When To Prune Rasberries

When to prune a caragana hedge

The best time is in the early spring before new growth emerges. Generally, when this question is posed about caragana, it really needs pruning. If you want to slow it down, prune it now to remove the leaf cover, which is pumping photosynthates into the system of the plant for storage to use next growing season. The early spring pruning should be done if you want to cut a woody, funky hedge back and to get it to thicken again that year. It will come back vigorously and bring you lush, leafy growth that you can shape. This pruning can be done right down to the crown of the plant using a sharp chain saw.

My raspberries are on the east side of the garage, so they get plenty of sun. Later in the day or evening, some may get shade from the garage. I alternate rows, so one spring we mow a row down and pick from the other row. This year, something is eating the leaves. Because something is eating the leaves, I’m getting a much smaller crop of berries. (email reference) The damage could be something Japanese beetles would do to the rose family, which includes raspberries. The problem is that Japanese beetles have not been documented in North Dakota as of yet. For this time of year, I can't tell you what insect would be doing that much leaf feeding but leaving the veins alone. Can you scout a little and see if you can find the culprits? If they are Japanese beetles, they usually feed at night and then crawl off somewhere cool to sleep. If it is a caterpillar of some kind, such as a fall cankerworm, there should be some evidence of them. You could spray Sevin on the plants. However, if the damage has been done and the insect pest exited, it would be akin to locking the barn door after the animals departed. I really hope this isn’t Japanese beetle damage. If they are established in the state, we will have a major headache on our hands. Almost any other insect is easier to control than this voracious beast!