Raspberry is a berry, which is grown almost in all the suburban areas. And every gardener wants to get as much harvest as possible, but do not know what is needed for this. And in order for the yield of raspberry bushes to please you, they need to be properly taken care of and must be fed up.
In this article, we will consider the rules for the care and feeding of raspberries in spring, summer, and especially in autumn.
Top dressing and care for raspberries in spring
In spring, as soon as stable warm weather is established, it is necessary to cut off raspberries well. On each bush cut all the weak, twisted and dry branches, leaving 2-3 strong branches, and if the bush is powerful, then you can 4-5. After this, pluck the tops of the branches left for fruiting, so that they give lateral shoots. Thinning planting should be good, because, the more space and air, the healthier and more productive will be the raspberry bushes. During trimming, it is necessary to clean the passages so that the meter rows of raspberries alternate with half-meter aisles. To ensure that there are no shoots on the aisles between the rows, they can be covered with carved branches.
Now you can start making fertilizers. Many gardeners do not know what better to feed raspberries in the spring. During this period, it is better to use mullein (manure) or compost (once every three years) for feeding raspberries, but you can not add potassium chloride.
This is done like this:
- Under each bush, about half the bucket of the overgrown Mullein is poured and evenly spreads along the soil closer to the stems.
- It is sprinkled with a layer of soil or peat 2-3 cm.
In this case, the manure will be both a power source and a mulching material.
Extra nutrition and care for raspberries in summer
In early summer, in June, foliar fertilizing should be carried out with basic fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). To do this, use a solution of one of the following preparations (the proposed dosages are diluted in 10 liters of water):
- nitrogen fertilizers - 30-50 g;
- superphosphate - 200-250 g;
- Potassium sulphate - 50-70 g;
- magnesium sulphate 150 g;
- sulphate manganese or zinc - 5-10 g;
- copper sulfate - 3-5 g;
- boric acid - 10-15 g;
- molybdenum ammonium is 1-3 g.
Or you can use the infusion of wood or straw ashes (a half liter can of 10 liters of hot water).
Immediately after harvesting (July-August), a good pruning of the shoots that have already been harvested, and foliar dressing of raspberries, with the same preparations as in the beginning of summer. But there are fertilizers than it is not recommended to feed raspberries after fruiting. These include humus, compost and nitrogen containing fertilizers, as this reduces the frost resistance of plants.
Top dressing and care for raspberries in autumn
Autumnal feeding of raspberries is very important, as during the fruiting and growth of the shoots from the soil, most nutrients are consumed and this affects the growth of raspberries and the number of crops for the next year.
Before top dressing, dig and remove all weed grass.
There are several options for fertilizers, than you can feed raspberries in autumn:
- A mixture of 50 g superphosphates and wood ash at a rate of 1 liter per 1 m², under the young bushes use a dose of half as much.
- 4-5 kg of humus or 4-6 buckets of manure per 1 m² (once every 2-3 years).
- A complex mineral fertilizer containing phosphorus, potassium and ammonium sulfate, at a rate of 250 g per 1 m 2.
- A mixture of microelements - 3 g of zinc sulphate and 5 g of manganese sulfate per 1 m².
It is not recommended to apply mineral fertilizers in the same year as organic. If you want to make a mixture of these types of fertilizer, then the dose should be reduced by half.
Carrying out top dressing of raspberries in spring, summer and autumn, you will constantly get a good harvest of this sweet and healthy berries.