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Black raspberry - diseased or deficient? Solutions/advice?

kayamoynihankayamoynihan Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi there, 

I have a pair of black raspberries I've been growing indoors. 

They've been outside once or twice but I've tried to keep them out of excessively bright sunlight. I haven't over-watered them (there's good drainage within the pot) and I check the how the soil feels before watering them again to avoid damaging the roots. I used standard multipurpose compost to pot them.

Is this a disease on their leaves or a deficiency? I don't have any pests around as it's inside, but there were a lot of fruit-flies around my flat this year. I noticed something similar happening with another plant that was nearby (a bilberry) that's led me to believe it must be a disease, and am trying to salvage the plants but am not sure how. You can see the leaves are curling, reddened/yellowed/browned and are falling away. 

Whichever it is, does anyone know how to address this disease/deficiency? Many thanks in advance!


Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2018
    You're killing them by trying to grow them indoors ... they're not houseplants ... they're outside woodland plants from the forests of North America.  They look very stressed and unhappy.  It is also autumn, so they will be preparing to lose their leaves for the winter.  

    Bilberries are also outdoor plants of the moors of Scotland.  They need ericaceous soil and cool temperatures.  They will also be preparing for autumn.

    The fruit flies were probably actually fungus gnats (sciarid flies) from the damp compost.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • kayamoynihankayamoynihan Posts: 2
    Dovefromabove said:
    You're killing them by trying to grow them indoors ... they're not houseplants ... they're outside woodland plants from the forests of North America.  They look very stressed and unhappy.  It is also autumn, so they will be preparing to lose their leaves for the winter.  

    Bilberries are also outdoor plants of the moors of Scotland.  They need ericaceous soil and cool temperatures.  They will also be preparing for autumn.

    The fruit flies were probably actually fungus gnats (sciarid flies) from the damp compost.  
    Thank you for your response.

    I'm aware they're not houseplants, however it was when I put them outside for a weekend where I was away that I'd noticed they'd started to change to this colour - any reason why they would have been fine indoors then got worse outdoors?

    Aside from putting them back outside where it is cooler and changing the soil, can you actually provide some advice as regards the fungus? Thanks
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Can’t see any fungus on it. They are outdoor plants.  
    Read again the info Dove has provided. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Your plants are weak because they are struggling  to grow in totally unsuitable conditions. A sudden change in light and temperature caused a reaction/shock ... then another change when you moved them again.

    I would cut the plants right back to about 8” tall and plant them outside in a well-prepared bed with some Fish, Blood & Bone slow acting organic fertiliser applied as directed on the pack. New growth should appear in the spring but it may take a year or two before you get any fruit. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    I grow a lot of these plants. At this time of year they loose leaves. On second yer growth they seem to loose canes too. I would not throw them out until after next spring, then you will see if they grwo new canes
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Growing requirements for Black Raspberries ... you'll see from this that they need a space roughly 2.5ft between each plant ... a small pot cannot meet their needs https://www.tenthacrefarm.com/2014/04/how-to-grow-black-raspberries/

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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