Content
Raspberries are one of the most delicious and healthy berries that many gardeners grow on their plots. It is generally accepted that it is unpretentious, grows quickly and is able to adapt to any conditions. However, in fact, raspberries are quite vulnerable to various pests and diseases. You can fight them using various methods, depending on the type of damage. At the same time, processing raspberries in the spring is the most effective method of preventing diseases and controlling possible pests. Thus, the article provides recommendations for mandatory spring processing, which every gardener should carry out, as well as a list of pests and diseases, symptoms and methods of treating raspberry ailments.
Spring treatment
With the arrival of spring, every owner of a raspberry garden must take care of his plantings: the bush must be pruned and the raspberries must be processed to prevent the development of diseases.
Pruning
It is necessary to prune raspberry bushes in early spring, even before the soil warms up. In the central regions of Russia, this period falls in March.During this period, the raspberry tree must be cleared of dry branches, diseased and weak shoots. All healthy raspberry branches should be pruned to a strong, swollen bud. This pruning is necessary for regular and remontant raspberry varieties.
After the primary pruning, strong buds awakening from hibernation will produce 4-5 fruit-bearing shoots, up to 60 cm high. They should be subjected to secondary pruning immediately after the first leaves appear. To do this, cut off the top 10-15 cm of each shoot. This secondary pruning will double the number of fruit-bearing shoots and accordingly increase the crop yield. The technology described is called double trimming. A clear example of how to properly implement pruning raspberries in spring can be seen in the video:
Mandatory processing
Mandatory treatment of raspberry bushes in the spring is a preventive measure to prevent the development of diseases and pest parasitism in the summer and autumn seasons. Treatment of raspberries in the spring against diseases and pests should be carried out during the formation of buds, about a week before flowering. For spring treatment, you can use chemicals or folk remedies.
Chemicals
The following substances can be used to treat raspberries with chemicals:
- Urea strengthens raspberries, saturates them with nitrogen for accelerated growth and activates the plant's defense mechanisms to combat pests and diseases. Urea should be used to spray raspberries. So, for every 1 m2 When planting, you should use 15-20 grams of the substance dissolved in 300 grams of water. By spraying raspberries with urea, you can effectively fight weevils, aphids and some other pests.
- Copper sulfate is an effective means of combating fungal diseases, in particular gray mold and anthracnose. Use copper sulfate to spray the stems, leaves and soil around the perimeter of the raspberries. The product can be prepared by dissolving copper sulfate in water in a ratio of 1 g per 1 liter.
- Iron sulfate is used to combat powdery mildew, rust and anthracnose. Treatment of raspberries involves spraying this substance at a concentration of 1% (10 grams of iron sulfate per 1 liter of water). It is worth noting that Topaz or Nitrofen can be an alternative to iron sulfate.
You can find out information about the use of some other chemicals and preparations for treating raspberries in the spring against pests and diseases from the video:
It is worth noting that the cause of the development of most infectious and fungal diseases is high humidity and acidity of the soil. That is why the watering regime for raspberries should be strictly regulated. The acidity of the soil can be reduced by adding wood ash, dolomite flour, and slaked lime. The consumption of these substances should be approximately 150 g per 1 m2 soil. Other folk methods of pest and disease control, based on improvised means, are described below.
Folk remedies
You can protect raspberries from pests and diseases using folk remedies:
- Mustard is an excellent protective agent against weevil larvae. Use it for spraying raspberries, having previously prepared a solution in the ratio of 20 grams of dry mustard per bucket of water. The resulting mixture should be left for 12 hours. The smell of mustard repels insect pests.
- Can replace mustard in the fight against weevils baking soda. To prepare the solution, add 2 tablespoons of soda to 10 liters of water. The prepared mixture is used for spraying raspberries.
- You can destroy pests on raspberries and adjacent land areas using boiling water. This event must be carried out immediately after the snow has melted. Boiling water must be poured into a metal watering can and used to pour raspberries and root soil. Most pests and their larvae die after this procedure.
- The raspberry beetle is a widespread crop pest. You can fight it in the spring using wormwood infusion. To do this, dry wormwood branches should be brewed and left for 12 hours. After this use for spraying. Instead of wormwood, some gardeners use marigold infusion. Treatment with such bitter infusions should be carried out at least twice per spring.
- Repels pests and protects raspberries from diseases tansy infusion. It can be prepared from dry raw materials in the proportion of 350 g per 5 liters of boiling water. The broth is infused for 24 hours, after which it is brought to a boil again and filtered. The resulting decoction is diluted with 10 liters of water.
- Mulching the soil at the roots of raspberries helps prevent excessive evaporation of moisture, however, if you mulch the soil with pine needles, you can additionally protect the raspberries from gray rot and weevils.
