Propagating raspberries: offshoots, cuttings & Co.

Propagating your own raspberries is simple and easy to do. We'll tell you what to look out for.

Most raspberry varieties (Rubus idaeus) are characterized by medium to strong growth. Not only do they grow taller, but they also spread quite a bit over a wide area. These vigorous outlets are therefore a simple way of multiplying raspberries yourself. In addition, there are two other methods that you can use to multiply your own raspberries in a promising way. We have compiled below for you exactly how you should proceed with the various methods of propagating your raspberries.

One tip right at the beginning: It goes without saying, but we would still like to point out that you should only propagate he althy plants. If you think only the soil is contaminated with a fungus and then try to regenerate the plant in a he althy place, you may not be rewarded for your effort. Instead, it can happen that two places in the garden are infected with raspberry disease. Better to discard the affected plant and get a new hardy variety to plant in he althy soil.

Propagating raspberries: foothills

The cutting off of raspberry runners is the most common and easiest propagation method for raspberries. This method is ideal for many raspberry varieties that form a lot of runners. Because if the raspberry runners are not cut off and used for propagation, you still have to remove them at some point - otherwise the raspberry plant will get bigger and bigger. The latter is only possible with beds that are large enough for the raspberries to spread. However, this should only take place to a limited extent, after all, the risk of cane disease increases with bushes that are too dense and poorly ventilated. Firstly, a bush of 1 to 2 m² is better ventilated from all sides than a plant with 3 m² area and secondly, the raspberries are pruned and make raspberry fertilizing easier.

Instead of letting your raspberry bush expand indefinitely, we advise you - even if there is enough space for it - to cut off a few runners and plant more raspberries elsewhere.

This is how stolon cutting and planting works:

1. Select one or more young, he althy canes in early fall and dig them up carefully without damaging their roots. The root connection to the mother plant must be cut off or cut off.
   Tip: It is easiest if there are canes that grow about half a meter away from the mother plant. When digging up these rods, you are less likely to damage the mother plant's roots.
2. Plant the cut out rods in the designated place in a planting hole that you have previously improved with a primarily organic organic fertilizer such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer. But keep in mind that the raspberries will spread again within a few years. So choose places with enough space.
3. Next spring, cut off the old main shoot as soon as some new shoots appear. This delays the harvest by a year, but strengthens the plants immensely.

Propagating raspberries by lowering

Raspberries can also be propagated by producing sinkers, which can then be cut off like the runners. This method has proven itself on many other plants, but it is rarely done on raspberries. After all, why go to the trouble of producing sinkers when there are already excavable foothills? Very simple: There are also some raspberry varieties that only form fewer or no runners at all. In this case, the lowering method offers a good alternative to be able to multiply the raspberries yourself.

This is how the propagation of raspberries works using the planter:

1. Defend long, elastic young rods and bend them towards the ground.
2. Cover the defoliated section in the middle of the young cane with soil, secure with a wire or stone if necessary and water. The tip of the shoot sticks out of the ground.
3. In spring or autumn, when it has enough roots, separate the cane from the mother plant and plant it in a pre-fertilized planting hole.

Raspberries by cuttingsmultiply

In addition to the methods mentioned, there is another way of propagating raspberries - using cuttings. This variant, like digging in the sinkers, is only recommended if no offshoots are available for propagation. We recommend that you prepare a few more cuttings than you actually plan to replant. Because often not all cuttings form roots and are then not usable.

Propagation of raspberries via cuttings works like this:

1. In early summer, cut pencil-length pieces from slightly woody shoots.
2. Place these shoots in suitable potting soil such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil and keep it moist at all times. About two to three leaves should remain. The leaves are to be removed from the shoot that is stuck in the cuttings substrate.
   Tip: Mini greenhouses are perfect for ensuring optimal humidity and ideal rooting conditions for the cuttings to absorb water without creating roots.
3. After two to three weeks in a sunny spot, the cuttings are usually well rooted. They can either remain in a pot until early autumn or be planted immediately in the bed. In both cases, you should always make sure there is enough watering, as the small plants initially only have weak, small roots.

You can find how to care for the freshly propagated raspberries and other exciting information in our article on 10 tips for delicious raspberries from your own garden.