OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE GROWING BERRIES on the OREGON COAST: Raspberries and Blackberries Cassie Bouska, Emily Dixon, Bernadine Strik Contents Site selection. 2 he raspberry and blackberry group (also called Soil . 2 caneberries in the western United States) includes raspberries, blackberries, and their hybrids. Raspberry and blackberry cultivars for the coast. 3 T Raspberries include red-, yellow-, black- (also called Raspberrry planting systems . 3 blackcaps), and purple-fruiting cultivars. Blackberries Blackberry planting systems. 6 include types with a trailing, erect, and semierect Irrigation . 7 growth habit. The raspberry-blackberry hybrids (e.g., ‘Boysen’ and ‘Logan’, also known as “boysenberry” Mulching . 7 and “loganberry”) are trailing blackberries. Fertilization . 7 Raspberries and blackberries have a unique growth Pollination . 8 habit. The plants have a perennial crown (plant base) and Harvesting . 8 root system, and biennial aboveground canes. There are Pruning and training . 9 two types of fruiting habits: Pests and problems . 12 • Floricane-fruiting (also call summer-bearing) raspberries and blackberries produce vegetative For more information. .13 canes, called primocanes, in the spring. These grow throughout the first year and then go dormant in the fall. They overwinter and then If you are reading this publication for the first produce flowers and fruit in their second year, at time, we recommend you first read Growing which point the canes are called floricanes. The Berries on the Oregon Coast: An Overview floricanes die after fruiting. After the planting (EM 9177). It includes general information on year, raspberry and blackberry plants will have site selection, soils, irrigation, mulching, nutrient both primocanes and floricanes at the same time. management, and considerations specific to the • Primocane-fruiting raspberries and blackberries coastal environment. (also called fall-fruiting or everbearing) have a Cassie Bouska, Extension agriculture faculty, Coos and Curry counties, and assistant professor (practice) of horticulture; Emily Dixon, instructor, horticulture; and Bernadine C. Strik, Extension berry crops specialist and professor of horticulture; all of Oregon State University EM 9180 March 2018 1 similar cane development and lifecycle, except than the trailing types; they are glossy and firm. the tips of the primocanes flower and fruit in the New primocanes are produced each year from late summer or fall of their first year before they the crown and roots, so these plants spread. Erect overwinter and become floricanes. The portion floricane-fruiting types produce fruit from early of the cane that fruited in the autumn dies back July through August. Primocane-fruiting erect and the rest of the cane will fruit as a floricane in blackberry cultivars, such as ‘Prime-Ark® 45’ its second year. Primocane-fruiting raspberry and and ‘Prime-Ark® Freedom’, produce fruit from blackberry plants can be pruned to produce one September to the first fall frost. crop (primocane only) or two crops (early summer • Semierect blackberry cultivars include ‘Triple on floricanes, and late summer and autumn on Crown’, ‘Loch Ness’, and ‘Chester Thornless’. Like new primocanes). erect types, they benefit from summer and winter Raspberries and blackberries can be distinguished pruning. The canes are vigorous, thick, and arch- by their fruit. Both produce an aggregate fruit of many ing, and are only produced from the crown of the drupelets (the individual sections of the berry, each of plant. These are late-fruiting types, generally pro- which encloses a seed). However, when raspberries are ducing fruit on the floricanes from August to frost picked, the fruit comes off the receptacle (white central in the autumn. core that stays on the plant) and the berry is hollow inside. In blackberries, the receptacle stays attached to Site selection the fruit when picked. It is part of the fruit that we eat; Some raspberry and blackberry plantings can pro- thus, blackberries are not hollow. duce for over a decade, so you should carefully select an Raspberries ideal location for planting. Even black raspberries, which tend to succumb to disease after 4 to 8 years, benefit All raspberry types produce primocanes from the from good site selection. Direct, full sun is best for good crown and the base of old canes each year. Red rasp- fruit production. Raspberry and blackberry plants can berries can also produce new primocanes from buds on tolerate partial shade, but yield and fruit quality may be the roots, and so the plants spread out from the place lower. Raspberries and blackberries prefer well-drained, they are planted. Raspberries that are floricane-fruiting fertile, loam soil with moderate water-holding capacity. produce fruit in June and July, depending on the cultivar. Blackberry plants are tolerant of wet, heavy soils, while The fruiting season of primocane-fruiting raspberries is raspberry plants are sensitive. This sensitivity increases from early August until the first frost on the new primo- their vulnerability to root rot. In addition, raspberries are