"Ol' Duffer" wrote in message
...
In article vgGrf.69417$2k.1717@pd7tw1no,
says...
I have an awesome set of raspberry bushes on my property in Prince
George,
British Columbia. The provided a haul of nearly 40 litres last summer.
snip
I'm wondering: can I plant the seeds removed from raspberries for
producing
new vines? Any recommendations on how to do so in terms of soil, plant
food,
etc?
Sure, but a couple of considerations, and some of it depends on
how hard you want to work at it.
1) It may not be the fastest way to propagate. You can lay the
canes down and bury parts of them and they will root where buried.
Not having a robust root system developed, seedlings will likely
take a couple years longer to fruit. Not that the cane method is
without drawbacks - in some areas there is a virus (rust) that kills
the plant and will spread rapidly through connecting canes. You
could cut the connecting canes and/or transplant, or maybe there is
a spray for it, all of which are extra work.
2) If your berries are selective-bred commercial hybrids, you may
get anything but what you expected from seed. Wild varieties should
breed pretty true, however.
In my experience, they are not very picky about soil - I have to
pull seedlings from the gravel in my driveway every year. In the
wild, propagation is by animal droppings or by simply falling off
the vine if nothing eats them. Of course nothing likes hard clay,
but anything crumbly might work, and I would think they should
absolutely thrive with a bit of compost or manure. They tend to
be shallow-rooted, so you probably don't need to bury the seeds
very much if at all.
My own propagation methods are very much labor un-intensive - I eat
a few as I pick and spit seeds in the direction where I think I would
like to see more berries grow. Maybe throw a whole berry a bit deeper
into the brush here and there as I go. Been doing this way for about
6 years now and it's starting to pay off with better crops the last 2.
But that's just my style - I prefer minimal/sustainable.
Aye, ol'Duffer. Like that style!
When ( rarely) I take on the task of fertilizing cane-berries, I just use
composted stable waste.. neighbors have it in quantity and I have permission
to take as much as I want. ]
I cut down the canes that fruited last. I find I can do this here in
Western Maine as early in the spring as I care to be out there.. a
function of having to be insulated well from thorns. Old clothes,
substantial gloves, heavy soled shoes, and a lopper that is quite sharp.
You'll know the old canes from the new canes by the appearance of the bark
on the canes-- old canes will be dull in appearance and usually have some
crispy/crumbly bark, maybe evidence of the old fruiting scapes. New canes
are brighter, the bark is tight and fresh. It won't matter a whit if you
take some new canes with the old, what you are doing is renewing the patch.
Cut out the old canes and take some of the new ones if you find the bed
crowded, your yield on strong, healthy new canes will pay off, as will ease
of picking. There are only 2 kinds of canes in your berry patch in Early
Spring ( and I mean EARLY-- this is before new growth)-- spent canes that
will not fruit, and "floricanes" that will produce your next crop.
Once you've cut, lay on the composted manure/stable waste, or some REALLY
CHEAP granular 5-5-5. The Berry Patch is not the place for bark mulch or
home compost unless it is your ONLY crop, or you are doing a PYO
farm..... these berries will do well with cheap stuff.
What will happen is that the Floricanes for the next crop will love their
space, sunlight and room, they will set fruit more heavily , that fruit will
be larger and easier to pick ( greater yield) and they will in turn send up
strong replacement Floricanes for the following years crop.
Lazy b**ch that I am, I typically make the effort in
the berries about every 3 years.
And since I am short of stature, I will "TRY" to go thru the bed at
flowering time and lop off anything in flower
that is taller than I want to stretch to reach. This puts all the yield
in my reach, pleases the bees who pollinate, results in larger berries on
shorter canes, and tells the mother plants to put up MORE canes.
Cane fruits are exceedingly willing to propogate via root stolons/offsets,
and equally agreeable to putting up new growth from seed or stem pieces.
What-ever you do will not be wrong until you think .. gee... my yield is
declining, I guess I better go out there and pay attention.
Yes there is a virus/rust that affects all cane-bearing fruits. We've
had good luck over 20 years by isolating affected areas and making the
affected areas a controlled burn pile. YMMV, we havent eradicated it but
we have slowed it.
One can bring a tangle of berries into submission.
Sue
Western Maine