Spring processing of raspberries from pests and diseases 

Raspberries are one of the most delicious and healthy berries that many gardeners grow on their plots. It is generally accepted that it is unpretentious, grows rapidly and is able to adapt to any conditions. However, in fact, raspberries are quite vulnerable to various pests and diseases. You can deal with them in various ways, depending on the type of damage. At the same time, processing raspberries in the spring is the most effective method for preventing diseases and controlling possible pests. So, the article provides recommendations on the mandatory spring processing that every gardener should carry out, as well as a list of pests and diseases, symptoms and methods of treating raspberry ailments.

spring processing

With the advent of spring, each raspberry owner must take care of his plantings: the shrub must be cut and processed to prevent the development of diseases.

Trimming

Pruning raspberry bushes is necessary in early spring, even before the soil warms up. In the central regions of Our Country, this period falls on March. During this period, the raspberries must be cleaned of dry branches, diseased and weak shoots. All healthy raspberry branches should be pruned to a strong, swollen bud. Such pruning is necessary for ordinary and remontant raspberry varieties.

After the primary pruning, awakening from hibernation, strong buds will give 4-5 fruiting shoots, up to 60 cm high. They should be subjected to secondary pruning immediately after the first leaves appear. To do this, the top 10-15 cm are cut off on each shoot. Such a secondary pruning will double the number of fruit-bearing shoots and, accordingly, increase the crop yield. The described technology is called double pruning. A good example of how to properly trim raspberries in the spring can be seen in the video:

Mandatory processing

Mandatory processing of raspberry bushes in spring is a preventive measure to prevent the development of diseases and parasitism of pests in the summer and autumn seasons. Processing of raspberries in the spring from diseases and pests should be carried out during the formation of buds, about a week before flowering. For spring processing, you can use chemicals or folk remedies.

Chemicals

The following substances can be used to treat raspberries with chemicals:

1. Urea strengthens raspberries, saturates them with nitrogen for accelerated growth and activates the plant’s defense mechanisms to fight pests and diseases. Urea should be used to spray raspberries. So, for every 1 m² planting should use 15-20 grams of the substance dissolved in 300 grams of water. Spraying raspberries with urea can effectively control weevil, aphids and some other pests.
2. Copper sulfate is an effective means of combating fungal diseases, in particular, gray mold and anthracnose. Copper sulphate is used to spray stems, leaves and soil around the perimeter of raspberries. You can prepare the product by dissolving copper sulfate in water in a ratio of 1 g per 1 liter.
3. Iron sulfate is used to combat powdery mildew, rust and anthracnose. Raspberry processing consists in spraying with this substance at a concentration of 1% (10 g of iron sulfate per 1 liter of water). It is worth noting that Topaz or Nitrofen preparations can become an alternative to ferrous sulfate.

You can find out information about the use of some other chemicals and preparations for treating raspberries in the spring from pests and diseases from the video:

It should be noted that the reason for the development of most infectious and fungal diseases is high humidity and acidity of the soil. That is why it is necessary to clearly regulate the mode of watering raspberries. Soil acidity can be reduced by adding wood ash, dolomite flour, and slaked lime. The consumption of these substances should be approximately 150 g per 1 m² soil. Other folk methods of pest and disease control based on improvised means are described below.

Folk remedies

You can protect raspberries from pests and diseases with the help of folk remedies:

1. Mustard is an excellent protective agent against weevil larvae. Use it for spraying raspberries, having previously prepared a solution in the ratio of 20 g of dry mustard per bucket of water. The resulting mixture should be infused for 12 hours. The smell of mustard repels insect pests.
2. Can replace mustard in the fight against weevil baking soda. To prepare the solution, add 2 tablespoons of soda to 10 liters of water. The prepared mixture is used for spraying raspberries.
3. You can destroy pests on raspberries and on adjacent land areas with boiling water. It is necessary to carry out such an event immediately after the snow has melted. Boiling water must be poured into a metal watering can, and used to pour raspberries and root soil. Most pests and their larvae die after such a procedure.
4. The raspberry beetle is a widespread crop pest. You can fight him in the spring with the help of wormwood infusion. To do this, dry branches of wormwood should be brewed and insisted for 12 hours. After that, use for spraying. Instead of wormwood, some gardeners use marigold infusion. Processing with such bitter infusions should be carried out at least twice in the spring.
5. Repels pests and protects raspberries from diseases infusion of tansy. It can be prepared from dry raw materials in the proportion of 350 g per 5 liters of boiling water. The broth is insisted for a day, after which it is again brought to a boil and filtered. The resulting broth is diluted with water in 10 liters.
6. Mulching of soil at the roots of raspberries it helps to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture, however, if you mulch the soil with pine needles, you can additionally protect raspberries from gray rot and weevil.

