Raspberry
Also called Garden raspberry, Red raspberry.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 4 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, no entry for Rubus idaeus.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Raspberry canes are sold bare root through the dormant season, which is autumn to early spring in the north and the winter months in South Africa, and they should be planted as soon as they arrive. Plant them shallowly in a row, about forty centimetres apart, against posts and wires. The one thing worth getting straight is the pruning, because it depends on which type you bought. Summer fruiting raspberries carry their crop on canes grown the previous year, so you cut out only the canes that have just fruited and tie in the new ones. Autumn fruiting kinds carry the crop on the current year’s canes, so the whole row is cut to the ground in late winter, which is far simpler. Water hard while the fruit swells.
Ailments observed
| Yellow new leaves at the growing tip | Iron shortage on limy soil, showing as yellow between green veins. Mulch with composted bark or leaf mould to acidify the surface and water with rainwater. Raspberries are among the first plants to complain about lime. |
|---|---|
| It will not flower | Summer fruiting canes cut down in the wrong winter. Learn which type you have. Summer kinds fruit on last year's canes, so cut only the ones that have just fruited. Autumn kinds are cut to the ground in late winter. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
Neighbouring entries
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosusBlackberry for a productive, trainable fruiting hedge: why most cultivars fruit on last year's canes, and the two diseases worth checking for.
Blackcurrant
Ribes nigrumBlackcurrants: when to plant bare root bushes in each hemisphere, when the fruit ripens, and how to prune so there is new wood for next year.
Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispaGooseberry for a compact fruiting bush or a trained cordon: the twice-yearly prune it actually wants, and the mildew that catches an overfed one.