Raspberries can be planted in summer, with enough water
Question: I just bought four pots of raspberry plants. They look very healthy and are starting to set fruit. In researching the where and when to plant, most sources say winter or early spring. Can I still plant in the ground, or should I repot into larger pots and wait until winter to plant in ground? Ideal spot is about 15 feet from where a prolific wild blackberry is currently growing. Is it safe to plant that close together? The blackberry is being cut down after the fruit is harvested in early August.
Answer: Potted raspberries can be planted in the garden now. Just be sure the plants receive sufficient water. Mulching the soil around the plants will help conserve moisture, suppress weeds and keep the roots a bit cooler during the hot summer weather.
Wild blackberries can be a source of viral disease, and that is why it is recommended to keep them as far from the raspberries as possible. The University of Maine recommends 600 feet, while other university sources are rather vague and do not provide a specific distance. In addition, blackberries may not exhibit symptoms but still serve as a source of curl virus. So even if your blackberries look healthy, they could be a source of infection for your new raspberry planting.
If you can isolate the raspberries more effectively while in their pots, this may be a better option. Grow them in their containers until the blackberries are harvested and removed. Then plant your new raspberry plants in late summer or early fall when they still have time to begin establishing a robust root system before winter.
Q: My Royal Raindrops crabapple has orange spots on the leaves. Any ideas what is infecting the plant and what I need to do?
A: The orange spots are caused by cedar-apple rust. This group of fungi attacks some junipers, particularly red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) and members of the rose family including crabapples, apples, hawthorns and quince. The orange spots appear on the members of the rose family in mid to late May. Later in the summer yellow-orange tubelike structures appear on the undersides of the leaves. These release spores that infect nearby susceptible junipers.
This disease overwinters on branches and in the small irregularly shaped brown growths (galls) on the juniper stems caused by this disease. Spores are released from infected branches or gelatinous horns that develop from the galls in spring. People often tell me it looks like their juniper was slimed. These spores infect the nearby susceptible member of the rose family and the cycle begins again.
Fortunately this disease is more of a cosmetic problem and not harmful to healthy plants. Since this disease requires two different plant species to complete its life cycle, removing one of the hosts is an effective control. Unfortunately it is usually not practical as the other host plant may be on someone else’s property. The spores can travel up to a mile, and most experts recommend keeping host plants at least a few hundred yards apart. Select resistant varieties when adding new junipers, apples, crabapple, hawthorns and quince to the landscape.
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