring. In addition, raspberries will be much better illuminated, and therefore less affected by disease. The number of shoots will depend on the shoot-forming features of the variety (on average, leave from 8 to 15 stumps per meter). If the rows are not yet formed, do it in the fall, just at the time when raspberries are being prepared for winter. Firstly, raspberries can easily tolerate such an intervention, and secondly, in the spring it will be more difficult to do this due to abundant growths. The optimal row width is 40 cm.
Now about top dressing. The most demanding raspberries for the presence of potassium and nitrogen, a little less - the presence of phosphorus. The first couple of years, you can feed the bush only with nitrogen. In the future, the introduction of 3 kg of organic matter will be required. It is better to distribute the fertilizer application as follows: manure in the spring, phosphorus-potash in the autumn.
If the winters in your area are not snowy and also frosty, then the soil around the shoots is carefully loosened, and then mulched (with sawdust, straw).