canes, and June and July on the floricanes, depending on also susceptible to verticillium wilt, a soil-dwelling fungal the cultivar. disease. Avoid planting raspberries in sites where other Blackberries verticillium-susceptible crops (such as strawberries, kiwifruit, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant) have There are three main blackberry types; they are differ- been planted in the past 5 years. Crop rotation will also entiated by their cane growth habit—trailing, erect, and disrupt other pest and disease cycles in the field. semierect. Coastal wind can damage raspberries and blackber- • Trailing blackberry cultivars include ‘Marion’ ries. Windbreaks (such as a row of trees or shrubs) can (also known as “marionberry”), ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Black provide protection, but be careful where you establish Diamond’, ‘Columbia Star’, and the hybrids them to avoid competition with the berry crop. See ‘Boysen’ (“boysenberry”) and ‘Logan’ (“logan- Windbreaks for Fruit and Vegetable Crops listed in “For berry”). They have excellent fruit quality, good more information,” page 14. aroma, and small seeds. New primocanes are produced each year only from the crown and may be up to 15 feet long. They trail along the ground Soil unless they are trellised. Depending on the culti- Soil nutrients and pH var, the fruiting season ranges from June through early August. Raspberries and blackberry plants require soils with a pH range of 5.6 to 6.5, which is often higher than the • Erect blackberry cultivars include ‘Navaho’ and pH of native coastal soils. Test the soil 6 months to a ‘Ouachita’. This type produces stiff, erect canes year before you plant to give yourself enough time to that need summer and winter pruning. The fruit modify the soil pH or add nutrients, if required. For have a milder aroma and flavor and larger seeds more information about soil testing, see Laboratories 2 Serving Oregon: Soil, Water, Plant Tissue, and Feed Analysis Table 1. Recommended soil nutrient ranges for all (EM 8677), Soil Sampling for Home Gardens and Small raspberry and blackberry crops Acreages (EC 628), and Soil Test Interpretation Guide Soil nutrient Deficient at less than (EM8713). If the soil is too acidic (the pH is too low), (ppm) add lime to the soil as recommended by the soil analysis to raise the soil pH to the upper end of the ideal range Phosphorus (P) (Bray) 20–40 for the berry crop. See Applying Lime to Raise Soil pH for Potassium (K) 150–350 Crop Production—Western Oregon (EM 9057) for more Calcium (Ca) 1000 information. In general, if your soil pH is too low for Magnesium (Mg) 120 berry production, incorporate finely ground dolomitic Manganese (Mn) 20–60 limestone at a rate of approximately 5 to 10 pounds per 100 ft2 (1.1 to 2.1 ton per acre). You may also use high Boron (B) 0.5–1.0 pH composts to add organic matter and increase soil pH (see Growing Berries on the Oregon Coast: An Overview Blackberry (EM 9177). These amendments should be incorporated about a year prior to planting as it takes time for the soil All blackberry cultivars are self-fruitful, so only one pH to adjust after the addition of lime. See Table 1 for cultivar is necessary for pollination and fruit production. soil nutrient ranges for raspberries and blackberries. Trailing types have berries that are oblong with small seeds and intense, aromatic flavor. Erect types produce Drainage firmer fruit with larger seeds and less flavor and aroma. Semierect types produce high yields of late-season fruit Raspberries are very sensitive to poor drainage. with similar qualities to the erect types. Blackberry- Because of their large root system, raspberries benefit raspberry hybrids are managed like trailing types. Many when planted in well-drained soil that is at least 2 (and of these cultivars, however, need a warmer or more pro- ideally 3) feet above the water table. Usually, raised beds tected site for consistent fruit production. See are required to grow raspberries to ensure adequate Table 3 (page 4) for recommended cultivars for each drainage. Blackberries, on the other hand, are more type of blackberry. For cultivar descriptions, see tolerant of heavier soils and usually don’t need to be Blackberry Cultivars for Oregon (EC 1617). planted in raised beds. Ideally, provide a well-drained, fertile, loam soil with some water-holding capacity. This Raspberry planting systems will ensure your raspberry and blackberry plants will be Purchase certified disease-free plants from a rep- more vigorous and produce more fruit, regardless of utable nursery. Do not propagate or move “suckers” type or cultivar. More detailed information on drainage from an older, established planting. Raspberry plants and options for improvement is available in Growing are susceptible to root rot and viruses that can be intro- Berries on the Oregon Coast: An Overview (EM 9177). duced to your planting by noncertified plants. Raspberry Raspberry and blackberry cultivars plants are sold as either bare-root plants (short cane for the coast section with roots attached) or as potted plants, typically propagated using tissue culture.