raspberries

[Elijah Gunn]

I was given some raspberry plants back in late September. The canes were already mature and had drooped over to touch the ground so that there were new roots starting on the end. The lady I got them from said to just plant both ends and they will grow. I've read a little about raspberries now and it says that they need to be prunned. My questions are.....
1. Should I prune them in the spring, or let them alone so they have more time to establish themselves?
2. How much of the cane to prune away?
3. Is it realistic to expect them to produce this coming year?
4. I did not mulch them so has the freezing weather already hurt or killed them?
Thanks, Mark

[jvs]

It doesn't take much to get over-run with Raspberry plants.  As you found out, they will root when the tip of a cane touches the ground.  Planting them along a fence sometimes works best.

I wouldn't automatically prune them unless you have all the canes you want.  Letting them go for a year or two wouldn't hurt anything if you have an area big enough and you have enough room between plants so you can pick them.  Pruning only the tips that touch the ground might be the best plan until the main roots are situated and mature.  You can then plant the tips you pruned off in a place where you want them.  Raspberrys also like fertilizer in the spring.   A half pound of 10-10-10 per plant, about 12" away from the established base will give them a good start to the growing season.

Picking the first year won't hurt the plants either, but as you know, mature plants produce more.  As a rule, I don't pick the first season, but I do have a few 'taste tests'.

I doubt the winter will kill the younger ones off.  Raspberry plants are very hardy.  What you can do is put the younger ones in a pot and keep them in a relatively cold place, covered with leaves or other light mulch until spring.  Then plant them where you have room.  Leave them be if they already rooted themselves in the area, unless you don't want them there.   You can transplant them in spring.  I have no doubt that in a few years you will wonder why you were so concerned about getting raspberrys started.  Because in 3 years you should have all the raspberrys you can handle.

[Elijah Gunn]

They were planted where there is plenty of room for them to propagate. From what you said I'll probably fertilize , mulch for weed control ,and just let them grow this year. There is no fence ,so I'll put up some wire (like for grapes). I probably planted some of them too close together so some will be moved again.
There are some wild blackberries here also. What could I do to help them, and would it be worth the effort since they are wild? I ask because I've heard that wild fruit plants will never produce as well as what you get from the greenhouse/ nursery.
Thanks again, Mark

[jvs]

Plants from a Nursery have been engineered for production, but they all have 'roots' in the wild.

I would give those wild blackberrys a try.  For all you know they may be left overs from times past when somebody took care of them.  Time change and boundries change.  They could have been somebodys pride and joy years ago.

Unless you give them proper soil and care, you'll never know how they can produce.  I know of some wild blackberry bushes that put some of those 'tinkered' plants to shame when it comes to berry size and taste.

But leave them alone and all you'll get is what they can produce without taking away fro the rest of the plant. 

[Elijah Gunn]

Well, I finally was able to transplant my raspberries into nice neat rows next to the wild blackberries.
When I first got them I had planted them all willy nilly and harvesting,or taking care of them would have been impossible.
The raspberry canes that had roots on both ends I would cut off the re-rooted end about 7- 12 inches up and plant it that way.
I'll be using wires to support them so they don't fall over to re-root themselves anymore.
Is there a basic fertilizer that works well for raspberries, blackberries,and strawberries? I want to keep it simple,and cheap.
Thanks,  Mark

[jvs]

Soon there will be no such thing as cheap fertilizer.  Those prices are sky-rocketing.

A basic 10-10-10 fertilizer is probably a good one no matter what you are growing in the yard.  As long as you remember that the use of artificial fertilizers leads to acidic conditions over time.

Of course, manure is always best and is organic.   Chicken manure is 'hot' with Urea, while rabbit, horse and cow manure is 'gentle'.

[Elijah Gunn]

Some of my neighbors have horses  so maybe I can get some manure from them.
I've been watching my berry plants  very closely the past 3 days and I'm amazed at how fast they are budding and starting to leaf out.