These methods of pest control are readily available and do not require financial investments and labor costs. At the same time, folk methods are quite effective, environmentally friendly. They can be used repeatedly, since infusions and solutions do not contain harmful substances, which means that the berries will be truly tasty and healthy.

Other pest control methods

Every gardener should know his “enemy in person”, because the parasitism of pests affects raspberries with very specific symptoms. You can check them out below:

aphid

Perhaps the aphid is the most famous pest. It feeds on plant sap and may appear on young raspberry leaves in early spring. You can see the parasite in the photo below.

Under the influence of aphids, raspberry leaves curl and begin to dry. In the fight against aphids, in addition to the above means, you can use the drug Aktellik or karbofos.

stem gall midge

This pest infects raspberry shoots from the inside, eating holes in their cavity.

The external manifestation of infection with this pest is manifested in the form of swelling, and then cracking of the shoots. So, in the early stages of infection and for the prevention of parasitism of the stem gall midge, preparations with Fufanon or Actellik can be used in early spring. Before the formation of buds, raspberries should be treated with these preparations twice.

stem fly

A sign that raspberries are damaged by a stem fly is the seemingly unreasonable, at first glance, wilting of the tops of the shoots, as shown in the photo below.

It is worth noting that the stem fly crawls out of the ground in the first half of May, so the disease caused by it can be prevented by regular mulching of the soil near the raspberry root. If such a measure was not taken and the pest was damaged, then the wilted sections of the shoots must be cut and burned. The remaining raspberry shoots are recommended to be treated with Fitoverm, Agravertin or Actellik.

The raspberry beetle

The raspberry beetle is another pest that is not averse to eating not only leaves, but also flowers and raspberries. Signs of its parasitism are yellow spots on the surface of leaves, withering flowers and small berries, in which larvae of this pest can often be found.

It is necessary to fight this pest in advance, in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. To do this, you can use a 10% solution of karbofos or preparations Decisom, Iskra, Nitrofen.

Thus, various chemicals are used in pest control, which can be found in a specialized store. They must be applied before the active growth of raspberries begins, since the leaves and ovaries of the plant accumulate harmful substances in themselves.

Signs of diseases and treatment of raspberries

Raspberry diseases can occur due to a lack, excess of minerals in the soil, the presence of adverse weather, humidity conditions, infection with fungi and bacteria. So, below are the most common raspberry diseases, their symptoms and treatments.

Antraknoz

Often, raspberries can be affected by various fungi. One of them causes a disease such as anthracnose. The disease is manifested by the appearance of pink or purple small spots on the raspberry leaf plate. As the disease develops, the spots grow and change color to gray. Small depressions form on the shoots with anthracnose. To combat the disease, it is necessary to remove all the affected parts of the raspberry. Also, with anthracnose, the use of Nitrafen is effective.

Gray mold

Gray rot is a fungal infection characteristic of raspberries. The disease is manifested by the appearance of brown spots on the berries. Over time, such “spotted” fruits are completely covered with a gray, velvety coating. On the leaves of the shrub, you can also see symptoms of the development of gray rot: dark gray, rotting spots form on their surface. You can fight the disease with the help of chemicals, but their use makes the crop not edible, so it is better to process shrubs in early spring. To prevent the disease, you can use a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

White spot

This disease spreads to the shoots and leaves of raspberries. Its manifestations can be seen in the spring, after the leaves have blossomed. It is on the young shoots of raspberries that small brown spots can form, which brighten over time and spread throughout the leaf plate. As a result of the disease, the leaves become perforated. White spotting on the shoots forms cracks, while the bark begins to peel off.

Treatment of the disease is carried out by spraying with a solution of colloidal sulfur (40 g per 1 bucket of water). For prevention in early spring, you can use a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

Rust

In the spring, you can observe the causeless drying out of the raspberry. Rust may be the culprit. As a rule, it appears in the spring, in May. A symptom of the development of a fungal disease are bright orange spores on the back of the leaf. The disease spreads rapidly and significantly reduces the yield, contributes to the drying of raspberries. Treatment of this fungal disease is carried out with special chemicals. For prevention, you can use Bordeaux liquid in early spring.

Conclusion

Analyzing all the above information, we can say that raspberries are an extremely vulnerable crop. Various pests and fungi are not averse to feasting on its leaves and berries. You can save raspberry only with proper care of the plant. So, spring processing of raspberries from pests must necessarily include pruning, mulching and processing from pests. At the same time, it is better to prefer folk remedies that will not affect the environmental friendliness of the crop. However, if earlier there were problems associated with the parasitism of any pest or disease, then in the spring you should strike the enemy pointwise for the preventive protection of raspberries.