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Raspberries Care Guide Brambles are perennial plants with a biennial growth and fruiting habit. The perennial part is in a storage root, which has eno0ugh cold hardiness to continue above ground growth from year to year. Their biennial part is in the new growth (primocanes) which can over winter flower (floricanes), bear fruit the following season and die after fruiting. This makes it necessary to prune or remove the canes which have produced fruit. The red raspberry root system develops in the first 10 to 20 inches of soil. Roots develop shoot buds in the fall and emerge in spring as floricane. The leader bud produces vigorous canes until the cold weather limits more growth then becomes a floricane in the second year on june-bearing cultivars. Larger and taller canes usually produce more than shorter canes. Black raspberries, certain purple raspberries and thronless blackberries do not spread by underground roots, but do have crown buds rising up from the crown of the plants. Therefore, a planting that has missing plants needs interplanting for maximum returns. Soil Selection: Should be a well drained high in humus or organic matter, no less than 2%. The soils should be slightly acid 5.8-6.8PH. They prefer sandy loams with course sands or clays. Trailing types of brambles tolerate heavier clay soil better than other cultivars or species. Planting:Planting can be done year round weather permitting. Plant depth is critical as in other plants. Plant at the same depth they were in the nursery. Everbearing Red Raspberries: The plants should be 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 10 to 12 feet apart, in-row spacing is not critical because plants will eventually make a solid hedgerow. Royalty Purple Raspberries: The current spacing suggestion for these new, vigorous varieties is 3 feet apart in rows 9 to 12 feet apart. Thornless Blackberries: Plant 5 to 8 feet apart in rows 10 to 20 feet apart. They are vigorous growers and need considerable space, especially late in the season. use a two-wire trellis for support for Chester, hull, and other semi-erect thornless. Arapaho and Navaho need no trellis. Mulch: Mulches are applied from 4-6 inches deep either to the row areas alone or to the whole soil surface. Straw, old hay, sawdust and shavings may be used, but should be weed seed free. Mulch, if needed or desired, should be applied sometime between late fall and early spring when the soil moisture is plentiful. Harvest: Berries should be picked when they are firm, but well colored, and mature enough to come away from the core easily. Blackberries should be picked when they are black firm and falling to your hand with a slight touch. Watering: A plentiful supply of water is especially important from early spring until harvest. As a rough guide, raspberries require 1 inch of water per week from bloom until the end of harves. Drip irrigation shows great promise. Check for moisture before applying water, if there is sufficient moisture in the first inch of the soil do not water. Weed Control: Aisle ways are usually sodded and mowed or mulched. Hand weeding is not too difficult if plants are mulched. Weeding is very simple when using the mowing method for Heritage and Harvest Gold. Just weed, mulch and compost right after mowing. Pruning Summer Bearing Red Raspberry Plants: The 2 year canes on the summer bearing cultivars will become weak or die after fruiting. These canes should be pruned individually in fall or early spring before new growth emerges. Prune the cane so the cut is even or just above ground level. Some cultivars are very vigorous growers and vigor will also depend on climate, soil conditions and fertility. So if the planting bed looks as though it could be too crowded with new shoots, prune the new suckers early before growth is over 6 inches tall. The height of the canes should range between 4 to 5 feet, so if they are taller just tip the canes back when chest high in the growing season. Pruning Fall Bearing Raspberry and Bababerry: Canes of the fall bearing cultivars are produced on the tops of the first year canes or primocanes. Most gardeners and growers aim for a fall crop on these bushes although a summer crop can be produced as well. To produce a fall crop the canes should be mowed or cut at ground level. Pruning should be done with a sickle bar or an instrument that will produce a clean cut. To eliminate most diseases the canes should be taken away from the planting. Pruning in this manner should be done no earlier than late winter, no later than when new growth starts to emerge. Pruning Purple and Black Raspberry Plants: These types of brambles do not multiply plants in the row like the reds do, the plants grow as individuals and will produce shoot growth from buds that are formed near the base of the plant. Pruning should be done in the fall and early spring. A two year can produces the fruit and after it fruits the cane becomes weak or dies, so eliminate the cane by cutting it at the base of the plant. Any 1 year canes that are long and falling over because of shoot length should be pruned to a 2 to 3 foot height, depending upon the diameter of the cane. Do not let too many branches grow in the plant because they will crowd each other out and create weak shoot growth. If black raspberry canes bendover and their tips touch the ground, they will root. Thornless: Thin out small diameter canes and leave 4 to 6 canes per plant. If the thornless blackberries have been damaged by cold temperatures, remove all dead wood. Summer prune to shape. A six foot high cane with 12" laterals is easy to work with and very fruitful. After canes have fruited - remove. Bed Renovation: To keep your raspberry bed healthy and productive follow these few simple steps. Every year clean up the bed of weeds. Add mulch or compost. keep beds at a comfortable width by hoeing or tilling.
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