The Big Yellow Book Ec-6 Pdf

[Janne Desir]

Redand yellow-fruited raspberry cultivars are either classified as summer-bearing (floricane-fruiting) or everbearing (primocane-fruiting). Each type is pruned and trained differently. Some yellow-fruited cultivars are simple mutations of a red-fruited cultivar. So, in some red cultivars, a yellow-fruited cane can grow in the raspberry patch.

The black raspberry cultivars commonly available all fruit on the floricanes, which means they are all summer-bearing. Blackcaps must be pruned and trained differently than summer-bearing red or yellow raspberries. Purple raspberries are hybrids between red and black raspberries but are pruned and trained most like blackcaps.

Summer-bearing raspberries produce fruit in June and July, depending on the cultivar and region. The fruiting season of everbearing raspberries is in June and July on the floricanes and from early August until the first frost on the primocanes, depending on the cultivar and region.

All raspberry types produce primocanes from the crown and the base of old canes in the spring of each year (Figure 2). However, red and yellow raspberries also produce new primocanes from buds on the roots, and so these plants spread out from the place they are planted.

It is important to choose a cultivar adapted to your region. Various types of raspberry differ in fruiting season and cultural requirements. Even cultivars within the same type differ in fruit quality, flavor, appearance, tolerance to pests, cold hardiness and plant longevity.

Table 1 lists cultivar suggestions noted for good flavor and pest resistance by type. A range in Cold Hardiness Zone may help you determine regional adaptation if you are growing in an area with a borderline USDA Cold Hardiness Zone. Be aware that cold hardiness zones vary within any one region. (For example, you may be in zone 5 because your home is at a higher elevation, while the majority of the region is in zone 6). See Raspberry Cultivars for the Pacific Northwest, PNW 655, or Selecting Berry Crop Varieties for Central Oregon, EC 1621.

You can find descriptions of newer cultivars online through various nurseries. Note susceptibility to disease, because this may limit planting life or production in your region. For example, cultivars susceptible to root rot are difficult to grow in most areas of the Willamette Valley.

Because raspberry cultivars do not need cross-pollination to produce fruit, you only need to choose one cultivar. However, growing more than one type or cultivar will allow you to compare them, have sufficient fruit for freezing or jam, and to have fresh fruit for an extended period.

Soil that is not ideal for raspberries (soil with the wrong pH, poor drainage or the wrong soil type) can usually be improved. Gardeners can increase organic matter content, build raised beds, modify soil nutrient levels and modify soil pH to the ideal range with lime (to increase soil pH) or sulfur (to lower soil pH), if needed.

In the Willamette Valley and southwestern Oregon, a Shoemaker-McLean-Pratt, or SMP, buffer test is helpful for determining how much lime to apply if the soil pH is below the ideal range for raspberries. You can ask for this to be included on your soil nutrient analysis. In central, eastern and southeastern Oregon, soils tend to be neutral to more alkaline, so this additional buffer test is probably not necessary. Ideally, you would test the soil a year before you plant to give yourself enough time to modify the soil pH, if required.

Incorporate amendments into the soil about a year prior to planting, as it takes time for the soil pH to adjust after the addition of lime. See Applying Lime to Raise Soil pH for Crop Production (Western Oregon) and Eastern Oregon Liming Guide.

Raspberry plants often grow best with a soil organic matter content above 3 percent. You can increase soil organic matter content by incorporating fine, aged wood chips or sawdust, bark, well-composted manures or plant-based composts. Compost is the best option for amending native soil in central Oregon. It is important that whatever material you apply is free of pest insects and weed seeds. Apply organic matter 1 to 2 inches deep for each area. All of these organic materials differ in nutrient content, pH, salt content (EC), and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N), which affects the rate of decomposition. For more information on organic matter in crop production, see Improving Garden Soils with Organic Matter, EC 1561.

Incorporate the organic material into the soil by digging or tilling. Mixing the amendment in well ensures uniformity of soil properties. If you apply large amounts of fresh organic material with a high C:N, such as sawdust, you can aid decomposition by applying approximately 3 ounces of N per 100 square feet (see calculation below). In areas with little summer rain, irrigate the intended planting area to ensure amendments such as lime or sulfur and organic materials react well with the soil.

