Raspberry failure - Fruit & veg - gardenersworld.com

lucy33

15/06/2012 at 18:03

Hi, This is my, first post so don't really know what I'm doing, but here goes. I purchased 3 raspberry bare root plants, one for each season. I planted them ages ago but so far there is no sign of life. Is this normall for the first year or have I done something wrong. They just look like 3 sticks in the ground. What should I do? Your help would be appreciated. Thanks

Alina W

15/06/2012 at 18:06

No, it's not normal by now, but I don't think it's your fault. How long ago did you buy these plants? Did you soak the roots before planting? Did you make sure that the ground around them didn't dry out?

lucy33

15/06/2012 at 18:37

I think it was around march, yes I did soak them. I think I've kept them moist. Not hard in this weather though is it? Any other ideas?

Wintersong

15/06/2012 at 22:25

The main stems should have woken up by now, but don't despair. Leave them in situ. Raspberries are extremely vigorous and will grow new shoots up to four foot from parent plant, so unless your specimen is completely dodo, you may yet get new growth from the roots.

Monty says that Raspberries are shallow rooted and don't like competition from weeds but mine grew almost complete neglected, through patches of bindweed in sandy soil and were like a forest in just four years from a single stem, which also appeared lack lustre the first year I had it.

Good luck and you've been warned.

lucy33

16/06/2012 at 06:52

Thanks. Do the shoots look anything like potatoe shoots cos I had 3 of them quite close to the later variety cane and my mother in law told me they were potatoe shoots which wouldn't surprise me as I hav found a few round the garden where my compost might have had a little bit of potatoe skin. So could I have pulled some up my mistake? I'm sorry if that makes me sound thick but I'm fairly new to this so am still learning.

Dovefromabove

16/06/2012 at 06:55

Mmm, might have been - never mind, they'll send up some more - they're like that - and yes, they do spread so keep an eye open for quite a distance around them.

sotongeoff

16/06/2012 at 07:02

Raspberries send up new growth from below the ground each year and there are basically 2 types summer fruiting and autumn fruiting-what variety did you buy?

You cant really pull up a shoot they are attached to the root and will not just "pull up"-if you did the whole cane would come with it.

It does not look good but as has been said leave them in situ over the winter -if nothing happens by the spring then they have had it

lucy33

16/06/2012 at 10:37

I got 3 that were all supposed to all follow on from each other. Will just have to wait a while longer then.
Thank you to all of you, I really appreciate your advice

Your say

Terms and Conditions | Code of Conduct

Email me when a response is made?