How to Grow Raspberries: Sharing the Main High-Yield Cultivation Techniques

Raspberry, which is what we commonly call the Chinese raspberry (Rubus idaeus), usually grows wild, and in recent years it has also been cultivated artificially. So how do you grow raspberries? What are the main high-yield raspberry cultivation techniques?

1. What conditions are needed to grow raspberries?

Raspberries usually grow in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas beside streams, on hillside shrubland, at forest edges and among piles of rocks. They grow vigorously on barren slopes or, after slash-and-burn, under tung oil tree (Vernicia fordii) and oil-tea camellia (Camellia oleifera) forests. They like warmth and humidity, require good diffused light, and are not strict about soil, having strong adaptability. However, fertile soil with strong water and fertilizer retention and good drainage is better, from slightly acidic soil to neutral sandy loam, red soil, purple soil and the like.

2. How do you grow raspberries? What are the high-yield cultivation techniques?

1. Orchard establishment: Choose a wind-sheltered, sunny plot with loose soil, high organic matter content, and moist soil that is not prone to waterlogging to establish the orchard. Before establishing the orchard, plow deeply and level the ground, and apply 2000-4000 kg of farmyard manure per mu. Use the strip planting method, with 2 m between rows and 0.4-0.8 m between plants. The planting holes should be 30×30×30 cm. When planting seedlings, take care not to damage the basal buds. After planting, cut back promptly, leaving stubble about 20 cm, and plant 2-3 plants per hole to achieve early high yield.

2. Land preparation: When planting Chinese raspberry, choose a slightly acidic gentle slope with deep, fertile, loose soil and good drainage, plow deeply and prepare the land, and transplant at a spacing of 50 cm×100 cm or 100 cm×100 cm between plants and rows. Before transplanting, apply sufficient base fertilizer, with 3-5 kg of farmyard manure per plant.

3. Management: During the growth period of Chinese raspberry, combine loosening the soil and weeding, and apply topdressing 2-3 times each year, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, with an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Apply seedling fertilizer in March, flower fertilizer in April, and wintering fertilizer in November, with 1500-2000 kg of human and animal manure per mu. Pay attention to watering during summer and autumn droughts. Cultivate and weed twice each year, in May-June and August-September, to reduce the consumption of nutrients and water by weeds and promote robust growth of the Chinese raspberry plant.

4. Bud removal: When new branches produce side branches in April-May, remove the terminal buds to promote side branch growth. At the same time, pinch the side branches to encourage them to produce secondary side branches. More branches mean more leaves, increasing the fruiting mother branches for the next year and raising yield. During the fruiting period, set up a support beside each plant to prevent lodging.

5. Trellising: Chinese raspberry branches are soft and often droop to the ground, or lodge easily in wind, affecting yield and quality. Therefore, set up trellises in the orchard, tie the biennial branches to the trellis so that the branches receive light evenly and good air permeability is maintained in the orchard.

6. Fertilizer and water: Each autumn, apply 2000-3000 kg of farmyard manure per mu. Apply topdressing once each during flowering and fruit development to increase the fruit-setting rate and promote fruit enlargement. Topdressing should be mainly quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, applying 10-15 kg of urea per mu each time. At the same time, apply 1 kg each of borax and zinc sulfate per mu to help retain flowers and fruits. Do a good job of drainage and irrigation, water timely in drought to keep the soil moist. Drain excess water promptly after heavy rain to prevent flower and fruit drop.

7. Pruning: In spring, promptly cut off the withered tips of biennial branches to encourage the remaining branches to produce strong fruiting branches. Thin out overly dense and diseased or pest-infested branches at the base, leaving 7-8 biennial branches per plant and maintaining a reasonable density to facilitate ventilation and light penetration and ensure high and stable yield. After harvesting, cut off the biennial branches and thin out suckers and overly dense basal branches to control the total number of branches in the orchard.

8. Harvesting: The harvest time for Chinese raspberry is from mid-May to early June, when the fruit has fully developed and is green, not yet turning red and ripe. Harvest in batches. After picking, remove the stems, leaves, receptacles and other impurities, then put them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes and take them out, then spread them out to sun-dry or dry them. The finished product is best when the grains are intact, firm, yellow-green in color, sour in taste, and free of stems, leaves and debris.

Overall, raspberries bear fruit early and easily enter the full fruiting period. Generally, they bear fruit two years after planting, reach high yield in 3 years, and reach the highest yield at 4 to 5 years. The full fruiting period can last as long as about 15 years, so they still have fairly good prospects for cultivation.