Just received blackberry and raspberry plants(need help)

16 years ago

Please help me with planting the blackberry and raspberry plants I received today. The planting guide I received from Nourse Farms says to plant them 1-2 inches deeper than they were in the nursery(they are all bare roots or nursery matured). The rest of the instructions are to make a trench two inches deep and and to spread the roots along the trench.

Does this mean I should just basically lay them end to end along the trench because each one is about two feet long?

I am also not sure what they mean by setting them 1-2 inches deeper than they were in the nursery. Does this mean I should angle the stems up because there is about five inches of stem that does not seem to have every been underground on each plant.

Thanks for any quick help on this because I would like to plant tonight if possible.

Thanks,

Mark

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Comments (4)

murkwell
16 years ago
Mark,

I think it means that if you have root cuttings with no real appreciable canes on them, spread them out two inches below the surface (right side up) and cover them with soil.

If you have a plant with some cane above and root below and you can see the mark where the soil line was before, plant them right side up so that mark ends up 2 inches below the surface of the soil.

In other words, plant them all right side up and bury up to 2 inches of cane but have the rest of the cane pointing towards the sky and out of the soil.
glenn_russell
16 years ago
Hi Mark-
I am by no means an expert, but then again, every one of my raspberries that I got from Nourse all survived and did well. Here's how I planted them.
First, make sure you got some nice well drained dirt with a good amount of compost mixed in. Maybe 1/4 compost 3/4 dirt?
Next, get a bucket, and soak the plants in the gel mixture provided for an hour or 2.
Then, separate off a raspberry stalk/root system from the others, and I look at its roots. Some will be a bit stiff, others will be long, thin and flexible. Dig a hole big enough for all the stiff roots such that the plant can sit at, or 1-2" below where they were in the nursery... (Mine are at the nursery line... mostly because I forgot about the 1-2" thing... but they've done fine)
Now, for all the thin/stringy/flexible roots... they like life close to the surface. So, I dig a trench (or 2 or 3) going away from the hole that's only 1-2 inches deep.
Then cover them all up.
Raspberries are almost weedlike. TheyÂre quite hardy, so donÂt worry too much.
Give them a good amount of water twice a week or so. You don't want them to stay saturated or they can get root rot.
Don't give 'em any fertilizer the first year... they're too fragile. The organic compost is more their style.
Don't expect many berries the first year. On most, I only got 1-5 berries. Hoping for more this year. I believe it takes about 3 years for the bed to get fully established.
I too was a little confused when I got my berries from Nourse... I think they could do a little better with the pictures in their documentation... like some pics of the holes / trenches / & plants. But, their product and everything else is first rate. Also, I called them and they were able to talk me through my questions the first time.
Note: Although I do have some chester black berries which are doing well, I didn't get them as bareroot. They were nursery bought. These directions are more for the raspberries... but I think the care would be similar. You'll most likely need a trellis for at least the blackberries.
If anyone out there sees anything wrong with my instructions, feel free to shout out.
Does that answer your question?
-Glenn
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TIVO, I am exhausted just from reading all the complicated things you've done and are concerned about. My basic approach to ANY thing in life has always been to do it as simply and cheaply as possible. There is a simple thing you can do, which will not cost you one cent, that will make Every Single One of These irrelavant. I used generic potting soil from wal-mart, so I am not sure about the level of nutrients in the soil. I also mixed in a little bit of coffee grounds and composted cow manure, so I probably (i just learned) inadvertently temporally reduced the amount of what ever available soluble nitrogen was available. (I was smart enough to mix in extra perlite b/c blackberries need more drainage than most other plants.) Any way, I have 10 newly potted blackberry plants. I was wondering if I should use Miricle-Gro Quikstart Transplant Solution (or any other brand). Do I risk root burn if I use this before the plants have a chance to get over the shock of shipping and planting? or will it help reduce the shock as advertised? If I leave the plants alone (except for watering of course) will it be awhile before the plants even need available NPK? Do you think the available soluable NPK already in the soil is adequate until the plants show growth? I am also considering putting in plant food spikes (about half or less the recommended amount until growth starts) b/c of the slower release. The small amount b/c it's mostly root and small stems and the desire to "do no harm." What do you all suggest? Here is what I suggest: Simply put a layer of grass clippings on top of whatever soil you have in the pots. (I would have used plain old soil from my yard, which is free!) The grass clippings will: 1. provide all the nutrients your blackberries neeed. Ive had thornless blackberries for 32 years, in the ground. The only "fertilizer" they've gotten is grass clippings- with maybe an occassional banana peel or other kitchen scrap. 2. Make any worries about fertilizer burn- simply Can't happen with them- or nutrient deficiencies a thing of the past. 3. Let you go longer between waterings, because they keep the soil much cooler and moister. 4. Prevent weeds, which can come up even in pots. A couple of tips on using the clippings in the pots. (And later when the berries are in the ground.) 1. Don't let the clippings actually touch the stems of the berries, especially fresh clippings. All the moisture in them could rot the stems, though blackberries are just about impossible to kill. In the pots, you can make small collars from yogurt cups or something similar to put aruond the stems. 2. Always water before you appply clippings, so they can "lock in" the moisture. This holds true in the ground, too, but is even more important in fast-drying-out pots. Then try not to get the clippigns wet for a while, till they've dried. It wouldn't hurt your plants one bit, but they might smell a little. Oh, I'm curious why you think blackberries "need more drainage than most other plants?" I have heavy clay soil, and they've done just fine. In fact, many people are afraid to grow blackberries, cause they are so hardy and "take over the yard." (On that, if you'd like to know a way to keep that from happening, post a question.) Oh, I hope you didn't pay extra to get Ten plants? The way blackberries spread, believe me, One would be sufficient. Ive given away hundreds of plants to other local gardeners over the years. Tyrell
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jellyman
16 years ago
Mark:

It seems you may have a fundamental misunderstanding of how plants like raspberries and blackberries grow.

The roots go in the ground. Nearly all the rest of the 2 feet, which we will call the stem, is above ground. Once the roots are firmly set in the soil, the stems will be sticking straight up. Dig your bed quite a bit deeper than two inches, and loosen up the soil under your planting area. Then set the plants in the softened soil with a garden trowel. I would also suggest pruning back the stems of the plants to a foot or less, since new growth from the plants will come from the roots, not the old stem.

Whether to place the root sytems 2,3 or 4 inches deep is more precision than is required. Anything close to that will be ok. You may be reading a little more complexity into Nourse Farms instructions than is really there. Laying the whole works horizontally in a trench is certainly not the way to plant caneberries, but the fact is they would probably grow even if you did this. They want to grow.

After you have set your plants, they will do better if you mulch around them with any organic material such as ground leaves, bark or wood chips, or, best of all, stable manure. Mulch help to retain soil moisture and feeds the plants gradually as it breaks down. Don't worry about burying the plants -- they will pop up through the mulch. Mine grow up through 6 inches of stable manure that I apply over the winter, and they are very happy and productive.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
robberry
15 years ago
I just got a ebony king Blk Berry (single cane) from home depot. I am going to plant it in a pot. There is no growth on the cane and it is brownish with very faint streaks of greenish lines, how long before I see leaves or shouts?

Just received blackberry and raspberry plants(need help)

Comments (4)

murkwell

glenn_russell

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