Instructions for caring for raspberries in the spring after winter and advice from experienced gardeners

A shoot on a raspberry bush lives for two years. During the first year he gains strength and matures. In the second year it bears fruit and dies, being replaced by a new shoot. The branches of the remontant variety bear fruit already from the first year, but after the second season they also dry out. Untreated raspberries in the spring are more often infected with pests, thicken and run wild, and spread beyond the garden bed. In this article we will talk about the rules and nuances of caring for raspberries in the spring after winter.

What care does raspberry require in spring?

From one bush of healthy, properly processed raspberries, up to 4 kg of harvest is harvested per season. Untidy raspberries do not bloom as profusely, and their fruits become smaller.

What does she need

In the spring, to prepare the bush for active growth, the following is carried out:

• pruning shoots;
• loosening the soil;
• watering;
• fertilization;
• mulching;
• treatment against pests and diseases;
• thinning.

Dates for spring procedures

Work begins when a stable temperature of +5°C and above is established:

• immediately after the last snow has melted, pruning is done, the bushes and the soil underneath are cleared of old foliage, and the first fertilizers are applied;
• when the buds begin to bloom, the branches are pruned a second time, after which the ground is loosened, weeded, fertilized and mulched;
• at the moment of flowering, the raspberries are fed again;
• As the soil dries, the bushes are watered abundantly;
• closer to summer, when new shoots appear, the bush is thinned out.

Necessary spring activities to increase productivity

Raspberry processing is carried out in stages, following a certain sequence.

Removing cover

When positive daytime temperatures have established and no frost is expected, the covering material is removed from the raspberries. The ground is cleared of leaves and remnants of last year's mulch. If the bushes are for the winter bent to the ground, untied and straightened them.

Trimming

At the first spring pruning remove old branches that have already bear fruit at the root. Trim frozen, broken stems, weak shoots:

• if the bed is formed in the form of bushes, leave 6-8 healthy strong shoots per bush;
• if the raspberries are planted in the form of a trench, choose 14-16 powerful branches per 1 m, the rest are removed.

The damaged tops are cut off to the first healthy bud - the one that is visually no different from the others.

Attention. When processing the plant, do not compact the soil around the bushes with your feet. Compacted soil limits the access of moisture and oxygen to the roots.

When leaves appear at the tops, the sprouts are pinched to 20-40 cm. The branch with the immature upper part removed will begin to produce strong lateral shoots.

Watering

They begin to water the raspberries when the first leaves appear. The soil is soaked generously, at the rate of 10 liters per bush. This measure will provide the soil with moisture under the root system and give it the opportunity to develop deeper. Repeat the procedure as the soil dries.

For repeated watering, the amount of water is reduced to 4 liters per bush. Moistening is continued until the bush fades.

Loosening

The raspberry root system is located at a depth of up to 30 cm underground. Loosen the soil carefully, using a special hoe, to a depth of 10 cm.This improves the access of oxygen, moisture and fertilizers to the roots.

Feeding

The raspberry bush actively bears fruit for 12 years. It extracts all useful microelements from the earth in the first two years of life. To increase the yield, the soil is fed:

1. The first fertilizing is applied when new shoots appear. During this period, the plant needs nitrogen. It helps form strong greens. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied before flowering begins. Otherwise, the shoots will grow, stopping the formation of buds.
2. Before flowering begins, when the buds are just forming, potassium and phosphorus are added to the soil. These elements help to obtain large and ripe fruits. The amount of nitrogen is reduced.
3. During the period of flowering and the appearance of the first berries, the amount of potassium and phosphorus is increased, and nitrogen is completely eliminated.

Mulching

Mulch raspberries after applying fertilizers at the moment when new shoots have reached 30-40 cm. Manure is added to the mulch to saturate the soil with nitrogen. The following is used as mulch:

1. Twigs and wood chips from the compost heap. They cover the ground with a layer of 6-8 cm.
2. Newspapers. Use both whole sheets and pieces of paper. They are laid in 4 layers and sprinkled with earth.
3. Straw manure. Pour in a layer of 5-7 cm.
4. Seed husks. Layer thickness up to 5 cm.
5. Peat, sawdust or hay.

Treatment against diseases and pests

The treatment is carried out before the buds open. Raspberries are sprayed with copper-containing preparations. Copper sulfate, urea or ammonia will do.

At the moment of bud formation, repeated treatment is carried out. Biochemical solutions are allowed in this phase. Decoctions of wormwood, dill, and marigold are also considered effective. At the same time, the base of the stems is watered with an aqueous suspension of ash and tobacco dust.

Treatment with fire and boiling water

Scalding the branches with boiling water will help rid the plant of the larvae of many pests. The procedure begins when the snow has melted, but the kidneys are still at rest. Water is heated in a metal bucket to 70°C and poured into a watering can.

Water the branches only once so that the buds warm up but do not get scalded. They try not to fall on the ground under the bush. A little boiling water will not harm the soil, but a large amount will scald the roots.

