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Should my raspberry canes have leaves by now?

mbfreemanmbfreeman Posts: 9
in Fruit & veg
First time growing raspberries and planted some bare roots that sat about 9 inch above the ground in November. They are sugana - a double fruiting variety with each cane fruiting in Autumn and then in the following summer.

They have absolutely no leaves what so ever and wasn't worried until I saw that you can buy Autumn varieties now which were covered in leaves.

Are they dead?

Posts

  • BenwoodcockukBenwoodcockuk Posts: 20
    I planted 3 canes earlier in the year. 2 have leaves and one does not. I'm confident to say that your canes should have leaves now. I'm waiting a few more weeks and if that third cane doesn't take on leaves I'll throw it out. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    If you planted them in Nov it may be some time before you see signs of life above ground.
    Some of mine took 16 months before I saw leaves - they were growing a huge root system

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I put in 40 plants in around January one type has all got leaves coming out, the other type only about 10% have, but if I look very closely I can see the buds are swelling and one of them is growing a new cane. Even if the original cane is dead the roots may well send up a new shoot yet, I wouldn't pull them until at least the autumn.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    New ones here T and M before always been some signs of life,if nothing happens soon will be sending a picture and want refund
  • hatty123hatty123 Posts: 125
    I've got 10 canes, started getting leaves in march on couple of them but the rest have only recently started. One still hasn't got any. Someone on here mentioned the scratch test a few weeks ago, you basically just scratch a bit of bark off and if it's green underneath then it's still alive. So I did that, mine were green when I did it which gave me hope while they still looked like dead sticks
  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
     My summer and autumn-fruiting raspberries are several years old, and they are far behind where they would normally be at this time of year. They have a few leaves, but much less than they usually do. I think your canes are still making roots, like Pete.8 said, and maybe the unusually cold April that we’ve had is also slowing them down. I would give it another couple of weeks at least. 
    Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I agree the cold wind has slowed down a lot of things.  I too have new canes this year,  some have shoots some don't.  Do a scratch test on the cane.  Scratch the cane with your thumbnail,  if it's green  it's alive.  Leave to grow  it will get there. 
    AB Still learning

  • mbfreemanmbfreeman Posts: 9
    Love the scratch test...will see what I've got....
  • mbfreemanmbfreeman Posts: 9
    Scratch test complete and RIP.

    Even took one of the plants up afterward and there's been no new growth whatsoever underground.

    Thanks y'all
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