Training strawberries and burnt looking raspberry

[pdjpeter]

Hi all,

I Thought I would put two problems in one thread! the first is my strawberry. I planted it this year, however, i'm not sure what to do with the trailing areas



Do you think i should train them to go down the fence area behind or leave them to their own means!

the second is an issue with my first year rapsberry canes, it looks like they are burnt on the edges. What is this a sign of?



thanks for your help!

[burnie]

If the strawberries are new plants I would remove the runners as they weaken the plant, if not new, or for future years they need to touch the ground in order to root and create new plants. Either put the basket lower down or fix up some small pots with compost in them, the roots come from the bottom of that bunch of leaves on the end of the runner.
If the raspberries are also new I would top dress them with some potash and give them a bit of water.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Strawberries are usually replaced every three years or so, the 'trailing bits' are called runners as Burnie points out. With a new plant like yours I would cut them off close to the mother plant this year to allow the plants energy to form fruit.

Next year get a 3" pot of compost, place the leaf cluster on the surface of the compost and pin it in place with a clothes peg, keep it watered and in two weeks or so you will find it has rooted and formed a new plant for you.

[Zelenina]

In a basket you can just leave the strawberry runners to hang down. That's really the whole point of putting them in a basket I think.

[Zelenina]

The raspberry could have a deficiency of nutrients, possibly potassium (K). or perhaps an excess of salt in the soil. Are you anywhere near the sea?

[Kirk]

Raspberries have shallow roots and they need moisture. I would give then a watering and if possible add a mulch of some sort. They are a woodland and hedge row plant and so that means generally year round moisture, we for whatever reason think that growing them out in full sun is a good idea.