The above methods of pest control are easily accessible and do not require financial investments or labor costs. At the same time, traditional methods are quite effective and environmentally friendly. They can be used many times, since infusions and solutions do not contain harmful substances, which means the berries will be truly tasty and healthy.
Other pest control methods
Every gardener should know his “enemy by sight”, because pest infestation affects raspberries with very specific symptoms. You can find them below:
Aphid
Perhaps the aphid is the most famous pest. It feeds on plant sap and can appear on young raspberry leaves in early spring. You can see the parasite in the photo below.
Under the influence of aphids, raspberry leaves curl and begin to dry out. In the fight against aphids, in addition to the above remedies, you can use the drug Actellik or karbofos.
Stem gall midge
This pest attacks raspberry shoots from the inside, eating holes in their cavities.
The external manifestation of infection by this pest manifests itself in the form of swelling and then cracking of the shoots. Thus, in the early stages of infection and to prevent parasitism of stem gall midges, the drugs Fufanon or Actellik can be used in early spring. Before buds form, raspberries should be treated with these preparations twice.
Stem fly
A sign that raspberries are damaged by a stem fly is the seemingly causeless wilting of the tops of the shoots, as shown in the photo below.
It is worth noting that the stem fly crawls out of the ground in the first half of May, so the disease caused by it can be prevented by regularly mulching the soil at the raspberry root. If such a measure was not taken and pest damage occurred, then the wilted areas of the shoots must be cut off and burned. It is recommended to treat the remaining raspberry shoots with Fitoverm, Agravertin or Actellik.
Raspberry beetle
The raspberry beetle is another pest that is not averse to eating not only the leaves, but also the flowers and berries of raspberries. Signs of its parasitism are yellow spots on the surface of the leaves, fading flowers and small berries, in which the larvae of this pest can often be found.
This pest must be combated in advance, in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. To do this, you can use a 10% solution of karbofos or the preparations Decisom, Iskra, Nitrofen.
Thus, various chemicals are used in pest control, which can be found in a specialized store. They must be used before the active growth of raspberries begins, since the leaves and ovaries of the plant accumulate harmful substances.
Signs of diseases and treatment of raspberries
Raspberry diseases can occur due to a deficiency or excess of minerals in the soil, the presence of unfavorable weather, humidity conditions, infection with fungi and bacteria. So, below are the most common raspberry diseases, their symptoms and treatment methods.
Anthracnose
Raspberries can often be affected by various fungi. One of them causes a disease called anthracnose. The disease is manifested by the appearance of pink or purple small spots on the raspberry leaf plate.As the disease develops, the spots grow and change color to gray. Small depressions form on the shoots due to anthracnose. To combat the disease, it is necessary to remove all affected parts of the raspberry tree. Nitrafen is also effective for anthracnose.
Gray rot
Gray rot is a fungal infection characteristic of raspberries. The disease manifests itself as brown spots on the berries. Over time, such “spotted” fruits are completely covered with a gray, velvety coating. On the leaves of the bush you can also see symptoms of the development of gray rot: dark gray, rotting spots form on their surface. You can fight the disease with the help of chemicals, but their use makes the crop inedible, so it is better to treat the shrubs in early spring. To prevent the disease, you can use a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
White spot
This disease spreads to raspberry shoots and leaves. Its manifestations can be seen in the spring, after the leaves have blossomed. It is on young raspberry shoots that small brown spots can form, which lighten over time and spread throughout the entire leaf plate. As a result of the disease, the leaves become holey. White spots on the shoots form cracks, and the bark begins to peel off.
Treatment of the disease is carried out by spraying with a solution of colloidal sulfur (40 g per 1 bucket of water). For prevention in early spring, you can use a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Rust
In spring, you can observe the causeless drying out of raspberries. Rust may be to blame. As a rule, it appears in the spring, in May. A symptom of the development of a fungal disease is bright orange spores on the back of the leaf.The disease spreads quickly and significantly reduces yields and contributes to the drying out of raspberries. This fungal disease is treated with special chemicals. For prevention, you can use Bordeaux mixture in early spring.
Conclusion
Analyzing all the above information, we can say that raspberries are an extremely vulnerable crop. Various insect pests and fungi are not averse to feasting on its leaves and berries. Raspberries can be protected only with proper care of the plant. Thus, spring treatment of raspberries against pests must necessarily include pruning, mulching and pest control. In this case, it is better to prefer folk remedies that will not affect the environmental friendliness of the crop. However, if there were previously problems associated with the parasitism of any pest or disease, then in the spring you should precisely strike the enemy for preventive protection of raspberries.
