How to feed raspberries 

Almost all gardeners grow raspberries. But rich harvests of tasty, fragrant berries are not always obtained. The plant is very sensitive to soil fertility, but since raspberries grow in one place for several years, the soil is depleted.

Beginning gardeners are especially concerned about how raspberries are fed and in what time frame. The article will discuss different types of fertilizers, the rules and doses of application in different periods of vegetative development.

Fertilizers

There are many fertilizers that raspberries love. They contain different substances and trace elements, therefore, the effect on the plant will be different. The main purpose of using fertilizers is to saturate the soil with nutrients and increase its productivity.

Top dressings are mineral and organic, there are also folk recipes. Most often, gardeners from a large assortment of mineral fertilizers use:

• phosphorus-containing;
• nitrogen-containing;
• microfertilizers;
• potash;
• complex.

Among organic (organic) fertilizers, preference is given to:

• bird droppings;
• siderates;
• driveway;
• slurry;
• wood ash;
• compost;
• bone meal;
• straw.

Some gardeners feed raspberries:

• sapropel;
• limestone.

Combined or complex fertilizers for raspberries in their composition have a set of trace elements that are introduced into the soil, while enriching the soil and nourishing the plants.

Such fertilizers are sold in specialized stores. You can purchase ready-made formulations or combine them yourself using different formulations:

1. Option one: superphosphate 60 g + potassium salt 40 g + ammonium nitrate 30 g. Such a complex fertilizer is applied dry in the spring before watering.
2. The second option: manure 1500 g + nitrogen 3 g + potassium 3 g + phosphorus 2 g. This is the norm per square meter.

To help gardeners, a photo depicting measurements for fertilizers.

When to fertilize

It is not at all difficult for experienced gardeners to determine by the appearance of raspberries which fertilizers or chemical elements the plant lacks, and which, on the contrary, are in excess. Beginners, of course, lack such skills. We will try to find out, but what you need to pay attention to so as not to make a mistake when choosing the option of feeding raspberries. After all, the main task of the gardener is to grow healthy plants.

So, let’s look at the ailments of raspberries, its appearance with deficiencies or an excess of trace elements.

As can be seen from the table, the condition of the plants must be monitored in order to provide assistance in time, feed them with the necessary fertilizers. Important! The lack of trace elements, as well as their excess, adversely affect the growth of raspberries and their yields.

Therefore, the introduction of any top dressing should be dosed.

Foliar top dressing

So how to fertilize raspberries? As a rule, the plant is fed under the root with liquid or dry dressings. But, according to experts, such nutrition is not enough for raspberries. What’s the matter? When nutrients are introduced into the soil, plants, due to botanical characteristics, do not have time to assimilate them immediately. There are many reasons, but most often adverse conditions in the form of heavy rains, leaching and weathering interfere with the absorption of trace elements.

Gardeners with extensive experience in growing raspberries are advised to carry out foliar feeding, especially during the fruiting period. After all, plants are able to absorb nutrients not only by roots, but also by leaf blades.

What is this top dressing, what is its peculiarity? For this procedure, the fertilizer is dissolved, poured into the sprayer and sprayed with raspberries from top to bottom. It is not recommended to exceed the dosage. For foliar feeding of raspberry bushes, you can use one of the following substances, diluted in 10 liters of water:

• superphosphate – 250 g;
• copper sulfate – from 3 to 5 g;
• boric acid – from 10 to 15 g.

Some gardeners insist on wood ash and spray plantings with the resulting solution. Foliar feeding not only saturates raspberries with nutrients, but also saves from some pests.

There are ready-made formulations for foliar feeding of raspberries. One of them is a special Crystal. It contains trace elements necessary for the growth and development of the plant. Dilute strictly according to the instructions: 30 grams of funds per ten-liter bucket.

Half a month before the first harvest of raspberries, foliar top dressing can be carried out with a preparation such as Crystal Brown. Norm: 10 grams per 20 liters of water.

Crystal is used in the absence of wind and rain. During work, care must be taken to protect exposed parts of the body.

Features of spring top dressing

Spring feeding occurs at the end of April, the first days of May. After the raspberries are opened after wintering, weeds are pruned and weeded, and the soil is loosened. Then you can start feeding. There are many ways to fertilize, let’s figure out how to fertilize raspberries, what means are best used?

