Evening folks,

I have tried to find an answer everywhere on the net, yet it is not to be found !

I recently bought 6 raspberry canes (sold as Allgold, but I believe actually called Fallgold?) from Nottcutts in Maidstone. I just went in for a look, bought them on impulse. I now know you're supposed to plant them in November but it's only a week away so I hope it's not going to make such a difference.

I planted them in the ground but after today's rain I realised my soil is just too clayey, so I moved them to a big 60cm wide and about 2ft deep round tub that had a loamy soil in it with compost. I put four of the canes in that, an two of them in a long rectangular 15cm deep tub.

My question is: I've planted them in late October, but they will go dormant. So will I see anything happening at all (perhaps just root growth?) or will nothing happen until Spring? If they won't even grow until Spring, how can I be sure they're even alive?

Also, I bought some Miracle Gro that smells like Marmite but having now read the label, it says for fruit "start in Spring or when the fruit starts flowering" so I guess it's useless to get the canes settled. What should I get? bonemeal?

Someone please help, completely clueless. What an eejit, should have done some more research !

Thanks in advance,

Tom

On Oct 26, 2:07*pm, Zanahoria
wrote:
Evening folks,

I have tried to find an answer everywhere on the net, yet it is not to
be found !

I recently bought 6 raspberry canes (sold as Allgold, but I believe
actually called Fallgold?) from Nottcutts in Maidstone. I just went in
for a look, bought them on impulse. I now know you're supposed to plant
them in November but it's only a week away so I hope it's not going to
make such a difference.

I planted them in the ground but after today's rain I realised my soil
is just too clayey, so I moved them to a big 60cm wide and about 2ft
deep round tub that had a loamy soil in it with compost. I put four of
the canes in that, an two of them in a long rectangular 15cm deep tub.

My question is: I've planted them in late October, but they will go
dormant. So will I see anything happening at all (perhaps just root
growth?) or will nothing happen until Spring? If they won't even grow
until Spring, how can I be sure they're even alive?

Also, I bought some Miracle Gro that smells like Marmite but having now
read the label, it says for fruit "start in Spring or when the fruit
starts flowering" so I guess it's useless to get the canes settled. What
should I get? bonemeal?

Someone please help, completely clueless. What an eejit, should have
done some more research !

Thanks in advance,

Tom

--
Zanahoria

Many REAL gardeners prefer to amend the soil rather than use the
fast fix of Miracle Gro. So since you have time ahead of you, perhaps
you could work on amending your clayey soil. I garden in an area of
adobe (clay) soil, so I work on adding compost, worm castings,
other elements that change the pH toward the äcidic. Easy to
research on-line, using keywords like "amend alkaline/clay soil",
"change pH" & so forth.

The time invested will pay off hugely down the line. Meantime,
your canes will probably be very happy in the containers with loamy
composted soil.

If you're worried about their being alive, just scratch along the cane
with your fingernail. You should see green if they''re alive. But
why wouldn't they be, dormant or not?

So don't panic; you have plenty of time to do your research. Just
send good thoughts, and adequate but not too much water to
your future raspberry bushes. (Mouth is watering...)

HB

No fertilizer now. Fallgold is a pretty sturdy variety. I would keep
the tub or container plunged in the ground so it is not as cold as the
air.

--
Zanahoria[/i][/color]

Many REAL gardeners prefer to amend the soil rather than use the
fast fix of Miracle Gro. So since you have time ahead of you, perhaps
you could work on amending your clayey soil. I garden in an area of
adobe (clay) soil, so I work on adding compost, worm castings,
other elements that change the pH toward the äcidic. Easy to
research on-line, using keywords like "amend alkaline/clay soil",
"change pH" & so forth.

The time invested will pay off hugely down the line. Meantime,
your canes will probably be very happy in the containers with loamy
composted soil.

If you're worried about their being alive, just scratch along the cane
with your fingernail. You should see green if they''re alive. But
why wouldn't they be, dormant or not?

So don't panic; you have plenty of time to do your research. Just
send good thoughts, and adequate but not too much water to
your future raspberry bushes. (Mouth is watering...)

HB[/quote]

Thanks Higgs.

I intend to when I start preparing my vegetable patch in January. I did not think it was appropriate to start that kind of thing until after Winter? I did not realise the ground in my garden was so compact and sodden...

I have a compost bin bubbling away in the garden and my Aunt has three horses and a chicken farm so I'll be asking her to stockpile some manure for me in December :P Hopefully that, compost, some double-digging and whatever you can buy to break up clay will do the trick.

No I know they're alive now, I was just thinking if they don't do anything i.e. dormant until March that's 5 months as just some sticks poking in the mud... how do you know they're doing OK? Will their rootballs grow? if so I might buy some bigger pots to put them, if not, I'll just leave them where they are.

Thanks Higgs.

I intend to when I start preparing my vegetable patch in January. I did not think it was appropriate to start that kind of thing until after Winter? I did not realise the ground in my garden was so compact and sodden...

I have a compost bin bubbling away in the garden and my Aunt has three horses and a chicken farm so I'll be asking her to stockpile some manure for me in December :P Hopefully that, compost, some double-digging and whatever you can buy to break up clay will do the trick.

