Is somebody poisoning my raspberries??

[champagne_charly]

Hello,
I transplanted some raspberries a few months ago. Gave them lots of Fish bone and blood and root hormones. First 3 days they were beautiful with little to no wilt on new shoots. I confess there after i neglected to water them for 2 weeks. Lots (30%) died. I presumed this was simply neglect.

However weeks on and every time I go back I notice that new shoots that have come through and produced foliage and in some case flower and berry formations have gradually died back starting from the leaves and then the whole shoot.

I'm not the best at watering raspberies given I've never needed to in the past... but all canes and good root structures given they were all minimum of 2 year old canes. There has been lots of contention in respect of so many soft fruits being grown that I am suspicious of fowl play. I gave some of the plants a good 10l of water each last sunday to go back again yesterday to find that one of the healthy(ish) plants bearing greenshoots with blossom had almost completly died back and was soon to add to the ever extending diying plants.

I have read up on some diseases affecting raspberry canes http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf...ses-153695.pdf but nothing seems to apply.

I'm hoping for some advice opinions on what is happening/ what to do. I've grown & transplanted raspberries for several years and have never seen the likes.. I'm considering getting some sort of analyses done although am sure if it is possible and if it is with whom and at what kind of cost (here in the UK).

Thanks in advance..

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hi Charly - firstly welcome to the Vine.

Secondly, let's have some more detail of the growing position/soil and a pic and then we can see if we can diagnose your poor raspberry problem.

Thirdly, can you put your approx location in your profile? It helps when giving advice.

Fourthly - and might I say here that I don't know an awful lot about rasps as I just stuck 'em in the soil a couple of years ago and let them get on with it - could you be overwatering/overfeeding?

[champagne_charly]

Hi Hazel,

Thanks for your post and welcome.

I will take some photos when i'm next down there.

Growing position full south with no more exposure to sun possible. Rows are in a north south formation but too small (thanks to this disaster) for any to block the other's light.

Soil type low in organic matter, fairly sandy on I presume (given the area) a london silty clay sub soil (although not yet dug that deep here) over chalk. I have not run any ph or other tests.

Over-watering is a definite no .

overfeeding doubtfully as I only used fish blood and bone when transplanting and healthy young shoots did appear.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Charly and welcome!
Was anything growing in the spot before you planted the raspberries there? Just wondering whether there's something lurking in the soil that's affecting the raspberries

[champagne_charly]

Hi VeggieChicken..

IT hadnt been cultivated for a long while. not exactly sure how long. Nettles were the dominant weed. (which i thought to be a good sign). It was an overgrown bonfire site. I strimmed and burnt what was there last year. then dobule dug all before rotovating and transplanting.. I'd have though it be very high in potash if anything.that and rust form the 10kg of nails I dug out.

[FB.]

I had a lot of problems growing raspberries in the early years; my soil is dry, shallow, sandy-gravelly-chalky. Only after much hard work to improve the soil will raspberries grow - and they now grow so well that they have overrun a couple of my apple trees despite the apple trees being on the very big M25 or MM111 rootstock.

My raspberry canes in the early years were about 2ft tall in one season; now they regularly reach 7ft in one season, with huge crops.

In my experience:

Some suppliers of raspberries have lower-quality stock which is slower to establish and with less viable canes - possibly some are weak or sick before they arrive and they fail to thrive; often wilting through root dysfunction due to being sick.

Raspberries are very vigorous plants if their needs are met. If not, they struggle.

They like a soil which remains damp all year long, but which does not waterlog. They will not tolerate soil which dries out.

They like a soil which is relatively cool - part-shade is fine; full sun is too hot and dry for them in my area. The plants don't so much mind sun on the leaves, as compared to their dislike of sun hitting the ground and making the ground hot and dry.

They like a soil with plenty of organic matter. I'd recommend you dig-in to your topsoil an equal quantity of raw compost (or raw manure).

They dislike sand-gravel and especially chalk/alkaline soil unless heavily worked with compost/manure to hold moisture and nutrients - and to keep the pH slightly acidic.

I've never managed to over-feed raspberries; they will tolerate soil so rich that other plants suffer brown shrivelled leaves ("fertiliser scorch"). Raspberries can often be given undiluted urine and still not wilt!

So I'm guessing the problems are numerous.

[champagne_charly]

Thanks..

They were actually transplanted known good plants that yielded well last year on the 50m away. So we can remove the possibility of poor supplier or i think soil type.

I will add rotted manure when I get my hands on enough good stuff (hopefully next week). And keep watering for now.

I'm not sure what you mean by shallow soil.. can I presume topsoil before subsoil/rock?
If so then I have a very good depth. As mentioned did not find clay/chalk silt after double digging.

Having grown raspberries several years and transplanted several times.. of course it could be postion/ climate/ soil type however my suspicions of foul play are extremely high and have been so after several weeks of observation.

Where can I get tests done for herbicides? And how much could it cost?

[veggiechicken]

If you really believe that there may be foul play, can you plant a few canes in a spot that you know to be good for growing and see whether they survive.
I still think that ground may have toxic residues in it. If you dug out 10kg of nails, it sounds like a lot of wood has been burnt there. If it was painted or treated wood who knows what may have gone into the soil.