Raspberry canes stuck at the sorting office :(

[MissC]

I 'missed' (didn't receive a card and had no idea that they'd tried to deliver until I rang the company to find out where my package was ) my delivery of Polka Rasperry Canes.. They are bare-root, how long do you think they could last? It'll be five days since they were shipped when I collect them on Monday.

[AkionTotocha]

When you get them, stick them in a bucket of water. There's not really much you can do, just cross your fingers and find out.

Raspberries are one of the "tougher" fruits, for me at least. I turfed out some old canes two years ago and they're still creeping up. I put a cutting in a shady spot just to see what happened and it produced leaves and flowers and fruited until it got strangled by bindweed.

If it helps, I potted three strawberry plants on the balcony and then forgot about them (I have a very forgetful trait), they carbonised with no rain or water and completely died, so I threw the contents of the pot onto the front garden. The next year there was a strawberry plant sitting where I threw the soil. So it pays to try, if you fail what have you to lose?

[Scarlet]

I think you'll be ok. As Akion has said, soak them in some water and plant out asap. Get your ground read this weekend.

[chrisdb]

Agreed it's worth a try. TNT took an entire week to delivery a some bare-root plants I ordered a couple of months ago, which were dispatched under their 'next day' delivery service. Getting someone to take responsiblity and sort it out was almost impossible. Delivery companies just don't care and aren't set up for perishable goods.

Despite that almost everything is now actively growing, and I expect the rest to make a start soon. Plants are tough - Wilkos have a long running experiment to find out just how much punishment bareroot plants can take, ans the answer is a lot.

[Losos]

Wilkos have a long running experiment to find out just how much punishment bareroot plants can take, and the answer is a lot.

Not just Wilkos, some garden centres (Who shall be nameless) are also guilty of murder in the first degree

[Bigmallly]

I sent emails out to various stores last year stating that if they can't look after the plants then they shouldn't stock them.

[vixylix]

from my B & Q trip last week BM I'm not sure they listened!!

[Bigmallly]

Their profit margin is obviously too great.

[BUFFS]

these bare root delivery systems seem to be run by totally unknowing brain donors, have you ever tried to get an intelligent answer out of one of them...nuff said..

[Muddy_Boots]

I had 6 bare root raspberry dead sticks delivered a few weeks back, put them in the prepared bed the next day and even though the P.O. managed to deliver them the next day after dispatch I've still got 6 raspberry dead sticks on the plot. Looks like my first fruit cane purchase might be my first dead stick purchase

[GardenGayle]

A good tip I picked up on here to tell if cane fruits are alive or dead is to gently scratch the bark, if its green underneath its alive if its brown its dead.

[MissC]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Muddy boots, I think this will be my first and last bare-root delivery. They were quite expensive (well, I thought so anyway) so I'll be cross if I end up with dead sticks tomorrow. I've had two really terrible experiences with ordering plants online, it has really put me off.

[Grumpy Gardener]

Miss C and Muddy Boots,
The plants should be ok and they often take longer to leaf up after first planting.
I've had bare root raspberry canes not leaf up at all but appear a few weeks later as new growth from below ground. It's far too early to write them off yet.

[Scarlet]

^^^thats what I was going to say they take a while to leaf up after planting up. Give them time.

[Muddy_Boots]

^^^thats what I was going to say they take a while to leaf up after planting up. Give them time.

They should be sprinting along with growth like I do when I'm running a road race (didn't do the London Marathon this year) might do it for the 7th time next year. But then again when I looked out today it was snowing here so I reckon they have hibernated thinking it's winter again.

I know the dead sticks are still green so there's still hope.