My Jewell black raspberries are now in their third year, and quite simply, the quality of the berries sucks. Small and unfilled. Did I start out with diseased stock? Any way to turn these around? These are YEARS I'm wasting here. My plan so far is to destroy these and plant red or gold. I have first year Killarneys that look great. Thanks. Ken A.
..." black raspberries (R. occidentalis) are only hardy to zone 5, and especially prone to disease when grown with red raspberries"
from
Black raspberries should be pruned during their growing year. Black raspberries fruit on year old canes. While these new canes are growing the year before they fruit they should be pruned to about 3 - 5 feet tall. Black raspberries fruit on the lateral branches and therefore the pruning should cut of the the top of the cane to promote the growth of the lateral branches. I started this a couple of years ago and it really made a difference in the size and quality. It actually made the black raspberries worth keeping.
Marty
Thank you all. I've been pretty stringent with the pruning regimen, so I don't think that's my problem. I just sent an email to our county agricultural extension agent. If he points me in the right direction, and I get some good info, I'll post back. Incidently, my red Killarneys, which are in their first year, are producing a handful of berries and they're HUGE! Can't wait till next year! Ken A.
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