Organic

1. Dung slurry. 0,5 kg of manure is added to a ten-liter bucket of water. Mix thoroughly and pour under the plants. At least 5 liters per square meter of beds.
2. Dry humus will do. Distribute up to 6 kg per square, sprinkle with soil on top.
3. Chicken litter. Previously, 2 weeks before the feeding, an infusion is prepared. The solution is prepared as follows: 1 part of the infusion + 20 parts of water.
4. Raspberry responds well to wood ash. It can be applied both in dry form and in the form of infusion. Wood ash not only nourishes the plants with potassium, but also reduces the acidity of the soil.

Mineral Fertilizers

1. From mineral fertilizers in the spring, you need to use ammonium sulfate, pouring 15 grams per square.
2. You need to be careful with nitrogen fertilizers: no more than 15 grams per square. Otherwise, the rapid growth of greenery will begin. Urea also contains nitrogen and is, according to gardeners, the best option for spring feeding raspberries. Fertilizer is scattered under the bushes, one tablespoon is enough per square meter. Some gardeners spread urea in a strip along the bed before the snow melts. Feeding raspberries ends with mulching.
3. Another option for using urea. For 10 liters of water add a shovel of fresh manure, urea in a matchbox. The composition is mixed and watered raspberries under the bush.
4. For complex top dressing, 1 part of ammonium nitrate and potassium fertilizers and 2 parts of superphosphate are used. For a ten-liter watering can of water, 100 grams of the mixture is needed.

Video gardening tips:

What do raspberries need in summer

Beginning gardeners are often interested in how to feed raspberries in the summer. By the beginning of the fruiting period, raspberries already have time to partially use up the nutrients obtained during spring feeding. In June, she needs a complex fertilizer, which includes nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. You can use ready-made fertilizers or cook on your own. This will require 10 liters of water:

• urea – 40-50 g;
• superphosphate 200-250g;
• potassium sulfate – 60-70 g.

This composition is poured under the roots of raspberries. Fertilizer can be used for foliar top dressing. Then boric acid (10-15 g) and magnesium sulfate (150 g) are added to the solution.

Raspberries are fed with exactly the same fertilizer after harvesting. If you do not want to reuse mineral fertilizers, pour raspberries with ash infusion: 2,5 cups per ten-liter bucket of hot water.

Foliar top dressing with Crystalon will not hurt.

We feed raspberries in the fall

What fertilizer should be applied under raspberries in the fall?

We offer the most popular compositions:

1. Mix 300 g of ash and sugar, manure 300 g, student crayons – 3 pieces. Put in a barrel, add hay and grass. Top up with water. It takes about two weeks to infuse. For each ten-liter bucket, 0,5 liters of infusion is poured and 3 liters are poured under each plant.
2. Superphosphate (50 g) + wood ash (glass) is poured into 10 liters of water. This is a composition per square.
3. 3 g zinc sulfate + 5 g manganese sulfate per ten-liter bucket (norm per square).

Foliar feeding of raspberries, for example, with Kristalon, will not interfere.

Folk remedies

Raspberries have been cultivated in Our Country since ancient times. Our ancestors did not have the opportunity to use ready-made mineral fertilizers for feeding raspberries. They came up with a lot of means, thanks to which raspberries gave a rich harvest.

Here are a few options for folk dressings:

1. Take equal amounts of nettle and comfrey. Add 10 liters of water. Soak in the sun for two weeks. Pour 1 liter of infusion into a watering can and fill the bucket to the brim. One raspberry bush is enough for two liters.
2. Add manure (3 kg), ash (1 cup), nettle (1 kg) to the container. Pour 20 liters of water. Leave in the sun for 7 days. When diluted, the ratio is 1:10. One raspberry bush is enough for half a liter of fertilizer.

To summarize

Raspberries love to grow in fertile soil. With a lack of nutrition, the plant begins to suffer, which negatively affects the yield and taste of berries. The choice of type of fertilizer depends on the grower. The main thing is to adhere to rationing, feed raspberries in a timely manner. Good luck gardeners.