How to get new raspberry plants

My raspberry plants are fading more quickly than I had hoped, so I’m thinking about getting some more. However, I have been reading about propagating them by cane cuttings, tip layering, or digging up suckers. Has anyone done any of these? Are they by doable by an amateur? Which is the easiest?

 

Hi,

Digging up and replanting or potting up suckers does work with healthy plants, however if your plants are failing they may have a Virus ,which is very common, so that new stock from them might risk taking the virus with them.

Assume you are looking to renew all the old ones , don't know how many plants you have ?
Also you do not want to replant in the same location as again any virus or soil born pest will still be there and affect any new plants.

Would always suggest getting new stock from one of the many well known online growers.
For summer fruiting ones you can buy what called Long Cane ones that will give you some fruit the same year, though you need to search for them online.
It will be October onwards before next years stock are on sale.

 

If your raspberry plants aren't looking too healthy, I would avoid taking cuttings and digging up the suckers.

You could ask friends or neighbours if they've got any you could take cuttings from or suckers. Failing that you will need to buy new plants in.

Just remember, if you are taking cuttings, make sure you plant them the right way up.

 

I'd agree that if they're failing, you need to look at the reason for that, rather than trying to propagate them - they tend to sucker and run and you can just chop those off and pot them on or replant, but I wouldn't do it with anything that wasn't healthy.

 

Thanks for that @ricky101, @hamesy and @fairygirl. I have been reading about raspberries, and have got the impression that they live for 8-10 years at best, and as my plants are 7 and have been neglected a bit for a couple of years, I was assuming that it was old age. Is there a way to tell if they have a virus?

I should mention that my nearest neighbours, 200 metres away, don’t have raspberries. After them the nearest ones that are upwind of me are a mile away. So is it likely that it’s a virus?

 

With such old plants we would say its time to remove them, once they have finished fruiting this year, and replant with new canes in a different part of the garden as the existing patch will likely have virus and pests in it and also be depeleted of the nutrients any new plants need.
It is possible to replace the soil, but thats usually a too big a job for most folk if you have any more than 2 or 3 canes.

Expect any virus will be windborne or carried by sap sucking insects or bird droppings ??

You do not say if yours are Summer or Autumn types but worth considering getting some of both if you do get new ones, though do check on how to plant them if bare rooted, as they do not want planting too deep, the roots should be fanned out more horizontally,

 

Are they all fading? If they are then I would start again because a healthy raspberry patch should be throwing up new plants so fast that you have to split them up.

 

@Thevictorian , the autumn ones are all fine. Half of the summer ones are fine, one looks a bit sad, the rest have died.