How to plant raspberries in spring: step by step instructions

In the spring, all summer residents and gardeners are puzzled by the improvement of their land. So, with the advent of heat, young trees and shrubs, in particular raspberries, can be planted. Planting raspberries in the spring, as a rule, does not cause any particular difficulties, however, non-compliance with some rules can lead to a subsequent decrease in the yield of this crop. Information on when and how to plant raspberries in the spring can be found below in the article below.

Planting time

It is necessary to plant raspberries in early spring, before the buds on the trees bloom. Depending on the weather conditions in the central regions of Our Country, this can be done from April to May. It is worth noting that often novice gardeners do not know exactly when to plant raspberries in the spring, delaying this moment until the beginning of summer. In this case, young plants especially need high soil moisture, and hot weather conditions can destroy planting material. That is why it is necessary to think about choosing a place, preparing the soil and harvesting planting material immediately after the snow has melted.

The best place to grow

Raspberries, like many other plants, are very demanding on sunlight. With a lack of light, raspberry shoots are strongly drawn out, becoming less protected from pests and severe winter frosts. The yield of such plantings is low.

When planting, rows with plants are recommended to be placed from south to north.

When choosing a place for growing raspberries, it is also worth considering the movement of winds, since drafts adversely affect the volume of fruiting and the growth of the crop as a whole. It is also not recommended to plant a crop in lowlands and wetlands. Increased soil moisture slows down the growth of raspberries and makes the berries small, devoid of the taste qualities characteristic of the variety.

Soil preparation

For growing raspberries, the soil is of particular importance. Its acidity should be low or neutral. The plant also prefers well-drained soils: light loams, sandstones and sandy loams. High soil fertility allows you to increase crop yields.

Experienced farmers identify good and bad predecessors for raspberries. So, planting plants is not recommended in the place where tomatoes or potatoes used to grow.

Prepare a plot of soil for the spring planting of raspberries should be in the fall. To do this, it is necessary to remove all the remnants of the former vegetation, foliage, as they can hide harmful bacteria of various diseases and pest larvae. Organic and complex mineral fertilizers should be applied to the soil, after which the soil should be dug up. In order to speed up the defrosting of snow and warming up the soil in spring, you can cover the soil with black polyethylene and throw mulch over the area.

Subject to all the rules for choosing a place and preparing the soil, raspberries planted in spring will quickly take root and give the first harvest of berries in the same season.

Buying a seedling

Having chosen a place for cultivation, and having prepared fertile soil, it is worth considering the choice of planting material. So, when purchasing seedlings at a market or fair, you should pay attention to the thickness of the shoots. It should be medium, not thick (no more than 1 cm). At the same time, seedlings with a thin stem take root best in new conditions. Raspberry root should be well developed, fibrous. White processes of the root system are the norm. At the base of a raspberry seedling there should be at least 3 buds.

It is better to purchase seedlings with a closed root system, otherwise the roots of the plant should be tightly wrapped in a damp cloth. During transportation, the roots of the seedling should be additionally wrapped in a plastic bag.

Ways of planting

The answer to the question of how to plant raspberries in the spring is not unambiguous, since there are two different ways to plant seedlings. So, you can plant raspberries in trenches or in pits (bush planting). These methods have a different technology and consist of specific sequences of actions. The results of such plantings are also different, so the choice of how to plant raspberries in the spring depends only on the gardener.

Bush method

The method in which raspberry seedlings are planted in pits is called bush. It is the one most often used by gardeners. Its advantage lies in the fact that the autumn preparation of the land is not mandatory. Fertilizers can be applied to the soil directly during the planting of seedlings in early spring.

To plant raspberry seedlings by the bush method, the following step-by-step instructions should be followed:

1. For planting raspberries, it is necessary to make holes with a depth of at least 50 cm and a width of 50 to 60 cm.
2. At the bottom of the pit, put compost in a volume of 3-4 kg. In addition to organic matter, it is recommended to apply a complex mineral fertilizer containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil under the root. When applying, fertilizers must be mixed with the soil.
3. The seedling, placed in the hole, must be centered. It is not worth deepening the plant strongly, however, and the surface planting of the seedling is undesirable, since in this case the raspberry roots dry out. While filling the hole with soil, slightly raise the seedling several times so that the soil fills the space between the roots.
4. After filling the pit, the earth must be slightly compacted and a hole made for the accumulation of water.
5. Raspberries should be watered abundantly under the root, after which the soil should be mulched with straw, peat or steamed sawdust.
6. The seedlings must be cut so that cuttings 15-20 cm high remain above the ground.

When planting raspberries by the bush method, the root neck of the seedling should be at ground level. You can see the process of planting raspberry seedlings by the bush method and hear the expert’s comments on the video:

When planting raspberry seedlings in a hole, it is easy to carry out subsequent watering, plant processing and harvesting. It is worth noting that it will be possible to enjoy delicious raspberries in the same year when the planting was carried out. The abundance and taste of raspberries at the same time largely depend on the nutritional value, soil moisture and climatic conditions.

Planting raspberries in trenches

An alternative to the bush method is planting raspberries in trenches. This method is less popular with owners of private farmsteads, but it is indispensable for the industrial cultivation of berries. By planting raspberries in trenches, you can significantly increase the yield of the crop, however, there is much more trouble with such a planting than with the bush method.

Step-by-step instructions on how to plant raspberries in trenches are given below:

1. It is necessary to clear the selected area of ​​soil from litter, grass, foliage, and then dig trenches of the required length. The width of the trench should be approximately 50-60 cm, depth 40-45 cm. Between two adjacent trenches, row spacing should be maintained at least 120 cm wide.
2. If raspberries are planted in places with a high level of humidity, then drainage must be provided. So, broken brick, expanded clay, thick tree branches can be placed at the bottom of the trench. On dry soils, such a layer can not be laid.
3. At the bottom of the trench or on top of the drainage layer, it is necessary to put a nutrient layer, at least 10 cm thick. To do this, you can use peat, rotted manure, mowed grass, foliage and other components, which can subsequently become nutritious organic fertilizer. In the process of decay, this organic matter will nourish the raspberries with useful microelements and heat up the root system of plants. Such a nutrient layer “works” for 5 years, after which the decay process will be completed. At this time, the raspberries can be transplanted to a new place of growth.
4. A layer of fertile soil (peat or garden soil) should be poured over the nutrient layer with organic matter. The thickness of this layer must be at least 10 cm.
5. Seedlings in trenches should be placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other. The roots of plants must be carefully straightened, watered and buried with soil. Compact the top layer of the earth. It is worth noting that it is more convenient to plant raspberries together, when one person holds the plant vertically, and the second performs planting manipulations.
6. After planting, the seedlings are pruned, leaving 15-20 cm of the cutting above ground level.
7. The soil under the cut raspberry seedlings should be mulched.

Using this guide to planting raspberry seedlings in a trench, you can eventually get a high-yielding raspberry plantation. Thus, the growth of shrubs should occur along a given trajectory quickly enough. If the growth does not occur on its own, then you can force the raspberries to shoot. For this, the bush is dug up on one side, disturbing its calmness. An example of how to plant raspberries in trenches is shown in the video:

Conclusion

Thus, each gardener has the right to independently choose a method for growing raspberries, but it is worth remembering that planting seedlings in a trench will provide a high level of productivity and allow raspberries to multiply independently in a given direction, forming a neat ridge. This method has proven itself well when grown in regions with difficult climatic conditions, since it allows you to warm the roots of plants. In general, when growing raspberries, one should not forget about regular feeding and abundant watering, because only under favorable conditions is the culture ready to please the gardener with an abundant, tasty harvest of healthy berries.