Why has my raspberry harvest dropped considerably?

herbiegrowsbananas · « **on:** August 11, 2008, 11:55 »

Hiya

We planted raspberry canes about 8 years ago and left them to care for themselves for a while. We were getting a real good crop. They had spread out and were doing really well, but last year they were very disappointing. Last year, for the first time we cut back the old canes in the hope that they would flourish this year, but nope.

I guess the rain has something to do with it. I also have a blackcurrant bush and a redcurrant bush in the same plot and they were fabulous croppers this year. The apple tree in the same plot is doing great, but the plum tree's produce at the end of the plot has lots of splits in them.

We were told to stop feeding the plum tree a couple of years ago, and so stopped feeding the plot, and the plum tree produced fruit for the first time ever this year.

Any ideas?
Thank
Tina

DD. · « **Reply #1 on:** August 11, 2008, 14:59 »

Are they autumn or summer fruiting?

Did you cut all the canes back? (Not a good move if they are summer ones).

7 Years of neglect won't have helped! They do really need looking after every year, but how you look after them depends on line one!

Trillium · « **Reply #2 on:** August 11, 2008, 15:30 »

I have summer fruiting raspberries and for the first time this year mine were a huge disappointment. They'll need 2 yrs to recover from various problems.

On a recent garden tour I saw some everbearing raspberries ready to produce a huge fall crop. The owner's secret: she cuts down all the stalks in early spring, gives them a good manuring (she has a horse farm) and waits for a good fall crop rather than a mediocre spring and fall crop. One look at what she has coming has made me a convert; I'm buying everbearings next spring.

DD. · « **Reply #3 on:** August 11, 2008, 16:57 »

I'm picking a kilo of Autumn Bliss every day now.

londongardener · « **Reply #4 on:** August 11, 2008, 17:25 »

Quote from: "DD."

I'm picking a kilo of Autumn Bliss every day now.

How many canes and how long ago did you plant them ?

What is your secret ?

DD. · « **Reply #5 on:** August 11, 2008, 17:29 »

No secret, but in this case size counts!

When I first got this plot, about 6 years ago, I think, I was given 10 scrawny canes by a fellow plot holder who was thinning his out.

I've now got a 34 x 6 foot "hedge" of them!

herbiegrowsbananas · « **Reply #6 on:** August 11, 2008, 20:27 »

Hiya

The problem ones are the summer fruiting. My autumn fruiting haven't started yet, but my summer fruiting ones were always amazing.

Forgot to mention that there was a little white grub in some last year and again some this year, reckoned it was rapspberry beetle. Segments of my raspberries were pale or even white.

Maybe its because I haven't been feeding them well enough due to advice to stop feeding the plum tree (same plot).

I pulled up a few of the old sticks - would this have made a difference?

We didn't totally neglect them, lol, but we kind of left them to their own devices in regards to cutting back, etc, as they were spreading out so well. We used organic chicken pellets each year, apart from the last two years (and we have had much less produce!!). If it is a lack of nutrients then I would rather lots of raspberries and no plums, than a good few split plums and a low amout of raspberries.

If it if lack of nutrients, would a pile of manure help?

Thanks
Tina

DD. · « **Reply #7 on:** August 11, 2008, 20:46 »

It's hard to tell really, but yes they would benefit from a good mulch of manure & at the end of the day, they've not been properly looked after.

Old growth should really have been removed to allow the fresh growth the space, old canes rotting away could let in diseases.

iwantanallotment · « **Reply #8 on:** August 11, 2008, 21:29 »

Can I please hijack for a sec to ask : My raspberry (one cane

) is just flowering now - would that make it a summer or autumn fruiting variety?
(the packaging didn't say, nor gave any name)
Need to know because of how to treat it.

DD. · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2008, 21:34 »

Quote from: "iwantanallotment"

Can I please hijack for a sec to ask : My raspberry (one cane ) is just flowering now - would that make it a summer or autumn fruiting variety?
(the packaging didn't say, nor gave any name)
Need to know because of how to treat it.

Oooooh, tricky.

It it were an entire row, I would 100% go for Autumn, but you do get oddities.

IMHO, best to leave it this year, as you're not going to get overcrowding problems with one cane. If it thows up new growth very early spring, and then fruits on that cane chances are it's an autumn one. If there's no fruit forthcoming - it's probably a summer one & you'll have to wait another year.

FCG · « **Reply #10 on:** August 12, 2008, 00:51 »

DD how big is your allotment?? You seem to have a ton of space. (square meters please)

iwantanallotment · « **Reply #11 on:** August 12, 2008, 02:09 »

Well I'll ask again in spring if that's ok DD, cos I'll forget all ya said by then Thank you, DD

PS - DD's allotment is bigger than most of us can ever, ever imagine..........it's like a planet all to itself.

DD. · « **Reply #12 on:** August 12, 2008, 07:33 »

Mrs. DD. & I have a full plot each & I also have a half plot.

Total area about 800 sq m.

This is Mrs. DD. on her plot just after I, sorry, just after she, had cleared it.....

And mine earlier this year. (You can see the raspberries in the distance as the light green row across the plot).

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Why has my raspberry harvest dropped considerably?

Trillium