A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Fruit Forum Wild Raspberry Bushes

Wild raspberry bushes are very abundant where I'm located. I love taking a walk and popping these berries in my mouth. Is there a way to tame them? Hoe should I care for them to get them to produce more?

well moved them while they are dormant. Like now would be a good time. The thorns are on the roots too so plan on digging around the root and then use layers of newspaper wrapped around the root to do the actual moving. The best way to improve produce is to cross polinate which means you will have to invest in a different type of raspberry that blooms at the same time. Move them somewhere they get full sun. Remember these will take over an area so be prepared to keep them in there place.

Thanks! And now for another question. How do I properly get rid of raspberry bushes that are invading my garden?

you'll just have to keep pulling or use chemicals. are you trying to get rid of cultivated (hybrid) bushes and introduce wild bushes? i think the wild ones will be even more invasive than cultivated one. Cultivated ones might have bigger berries; I believe there is a golden one and a thornless one.

If you have a magnolia tree you can dig a trench about 8 inches deep between the berries and the garden and put the leaves there. They decompose very slowly and leach needed components from the soil during that process so make a nice organic barrier.

For a longer lassting barrier fill the trench with concrete. But first make sure the soil around the trench isn't to porous or the concrete will go everywhere. What's great for plants isn't too good for holding concrete inplace while it sets. And you might want to go a couple of inches deeper with that.

I would also suggest putting up a wire fence to hold the canes in a more upright profile. It's easier for picking and keeping track of where the runners are popping up.

If you want to get rid of the whole kit-n-kabboddle then I would suggest starting with a brush killer spray. Plan on using it in successive sprayings. Then sharpen your ax and break up the roots and pull them out. The soil won't be worth much in that area for about a year but it will get rid of the entire stand of cane.

Or depending on where you are you can burn them down, but you will still have to go after the roots. This will leave the soil in better condition.

I hope this helps.