Planting Instructions: Raspberries require a well-drained but consistently moist, rich soil for best growth. They need full sun for highest fruit production.
Don't plant too deep! For bareroot plants, use a hoe to make a trench 2" deep the length of the bed. Spread roots along the bottom of the trench and cover immediately. Take care while planting to keep roots at the 2" level. This will promote suckers to develop from the roots. Fertilize your plants once a year in the spring before the plants bloom with a natural or organic, basic garden fertilizer.
Trellis Support: We recommend using a trellis to support your raspberry canes. A trellis keeps the fruit off the ground, makes picking much easier, and maintains good aeration to help with disease control. Use a T-bar trellis for red and purple raspberries that supports 2 wires 12" apart at 3'-4' above the ground. Use a four-wire trellis system for black raspberries. Four wires are attached to fence posts vertically and the raspberry canes are wrapped around the wires.
Pruning: Raspberry roots and crowns live for a very long time, but the canes die after two years. For summer bearing raspberries, prune out the canes after harvesting the fruit. Thin the remaining new growth to 6-8 strong, healthy canes per running foot of row. For fall bearing raspberries, cut all the canes to the ground in early spring before new growth starts. For purple and black raspberries, in early spring cut out the small canes at the base leaving 4-5 of the strongest canes per clump. Then cut back the side (lateral) branches so they're only about 12-inches long. In May, cut back the tip of each cane 3 to 4 inches to encourage side branches to grow so you get more fruit. It is best to plant immediately upon receipt. If you are unable to plant immediately, refrigerate and plant as soon as possible. Do not add water. Keep in original packing to retain proper moisture, until you can plant.
Pests or Diseases: Resistant to anthracnose. Highly disease resistant.
