All about feeding raspberries at different times, different tips and tricks

Raspberries are one of the most popular garden plants in Russia. This shrub grows in almost every area.
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However, many summer residents do not care for raspberries. This is especially true when it comes to feeding plants. But the introduction of nutrients significantly increases the yield of this crop.

What types of spring fertilizing are there?

Fertilizing raspberries
Fertilizing in the spring is aimed at replenishing the supply of mineral elements in the ground under the raspberry tree. If the soil is “poor”, then the bush will have nowhere to take nutrients for growth and fruiting.

In the spring, 3 types of fertilizing are applied to the raspberry tree:

• Superphosphates;
• Nitrogen fertilizers;
• Potassium salts.

Superphosphates give the plant strength to grow new shoots. Thanks to these elements, the berries become larger and juicier, and the yield increases.

ADVICE. To further enhance the effect, experienced gardeners advise dissolving superphosphates in milk rather than in water.

Nitrogen is necessary for the plant to grow foliage. Therefore, it is added to the soil already during the first spring tillage. The most accessible sources of nitrogen are urea and ammonium nitrate.

Thanks to potassium, plants' immunity improves. They tolerate drought and frost better and resist diseases and pests. Instead of potassium salts, you can add ash under the raspberries in the spring.

IMPORTANT! When applying potassium preparations, make sure they do not contain chlorine. Raspberries do not tolerate this chemical element. It causes the leaves to turn yellow.

Symptoms of nutritional deficiency

The lack of one or another nutritional element is accompanied by pronounced symptoms. It's a good idea to become familiar with the common signs of nutritional deficiencies.

Nitrogen

Some gardeners forget to fertilize raspberry seedlings with nitrogen fertilizers. The main symptoms of a lack of this substance include:

• slow development of planted seedlings;
• each leaf is covered with brown or yellowish spots;
• deterioration in yield;
• chlorosis of the leaf blade.

Phosphorus

Each large bush that has begun to bear fruit must be periodically fertilized with phosphorus compounds. If this is not done, the surface of the leaves will turn blue, purple or red. The development of the root system will also deteriorate, which will lead to poor fruit growth. Some bushes that lack phosphorus have deformed stems and flowers.

Potassium

A complex feeding composition must necessarily contain potassium components. If there is too little potassium in the soil, the raspberry leaves will gradually begin to turn yellow. Also, potassium deficiency negatively affects fruiting and impairs the taste of ripened berries.

Magnesium

Every agronomist knows that raspberry bushes need magnesium fertilizers. Without magnesium, leaf necrosis develops, accompanied by yellowing and death of leaves. Also, due to a lack of magnesium, crop ripening slows down.

Calcium

Experienced gardeners recommend periodically feeding the planted bushes with calcium fertilizers. In plants that lack calcium, young leaves droop and wither. Calcium deficiency is indicated by spotting on fruits and poor yield.

Copper

In order for raspberries to grow and bear fruit normally, it is recommended to add more copper sulfate to the soil. Due to a lack of copper, young foliage becomes lighter, and old foliage becomes covered with yellow spots. Plants that are rarely fed with copper fertilizers are poorly protected from fungal diseases.

How to determine that feeding is needed

Raspberries need to be fed every spring. However, there are several signs that indicate the need for additional fertilization. They can occur either together or separately:

1. Raspberries grow poorly, the branches are thin and weak.
2. The leaves of the bush are small and have a yellowish tint.
3. The leaf blades completely or partially change their color (become pale, brown, yellow, etc.).

All this indicates that raspberries lack essential mineral elements: phosphorus, iron, nitrogen, potassium, etc.

There are 2 ways to apply fertilizers:

• Root feeding (for example, watering a liquid solution under the root of a bush).
• Foliar feeding (for example, spraying useful compounds on the leaves and shoots of a plant).

Features of root dressings

Root feeding of raspberries
In the spring, mainly root feeding is carried out. In this case, the nutritional composition can be either in liquid or powder form. The soil in the tree trunk circle is first loosened so that the fertilizing is better absorbed. If you apply the preparations in dry form, then you need to dig up the soil.

