Content
Raspberries are one of the most delicious and healthy berries that many gardeners grow on their plots. It is believed 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 different ways, depending on the type of damage. At the same time, processing raspberries in the spring is the most effective method of preventing diseases and combating possible pests. So, the article provides recommendations on 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 arrival of spring, each raspberry owner must take care of their plantings: the shrub must be pruned and processed to prevent the development of diseases.
Pruning
Cutting raspberry bushes is necessary in early spring, even before the soil warms up. In the central regions of Russia, this period falls on March. During this period, the raspberry tree must be cleaned of dry branches, diseased and weak shoots. All healthy raspberry branches should be pruned to a strong, swollen bud. This pruning is necessary for regular and remontant varieties of raspberries.
After the initial 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 appearance of the first leaves. To do this, cut off the top 10-15 cm on each shoot. Such a secondary pruning will double the number of fruiting shoots and, accordingly, increase the crop yield. The described technology is called double cropping. A good example of how to properly implement pruning raspberries in spring can be seen in the video:
Mandatory processing
Mandatory processing of raspberry bushes in the spring is a preventive measure to prevent the development of diseases and parasitic pests in the summer and autumn seasons. The processing of raspberries in the spring from diseases and pests should be carried out during the period of bud formation, about a week before flowering. For spring treatment, you can use chemicals or folk remedies.
Chemicals
The following substances can be used to treat raspberries with chemicals:
- 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 the raspberries. So, for every 1 m2 planting should use 15-20 grams of a substance dissolved in 300 grams of water. By spraying raspberries with urea, you can effectively fight weevils, aphids and some other pests.
- Copper sulfate is an effective means of combating fungal diseases, in particular, gray mold and anthracnose.Copper sulfate is used to spray the stems, leaves and soil around the perimeter of the raspberry. You can prepare the product by dissolving copper sulfate in water in a ratio of 1 g per 1 liter.
- Iron vitriol is used to combat powdery mildew, rust and anthracnose. Raspberry processing consists in spraying with this substance in a concentration of 1% (10 grams of ferrous sulfate per 1 liter of water). It is worth noting that Topaz or Nitrofen can become an alternative to iron vitriol.
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 cause of the development of most infectious and fungal diseases is high moisture and acidity of the soil. That is why the raspberry watering regime should be clearly regulated. It is possible to reduce the acidity of the soil by adding wood ash, dolomite flour, 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 using folk remedies:
- Mustard is an excellent protective agent against weevil larvae. It is used for spraying raspberries, having previously prepared a solution in the ratio of 20 grams of dry mustard per bucket of water. The resulting mixture should be infused for 12 hours. The smell of mustard repels insect pests.
- Replacing mustard in the fight against weevil can baking soda... To prepare the solution, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 10 liters of water. The prepared mixture is used for spraying raspberries.
- You can destroy pests on raspberries and on adjacent land areas with boiling water... It is necessary to hold such an event immediately after the snow has melted. Boiling water must be poured into a metal watering can, and used to spill raspberries and root soil. Most pests and their larvae die after such a procedure.
- 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 wormwood branches should be brewed and insisted for 12 hours. Then use for spraying. Instead of wormwood, some gardeners use marigold infusion. Processing with such bitter infusions must be carried out at least twice in the spring.
- Repels pests and protects raspberries from disease infusion of tansy... It can be prepared from dry raw materials in the proportion of 350 grams per 5 liters of boiling water. The broth is infused for a day, after which it is brought to a boil again and filtered. The resulting broth is diluted with water in 10 liters.
- Soil mulching at the roots of raspberries 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 weevils.
The above 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 and environmentally friendly. They can be used many times, 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 the face", because the parasitic pests are reflected on raspberries with very specific symptoms. You can get acquainted with them below:
Aphid
Perhaps the aphid is the most famous pest. It feeds on plant sap and can 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 funds, you can use the drug Actellic or karbofos.
Stem gall midge
This pest infects raspberry shoots from the inside, eating holes in their cavities.
The external manifestation of infection with this pest manifests itself 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, the preparations Fufanon or Actellik can be used in early spring. Before the formation of buds, the raspberries should be treated with these preparations twice.
Stem fly
A sign that raspberries are damaged by a stem fly is, at first glance, unreasonable 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 regularly mulching the soil at the raspberry root. If such a measure was not taken and the defeat by the pest occurred, then the wilted areas of the shoots must be cut off and burned. It is recommended to treat the remaining raspberry shoots with Fitoverm, Agravertin or Aktellik.
Raspberry beetle
The raspberry beetle is another pest that is not averse to feasting on not only leaves, but also flowers, raspberries. Signs of its parasitism are yellow spots on the surface of the leaves, wilting flowers and small berries, in which the larvae of this pest can often be found.
It is necessary to fight this pest well in advance, in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. To do this, you can use a 10% solution of karbofos or preparations Decis, Iskra, Nitrofen.
Thus, a variety of chemicals are used in pest control, which can be found in a specialty store. They must be used before the active growth of raspberries begins, since the leaves and ovaries of the plant accumulate harmful substances in themselves.
Signs of illness and treatment of raspberries
Raspberry diseases can occur due to a lack, an excess of minerals in the soil, the presence of unfavorable weather, humidity conditions, infection with fungi and bacteria. So, below are the most common raspberry diseases, their symptoms and treatment methods.
Anthracnose
Often, raspberries can be attacked by various fungi. One of them causes a disease called anthracnose. The disease is manifested by the appearance of pink or purple small spots on the raspberry leaf plate. In the process of development of the disease, the spots grow and change color to gray. Small depressions are formed on the shoots with anthracnose. To combat the disease, it is necessary to remove all affected parts of the raspberry tree. Also, with anthracnose, the use of Nitrafen is effective.
Gray rot
Gray rot is a fungal infection characteristic of raspberries. The disease is manifested by the appearance of brown spots on the berries. Over time, these "spotted" fruits are completely covered with a gray, velvety bloom. 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. For the prevention of the disease, you can use a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
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 growth of raspberries that small brown spots can form, which eventually brighten and spread throughout the leaf plate. As a result of the disease, the leaves become full of holes. White spot 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 prophylaxis in early spring, you can use a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Rust
In the spring, you can observe the unreasonable drying out of the raspberry tree. This may be due to rust.As a rule, it appears in the spring, in May. A symptom of the development of a fungal disease is bright orange spores on the back of the leaf. The disease spreads quickly and significantly reduces yields, contributes to the drying out 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 insect pests and fungi are not averse to feasting on its leaves and berries. You can save the raspberry tree only with proper plant care. 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 there were previously problems associated with the parasitization of any pest or disease, then in the spring you should hit the enemy pointwise for the preventive protection of raspberries.