When soil in the garden is not well suited for raspberry production (even after you make all possible amendments) or space in the yard is limited, you can grow raspberry plants in containers on a deck (Figure 10) or balcony or in constructed raised beds (Figure 8). Choose a site that has good sun exposure.

The best types of raspberries for container production are everbearing, pruned to produce two crops per season. However, summer-bearing red or yellow raspberries may also be grown in containers or raised beds using similar methods.

It is important that the potting mix and the container drain well. Make sure that water will drain into the soil below a constructed raised bed. A recommended soil mixture is one part perlite or pumice, one part finely ground bark, and two parts garden or potting soil; yard centers may sell a similar mix in bulk. If desired, mix slow-release, or sulfur-coated, fertilizer into the potting mix at a rate of 8 cups per cubic yard of potting mix.

Follow the planting, fertilizing and pruning recommendations described here. Summer-bearing red or yellow raspberries may be grown in a hedgerow or hill system. It is best to grow everbearing raspberries in a hedgerow. Black and purple raspberries are most easily grown as individual plants because they do not produce primocanes from buds on the roots; space plants 3 to 4 feet apart.

Rows of raspberries should be spaced 8 to 10 feet apart and plants 2 feet (everbearing) to 2.5 feet (summer-bearing) apart. Keep any primocanes that emerge in the row area between plants. Maintain the row width to either 6 to 12 inches (summer-bearing) or 12 to 18 inches (everbearing), by removing any primocanes that emerge outside this row width by pruning, hoeing or rototilling (Figures 11A, 11B). If you allow wider hedgerows, management tasks such as weeding, pruning and harvest become more difficult and disease potential increases due to the dense canopy.

Figure 12A. Summer-bearing red raspberry grown in a hill system in early spring. Primocanes outside each hill or individual plant area should be removed by pruning or hoeing.

Figure 12B. Summer-bearing red raspberry grown in a hill system in winter, after pruning and training.

Whether you choose a hedgerow or a hill system for your red raspberry planting, they will look the same right after planting (Figure 15) and in the early spring as new primocanes grow (Figure 11B). By midsummer, remove excess primocanes outside the in-row area in both systems, and between plants in the hill system.

Mulch can help control annual weeds, conserve soil moisture and, depending on the type of mulch, provide nutrients (Figure 16). Do not to bury the crown with organic mulch, as this can promote rot. Deep straw should not be used as mulch during the growing season because it can lead to increased rodent activity. In areas where soil can freeze and thaw during winter, apply mulch around the crown to help protect plants from cold injury.

Raspberries need adequate water to thrive, either from irrigation or rainfall. Fruit is made up of mostly water, so sufficient irrigation during fruit production is essential for the best yields and fruit quality. Newly set plants do not have well-developed root systems, so plants can be easily stressed. Irrigate several times a week or as needed so that the root zone and soil are thoroughly wetted but standing water does not accumulate.

Drip irrigation is ideal for raspberry production because it can reduce weed problems, conserve water and reduce diseases that are sometimes caused by wetting the canopy. Irrigate with a single line of drip irrigation per row with -gallon emitters spaced every 18 inches. You may also use a soaker hose, if you monitor soil moisture to ensure the proper amount of water is being applied.

Summer-bearing raspberry plants need a permanent trellis for support. Set treated wooden or metal posts at each end of the row (3 to 4 inches in diameter and 6 feet above the ground) (Figure 17). Set metal T-style posts (Figure 18A) every 15 to 20 feet in the row. Training is easiest with two sets of two high-tensile wires (generally 12-gauge). Place one set near the top of the trellis (about 5.5 to 6 feet from the ground), attached directly to the posts, and one at about knee height, attached so you can remove them (for example, by using hooks, as shown in Figures 18A and 18B). This design will allow you to lift the lower wires out over the growing primocanes to pull them into the row and prevent damage during the growing season. Use a wire-tightener in each of the top wires. You can also use a single, high-tensile wire at the top of the post and install a cross arm on each post to support the lower wires. The cross arm should be about 12 to 18 inches long and nailed or bolted (Figure 19).

Figure 18. Trellis in summer-bearing red raspberry. Metal T-post (18A) in the row with heavy gauge wire used to support moveable wires at about knee height. Wooden end post (18B) or post in the row with fence nail partially hammered in to support moveable wire.

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