Raspberries, Water and Japanese Beetles - June 28th, 2005 at 08:52 PM
I have three issues but to keep from bumping other threads I'll put them all here.
1) Raspberries: Some primocanes (first year canes) on my everbearing plants are wilting/dying. Not all plants have canes in this condition and no plant is severely effected. My assumption is that there is too much fruit and foliage for the plant to sustain so it is sacrificing some of it's primocanes to maintain health and vigor to it's floricanes and their fruit.
2) Water: It's been hot (80's-90's) and dry here so I have watered either daily or every other day. I watered Sunday and Tuesday (this morning) and on both occasions, while it looks bone dry, the ground is quickly saturated. My assumption is that I have moist soil just a couple inches under the surface. (I'll test tomorrow, if it doesn't rain tonight.) If this is the case I assume I should back off a bit, especially on some of the larger and/or deeper feeding plants.
3) Japanese Beetles: I have a pair feeding on my Raspberries plants. I've read that I can snatch them off the leaf and toss them into some soapy water (best done early or late in the day) and that might take care of the problem. The theory, I suppose, is that by killing off the first to arrive you may prevent others from finding you. The buggers aren't out of the ground long so the problem is short lived.
1) Raspberries: Some primocanes (first year canes) on my everbearing plants are wilting/dying. Not all plants have canes in this condition and no plant is severely effected. My assumption is that there is too much fruit and foliage for the plant to sustain so it is sacrificing some of it's primocanes to maintain health and vigor to it's floricanes and their fruit.
2) Water: It's been hot (80's-90's) and dry here so I have watered either daily or every other day. I watered Sunday and Tuesday (this morning) and on both occasions, while it looks bone dry, the ground is quickly saturated. My assumption is that I have moist soil just a couple inches under the surface. (I'll test tomorrow, if it doesn't rain tonight.) If this is the case I assume I should back off a bit, especially on some of the larger and/or deeper feeding plants.
3) Japanese Beetles: I have a pair feeding on my Raspberries plants. I've read that I can snatch them off the leaf and toss them into some soapy water (best done early or late in the day) and that might take care of the problem. The theory, I suppose, is that by killing off the first to arrive you may prevent others from finding you. The buggers aren't out of the ground long so the problem is short lived.