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Removing raspberry runners

I am creating a slab path between 2 rows of raspberry canes. Will I do any damage to the main canes if I lay the slabs over some new runner shoots which are poking through the soil? Thanks.

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  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    No, but they will probably come up through the gaps between your slabs.  I would dig that section of root out and re-plant it before laying the slabs, if you have the space for more canes.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Thanks Bob. I was planning to put weed fabric under the slabs. Shall I still dig out those bits in the way if the path , or leave them to fend for themselves?

    If I do decide to dig a few out now, could I put them in pots of compost until I'm ready to plant them on a new patch (currently being prepared ) in a couple of weeks? Or do they really need to go straight in to the ground? Thank you.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    They would be fine in pots for a while Gilly, or even in a temporary trench somewhere out of the way..  The weed membrane might work, but raspberry shoots are very strong and will probably penetrate it!  Raspberry roots tend to run in straight lines with new canes appearing every foot or two.  I had one which ran under a 20ft wide lawn and appeared in the flower bed on the other side.  The mowing must have kept the canes from appearing in the lawn, as I went on holiday and came back to find a row of young canes across it! image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Persistent huh?! Thanks for the advice Bob. I will keep the slabs close together and I have some super thick fabric  (almost like astroturf) to put underneath. Trenches a very good idea for the bits I remove. Ta!

  • Bf206Bf206 Posts: 234

    I planted three autumn rasperry canes last year, had a decent first year's crop, and now have absolutely tons coming through. Each original cane has about 7 or 8 coming up clustered around the original that i cut down to ground level. Then there are a number of other random canes popping up, dotted around and in between.

    I'm not too concerned about their spread in that I've put them in one half of raised bed that doesn't have much else in it and I'd like to have plenty. However, I wonder whether in practice they're going to get too over crowded? Should I 'thin' them out at all? I already pulled up a few outlying canes to give to a friend but I've still got tons!

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Your call Bf!  Some varieties seem to run much more than others but they are shallow rooted so pretty easy to dig-up until they get into an established border, so just keep your eye on which direction they seem to be going! image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Bf206Bf206 Posts: 234
    Thanks Bob. Just wondered whether having lots of canes made them more disease-prone / less fruit bearing?
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Nope, but it's worth severing the runners, effectively giving you separate clumps of canes, as once a plant gets a virus (usually transmitted by aphids), the virus can travel along the runners.  I have kept some autumn bliss from the original stock I got about 25 years ago by digging-up 'rougue' runners and replanting where I wanted them.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BoaterBoater Posts: 241

    Raspberries are from the Rubus family, same as Brambles - as long as the soil conditions are good for them, they have the same tenacity as brambles so I doubt if weed control fabric will stop them....

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