Autumn raspberry troubleshooting...Help please!

wallbash

Is it too late ??

I would cut down the canes to about a foot high .
Ken Muir ( a leading fruit stock supplier) was still selling bare rooted canes up to the end of April.

You have nothing to lose. Cut and mulch, and let us know how it goes in late August.

Scottish_Mike

wallbash wrote: »

So you are suggesting a deficiency ( corrected by the chicken manure pellets ) ?.

I'm guessing at a deficiency. I did a search earlier in the year, but searching "raspberries red leaves" only really got me results on tea (!) and I couldn't find any definitive info about a deficiency. But I was aware that I hadn't fed the canes in a year, so assumed it was some deficiency. And like I said, after feeding and regular watering it did appear to resolve, and the cane is now thriving and seems really happy.

Dormouse, I just got a tub of the dried chicken manure pellets from Wilko, threw a generous handful around the base of the cane, and have watered every 2-3 weeks. Blood fish and bone powder would probably also do the trick. Both are cheap in Wilkos and B&M. Also, a mulch of rotted manure will be a nice source of nutrients for the roots, and you can usually find some cheap on gumtree (and B&M sell bags for a fiver).

Dormouse1940 wrote: »

There are berries forming already (bit sooner than I was expecting for an Autumn variety, but I'm new at this so maybe that's normal....)

Alys Fowler has said you can get an earlier crop of autumn fruiting rasps if you don't cut the previous year's canes. However, you must cut them at the start of next year as it will exhaust the roots if they try to produce more fruit on the same canes. (Another good reason to feed them!) Maybe cut half of the canes and leave half to fruit - you DO have something to lose - early berries! Let them grow and enjoy them .

Farway

Scottish_Mike wrote: »

Alys Fowler has said you can get an earlier crop of autumn fruiting rasps if you don't cut the previous year's canes. However, you must cut them at the start of next year as it will exhaust the roots if they try to produce more fruit on the same canes. (Another good reason to feed them!) Maybe cut half of the canes and leave half to fruit - you DO have something to lose - early berries! Let them grow and enjoy them .

I tried the only cut half back route a year or so back, very poor crop, now I use the standard pruning of cut them all down

safestored4

From your description it sounds very much like magnesium deficiency. This is best treated at this time of year by spraying epsom salts. Go on to Amazon and you can buy a kilogram for a couple of pounds.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I took over an allotment late last year that had "variety unknown" autumn raspberries on it.

Late February, I cut them all down to the ground. I put loads of manure around the plants and left them to do their own thing.

Maybe I'm biased but mine look the best of everyone's on the site, and people are always telling me how good they look. There are no flowers on them at the moment.

When they have finished fruiting and all the leaves have dropped off, chop the canes right back to the ground. Give them a good thick mulch of manure and leave them to it. They'll reward you handsomely

Dormouse1940

Just an update-


So, after all your advice I gave my rasps a good feeding, then pretty much left them to it and went on holiday with no great hopes...
Got back and all the leaves are GREEN and FLAT and HEALTHY looking!
Decided not to cut them down this year, so have been enjoying a few summer berries. Looking forward to cutting them down properly, mulching them and enjoying a real crop of autumn raspberries next year.


So thanks again everyone, really appreciate all your input.


Cheers!