Experiencing a huge reduction in berry production on summer canes. I am worried that the patch is virus infected and that I will have to dig up the entire patch (5-6 large and well established crowns). Could someone have a look at the photos and provide some advice, or point me to an existing thread. I am a new user, and fairly new gardener. Thanks a million!
I would say heat and water stress possibly? they do like their food in spring (well rotted manure ) and removing old canes — I forget the exact details our farmer neighbors at the coast used to follow for variety called Willamette (as in the valley in Oregon)
Thanks for the input. I have watered and fed them, and over the winter I removed the spent canes. This year the productivity of the canes is so much lower and the berries are so much smaller. Really sad.
HoseDragger, how long have the canes been in the same location? One Web site states 7-10 years before they need to be moved to a new location. I've had raspberries in the same location for much longer and seen variable deterioration, depending on the variety. I'm in the process of replacing them with more disease-resistant varieties, which worked very well for the fall-bearing varieties but not, so far, for the summer-bearing ones.
Thank you for that information. You are right it could be natural decline in quality and productivity. I think the plants have been there for a long time (likely >10 years). However, the berry quality and productivity went down last year a bit and then this year it has been much more severe. Thank you for responding.
Worth noting that in addition to the possible issues already discussed it’s been a terrible year for a lot of fruit crops on the coast. In my area we (I and other fruit growers) are seeing near zero on some fruits (Asian pears, plums, blueberries, cherries, cane fruits) likely due to poor pollination following a cool and wet Spring. Not a lot of bees awake during flowering this year. Similar issues are being reported in the interior as well. Bumper year for figs and mulberries though….
Thanks Woodschmoe. Based on all if this feedback, I will wait another year before I conclude that I have a virus infection and pull up this enormous raspberry patch. The fall canes look good, and fruit seems to be developing. Definitely, might have been a delay in bee pollination, but the bushes are usually covered with them -- just might have been too late for this crop.
Further to your observations - I noted that the elderberry at coast did not have nearly as many red berry fruit in 2022 as prev yrs — I keep a couple of elderberry for the birds and normally it’s a frenzy of berry feeding — 2022, not very many berries even tho it bloomed (but maybe at a cold / wet time) i think the mtn ash berry tree was also short of fruit (normally a drunken bird feeding frenzy)
It’s really notable this year for a lot of fruits. Doubtless it has happened in the past, but for me at least I’m seeing 20+ year old consistently productive fruiting trees and shrubs with absolutely no fruit. I console myself with figs and gooseberries.
