Raspberry cane die off - Ask Extension
I have 2nd year raspberries in my garden. This year the new canes from last year were nice and green with flowers until about a month ago then they s...
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Raspberry cane die off #194610
Asked June 26, 2014, 4:22 PM EDT
I have 2nd year raspberries in my garden. This year the new canes from last year were nice and green with flowers until about a month ago then they started to die before bearing fruit. I have attached a photo which shows the dead canes along with some that are still alive. This years new canes can be seen at the base of the dead canes. What am I doing wrong?
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
There could be a combination of problems that is causing the dieback of the raspberries: poor soil drainage, growing in a shady area and delayed effects from last winter's very cold temperatures.
Raspberries are very sensitive to poor soil drainage. If you dig up the affected crowns are the roots white and healthy looking? Damaged root systems will be smaller and brown. What kind of soil do you have? Does it drain well all year round? You may need to create a new bed by mounding the soil and then replanting the crowns that are still healthy.
Your photo shows some shade-raspberries perform best in full-sun conditions. This may be causing stress which makes the plants more susceptible to other problems. You may want to consider relocating the bed to a full-sun site, if possible.
The plant's crowns could also have been damaged from last winter's deep freezes and just showing the symptoms now. All three of these factors could be contributing to the dieback that you're seeing.
For much more information see the OSU Extension publication Growing Raspberries in Your Home Garden.
Good luck and happy gardening!
Raspberries are very sensitive to poor soil drainage. If you dig up the affected crowns are the roots white and healthy looking? Damaged root systems will be smaller and brown. What kind of soil do you have? Does it drain well all year round? You may need to create a new bed by mounding the soil and then replanting the crowns that are still healthy.
Your photo shows some shade-raspberries perform best in full-sun conditions. This may be causing stress which makes the plants more susceptible to other problems. You may want to consider relocating the bed to a full-sun site, if possible.
The plant's crowns could also have been damaged from last winter's deep freezes and just showing the symptoms now. All three of these factors could be contributing to the dieback that you're seeing.
For much more information see the OSU Extension publication Growing Raspberries in Your Home Garden.
Good luck and happy gardening!