The advantage of liquid fertilizer is that it immediately goes to the roots of the plant and there is no need to additionally water the bush.

Foliar feeding

Foliar feeding is of an auxiliary nature. They are designed to saturate the plant with the nutrients it needs through the above-ground part.

However, foliar feeding is a great way to add fertilizer in an emergency. For example, with “heavy” or waterlogged soil, with damaged roots and the presence of pests.

Foliar feeding of raspberries

Foliar feeding for raspberries

Foliar feeding of this berry bush is usually carried out in cases where the plant urgently needs nutrients.

If the vegetative mass of the shoots does not look good, the ovaries are formed poorly, you can foliar fertilize the raspberries with the following composition:

• a bucket of water;
• copper sulfate – 2 g;
• boric acid – 2.5 g;
• ammonium molybdate – 3 g;
• zinc sulfate – 3 g.

If there are obvious signs of a lack of specific macro and microelements, solutions should be prepared from appropriate preparations, which are used to spray raspberry foliage.

Which fertilizer to choose for raspberries is up to each gardener to decide for himself.

But you just need to remember that without fertilizing this berry bush will become smaller, the fruits will decrease in size, and as a result the yield may suffer.
Do not forget to timely fertilize raspberries in spring, summer and autumn and you will always be satisfied with the harvest.

Feeding during planting

During planting, drugs are added directly to the holes or trenches.

At this time, organic fertilizers are usually added, for example, rotted manure. The fertilizer is placed at the bottom of the hole in a layer of 10 cm. The same layer of soil is sprinkled on top and only then a raspberry seedling is placed in the hole.

Experienced summer residents advise adding 2 tablespoons of potassium salt and superphosphate to organic fertilizer.

Raspberries need a similar nutritional mixture to take root in a new place.

Feeding stages and schemes

The general scheme for feeding raspberries is as follows:

1. Feeding during the period of appearance and swelling of buds.
2. Applying fertilizers during the period when leaves appear and bloom.
3. Feeding during the flowering period.
4. Applying fertilizers during fruiting to increase taste and yield.
5. Preparing raspberries for wintering.

INTERESTING! Some summer residents carry out the first feeding of raspberries even before the snow melts, so that the beneficial substances are absorbed into the soil along with the melt water.

Differences between feeding adult and young plants

The scheme and amount of fertilizer applied directly depends on the age of the raspberries.

If you planted a shrub only this year, then you need to feed it so that it takes root better. For these purposes it is better to use superphosphates. You need to start fertilizing in the summer, but you shouldn’t apply fertilizer in the spring.

called “Universal” is sold in stores . It is best suited for feeding young raspberries.

Adult plants are fed to increase the yield and taste of the berries themselves. Therefore, special attention is paid to the application of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers in the summer and nitrogen fertilizers in the spring.

Additional tips and tricks

To increase the yield, it is not enough to fertilize or water the raspberries, but you also cannot overdo it with fertilizing. Therefore, it is worth adhering to strict feeding regulations, following the application schedule, and preparing the mixture correctly.

Their additional tips, which experienced gardeners often forget to mention, are worth mentioning:

1. When planting or replanting raspberries, always use organic fertilizer. They last for 2-3 years.
2. Always check the expiration dates of the products you buy in the store.
3. Raspberries don't like chlorine. Therefore, fertilizers should not contain it as one of the components. Even in small quantities.

The maximum effect on growing and harvesting raspberries can be achieved if you follow the advice and consistently apply fertilizing. But before starting work, be sure to check the need for contributions in order to determine which element is missing for the development of the culture.

What kind of fertilizers are there?

Fertilizers for raspberries
There are 2 large groups of fertilizers:

• Mineral (i.e. chemically extracted);
• Organic (i.e., products of the vital activity of living beings).

Mineral fertilizers themselves are harmless. They contain the same chemical elements as organic fertilizers, but in higher concentrations. Mineral additives become dangerous for plants if the norm is not followed when adding them to the soil.

