If you want to create a new raspberry patch, you can easily propagate the existing plants yourself. Here you will find the different methods of propagation.
Raspberries are very vigorous semi-shrubs, and the various varieties of fruit for the garden also tend to proliferate. Therefore, propagation by root runners is one of the easiest methods of obtaining new plants.
How to propagate raspberries by runners?
The 20 to 40 centimeter ( 8 to 16 in) high runners or plant offshoots appear, depending on the border, about half a meter (20 in) from the mother plant. In the fall, after the leaves have fallen, simply prick them off with a spade and replant the raspberries elsewhere in the garden. This method of propagation is also possible in the spring. However, if you cut off the runners in the fall, it has the advantage that they will take root before winter and be more vigorous next year. It is recommended to cut the raspberries in the coming spring, otherwiese you will not be able to harvest until the year after next, but the plants will be stronger and form more new shoots.
Propagation by layer
To layer individual shoots is a proven method of propagation for many plants and also works very well for raspberries. It is possible all year round, provided that sufficiently long young shoots are available. You bend individual shoots down in an arc and cover a section of the shoot with soil after fixing it in the ground with a tent peg. If the shoot bears leaves, they must be removed beforehand in the appropriate area, otherwise fungal infections can easily occur due to contact with the soil. The layered shoot forms new roots at the lowest leaf node. It can be cut off from the mother plant in the fall or spring if rooting is sufficient, and replanted in the desired location.
New raspberries from cuttings or live stakes
Raspberries can also be easily propagated by cuttings and live stakes. In addition, this method is very productive, because you can grow several seedlings from one shoot. Head cuttings and partial cuttings with at least two leaves are obtained in early summer from the new, only slightly woody shoots and put into low-nutrient growing medium. They will form their own roots within two to three weeks in a warm, bright place in a covered propagation tray and can then be planted out directly in the bed.
Live stakes can also be cut from harvested biennial shoots in the fall. The about 15 cm (5 in) long pieces should each end with a bud at the top and bottom and are best placed in bundles in boxes with moist humus soil until spring, stored outdoors in a shady, sheltered spot and kept evenly moist. Here they often already form the first roots. In early spring, as soon as the soil is no longer frozen, you can then plant the cuttings in the bed.
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