Raspberries are actually quite easy to care for, but they do need to be cut back regularly. We give you 5 valuable raspberry care tips to help your orchard grow and thrive.
regularly repot your raspberry in the pot.
Raspberries in pots have only a limited amount of soil available. The nutrients in it will eventually be used up and the soil will be completely rooted. Then it is high time to repot the raspberry. This will provide it with fresh soil and give it more room for its roots. Ideal is a humus and nutrient-rich substrate, gladly also compost soil.
Once planted outdoors, the soil cannot be renewed as easily as in the pot. Fortunately, this is not necessary, as the plants benefit in the best case from a good garden soil with an active soil life. When planting, you can additionally provide the raspberry with compost soil or similar, especially if your garden soil is very sandy or very hard.
The perfect raspberry care: tub, pot, planter?
A tub is really nothing more than a large pot. After purchase, most raspberry varieties should move to a tub that holds about 25 liters of soil. This is the case, for example, with a diameter of about 35 cm and a height of 30 cm. After that, you can wait two years until the next repotting is on the agenda. Younger shrubs are repotted about every 2 – 3 years, older specimens somewhat less frequently.
Raspberries, like all berry bushes, are shallow rooted, so their roots do not go very deep into the soil. Narrow and tall planters are not well suited for them. Neither are very shallow pots, however, as they simply don’t hold enough soil volume.
Give your raspberry a suitable location.
Raspberries love sunny spots, but can also tolerate some partial shade. Do not choose a shady location for your plant. The fruits will not grow to a nice size and sweetness until they are allowed to ripen in the sun. Potted plants have the advantage that they are mobile. You can place them in the cold half of the year a little shadier, but more protected, for example near a house wall.
Outdoors, you must make sure that the raspberry gets enough sun all year round. Leafless trees in spring can hide how shady it gets under them in summer.
The perfect raspberry care: balcony or terrace as a location?
Raspberries thrive both outdoors and in large containers. So, of course, they are also suitable for balconies and terraces. However, be sure to plant them in a pot that is large enough. Depending on the variety, they may also need a climbing support. Some varieties branch out more than others. Our Bloomify raspberry, on the other hand, grows more upright and is already happy with a few bamboo sticks for support.
- water and fertilize your raspberry sufficiently.
Raspberry plants like the soil to be slightly moist at all times, but not too wet. So for potted plants, be sure the planter has drainage holes so excess watering and rainwater can run off. Always check that the soil is still moist before watering.
Outdoors, rain is usually sufficient, but in warm and dry summers you should provide the raspberry with additional water.
The perfect raspberry care: do not forget fertilization
The raspberry is a highly nutritious plant and needs a lot of nutrients. It is best to provide it with nutrient-rich soil and ideally with compost or another organic slow-release fertilizer directly when planting or repotting. Fertilizers in pellet form, such as our Bloomify Universal Fertilizer, release nutrients slowly and over a long period of time.
We recommend liquid mineral fertilizers only in cases of acute nutrient deficiency. They must be administered regularly with the watering water. The risk of overfertilization is quite high.
You can also find everything about organic and mineral fertilizers here.
keep your raspberry healthy and young by pruning.
Raspberries are divided into summer and fall raspberries, which has implications for proper pruning.
In short, the older shoots of summer raspberries are cut back completely after harvest or in the fall. These have borne fruit and must now make way for the younger shoots that have not yet borne fruit that year. These will then have their turn next year.
With autumn raspberries, on the other hand, the fruits hang on the young shoots. After harvesting in the fall, all shoots are cut off. In the spring, they sprout completely new and then bear again in the fall.
There are also raspberry varieties that bear fruit twice a year. Our Bloomify raspberry Heidi is such a variety.
They are pruned just like summer raspberries: The older shoots that will not bear fruit the next year are best cut back immediately after harvest. Unlike summer raspberries, one-year-old shoots also bear fruit in the fall – this is what they have in common with autumn raspberries. These shoots, unlike autumn raspberries, must not be cut off!
Pruning is particularly important in the care of raspberries. Therefore, here you will find detailed information on how to prune your raspberries.
your raspberry must winter well
The raspberry is hardy and copes well with low temperatures. But it has one weak point: its roots. These are more vulnerable than the above-ground part of the plant because they run so shallowly below the soil surface. This is especially important for container plants.
Raspberries and other berry bushes do not normally need to be protected from frost when grown outdoors. However, if low temperatures or permafrost are announced, the plants will appreciate a thick, protective layer of mulch. Your outdoor raspberries don’t even need more protection to get through the winter well.
The perfect raspberry care: winter in the pot
In the pot, the roots are unprotected against frost. It reaches them effortlessly through the pot and soil. It is therefore very important to pack the planters sufficiently thick to protect the roots.
It is very effective if you place the pot on a wooden or polystyrene board. In this way, the raspberry is protected from ground frost. In addition, you can protect the entire pot with materials such as jute or special garden fleece. From above you can protect the soil with a layer of mulch, just as you would do in the open ground.
In mild winters, it is sometimes not necessary to wrap the pot of raspberry extra. However, we think it’s better to have a little too much winter protection than frostbitten plants.
Want to know more about winterizing raspberries? This way.
I have 30 years of experience and i started this website to see if i could try and share my knowledge to help you.
With a degree a Horticulture BSc (Hons)
I have worked as a horticulture specialist lead gardener, garden landscaper, and of course i am a hobby gardener at home in my own garden.
Please if you have any questions leave them on the article and i will get back to you personally.
