Content
Often gardeners are faced with a situation when a raspberry bush, or only its shoots and berries on it, dry out. There are many possible explanations; the gardener himself, natural factors, pests attacking plants, and pathogenic microflora are to blame. In many cases, the health of a raspberry bush can be restored if the problem is identified early and correctly.
How to tell if raspberries have started to dry out
When a raspberry bush dries out, this indicates that a dying process has begun, affecting the entire plant or its individual parts. The problem manifests itself as a whole complex of symptoms:
- raspberry leaves change color to yellow, then brown, and fall off;
- the bark on the shoots becomes covered with deep cracks, sometimes a coating of an unnatural color for the crop appears on it;
- raspberries become smaller, “woodier”, dry on the bush before they have time to ripen;
- the roots become deformed and become covered with growths;
- The yield and rate of plant development are sharply reduced.
When raspberries dry out, they quickly lose their characteristic taste and aroma.
Why do raspberries dry out during the berry ripening period?
Identifying a specific factor or a combination of factors “responsible” for the fact that the raspberries began to dry is the first and main task of a gardener who notices negative changes. Without knowing the reasons, it is impossible to “neutralize” their effect on the plant.
Errors in care
Often the fact that raspberries dry out in the summer is the fault of the gardener himself, who does not devote enough time and effort to caring for the bushes or makes gross mistakes in agricultural technology:
- Neglecting regular pruning. Most raspberry varieties and hybrids are characterized by rapid growth rates and are prone to active formation of root shoots. Without thinning, due to a lack of light, fresh air, water and nutrients, the leaves and shoots dry out.
- Failure to comply with the disembarkation plan. Raspberries dry out for the same reasons as without pruning.
- Incorrect watering. When growing raspberries, it is important to find a “golden mean”.
- Illiterate feeding. Most often, raspberries dry out due to a banal deficiency of nutrients in the soil, especially if the bushes are grown in one place for a long time.
- Failure to comply with crop rotation. If new seedlings are planted in the place of an old raspberry tree, beds with strawberries and any Solanaceae, they will most likely “inherit” diseases and pests that the gardener has already had to fight.
- Random selection of landing site.Raspberries are quite demanding in terms of growing conditions. This applies to lighting, access to fresh air, and the quality of the substrate.
It is recommended to water raspberries so that drops of water do not fall on the plant.
Hot or rainy weather
If watering is not adjusted in such “unfavorable” weather for the bushes, plants suffering from moisture deficiency begin to “shed ballast”: first the berries dry out and fall off, then the leaves and young shoots.
During heavy and prolonged rains, raspberries “wither” due to waterlogging of the soil. This is especially true for bushes planted in lowlands, at the foot of hills. In addition, dampness and coolness contribute to the activation of pathogenic microflora; raspberries may begin to dry out due to a developing disease.
Most raspberry varieties and hybrids do not differ in heat and drought resistance
Increased acidity
The culture prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil (5.5-6.0). Raspberries planted in an acidic substrate dry out along with the berries due to problems with the absorption of nutrients “pulled” from the soil. It is characterized by very slow growth rates, deformation of shoots, leaves, and fruits.
When choosing a place for a garden bed, you need to check and take into account the acidity of the soil.
Diseases
There are quite a lot of diseases that cause the raspberry bush to dry out completely or partially.It is necessary to evaluate all the symptoms together, only then can a correct “diagnosis” be made.
Verticillium (wilt)
It develops in seasons when a hot, dry summer gives way to a cold, rainy spring. The pathogen penetrates plant tissue through microcracks in the roots. First, the leaves turn pale and lose their tone, then the berries dry out and fall off, and last of all, the shoots, covered with a grayish-purple coating, die off.
The risk of developing raspberry verticillium is higher if it is planted in soil that does not allow air and water to pass through.
The first sign is the very slow development of the raspberry bush. Young leaves turn pale and become smaller, old leaves turn brown, dry out and fall off. The plant dies when the fungus attacks the roots. The above-ground part dies off completely.
At an early stage, raspberry late blight resembles a lack of water or fertilizer
Purple spot
Starting from the growing point, a purple or crimson spot gradually spreads along the raspberry stems. After the first winter, they become covered with deep cracks and dry out during the season. The buds do not “wake up” on them in the spring.
Due to purple spotting, only annual raspberry shoots dry out.
Root bacterial cancer
At particular risk are raspberry bushes that have not been replanted for ten years or more. The disease affects their roots, which become covered with ugly growths. They interfere with the absorption of water and nutrients from the soil, and the raspberry bush dries out.
You can make sure that raspberries are drying out due to root cancer only by digging up the plant
Curly
Viral disease. It develops quite slowly, the bush dries out and dies within a few years.The main symptoms are shortened shoots and curled, “wrinkled” leaves that are hard to the touch.
One of the main carriers of the virus that causes raspberry curl is aphids.
Anthracnose
The disease affects annual growth and fruit clusters of raspberries. Grayish round spots with a red edge appear on them. As the disease develops, they grow and turn into depressed “ulcers”; the leaves, shoots and berries of the raspberry dry out on the bush.
The first signs of anthracnose on raspberries appear early, already at the end of spring.
Pests
In raspberry bushes affected by piercing-sucking pests, mainly the leaves and flowers dry out. The shoots suffer from insects that use them to lay eggs.
