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Raspberry canes - potassium problem?
Bf206
Posts: 234
in Fruit & veg
A few weeks ago, I planted two sets of autumn raspberry canes. I had some Joan J in a pot, already shooting, from my old garden (moved last year) and bought some Polka from a garden centre too (some already had green shoots). The shoots on the canes are all at different stages and the ones with more growth look healthy - but they all seem to be getting new leaves tinged with brown/red at the tip. The canes with smaller shoots look less healthy - some of the smallest leaves are curling up and are shrivelled grey and most of the leaves have at least brown tips. I don't think it was that the new Polka canes I bought are dodgy, given exactly the same thing is happening to the Joan J I already have - which previously had nice young green leaves. So I'm presuming it's something in the soil. I read something about potassium deficiency so have poured a can with dissolved miracle gro fertiliser around the canes. I did notice the soil was a fairly heavy clay, although I dug in some compost when I put them in. If it's a nutrient deficiency, hopefully fertiliser will do the trick. However, I'm now getting paranoid about whether it's a soil borne virus? We only moved here last year and there were some wild blackberries (pretty unhealthy - tiny translucent worms in the fruit, mottled brown leaves / stems) which I dug out and there were elsewhere in the garden. But could something have lived on? Any tips / thoughts greatly appreciated!
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This is the Joan J from my previous garden - you can just about see the older growth below is nice and green, the newer stuff, since being planted out into this bed, is slightly purple/red, although this cane looks healthy overall:
The new Polka canes I bought:
I planted a dozen polka last year. This year, compared to the Glen Ample planted at the same time, the Polka looked somewhat anaemic, even though next to each other in same soil. I have fertilised and mulched them, the new growth seems strong though.
Dove has been growing these for longer, maybe she will know if they are like that when young.
Thanks both...
Fidgetbones, yes the Polkas in particular look odd to me and the purpling/brown seems to take up more of the leaves. To be honest, I don't really see how those leaves will recover. In the top pic (the Joan J), though, you can see that the same colour appears to be there, it's just it's more in the veins of the top leaves rather than taking them over.
Verdun, I think I'll do what you suggest. It's a heavier clay soil than I've seen in other gardens. Roses appear to have done well, which may be another clue.
I wonder if I need to start again on the raspberry front next year
Alas this is basically what the Polkas have done. The weeds have done better! Two of the plants didn't shoot at all and the rest had some growth which has basically died. I'd think that I'd got a bad batch from the garden centre but the Joan J I transplanted from my previous garden aren't doing brilliantly either. They seem to have stalled with a small amount of growth rather than dying though.
I have fertilised and used soil improver but maybe too late. I have read about how raspberries don't like clay so maybe that's that? What i could do next year is grow peas / beans here (have heard they're OK in clay) and get some new canes to put in one of my new raised bed boxes - which have loads of new, light soil in them.
My polka are doing well. this years shoots are 4 ft high.
Glen ample , I have picked three bowls full this week. Yumm.
Worth persevering with. Maybe order some new canes from a good supplier, early autumn, so you get them early enough and they haven't been sitting around for ages.
So I have ended up with a few raspberries on the Polkas I bought. Of the four canes I got, only two fruited at all and the others briefly had growth which quickly died back.
The older Joan Js I have fared slightly better but again have only grown a foot high with a few berries.
I'm trying to decide whether to just dig them all up and replace them with new good canes for next year, or whether there's a chance that they'll come again stronger next year. Particularly if I continue to improve the heavy clay soil.
A few photos attached of the Polkas - one alive (ish) one not. Sorry about the weeds. We were away for 3 weeks!
The canes should have been cut down to ground level in February. That encourages new shoots from below ground which are the ones which will have the fruit on.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sure. Yes issue was I'd moved house, new garden that was only ready this April. I got these canes from a garden centre and put them in then. I did ask someone there whether to cut them but they (and the instructions) said put straight into the ground.
Anyway, I'm less worried about that, more about what I do know: ie do you reckon these canes could pick next year or are they dead?
thank you!