Rubus and Ribes for the Garden Michele Stanton, Kenton County Extension. The Berry Pickers by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe

Transcription

1 Rubus and Ribes for the Garden Michele Stanton, Kenton County Extension The Berry Pickers by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe

2 What we will discuss How our plants grow Training them-trellises A few items of annual care Pruning them A few pest and disease issues And we ll go prune!

3 Rubus biology Perennial shrubs with biennial shoots Plants start bearing during 2 nd summer Most fruitful in first 8-12 year Older plants may get diseased, should be replanted elsewhere

4 How to tell the plants apart Blackberries have sturdy thorns and ridged stems although some newer cultivars are thornless Raspberry canes have softer thorns; stems are round. Leaves are whitish underneath in some.

5 Raspberries are hardier than blackberries, zones 3-7; no restrictions here. Hardiness-a caution Blackberries need/tolerate warmer temps than raspberries, zones 6-9. Some restrictions here. Raspberries in snow, Connecticut

6 Heat/UV tolerance Above: White drupelet disorder in climates where high temps occur with high light intensity (not usually a problem in OH or northern berry-growing areas NOTE: Blackberries and raspberries are good candidates for gardens with partial shade

7 Growth Habit: Erect, semi-erect or trailing Erect habit: some blackberries, black raspberries, some raspberries Semi-erect: some blackberries Trailing: some blackberries and most raspberries not for our climate

8 Do you need a trellis? Erect types usually need no trellis Semi-erect types: trellis optional Trailing types: need trellis Install trellis at planting

9 Typical raspberry trellis arrangement

10 Trellis systems vary TRELLIS ADVANTAGES Support canes Protect canes from mechanical damage and soil-borne pests Keep fruit off ground Facilitate picking Admit more light into canopy

11 The Rubus plant

12 How Rubus plants grow here -Canes (stems) grow vegetatively their first year; also known as Primocanes -Primocanes form flower buds in autumn/winter at end of first year -2nd year canes, now called Floricanes, flower and bear fruit during summer. -Floricanes die after at the end of 2 nd year -Each year new primocanes emerge and continue the cycle

13 Two different growth types Summer-fruiting: one crop per summer, in July/August Fall-bearing, one crop in summer, an additional crop in fall Fall-bearing is also called Ever-bearing or Primocane fruiting (three names for the same thing)

14 Primocane-fruiting Rubus spp.: Some newer cultivars are Primocane-fruiting types, also known as Fall-bearing or ever-bearing PF types produce fruit their first fall on the tips of the primocanes. Afterwards the tips die, but the rest of the cane produces fruit during its 2 nd (floricane) year

15 Annual Care Fertilizer Pruning Not bad, eh?

16 Do they need fertilizer? Organic growers can apply a fresh layer of composted manures in late winter/early spring before bud break Conventional fertilizer: 2/3 cup per 10 of row at bud-break And 2/3 cup weeks later Test soil every 3-5 years

17 Water Water during the growing season any time we go 5-7 days without water. Crops can be 50% larger with irrigation than without. Use drip/trickle or soaker hoses. No sprinklers/don t get leaves wet.

18 PRUNING Promotes higher yields and/or fruit size and quality Reduces diseases Facilitates harvest Guidelines vary

19 Two kinds of pruning cuts A-Thinning cuts Cut extra canes out at ground level Before and after thinning of raspberry

20 B- Heading Cuts Aka Tipping : Shortening individual canes or branches to increase flowering Also done to keep plants within easier reach for harvesting, etc.

21 The actual cuts: A 45 angle

22 Which tools should you use? Bypass pruners for clean cuts Avoid anvil pruners except to remove dead wood Clean, sharp tools to minimize infection Loppers for larger diameter branches

23 The Basics: Winter pruning 1. Remove spent/dead Floricanes in late winter or early spring-they will not fruit again. 2. Remove diseased, weak, stray, winter-killed or broken canes in March before bud break. 3. Prune out any sign of borer damage or disease. 4. Thin out the smallest canes if the growth is too thick. 5. For tall berries, tip canes back to 5-6 in height for ease in harvesting, or tip to just above the trellis. 6. Remove laterals that touch the ground--the lowest depending on cane length.

24 Late winter pruning of blackberries, black and purple raspberries

25 Spring/summer pruning (some) Spring/summer tipping of young growth can increase growth of flowering laterals and help strengthen floppy canes in some cultivars For erect blackberries, black and purple raspberries only: Lightly tip canes to the top of trellises on new growth Do not tip red raspberries!

26 Late summer Remove floricanes down to the ground after harvest --ONLY IF you have had disease and insect problems Are they are healthy? Then prune late winter

27 An optional PF Management practice Want just a fall crop? Mow down all canes every year in late winter; each fall you will have a large primocane crop. Advantages: harvest in Sept-Oct when no one else has fruit Easiest pruning Fewer disease and insect problems No hardiness worries

28 Primocane (Fall-bearing) grown for single fall crop

29 Primocane fruiting types grown for dual cropping

30 Diseases and insect pests Most of our berry plantings are pretty healthy If you find signs of diseases and insects, cut out the infected cane during pruning Orange rust (fungus) Phytophthora root rot Verticillium wilt (soil-borne fungus) Anthracnose (fungus) Cane blights (fungus) Raspberry cane borer Red-necked cane borer Japanese beetles Tree crickets Spotted-wing Drosophila

31 New warning: SWD

32 Prevention is the best Rx for Rubus diseases Buy certified disease-free plants Rogue all wild Rubus in the vicinity Keep beds free of weeds Maintain good drainage Avoid excessive N Keep plantings thinned as necessary Maintain good air drainage Prune out floricanes after fruiting if you have any history of disease Irrigate with drip rather than sprinkle systems

33 More information Growing Blackberries and Raspberries in Kentucky, HO-15 Pruning Raspberries, Blackberries & etc. Univ. Missouri #G6000 Michele Stanton, Kenton County Extension: , Stick to books or resources from the Midwest because guidelines for other areas of the country are written for different cultivars and conditions than ours.

34 Any berry questions? Fallgold, an everbearing yellow raspberry