Use and Care Manual

For the V trellis, two posts should be set at each
end of the row at about a 30-degree angle so that
they are 3½ feet apart at a height of 3½ feet. Run
the wire from each post at 3½ feet (Figure 2).
After pruning, tie the fruiting canes to the wires
on each side.
Figure 2. "V" Trellis
Care and Fertilization
Keep the planting free from weeds with shallow cultivation and hand pulling as necessary. Make sure the plants
receive one to two inches of water a week for best growth. Mulch can be used to reduce weed problems within
the plant rows and also to help retain soil moisture and add valuable organic matter. Spread wood chips, bark,
pine needles, or rotted leaf mulch over the plant rows, and maintain it at a depth of three to four inches.
Raspberries should be fertilized each year in the early spring (mid-April). Apply 2 pounds of 10-10-10 (or organic
equivalents) per 100 square feet of the planting It is best to split the application, applying half of the
recommended amount in mid-April and the second half four to six weeks later.
Pruning
Pruning is a vital part of maintaining a healthy raspberry planting. This practice greatly inhibits the spread of
raspberry diseases and improves fruit quality and yield. During the summer months, regularly remove all new
canes that emerge outside the desired plant row width of 12 to 18 inches. This improves light penetration and air
circulation for the canes in the middle row that will fruit next year. Also remove any canes that show obvious
signs of insect or disease injury. Maintaining this narrow row width will assure adequate light penetration and air
circulation to promote healthy cane growth and reduce disease problems. Only the most vigorous canes, those
with the greatest height and basal diameter, should be left in the row. Continue thinning until only four to five
canes per foot of row length remain. These remaining canes should be attached to the trellis wires with twine.
Finally, remove all of the plant waste from the field. Plant waste can harbor diseases and insects that may attack
the healthy canes.
Everbearing or fall-bearing red raspberries bear a fall crop on first-year canes and a summer crop on the lower
part of the canes the following year. Remove the two year canes after summer fruiting and encourage new
shoots for a fall crop.
Harvesting
Raspberries are ready to pick when they easily separate from the receptacle or core. To maintain fresh quality,
place fruit in shallow containers, no more than three berries deep, and cool the fruit in the refrigerator as quickly
as possible. Fruit properly harvested and held at this temperature can maintain fresh quality for three to seven
days. If the fruit is to be made into jam or jelly, process it immediately, or freeze it until ready to use.