The cost of new varieties of raspberry seedlings only increases every year, so gardeners are increasingly faced with the question of how to propagate raspberries on their own? There may be several answers, and getting a whole raspberry garden from one seedling is by no means a fantasy. Propagation of raspberries by cuttings and suckers is the most popular method, but it has a number of nuances depending on many factors, but primarily on when you want to propagate the shrub - in spring or autumn and what types of cuttings you will use - root, green or lignified .
1 - green offspring; 2 - root cutting; 3 - green stalk; 4 - lignified cuttings
Features of raspberry propagation by offspring
Raspberries are propagated by horizontal layering in the spring. From the north side of the bush, choose last year's healthy shoot. Make a shallow groove and pour a layer of sand into it. Place the branch in the furrow and pin it. Some of the leaves are cut off, the shoot is covered with earth, and the crown is cut off.
Already in autumn, roots form on the part of the stem sprinkled with soil. Transplant the new bush to a permanent place in the spring. The branch coming from the mother bush is cut off with pruning shears. The rooted cuttings are dug up, planted in a prepared hole, and watered. Over the course of a season, a full-fledged bush is formed from it.
Method five: nettle
Nettle is a young herbaceous shoot of raspberry, similar in shape to ordinary nettle. Nettles are used to propagate remontant raspberries and capricious varieties like Tarusa.
Read more about raspberry varieties in a separate article.
In the spring, when young shoots appear, the soil is carefully raked away from them and the stems are cut off along with their white underground parts. The cut ends are treated with Kornevin. Prepare a mixture of equal parts of sand and peat and plant nettles in it. After abundant watering, the shoots are covered with plastic bottles to create a greenhouse effect.
It will take up to four weeks for the seedlings to develop a strong root system. After this, they can be transplanted into an open garden bed.
Watch a video about propagating raspberries with nettles.
Subtleties of breeding with lignified offspring
In the fall, after fruiting, a lignified offspring is selected, growing at a distance of 25-35 cm from the mother bush. The shoot is shortened to a height of 40 cm, the leaves, if they have not yet fallen, are torn off.
Comment! The survival rate of lignified root suckers is 70-90%.
The offspring is carefully dug up, leaving a little soil on the roots, without damaging the horizontal roots of the mother bush, and planted in a prepared planting hole. In spring, dormant buds come to life and shoots appear from them. Over the course of the season, a new raspberry bush is formed.
Caring for planted cuttings
The planted cuttings, regardless of the cutting method and time, do not require any special care. Plantings need to be watered on time, the top layer of soil should be loosened and weeds should be removed. Fertilizers do not need to be applied in the first two years after planting; later in the spring, the plantings should be fed, preferably with a tincture based on bird droppings or green fertilizer.
To provide raspberry plantings with the necessary amount of minerals and trace elements in the inter-rows of raspberry fields in August, it is useful to sow oats, barley or millet as sederats. In the fall, they are cut, crushed and used as mulch material.
For normal development and fruiting throughout the entire period of operation of the raspberry tree, it is necessary to remove the root shoots in the summer. To prevent winter frosts from damaging the plantings, raspberry stems can be tied into bunches and bent to the ground, where they will be covered with snow.
By combining various cutting methods, 120-150 viable cuttings and offspring can be obtained from a well-developed raspberry bush per year. In most cases, you will not get a harvest from them in the year of planting, but, having 2-3 bushes on hand, in a year you can have a quite decent productive raspberry plantation.
How to propagate a plant with green offspring
Horizontal raspberry roots spread from a 4-5 year old mother bush to a distance of 3-4 meters. They have adventitious buds; in the spring they wake up and green shoots grow from them.
Reproduction begins in the second half of summer, when young shoots have formed their roots 10-15 cm long. They work with shoots in cloudy weather. The nettle is dug up, the uterine root is cut off, cut into pieces, leaving on each section one strong shoot 8-10 mm thick.
The above-ground part of the seedlings is shortened, leaving 3-4 leaves, and planted in a permanent place:
- the soil is dug up using a spade, humus and mineral fertilizers are added;
- holes are made every 35-40 cm;
- the roots are covered with earth;
- watered.
Expert opinion
Stanislav Pavlovich
Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert
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Important! The root collar is not buried. In hot weather, seedlings are shaded and the soil is mulched.
Required tools and materials
The gardener's main working material is raspberries. For cuttings you will need:
- sharp knife - for separating young shoots and cuttings near the ground line;
- pruning shears - for trimming the cutting line;
- shovel - for planting in the ground;
- any root-forming stimulant - the solution is prepared according to the instructions;
- a soil mixture based on peat, sand and soil in a ratio of 1:1:0.5 (in buckets);
- paper;
- canvas bag;
- wooden boxes;
- wet sand.
Regular soil can be replaced with forest soil.
Each of the materials will be needed in the process of propagating the culture.