Spider mite
It settles mainly on the underside of leaves, feeds on their juices, at the same time “tightening” it with a thin translucent web. In places where it accumulates, the leaf plates dry out and die.
Spider mites are not insects; only special drugs are used against them - acaricides
Aphid
It settles on raspberries in large colonies, preferring buds, barely opened leaves, and the tops of shoots. The tissues from which it sucks the juice gradually become discolored, the leaves and flowers dry out and fall off.
Aphids are a “universal” garden pest; because of them, not only raspberries, but any other fruit or ornamental crops dry out.
Gallica
A small black-brown “mosquito” that lays eggs on annual raspberry shoots. As the larvae grow, clearly visible round swellings form on the stems, covered with cracked or loose bark. Above the gall, raspberry branches dry out along with leaves and berries or break.
The crimson gall midge is common both in central Russia and in the warmer southern regions
Raspberry stem fly
In mid-May, females lay eggs under the thin bark on annual raspberry stems. After about a month, whitish larvae with black spots appear from them, gnawing them from the inside. Above the laying site, the shoots gradually lose their tone and dry out.
If you suspect that the shoot is drying out due to the raspberry stem fly, it is enough to cut off the part that has lost its tone
Root damage
The root system of raspberries is quite developed, but superficial and fibrous. Therefore, the plant dries quickly when there is a lack of water or nutrients.
Mechanical damage to the roots has a similar effect. Often they are applied by the gardener himself, loosening the soil too deeply in the tree trunk circle or carelessly pulling out the root shoots. Raspberry roots are gnawed by both insects (mole cricket, May beetle larva) and animals (mole).
If the roots are damaged sufficiently, the bush begins to dry out.
What to do if raspberry berries and leaves dry out
“Treatment” for raspberry bushes, if they dry out, is selected individually in each case. Sometimes quality care is enough for them to recover. For more serious problems, replanting or the use of agrochemicals is required.
The stems are drying
Raspberry stems most often dry out due to heat combined with drought or excessively dense planting. To restore the healthy state of the bushes, it is necessary to adjust watering and carry out formative pruning at the end of the growing season.A “staggy” atmosphere favors the development of fungal diseases and pests, so it is useful to carry out several preventive treatments with fungicides and universal insecticides.
Stems that have begun to dry turn into “ballast” for the bush.
The branches are drying
When raspberry branches dry out, this in most cases indicates insect damage. If there are no visible signs of their presence on the bush, it is necessary to cut off the top of one of the affected shoots. This will make it possible to detect the passages made, eggs, larvae, and it will become easier to identify the pest.
Leaves are drying
If raspberry leaves not only dry out, but also change shape and shade, this means a lack or excess of a certain macro- or microelement in the soil. It is easy to “compensate” for it by carrying out 1-2 feedings with the necessary drugs.
Also, raspberry leaves dry out if there are pests on the bush that suck the juice out of them. They are first bleached and become translucent when exposed to light. Most crop-attacking insects can be detected and “identified” by examining the bushes with the naked eye. Based on this, drugs are chosen to combat them.
When raspberry leaves dry out, they fall off by mid-summer
The bush dries up along with the berries
When the entire raspberry bush dries out, along with the berries, it most likely cannot be saved. This state of the plant indicates the late stages of development of the disease, the presence of massively multiplied pests, and irreversible damage to the roots.
Also, raspberry bushes dry out if they do not receive even minimal care or the place chosen for planting is completely unsuitable for them.They suffer not only from a lack of water and nutrients, but also from negative weather factors.
When the entire raspberry bush dries out, it is not recommended to pick berries from it and eat them.
Preventive measures
In order not to have to guess why the entire raspberry bush, or individual leaves, shoots, or berries began to dry, it is strongly recommended to pay attention to the prevention of this phenomenon:
- Purchase planting material only from trustworthy suppliers who can guarantee its quality.
- Choose varieties and hybrids that are characterized by general hardiness and good immunity.
- If possible, place new specimens away from old raspberry bushes.
- Carry out sanitary and formative pruning twice a year.
- Immediately cut off all shoots, leaves, and berries with suspicious symptoms that have begun to dry.
- Mulch the bed. This eliminates the need for loosening and weeding. In addition, mulch protects the roots from overheating, prevents the soil from “baking” into an airtight crust and drying quickly after watering.
- Be sure to disinfect all garden tools and equipment.
- At least twice a year, carry out preventive treatments with insecticides and fungicides, spraying the bushes themselves and the soil under them. If during the season the weather favors the activation of pathogenic microflora or pests, repeat them at intervals of 15-20 days.
- Provide raspberries with proper care, primarily watering and fertilizing.
- Follow the planting pattern based on the dimensions of an adult bush.
- Choose a place for the garden bed taking into account the “requirements” of the crop.
- Destroy wild raspberries on the site. It is almost certainly affected by diseases or pests.
All plant debris generated during pruning must be burned.
Conclusion
If a raspberry bush dries out, it becomes obvious that something is wrong with the plant. The list of possible causes is relatively long; in some cases, to restore the health of the plant, it is enough to provide it with high-quality care or replant it. But if raspberries are drying up due to disease or insects, targeted pathogen and pest control will be required.