However, the same applies to organic matter. Excess mullein or chicken droppings can also “burn” the roots of the bush.

INTERESTING! There is another category of fertilizers - obtained by microbiological synthesis. They may contain nutrients or only a culture of bacteria or fungi, with the help of which the raspberry root system better perceives nutrients. Fertilizers of this type include the drugs “Nikfan”, “Azotobacterin”, “Nitragin”, etc.

Phosphobacterin and Azotobacterin

Mineral

Mineral fertilizers are concentrated substances that plants need for active growth and fruiting.

Mineral fertilizers are a product of the chemical industry. There are 4 large groups of mineral fertilizers:

• Phosphorus;
• Potassium;
• Nitrogen;
• Microfertilizers.

The advantage of this type of fertilizing is that the volume of applied mineral fertilizers is much less than organic ones.

You can purchase mineral fertilizers at any specialized hardware store.

Organic

Organic fertilizers are a waste product of animals and plants. For example, manure, droppings, humus, ash, various infusions and “green fertilizers”, etc.

The advantage of organic fertilizers is their availability. Summer residents who have a subsidiary farm do not need to spend extra money to buy fertilizers.

Useful tips

Tip #1

Even with good care, plants are not immune to diseases that develop under the influence of bad weather conditions. If the bushes have been affected by infection or fungal spores, after treatment they should be fed so that they recover faster. To strengthen the immune system, you should use mullein and nitrophoska alternately.

Tip #2

Fresh manure contains a high concentration of nitrogen and a large supply of infections and pests. You should not use this organic fertilizer for raspberries. It can burn the roots and provoke the development of diseases.

The color of the finished fertilizer with the addition of potassium permanganate should be exactly this

Features of fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers

Any fertilizer must be applied in a timely manner. For example, fertilizing with a high proportion of nitrogen compounds is applied to raspberries only in the spring.

The fact is that nitrogen activates the growth of green mass of the plant. This is very important in spring. The faster the raspberries open their leaves, the faster the processes of photosynthesis will begin.

Application of nitrogen fertilizers in spring is mandatory

In summer and autumn, nitrogen fertilizers should not be applied. Firstly, this will affect the quality and abundance of the harvest. Secondly, the remaining foliage before wintering can cause the death of the bush from frost.

The most accessible fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are nitroammophoska and urea.

IMPORTANT! Nitrogen causes soil oxidation. Therefore, after adding it, add a little ash or lime under the raspberries.

Feeding before flowering, during budding

How to feed raspberries in the spring before flowering so that the berries are large and sweet? To do this, the bushes are fertilized with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, which contain a little nitrogen (significantly less than in the first feeding).

This time you can also use nitroammophoska, but it is better to opt for diammophoska. Many also use potassium humate.

Complex mineral fertilizers

It is very convenient to use complex mineral fertilizers with a full range of macroelements:

• Nitroammophoska. Consists of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, 16% each. 20-30 g are dissolved in a bucket of water.
• Diammofoska. Consists of 10% nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - 26% each. 20-30 g are dissolved in a bucket of water and applied at the root, 5 liters per bush.

Important! These fertilizers do not contain the microelements that raspberries need, so it is recommended to add potassium humate.

Compositions with humates and microelements

Humates help plants better absorb mineral fertilizers. Therefore, you first need to make a solution of humate (for example, potassium humate), and then combine it with complex mineral supplements.

Interesting! Some complex mineral fertilizers already contain humates. For example, “Strong” from Fusco. It is also convenient to feed raspberries with cocktails of microelements, for example, Humate +7 Iodine.

Popular folk remedies

Some summer residents feed raspberry bushes in the old fashioned way with proven folk remedies. The vast majority are organic fertilizers.

Fertilizing with herbal infusion or “green fertilizer”

The recipe for preparing “green fertilizer” is as follows:

1. Finely chop the weeds, nettles and comfrey and mix.
2. Pour 1 kg of the resulting mixture into 10 liters of water and leave the concentrate for 10 days.
3. Prepare a working solution at the rate of 1 liter of concentrate per 10 liters of water.
4. Treat raspberries at the rate of 2 liters of working solution per 1 bush.

Ash

Ash is used as a top dressing both in dry form (100 g per 1 sq.m.) and in the form of a solution (100 g per 1 bucket of water).

IMPORTANT! Only ash from burning trees and grass can be used as fertilizer. Under no circumstances should ashes from household waste be used in the garden!

Ash for feeding raspberries

Mullein

Cow dung is one of the most popular fertilizers.

First, a concentrate is prepared in a ratio of 1 to 5. The resulting mixture is infused for 15-20 days in a tightly closed container. It is important to stir the infusion regularly.

The working solution is prepared at the rate of 1 part concentrate to 10 parts water.

Yeast

Both dry and live yeast are used as fertilizing.

10 g dry yeast and 5 tbsp. spoons of sugar are stirred in 10 liters of warm water. The concentrate is infused for 2 hours, and then diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 5.

To prepare a concentrate from live yeast, 1 kg of yeast and 1 tbsp. A spoonful of sugar is diluted in 10 liters of warm water and left for 4 hours. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 20.

IMPORTANT! The yeast supplement must be used all at once. Otherwise the yeast will ferment.

Bark

Some gardeners feed raspberries with bark. To do this, throughout the entire season they collect rotten bark of trees and shrubs, branches and sticks, break it all into small pieces and scatter it under the raspberry tree.

When such tree remains finally rot, they will saturate the raspberry roots with useful elements.

Potato peelings

Dry potato peelings are finely chopped and poured with a liter of boiling water. Then the composition is allowed to brew for 3-4 days, after which it is diluted in a bucket of water and poured over the raspberries.

IMPORTANT! Peels from diseased potatoes should not be used as fertilizer. In this case, there is a high probability of infection of raspberries with fungal diseases.

Chicken droppings

Chicken droppings are not inferior in properties to mullein. It is rich in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. It also contains zinc, sulfur, boron and other microelements that are useful for raspberry growth.

The effect of using chicken manure is noticeable after 10-14 days.

However, in undiluted form, this fertilizer can destroy raspberries. Therefore, before use, the litter is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and left for at least a day.

The working solution is prepared at the rate of 1 liter of concentrate per bucket of water.

How to feed raspberries?

The berries can be fertilized with mineral or organic compounds. The first include:

1. Potassium salt. Helps increase productivity and resistance to temperature changes. For 1 sq. m will need 30-40 g.
2. Saltpeter. Activates shoot growth. Used at the rate of 10-12 g per 1 m².
3. Superphosphate - 30 g per 1 m². Improves the taste of berries. Develops immunity to bacteria and fungus.
4. Kemira is a complex composition. For 1 bush you will need 1 liter of solution.

Organic mixtures are used instead of chemicals or in addition to them. Most often fertilized with compost or manure. You can also use infusions of cut herbs and wood ash.

Interesting! Natural fertilizers saturate the plant with phosphorus and potassium. But most of all they contain nitrogen concentration. Therefore, it is recommended to apply organic compounds in the spring to increase leaf mass.

Before flowering

During this period, raspberries need to replenish mineral reserves. To increase the effectiveness of drugs, it is recommended to dissolve them not in water, but in milk. After applying nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, you can apply a yeast composition.

Cooking technology:

• Mix 100 g of dry or 0.5 kg of fresh yeast with 5 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• dissolve in 10 liters of warm water;
• leave for 1-2 hours;
• add another 40 liters of warm water to the resulting solution and mix.

The yeast infusion should be used immediately, before it has completely cooled down. With prolonged contact with oxygen, beneficial microorganisms die.

During the flowering period

At this time, remontant raspberries are fed. But it is not always possible to apply fertilizer in the spring, or there may simply not be enough of it. Then ordinary varieties will also need nutrition during this period.

It is best to add an organic composition with bone meal. It contains the necessary complex of nutritional components. At the same time, this mixture serves as mulch for raspberries.

Effective drugs

Among organics, the most effective would be the use of chicken manure and mullein.

The best mineral fertilizer to use is

• Urea and nitroammophos for nitrogen fertilizing in the spring.
• The preparation “Ideal” for summer complex feeding.
• Kristalon as a foliar fertilizer .
• In the fall, after fruiting has ended, it is best to use organic matter .

Popular mistakes in the process of spring feeding

1. Fertilizers are not applied on time. Each type of fertilizer has its time. If the plant is fed earlier or later than expected, the raspberries will not be able to properly use the nutrients.
2. Excess or lack of fertilizers. Excess fertilizers are just as harmful as their lack. For example, an excessive amount of nitrogenous fertilizers provokes active growth of foliage, which negatively affects the size and taste of the berries.
3. Failure to comply with technology. Fertilizers for raspberries should be applied evenly so that each bush receives its share of nutrients.
4. Using low-quality or unsuitable fertilizers. Expired fertilizers must be thrown away! In an effort to preserve and apply them, you risk causing irreparable damage to the raspberries.
5. Application of nitrogen fertilizers with a high chlorine content. Chlorine is a substance that raspberries do not perceive. From high concentrations, the bush begins to suffer from chlorosis. The main symptom of this disease is yellowed leaves.

How to determine which nutritional components are insufficient by the appearance of raspberries

• a lack of nitrogen in the soil will be manifested by slow growth of raspberries, the length of shoots with internodes will be less than 10 cm, the bushes will be low with small leaves of light green color;
• excess nitrogen will lead to increased growth of green mass, but the quality and size of the berries will not improve, they may even begin to fall off prematurely; fertilizing raspberries with nitrogen in the fall will lead to a manifold increase in the likelihood of raspberry freezing.
• a lack of potassium in the soil will be manifested by a change in the color of the leaves - they turn brown, and the leaf blades curl and die at the edges, the raspberries become small and tasteless;
• phosphorus deficiency will lead to inhibition of the root system, the stems and fruit branches will be thin, weak, the leaves become dark green, waxy, the berries are soft and unevenly colored;
• a lack of magnesium will lead to a decrease in the taste of the berries, the leaf blades will turn yellow in the center, and the bush will weaken. Abuse of potassium supplements often leads to a lack of magnesium;
• if there is little iron, the leaves turn yellow, but the veins remain green;

FAQ

Raspberries

When should you fertilize raspberries?

The first feeding of raspberries is carried out in the spring during the period of bud formation.

When is the last time to fertilize raspberries?

The last time during the season, raspberries are fed before winter after harvesting. Please note that nitrogen fertilizers should never be applied in the fall.

What type of fertilizer is better to choose, organic or mineral fertilizers?

Fertilizers are selected depending on the availability of each type of fertilizer, available funds and personal preferences of the gardener. Both mineral and organic fertilizers perform the same function: saturating the soil with useful nutrients necessary for the development of raspberries.

Is it harmful to use mineral fertilizers on a summer cottage?

Mineral fertilizers are absolutely harmless if you follow agricultural practices and rules for working with them.

Rules for feeding raspberries with mineral fertilizers, organic matter, ash, bark, yeast

Raspberries are the most popular berry crop, grown by almost all gardeners. However, in order to get the largest yields of this berry bush, it is not enough to choose a suitable site, plant the bushes correctly, water and loosen the soil. This berry garden cannot be managed without timely application of fertilizers.

What nutrients should be added and at what time throughout the summer season will be described below.

The content of the article:

1. How to determine what raspberries lack 2. How much seasonal feeding is required for regular and remontant raspberry varieties 2.1. Feeding in spring 2.2. Fertilizing raspberries in summer during flowering and fruiting 2.3. Fertilizing raspberries in autumn 3. What mineral fertilizers to feed raspberries. 3.1. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers 3.2. Double superphosphate 3.3. Potassium fertilizer 4. Organic fertilizers for raspberries 5. Fertilizing raspberries with folk remedies: bark, greenfinch, ash, yeast, peelings 6. Foliar fertilizing