No I know they're alive now, I was just thinking if they don't do anything i.e. dormant until March that's 5 months as just some sticks poking in the mud... how do you know they're doing OK? Will their rootballs grow? if so I might buy some bigger pots to put them, if not, I'll just leave them where they are.[/quote]

Hi Zanahoria, when you first plant raspberry canes, you need to cut them down to 9", this is to encourage them to make new growth on which they fruit. Then, every winter, you cut out the old fruiting canes and tie in the new canes on which they will fruit - the old canes you cut down will produce more new canes that will be your fruiting canes for the following year ! I'd be inclined to pepare a bed for these new canes rather than grow them in a tub, then you can erect a post and wire support on which to tie the canes. Good soil preparation is the key and if your soil is very wet and sticky, I'd be inclined to make a raised mound of compost/rotted manure and soil in which to plant slightly higher than the surrounding area.
regards, Lannerman.

Oh right, I have to cut them down even further?? They're about 10" long now with about 3 inches deep to the roots. Do I cut them now or wait until Spring?

I intend to move them in January/February when I prepare my garden patch, then put some posts in with wire across, but that's why I asked about growth, if they're not going to grow until Spring i.e. March, I don't see the harm in keeping them in the tub until then? It's just the tub is huge and full of really nice dirt, seems a shame to waste it, and I don't think it would be particularly cold, no colder than the ground anyway. Also (sorry to bore you) the way my garden is placed, where the tub is it gets the most sun coverage, and it's on concrete so I couldn't grow them there. By February hopefully they'll have formed a rootball and I can just ... transplant them.

These raspberries aren't as simple as I thought they might be...

On Oct 28, 3:28*pm, Zanahoria
wrote:
lannerman;940372 Wrote:



Hi Zanahoria, when you first plant raspberry canes, you need to cut them
down to 9", this is to encourage them to make new growth on which they
fruit. Then, every winter, you cut out the old fruiting canes and tie in
the new canes on which they will fruit - the old canes you cut down will
produce more new canes that will be your fruiting canes for the
following year ! I'd be inclined to pepare a bed for these new canes
rather than grow them in a tub, then you can erect a post and wire
support on which to tie the canes. Good soil preparation is the key and
if your soil is very wet and sticky, I'd be inclined to make a raised
mound of compost/rotted manure and soil in which to plant slightly
higher than the surrounding area.
regards, Lannerman.

Oh right, I have to cut them down even further?? They're about 10" long
now with about 3 inches deep to the roots. Do I cut them now or wait
until Spring?

I intend to move them in January/February when I prepare my garden
patch, then put some posts in with wire across, but that's why I asked
about growth, if they're not going to grow until Spring i.e. March, I
don't see the harm in keeping them in the tub until then? It's just the
tub is huge and full of really nice dirt, seems a shame to waste it, and
I don't think it would be particularly cold, no colder than the ground
anyway. Also (sorry to bore you) the way my garden is placed, where the
tub is it gets the most sun coverage, and it's on concrete so I couldn't
grow them there. By February hopefully they'll have formed a rootball
and I can just ... transplant them.

These raspberries aren't as simple as I thought they might be...

--
Zanahoria

Yo, Zanahoria, which is it? Trans. from Spanish:

1. botany carrot
2. Argentina dummy, nitwit

On Oct 27, 11:48*am, Zanahoria
wrote:
--
Zanahoria
--
Many REAL gardeners prefer to amend the soil rather than use the
fast fix of Miracle Gro. *So since you have time ahead of you, perhaps
you could work on amending your clayey soil. *I garden in an area of
adobe (clay) soil, so I work on adding compost, worm castings,
other elements that change the pH toward the cidic. *Easy to
research on-line, using keywords like "amend alkaline/clay soil",
"change pH" & so forth.--
--
The time invested will pay off hugely down the line. *Meantime,
your canes will probably be very happy in the containers with loamy
composted soil.--
--
If you're worried about their being alive, just scratch along the cane
with your fingernail. *You should see green if they''re alive. *But
why wouldn't they be, dormant or not?--
--
So don't panic; you have plenty of time to do your research. *Just
send good thoughts, and adequate but not too much water to
your future raspberry bushes. *(Mouth is watering...)--

HB

Thanks Higgs.

I intend to when I start preparing my vegetable patch in January. I did
not think it was appropriate to start that kind of thing until after
Winter? I did not realise the ground in my garden was so compact and
sodden...

I have a compost bin bubbling away in the garden and my Aunt has three
horses and a chicken farm so I'll be asking her to stockpile some manure
for me in December :P Hopefully that, compost, some double-digging and
whatever you can buy to break up clay will do the trick.

No I know they're alive now, I was just thinking if they don't do anything
i.e. dormant until March that's 5 months as just some sticks poking in the
mud... how do you know they're doing OK? Will their rootballs grow? if so
I might buy some bigger pots to put them, if not, I'll just leave them
where they are.

--
Zanahoria[/i][/color]

***Wonderful about the compost bin and the chicken manure. But try to
utilize the chickie-doo-doo only after it has had a chance to --
what? age? cure?
*** Point being that very fresh chicken manure is really dynamite and
could possibly burn plants. Auntie probably knows this g

HB

Hi,
My advice is get digging, mix a bit of the chickens left behinds with any old leaves and rotting plant bits you have and get it dug in. On clay it is better to get it dug early as the frost will help break it up.
The other thing is many clay soils in the U.K. are also acid, so unless you have chalk near you a couple of ounces per square yard of lime will work wonders, I'd use magnesium limestone, which is brown.
Zanahoria is right about fresh chicken manure, it can often scorch young roots, so careful with it.
But get as much organic matter dug in as your trench can sensibly take.
As for cutting them dowm, yours is a late [autumn fruiting variety] this fruits on the young new growth. I would cut them down when the new shoots are about six inches high in spring time, the old canes will give a little protection over the winter.
Good luck.
All the best Paul Rix [oldgeezer]