Yesterday I asked for help with my fruitless raspberries. Thanks to those who responded. Further info: I planted them in full sun, near the house in my garden about 4 years ago. The garden soil generally has a lot of clay but I add last years grass clipping compost every
spring when I turn the garden over. I generally add the contents of my sons sand-box (1/2 wheelbarrow full) at the end of each summer. the sand has helped to break up the soil. The first year I expected no fruit and got none, but i saw pretty good growth. In fall when cleaning the garden, I Pruned &/or had many canes break the first year. I was hopefull the 2nd year and did indeed see good growth of the canes, I watched the
flowers form on the mature parts, but fruit never appeared. I worried that my previous pruining had caused the "trauma". That fall I left the
plants alone.
this year I've gleaned a lot of new growth. I pulled out those that had strayed too far, and pulled out
weeds whenever i could. Id say the patch measures 6' square, with stalks about 4 to 4 1/2' tall with about 30% old canes to new growth. In
spring, then about a month later i sprinkled "preen & green 9-17-9 around garden. this year at planting i bought 5 bales of Sphagnum peat moss and worked it in whole garden(save for the raspberries). I sprinkled several hand fulls of the moss into the berry bush to act as mulch. Since I was laid off late May, I watered well when rain was scarce. Now I'm back to work I water less frequently but I try to get back there on weekends.
As I said this years growth is good,
flowers abound, but most won't seem to berry-up! The few signs of red at the
flowers I've seen have been only one or two small round "lobes". (I don't know the term but a normal berry has multiple lobes tightly packed , Mine have one "lobe"on the few
flowers that have any.
Last year was worried that perhaps the
flowers weeren't being pollinated but I have seen a lot of bee activity,
I really don't know!!!
