Hi,

I've been reading some of rec.garden's posts about raspberries and I have
some questions:

Previously someone wrote:

Large berries indicate, aside from variety, that the plants are getting
enough water. Here in Philly, it's been really dry this summer so I've
just let the hose run in my raspberry beds for several hours when the
berries are forming. Usually, I don't have to do any watering because I
keep the bed under a permanent mulch. You might also want to scatter
some bone meal or phosphate rock on the berry plantation.

First, what is, "a permanent mulch"? Also, what does bone meal or
phosphate rock do for soil?

Next, they wrote:

After Christmas, roam around your neighborhood and pick the nicest
looking Christmas trees to recycle in your garden. You can cover your
flower and veggie beds with the branches. In spring remove them from the
rest of garden and pile them on your raspberry patch. Or just put them
on from the git go.

Why would I recycle Christmas trees in my raspberry garden?

How do I create "sandy-loam soils"?

Previously someone wrote:

a planting should not follow directly after a sod but rather the
planting should follow a cultivated or cover crop.

Previously someone wrote:

Depending on the variety, you may need to tip the canes in the spring. You
don't need to know the variety here, but anything that seems to be out of
control at the end of May or early June... Three to rour feet is the
tipping level.

What is a tipping level and what does it mean to tip canes?

Thanks,
Ed Stuart