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The fruiting period draws a large amount of nutrients from the raspberry bushes. If no measures are taken to restore the balance of the soil, then in the coming year, the growth of bushes and the fruiting of berries will deteriorate significantly. In view of this, autumn feeding of raspberries is a mandatory event for every gardener.
This article will discuss what fertilizers are needed and which cannot be applied to the soil when growing raspberries in the fall. You will also find out what kind of care this plant needs before the onset of winter cold.
Nitrogen. Should it be applied to the ground in the fall
Before feeding raspberries in the fall, weeds are removed from the aisles. Then you should dig the ground between the rows to a depth of about 15 cm, and in the rows between raspberry bushes – 8 cm deep.
Once every 3 years, before digging, manure is introduced into the aisles at the rate of 4 kg per 1 m2. Nitrogen fertilizers stimulate the growth of shoots, which prevents their maturation. As a result, the winter hardiness of raspberries decreases. Based on this, some gardeners come to the wrong conclusion, which is that it is impossible to add nitrogen to the soil at the end of summer.
However, starting from August, perennial plants, including raspberries, begin secondary root growth. During such a period, it is very important that there is a sufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil. It is usually not necessary to specially feed the bushes with this trace element, since there is still a sufficient amount of it in the soil during this period, provided that it was fertilized in the summer. In addition, during this period, plants redistribute the nitrogen received in summer, which was deposited in reserve in leaves and shoots.
What fertilizers are best for autumn feeding
Gardeners and gardeners prefer to apply organic matter as a fertilizer for raspberries. Among the organic top dressing:
- Compost.
- Ash.
- Manure.
- siderates.
- Bird droppings.
- Peat.
Let’s consider each of these fertilizers separately.
Compost. Its features and benefits
If properly prepared compost, then its effectiveness can be higher than when fertilizing the soil with manure. Sufficiently rotted compost saturates the soil with nutrients. In addition, it kills pathogens that may well settle in the soil during the growing season of raspberries.
To prepare high-quality compost, you need to throw into the pit:
- Sawdust.
- Kitchen waste (vegetables, tea leaves, fruits, coffee grounds and cereals).
- Hay and straw.
- Mowed grass.
- Thin stems and branches of garden trees and bushes.
- Seaweed.
- Recycled wood, previously passed through a garden shredder.
- Crushed weeds.
- Rotten leaves and other garden waste.
- Overripe manure.
- Natural materials such as paper and fabric.
- Mowed grass.
Manure is a natural organic fertilizer
To feed raspberries, use rotted manure. It will not only serve the bushes as a fertilizer, but also protect the roots of the bushes from the cold, as it has good thermal insulation performance. How manure is used to fertilize raspberries in the fall has already been mentioned in the article above.
Manure is very useful for raspberries, as it promotes the rapid growth of bushes in early spring. Saturates the soil with all the trace elements necessary for raspberries.
Ash as fertilizer for raspberries
After harvesting, ash can be scattered under the raspberry bushes. This fertilizer is rich in potassium, which, when accumulated in tissues, produces a crop of sweet berries. In addition, there is lime in the ashes, which acts as an acid neutralizer in the soil, which raspberries do not like very much. Ash from burnt grass, wood and straw is best suited for fertilizing raspberries.
Bird droppings
This organic fertilizer is the most concentrated. In view of this, it can only be used in diluted form. Chicken manure is considered the most suitable for fertilizing raspberries. It is diluted in a ratio of 1:20. It is important to distribute the fertilizer evenly.
Warning! If you make a stronger concentrate than 1:20, then the roots of plants can get serious burns, because of which they will not only get sick, but even die. Therefore, bird droppings should be used very carefully.
Peat as a top dressing for raspberries
Peat does not contain as many useful substances as other types of organic fertilizers, however, its introduction into the raspberry soil has a very good effect on the bushes. The fact is that it is peat that improves the soil structure. It is often used as mulch.
The soil into which peat was introduced becomes looser, due to which the roots are provided with good oxygen exchange. Peat is often used as part of peat-dung composts.
The use of green manure
Siderates are plants planted between the rows, which serve as an excellent top dressing for raspberries in the fall. They are sown in late July or early August. Clover, mustard and vetch can serve as green manure. After harvesting, the aisles are mowed and dug up along with the ground. So, the green mass rots by spring, enriching the soil with all the microelements necessary for the full development of raspberry bushes.
Introduction of mineral fertilizers
If you do not have the opportunity to add organic matter to the soil, then you can replace it with mineral fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. If we talk about nitrogen-containing fertilizers, then they are applied in spring and early summer. In this case, you will need ammonium nitrate per 1 m2 – 13 g of fertilizer. You can also fertilize raspberries with urea in the proportion of 9 g per 1 m2.
In autumn, the raspberry soil needs potash fertilizers. At the same time, they should not contain chlorine. Potassium sulfate can be used as top dressing at the rate of 25 g of fertilizer per 1 m2. The introduction of potash fertilizers increases the frost resistance of raspberries.
In addition to the fertilizers mentioned above, monophosphate and monopotassium phosphate can be applied to the soil. These preparations are highly soluble and absorbed by raspberries completely, without residue. However, the fertilizer should be buried in the soil, closer to the roots of the plants. A bush will need 40 g of funds. Kalimagnesia is another potassium-containing drug. It also contains magnesium. The product is not very concentrated, so its dose can be increased by 2 times.
Mulching as a frost protection
In order for the applied fertilizers to bring the maximum benefit to the bushes, the roots must be covered before wintering. This is due to the fact that the land cleared of weeds dries out faster, and also does not protect the root system from freezing.
Sawdust, peat and mowed grass are often used as covering material. If you live in a harsh climate, you can also bend the bushes and cover them with non-woven material to protect them from severe cold. This is especially important if your area receives little rainfall during winter. Of course, the covering material should be fixed, for example, with stones.
Fertilizing and preparing raspberries for wintering is an important stage in the cultivation of this healthy and very tasty berry. Such events do not require any special skills, so even an inexperienced gardener can handle them. Spend a few hours caring for your raspberries in the fall and you’ll have a bountiful harvest next season.
We invite you to watch a video on how and what is better to fertilize raspberries:
