Moving Raspberries

[Westi]

I am going to revamp the fruit side of my plot and want to move my raspberries to a proper frame not the fence it is currently along. Can I just pot up any escapees now while waiting for the space to become available where I want to put them, and can I just dig out what is left or will I have to use a weed killer to stop them popping up forever - or do I just start again with fresh bought in canes? They are about ten years old now and very prolfic but the summer and autumn ones are all mixed up together.

Is it the same for the balckberries also - I have a self seeded thornless that is in the strawberry bed which is a couple of years old?

Thanks in advance.
Westi

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Westi, I have decided to replace my old raspberry canes too. like yours they are still fruiting well, but with the main flush of strawberries.
DT Brown have one on the back of their summer fruit and veg catalogue, raspberry autumn treasure from east malling research centre, rain tolerant, spine free, very good flavour, disease resistent and exceptional yield, even on poor soils, so should do very very well on good ground. I am ordering some, hoping it lives up to their claims.
If you layer the tips of your cultivated blackberry canes into the soil they should root new plants for you.

[peter]

Provided you can manage the new growth suckers in pots, watering mostly, then fine.
New canes should be certified as "virus-free", but will be costly.
Getting rid of the old ones, hmm, how good are you with a fork?
That's the best way, but you WILL get suckers coming up from roots you missed and then its a choice between snipping them until.the crop they're in is cleared so you can wield the fork again, or, painting them with something toxic.
I'd snip n wait, cos sods law sprayed ones will fruit....

[Beryl]

The blackberry will move well if you do it in the Autumn but will need cutting back so the new growth in the Spring will be the following years canes.

Raspberries I would buy in new virus free canes. When you think how much fruit you will get over say 5-10 years. well worth it.

As for the old ones! just keep digging as they appear.
Beryl.

[Stephen]

Hi Westi
Planning something similar myself, in my garden and just realising that I should order soon.
In my case, I am moving the bed a few feet to one side, as the canes are seven or eight years old I am choosing to replace them.
I am just not sure whether to go for traditional summer fruiting or primocane autumn type. I do have the latter on the allotment and they are so easy to manage.

[Johnboy]

Hi Westi,
Concerning the Blackberry; several years back I moved two plants that had been in the same position for quite a while. I trained the years growth up a cane and tied them fast and waited until the plant had shed its leaves. I pruned the old growth off and dug up the plants with a large root ball and planted them immediately into the new positions. I had all the posted wired ready and simply undid the new growth and tied the new growths in position. The plants didn't even know that they had moved and they simply grew as normal the following year and fruited beautifully.
I did exactly the same with moving some Gooseberries the following year. It was a quick out then into a prepared hole and back into the ground immediately. Again the plant didn't know it had changed home.
I think that the large root ball is the secret because you do not get so much root disturbance.
With the Raspberries I think that I would invest in new stock rather than move them.
JB.

[glallotments]

I moved some roots of out Joan J autumn fruiting raspberry this year early in spring before I cut back the old canes. The plants couldn't compete with the stronger growing Allgold which also shaded them.

They were first just popped in a temporary bed straight into the soil (I think this worked better than trying to put them in a pot) and moved into their present position when they had started to grow. The fruit this year is great - much larger berries than they managed in the older bed.

The main thing that I think contributed to the success was keeping the plants well watered until they settled in as it was very dry at the time.

We didn't move all the Joan J just in case the method didn't work but will definitely move the rest next year.

[Westi]

Cheers for the replies!

Looks like it will be next year I move everything. Been busy at work finishing late so other half in his well meaning and non green fingered way but the leeks in where my strawberries were to go and spring greens and caulis in where the raspberries were to go!

The reason - beds were cleared and covered waiting for the fruit move and it would have meant clearing the other beds. God Bless!Him (but I am grateful also)

Westi

[Stephen]

Oh dear!
At least things went in and that is better than not.