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In the spring, all summer residents and gardeners are puzzled by the improvement of their land. So, with the arrival of heat, young trees and shrubs, in particular, raspberries, can be planted. Planting raspberries spring, as a rule, does not cause any particular difficulties, however, non-observance of some rules can lead to a subsequent decrease in the yield of this crop. Information on when and how to properly plant raspberries in spring can be found in the article below.
Boarding time
It is necessary to plant raspberries in early spring, before the buds bloom on the trees. Depending on the weather conditions in the central regions of Russia, 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 the planting material. That is why it is necessary to think about choosing a place, preparing the soil and preparing 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, the shoots of the raspberry tree are strongly stretched, 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 to grow raspberries, it is also worth considering the movement of the winds, since drafts negatively affect the volume of fruiting and the growth of the crop as a whole. It is also not recommended to plant the crop in lowlands and wetlands. The increased soil moisture slows down the growth of the raspberry and makes the berries small, devoid of taste characteristic of the variety.
Soil preparation
For the cultivation of 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. The high fertility of the soil allows you to increase the yield of the crop.
Experienced farmers identify good and bad predecessors for raspberries. So, it is not recommended to plant plants in the place where tomatoes or potatoes used to grow.
A plot of soil for spring planting of raspberries should be prepared in the fall. To do this, it is necessary to remove all the remnants of the old vegetation, foliage, since they can hide in themselves harmful bacteria of various diseases and pest larvae. Organic and complex mineral fertilizers should be added to the soil, after which the soil should be dug up. In order to speed up the thawing 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 growing, and having prepared a fertile soil, it is worth thinking about the choice of planting material. So, when purchasing seedlings at the 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. The raspberry root should be well developed and fibrous. White shoots of the root system are the norm. There should be at least 3 buds at the base of the raspberry seedling.
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.
Planting methods
The answer to the question of how to plant raspberries correctly in spring is not unambiguous, since there are two different ways of planting seedlings. So, you can plant a raspberry tree in trenches or in pits (bush planting). These methods are of 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 he who is most often used by gardeners. Its advantage lies in the fact that the autumn preparation of the land is not necessary. Fertilizers can be applied to the soil directly during the planting of seedlings in early spring.
To carry out planting of raspberry seedlings by the bush method, you should be guided by the following step-by-step instructions:
- To plant a raspberry tree, it is necessary to make holes with a depth of at least 50 cm and a width of 50 to 60 cm.
- At the bottom of the pit, compost should be placed 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.
- The seedling, when placed in the hole, must be centered. It is not worth deeply deepening the plant, however, and superficial planting of the seedling is undesirable, since in this case the raspberry roots dry out. While filling the hole with soil, the seedling should be slightly raised several times in order for the soil to fill the space between the roots.
- After filling the hole, the ground must be slightly compacted and a hole should be made to accumulate water.
- Raspberries should be watered abundantly at the root, after which the soil should be mulched with straw, peat or steamed sawdust.
- Saplings must be cut so that cuttings 15-20 cm high remain above the ground.
When planting raspberries by the bush method, the root collar of the seedling should be at ground level. You can see the process of planting raspberry seedlings by the bush method and hear the comments of a specialist on the video:
When planting raspberry seedlings in a pit, it is easy to carry out subsequent watering, processing the plant and harvesting. It is worth noting that you can enjoy delicious raspberries in the same year when the disembarkation was carried out. The abundance and taste of raspberries in this case 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 the owners of private farmsteads, but at the same time it is indispensable for the industrial cultivation of berries. Planting raspberries in trenches can significantly increase the yield of the crop, however, and the hassle with such planting is much more than with the bush method.
Step-by-step instructions on how to plant raspberries in trenches are given below:
- 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, the depth 40-45 cm. Between two adjacent trenches, a row spacing of at least 120 cm should be maintained.
- If the planting of raspberries is carried out in places with a high level of humidity, then drainage must be provided.So, at the bottom of the trench, you can place broken brick, expanded clay, thick tree branches. On dry soils, such a layer can be omitted.
- 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 that can later become nutritious organic fertilizer. In the process of decay, this organic matter will nourish raspberries with useful microelements, warm up the root system of plants. Such a nutrient layer "works" for 5 years, after which the decay process will be over. At this time, the raspberry tree can be transplanted to a new growth site.
- 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.
- Saplings in trenches should be placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other. The roots of plants must be carefully straightened, watered and dug in with soil. Seal 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.
- After planting, the seedlings are pruned, leaving 15-20 cm of the cutting above ground level.
- The soil under the cut raspberry seedlings should be mulched.
Using this guide to planting raspberry seedlings in a trench can produce a high yielding raspberry plantation over time. So, the growth of the bush should occur along a given trajectory quickly enough. If the overgrowth does not occur on its own, then you can force the raspberries to shoot. To do this, a bush is undermined on one side, disturbing its tranquility. An example of how to plant raspberries in trenches is shown in the video:
Conclusion
Thus, every gardener has the right to independently choose the method of growing raspberries, but it is worth remembering that planting seedlings in a trench will provide a high level of yield and allow raspberries to reproduce on their own in a given direction, forming a neat ridge. This method has proven itself well when growing in regions with difficult climatic conditions, since it allows you to warm the roots of plants. In general, when growing raspberries, do not forget about regular feeding and abundant watering, because only in favorable conditions is the culture ready to delight the gardener with an abundant, tasty harvest of useful berries.
