Released March 19, 2009
URBANA, Ill. -- If you've always wanted to grow fruit in your backyard, but were afraid of the time and effort involved, consider raspberries, a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator recommended.
"Relative to a lot of other home-grown fruits, raspberries require a lot less attention," said Jennifer Schultz Nelson.
Among fruits commonly called raspberries, there are a few different species in the genus Rubus. Rubus is the genus also known as the "brambles," which includes both raspberries and blackberries. With hundreds of species, it is considered to be one of the most diverse genera in the flowering plant world.
"Most red raspberries as we know them are derived from two species—Rubus ideaus, native to Europe and Rubus strigosus, native to North America," she said. "Black raspberries are the species Rubus occidentalis. Some consider black raspberries to have superior flavor to all other raspberries. Purple raspberries are crosses or hybrids of red and black raspberries."
Yellow, golden or orange raspberries are typically mutants of red-fruited varieties, although there are a few yellow-fruited mutants of black raspberries.
Nelson noted that in choosing raspberry cultivars for your garden, it helps to know a little bit about how raspberries grow and produce fruit.
"Raspberries are a perennial crop, but the shoots, or canes that grow are individually biennial," she said. "That means that each individual cane will only live for two years.
"The first year of growth, the canes are called "primocanes." In many raspberry cultivars, the primocanes do not produce flowers and fruit. In the second year of growth, the canes are called "floricanes" and they produce flowers and fruits. If you just let raspberries grow without pruning or cutting back, there would be a mixture of primocanes and floricanes present at any given time." There are red raspberry cultivars available that are called primocane fruiting or autumn fruiting types. These will flower and set fruit on the primocanes, which means you can harvest fruit from them the first year they are planted. They will set fruit on the same canes in the second year (now called the floricanes), but in general this second crop is of lesser quality.
Recommended pruning for raspberries depends on whether you have primocane (autumn) fruiting or floricane fruiting cultivars. For both types of fruiting, you can choose to just remove the dead canes each year, leaving both primocanes and floricanes intact. Remember that floricane fruiting cultivars must be pruned this way if you want to harvest any fruit—they only produce fruit on the floricanes, so you can't remove those and expect to harvest any fruit.
"Autumn or primocane fruiting cultivars may be cut back to the ground after last harvest in the fall," she said. "This channels all the plant's energy into producing primocanes the following spring, which for these types yield the best quality fruit. It also reduces the chances of diseases overwintering in plant debris." Although your neighbor may have a ton of raspberry plants they want to share, the best recommendation is to buy plants that are certified disease- free from a reputable nursery of mail-order company.
Raspberries are typically planted while still dormant in the spring.
"It pays to take time to prepare the soil where your raspberries will be planted," Nelson said. "Some sources recommend you spend the first year just preparing the soil for planting the second year!
"Raspberries produce best in soils with high organic matter, which may take some time to build up depending on your existing soil. Aged manure and shredded leaves are great sources of organic matter. Also use your soil preparation time to eliminate any perennial weeds that may be present at the site."
As with many plants, raspberries need well-drained soil. They will tolerate a pH of about 5.8-6.5, and prefer a sunny location. They need adequate water, about an inch or two per week for healthy growth, but do not like wet feet. They are shallow rooted and so should be mulched to prevent the roots from drying out.
Because they can be susceptible to a fungal disease called verticillium wilt, the best sites for raspberries should not have had verticillium-prone crops eggplant, potato, tomato or strawberry planted there for the last five years. There are other fungal and viral diseases, as well as insect pests that target raspberry.
"Good site selection and cultural practices will go a long way in keeping your raspberries healthy," she said. "If problems do surface, your local Extension office is a great place to go for advice." Raspberries can be grown as individual plants, sometimes called hills, or in wide rows called hedgerows. Either way you grow them, you will have to confront their vigorous growth habits. Raspberries like to produce tons of suckers. Thankfully, their root systems are shallow, so they are easy to remove.
Nelson said trellising your raspberries will make harvesting fruits a lot easier. Without trellises, the canes tend to flop on the ground. Simple "T"-shaped trellises for raspberries can be constructed using metal fence posts and scrap lumber. Place "T" trellises about every five feet down the length of the rows of raspberries. Drill a series of holes in the wooden cross-piece of the "T" and thread twine through from "T" to "T" to hold the canes off the ground. It's not fancy, but it works well.
"Considering the typical high cost of raspberries at the grocery store, a little time and effort growing them at home will pay off in a short while," she said. "Before long you will have a small fortune in berries to enjoy."
--30--
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4707.html
Contacts: Jennifer Schultz Nelson, (217) 877-6042
Bob Sampson, (217) 244-0225, rsampson@uiuc.edu
