Planting bare root raspberries now

[sammy_roser]

Hello all,

I got my delivery of the fallgold raspberry canes I ordered, Was going to plant them straight out but the ground is solid and it's freezing and snowing.

Should I
A. Plant them in a pot of compost until I can plant them in there forever home or
B. Leave them as they are wrapped in cardboard until it warms up.

[horticultural_hobbit]

If the ground is too hard, you may find that temporarily potting them, or heeling them in somewhere nice and soft is useful. Then, when the elements improve you can move them. That said, I left my bare root raspberries for ages.

[redser]

You could put some compost in a plastic bag and put the root balls in those and tie round the bag. Keep them somewhere dark and cool but not freezing (maybe a garage?). They will be happy like that for ages until you are ready to plant them out. Once the ground defrosts prepare the trench well with compost or manure and leave it for a while before planting into it.

[rustylady]

What Redser said, but make sure the compost is moist, not wet or dry.

[sammy_roser]

Ok when I get a break in the snow I will get them in some compost. Won't be able to keep them from freezing though

[rustylady]

Sammy, where are they at the moment?

[Hans Mum]

One of the old chaps on site dug some up a few days ago and has left them covered in chippings at the roots till the area they are going in is ready....he's really knowldegeable and said they'd be fine for ages even during this cold snap

[sammy_roser]

Sammy, where are they at the moment?

In the dinning room wrapped up in cardboard

[rustylady]

Might be a bit warm in there for them. You don't want them to start sprouting. I would take them out of the cardboard and check the roots.

How many plants do you have, and can you let us know if they are completely bare rooted or are the roots in a plastic bag with compost.

[redser]

Maybe you could wrap lots of layers around the bag (newspaper??) and then another bag and leave them outside? Have you any soil that you could temp. heal them in?

[sammy_roser]

There are two canes, they are bare roots, no soil. I've brought in a pot of soil in that I can plant them in, if they will be alright in the snow.