Rules for propagation by cuttings
Using green cuttings, a large number of seedlings are grown in an accelerated manner. To do this, pruning shears are used to pinch off shoots below the soil level. Select specimens 4-5 cm high with two or three true leaves. Planting material is prepared in the morning and immediately packaged in a plastic bag so that the moisture does not evaporate.
See also How to properly and when to replant raspberries
Comment! When planting, the cutting is buried 1 cm more than it grew before.
To quickly root cuttings, the tips are dipped in a 0.1% heteroauxin solution for 12-16 hours and powdered with crushed charcoal. The greenhouse is filled with a mixture of sand, garden soil, peat (2:1:1). The cuttings are planted obliquely according to a 5 × 7 cm pattern. The roots form in 15-20 days. After 4 weeks, the seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
Site requirements
Successful propagation of raspberries by green cuttings is impossible without meeting certain requirements for the rooting location of the workpieces:
- high air humidity - up to 90%;
- constant ambient temperature - +25...+30˚C;
- light and moisture-intensive substrate;
- protection from direct sunlight.
Such a microclimate is created in protected soil conditions: in a greenhouse, hotbed or schoolhouse. Propagation by green cuttings produces many plant specimens and allows you to plant an entire raspberry plantation of your favorite variety.
Soil preparation
To root cuttings, use fertile soil mixed with organic and mineral fertilizers. Depending on the fertility of the land, from 5 to 20 kg of organic fertilizers, 100 g of superphosphate, and 20 g of potassium salt are applied per 1 linear meter. If the soil is acidic, add 100–150 g of lime.
Features of seed propagation at home
Summer residents rarely resort to seed propagation of bush raspberries. It does not guarantee 100% preservation of the characteristics of the variety. Select ripe, large berries, mash them in a cup, then fill them with water.
The liquid and pulp are drained, the seeds are kept in water for a day. They are mixed with clean, damp sand and poured into a bag and cloth. Store in the refrigerator. Planting takes place in March:
- sow in boxes, deepen to 5 mm;
- to create a greenhouse effect, cover with film or glass;
- transferred to a warm room, the optimal temperature for seed germination is 22 °C.
Comment! Raspberry seeds have a germination rate of ≤ 50%.
Before planting in open ground, seedlings are hardened off for a week. Plant in holes 15 cm deep and water. Rooting lasts 2-3 weeks.
Basic methods of cuttings
A cutting is a segment of a stem or root system in which, under normal conditions, a root system and buds are formed. The technology makes it possible to use a minimum of mother material to obtain independent plants.
Using cuttings, new varieties are propagated or hybrid forms are developed.
When working with raspberries, cuttings are the main form of vegetative reproduction. The technique involves selecting material, its rooting for 21 days - 6 months and subsequent planting in the soil. The main methods of cuttings include:
- root shoots - planted in spring;
- green shoots - used in summer;
- lignified cuttings - autumn work;
- root suckers - autumn Scottish technology.
Only bushes with strong stems, good yield and a healthy crown are suitable for taking cuttings.
Dividing the bush
If raspberries do not grow well on the site, then adult bushes are transplanted to a new place using this method. The event is carried out in the fall a month before the onset of the first frost or in the spring before the start of sap flow.
Expert opinion
Stanislav Pavlovich
Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert
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Comment! By dividing the bush, varieties that produce few offspring are preserved.
The bush is dug up and divided into several parts so that each has several young shoots and roots. The cuttings are planted in a permanent place, the above-ground part is shortened to 30 cm. Long roots are trimmed. To quickly get a full harvest of berries, raspberries are regularly watered and fed.
Optimal timing for work
It is permissible to replant raspberry plants in both spring and autumn. In spring, the most optimal time is after the snow melts, when the soil warms up a little, but you need to do it before it dries out. In dry soil and hot weather, raspberries will not take root well. The second condition for the successful establishment of seedlings is that the buds on the shoots should not have time to bloom.
In autumn, plants are replanted before the onset of constant cold weather. This is necessary so that the seedlings have time to take root, then they will not freeze out in winter frosts. The replanting date should be chosen so that the raspberries have a month left for rooting.
Using root cuttings
Varietal raspberries that produce few root shoots are propagated by root cuttings. This method is used if the aboveground part of the plant is infected. Planting material is harvested in the fall.
Excavated roots with a thickness of at least 5 mm are cut into pieces 15-20 cm long and stored in the cellar, covered with wet sand at a temperature of 0-3°C. In the spring, they prepare the ridge: they dig it with a shovel and apply mineral fertilizer. The cuttings are laid lying down in the grooves:
- depth 12 cm;
- distance between rows is 50 cm.
Care - loosening, weeding, watering, fertilizing. Each cutting forms 1-2 shoots and a fibrous root system over the summer. In autumn, the bushes are transplanted to a permanent place.
How do raspberries propagate?
There are many ways to propagate raspberries: seeds, cuttings, layering, dividing the bush... You can use several methods and choose which one suits you best. To plant a large area with raspberries, one bush is enough. A plant that has been growing for 2–3 years is suitable for propagation.
Any parts of the plant can be used as planting material
Which method is better to choose?
