Wow. Exactly what John said. Also, I would recommend that your first fertilizer application be in late January or early February. That way, your first new flush should have some time to harden off a bit. I would definitely take with your ag agent, local gardening center or ASU about best times to fertilize to protect that young flush. I know you all have a great fertilizer product, "Arizona's Best" that is highly recommended by our AZ Citrus Forum members. Shade cloth, paint any exposed trunks or branches with flat latex house paint cut in half with water to protect your branches and trunks from sunburn. A badly sunburned trunk at this age of tree can be fatal. Patty S.

Tx. Rhizo. Here's a photo (not a great one)... What would I be looking for re potential spider mites...actual little spiders? .....ooops...wait a minute..! ;-) I just went out to really 'inspect' and...it was so easy to miss if you're not looking for it...I DO now see these TEENY WEENY little light green bugs.. are those the spider mites? And if so, what can I do to get rid of them? I currently have some Pyola and Soap Shield (natural bug killers)...I could try those, unless you have another suggestion? Also, I had covered my soil with mulch. Should I NOT have done that? Might the mulch be creating an environment that the spider mites like? Should I remove the mulch? Tku!!!

My raspberry leaves, currently planted in a half barrel, are showing streak-like mottling of yellow and brown. New leaves are blackish at the tips with a distinct line moving towards the stem. All affected leaves are curling and eventually becoming brittle and dying. This is affecting the plant as a whole, although curling/dying seems to happen more rapidly at the bottom of the plant. But even topmost new growth has this. I have pruned all affected leaves, hopefully to stop the spread, but I need to know what I'm dealing with! At first, I thought aphids. I hunted thoroughly for signs of aphids in the plant yesterday, checking the undersides of the leaves. I didn't find a single one on the plant, and they're usually pretty easy to spot. I sprayed for them anyway with a dish soap and peppermint essential oil mixture. Just recently started fertilizing once a week with all purpose plant food, since the plant is producing fruit. I water 2-3 times a week, since I live in Colorado and it is dry and hot right now. Otherwise, the plant is healthy. It is giving new fruit and leaves in abundance, and also new canes, as well.

I don't grow raspberries myself, but I'm gonna chime in anyway! I'm assuming they're planted in a good quality store bought potting soil/mix (containing a substantial amount of Canadian sphagnum peat--NOT Hyponex brand!), and if that's true I recommend watering less--even in hot weather--and especially now with the high humidity we've had with all the rain. Determine when to water by sticking your fingers down several inches into the soil, and wait till it's at least 50% dry before you water, and then saturate it COMPLETELY when you do water. With hot weather and sun the surface of the soil will dry out way before the lower soil dries, so you can't determine just by the surface moisture when to water. If in doubt, wait! If a plant is too dry it'll grumble and moan and look very unhappy, but it won't die--unless it's ALL the way dry! But if a plant is kept too wet all the time, the roots will start to rot and not be able to take up water anymore, and by the time you can tell there's a serious problem it's often too late and it can die. The roots need water AND oxygen, and when the soil's too wet there's no real useable oxygen in it. To feed or not to feed--I'm not sure about that, but with it in a container I tend to side with Dan and say that it will need some fertilizer--but probably not so often. But I do have another suggestion, and every time I say this folks jump in with the opposite opinion--and that's just fine! I recommend you get some fertilizer besides Miracle Grow! I have a problem with all the Miracle Grow products--including their bagged potting soils! From what I've been able to figure out they have a problem with their "quality control" for all their products! I recommend just about any other brand, but my own personal recommendation is Jack's Classic! (It used to be called "Peters" until Scotts bought the name and the product, and then the quality went way down, and I don't know if they even make it anymore!) Jack's Classic (the original owner--Jack Peters--of Peters fertilizer started producing their original product under the new name!) is pretty commonly used by commercial growing operations, and the quality is good, and consistent. There are different formulations, but (for simplicity!) I use 20-20-20 for everything--rarely feed outside stuff that's in the ground!--and I adjust the amount I mix in the water depending on what I'm feeding! Whatever brand you decide to go with, I definitely recommend trying something besides Miracle Grow! It may not make a difference--but it may! Keep us up to date on how they're doing. Welcome to RMG, Skybird