Attention. Cut branches, foliage and last year's mulch create suitable conditions for overwintering pest larvae. To protect the raspberry garden, the cuttings are taken outside the garden and burned.

Transfer

Plants are replanted as needed, when the thickets have become too dense and the harvest is small. This is also done when the soil is depleted or to propagate raspberry bushes.

The transplant is performed when the buds have swollen, but have not yet blossomed:

1. Choose healthy bushes with a main stem thickness of more than 1 cm.
2. They dig around the bush, carefully remove it from the soil and divide it into parts.
3. Place at the depth of the root collar in pre-prepared holes filled with fertilizers.
4. Straighten the roots, sprinkle with a mixture of equal parts of earth, sand and humus.
5. Compact, water, mulch.
6. Cut the stems, leaving 70 cm.

Read more about transplanting raspberries in spring In this article.

Do I need to dig it up?

Raspberries love loose, moist soil. But digging up the ground under the bushes leads to damage to the root system. It is allowed to dig up the soil in the autumn and only between rows of plants. In spring, shallow loosening is sufficient.

Thinning shoots

Thin out raspberries when new shoots begin to grow. Weak, dense stems and root shoots are cut as low to the ground as possible.Only replacement shoots are left.

Reference. The replacement shoot grows from the root collar of the bush; it is strong and replaces the fruit-bearing trunk. Due to such sprouts, the plant rejuvenates. The root shoot breaks out at a distance from the mother plant, forming a new young bush, but takes away strength from the main one.

Thinning prevents thickening and shading of the bed.

Features of care depending on the region

Central Russia is ideal for growing raspberries according to climatic conditions. Spring procedures in this region are standard and begin in late March - early April.

In the south of Russia, raspberry processing begins in March. The winter here is milder than in other regions, so raspberries do not require winter shelter or bending down.

In Siberia and the Urals, where the climate is more severe, plantings are opened at night temperatures of 0°C. This will help the soil warm up faster. The bushes are not untied. Shrub care begins in April, when the daytime temperature is around +8°C.

Spring planting raspberries

Saplings with an open root system are easier to adapt to when planted in spring. Potted bushes, the roots of which are covered with soil, are planted in spring, autumn and even summer using the transshipment method.

There are trench and cluster methods. landings. For trenching, a long furrow is dug with a width and depth of 40 cm. For bushing, holes are 40 by 40 cm. 70 cm are left between bushes, and 1.5 m between rows.

For raspberry gardens, choose a sunny place with moist but not swampy soil. If the soil in the area is dry, the bushes require frequent watering. Trenches are dug, positioning them from north to south. Thanks to this orientation relative to the sun, the plant will be exposed to light throughout the day.

Important. Young growth is not planted in the place where there was previously a raspberry or strawberry bed for 6 years. Old shoots will not allow young shoots to grow. In addition, diseases and pests common to these two berries still persist in the soil.

When and how to plant

Saplings with bare roots are placed in the ground until the buds swell. For this:

1. Dig a trench or hole in a sunny place.
2. If the soil is dry, water the planting site generously.
3. Fill with organic fertilizers.
4. Place the seedling in the hole so that the root collar is at ground level, and sprinkle it with a fertile layer.
5. Fertilize, water and mulch.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Summer residents who receive consistently high yields from their raspberries recommend following some rules:

1. The bushes are tied to a specially installed fence. This measure will increase the yield due to light reaching the entire length of the bush.
2. Raspberries especially need watering at the time of flowering and berry formation. Abundant watering during this period will increase the yield by about three times. During the ripening phase, watering is reduced to a minimum or eliminated so that the fruits do not turn out watery and tasteless.
3. Pest control is important. They are tenacious and destroy most of the trunks.
4. Transfer required when new powerful replacement shoots are not enough for a large harvest. The root system has grown over the entire area of ​​the raspberry tree, and it has stopped rejuvenating.
5. Feeding apply after watering. It will improve soil permeability.
6. Fresh fertile soil is regularly added to the bushes. It is prepared in advance from a mixture of peat, sand, manure and earth and left for a year in a dry place.
7. It is advisable to lay a path of boards between the rows of raspberries so that the soil is always moderately moist and uncompacted.

Common Mistakes

As a result of these errors, the quality and quantity of the harvest suffers:

1. Carrying out pruning after the start of sap flow. As a result, healthy buds ready to open are damaged.
2. Incorrect sequence of actions. For example, applying fertilizer after mulching will not be beneficial, since the protective layer will not allow the fertilizing to penetrate to the roots.
3. Insufficient thinning of the plantation. Excess thin shoots do not produce crops, shade fruit-bearing trunks and draw out nutrients.
4. Loosening too deep. Disturbing the soil layer deeper than 10 cm leads to damage to the root system.

Conclusion

The main spring care for raspberries consists of pruning and removing old foliage, watering and sanitizing. Thin out as new shoots grow throughout the gardening period. With proper care, the fruits will become larger and the harvest more abundant.