Black raspberries do not produce root suckers, so they are propagated by apical layering. In August, the tops of the shoots are pinned to the ground and hilled up. After a month, new shoots with their own roots form. Next spring they are separated from the mother bush and planted in a new place.
Comment! When rooting the tops near the buds, which are covered with earth, shallow cuts are made. The operation stimulates the formation of roots.
Yellow remontant raspberries are propagated by cuttings, summer raspberries are propagated by layering, and breeders use the seed method. Planting material for valuable large-fruited varieties is obtained using the Scottish method:
- in the spring, the mother bush is spudded with a mixture of sawdust, humus, and peat (1:1:1);
- dig up in the fall, divide the rhizome into cuttings, wrap in damp burlap, store until spring in a cellar or another cool room;
- in March, the cuttings are planted in boxes filled with substrate (sand + peat) and watered;
- after 2 weeks, the seedlings are planted in separate containers;
- after a month, the seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
In this way, a large amount of planting material is obtained. The plantation planted with it produces the first harvest a year after planting.
| Spring | Summer | Autumn |
| lateral layers | green cuttings | bush division |
| root suckers | crown layering | root cuttings |
Selection and preparation of cuttings
For propagation in June, blanks are cut from young shoots that have not yet had time to harden. This material has a stronger ability to form roots than shoots with a woody structure.
Cuttings are cut from green shoots with pruning shears near the ground or with a slight depth of 1 cm. Further cutting is carried out on a hard board with a sharp tool so as not to squeeze the plant tissue.
The lower cut is made oblique to increase the absorption surface, 1 cm below the kidney, the upper cut is made straight, directly above the kidney. To reduce the area of evaporation, the leaves are cut by half (preferably on the eve of the procedure to reduce moisture loss). The tip of the shoot is shortened so that the total length of the cutting is 8–12 cm.
Important! When preparing cuttings, special attention is paid to preserving moisture in the tissues: the success of the entire procedure depends on this. The preparations are cut in the early morning, when plant tissues are saturated with moisture. At all stages of working with cuttings, do not allow them to dry out; cut shoots are immediately placed in a container with water and placed in the shade. The duration of storage of the finished material in the refrigerator is no more than 2 days.
After cutting, the lower part of all workpieces is placed in a nutrient aqueous solution with a root stimulator. Root regeneration is regulated by growth substances - auxins, carbohydrates and nitrogenous substances. Under the influence of growth regulators, the number of rooted cuttings increases and the quality of finished seedlings improves.
Effective root formation stimulators include:
- “Heteroauxin” (β-indoleacetic acid, IAA) - from 50 to 200 mg/l;
- “Kornevin” (indolylbutyric acid, IBA) - 1 g/l of water;
- “Zircon” (a mixture of hydroxycinnamic acids) - 1 ml/l of water.
When preparing a nutrient solution, the growth-stimulating substance is first dissolved in a small amount of alcohol and then added to water. This way the stimulator will work more effectively. The treatment is carried out in the dark, at a temperature of +18…+22°C. The cuttings are immersed in the solution so that no leaves fall into it.
After 12–15 hours, the cuttings are removed from the solution and planted in a prepared place in a greenhouse, greenhouse or garden bed, under a film cover.
Advice! It is convenient to combine green cuttings with thinning of bushes. Strong and healthy removed shoots are not thrown away, but used for rooting.
If possible, a fogging installation is used at the landing site. If it is not there, regular watering and spraying will help create the required level of humidity.
Other rooting methods
Cuttings are rooted not only in the ground. Other methods include germination in water, substrate, and even potatoes.
In water
This is one of the simplest methods that does not require special skills or additional expenses. The prepared cuttings are placed in a container with water (2-3 pieces per 200 ml of liquid) and wait for the roots to appear.
The chances of successful rooting increase if the following rules are observed:
- do not change the water in the glass, but add it if necessary (changing water is stressful for plants);
- The cuttings are placed in water at room temperature;
- For rooting, use opaque containers: in dark glasses, roots form faster;
- Add activated carbon to the water (2 tablets per 1 tbsp.) or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (according to the instructions for the drug).
Compliance with these rules accelerates the formation of roots and prevents rotting of the lower part of the cuttings.
In the substrate
This method involves the use of breathable materials, since oxygen is required for root formation. Suitable substrates are mixtures of:
- vermiculite and river sand;
- perlite, earth, peat and sand;
- peat, vermiculite, perlite and sand.
All ingredients are mixed in 1:1 proportions, poured into a box of a suitable size and moistened. Cuttings are stuck into the prepared substrate and wait for new leaves to appear.
In potatoes
Raw potatoes are a natural source of root formation stimulants, so they are successfully used for rooting raspberry cuttings. For each shoot, take 1 large potato with cut out eyes. They stick a piece of stem into the tuber with 1-2 buds, and the vegetable itself is buried in the ground and watered. Cover everything with a plastic bottle.
Cuttings planted in this way are regularly watered and ventilated, removing the bottles. If everything is done correctly, the first roots will appear within a week.
