Your Online Raspberry Plant Experts

PLANTING INFORMATION

Plant Care Upon Arrival

Your plants have been in cold storage and proper care is necessary to insure good growth. Ideally they should be planted immediately, but can be held for a few days. Store them in a cool dry place until ready to plant. Care should be taken to avoid allowing the plants to dry out or overheat.

Site

The most critical factor in site selection is soil type. A deep, well-drained soil of medium to light texture and free of salts is best. Avoid heavy, clay soil and those areas underlain with a clay or hard pan. Raspberry plants need good soil aeration and are very susceptible to root rots.

Many raspberry crops are planted on raised beds for optimum production and drainage. Soils should be prepared before planting and receiving your plants. Thoroughly till the soil and eliminate perennial weed problems. An adequate supply of good quality water for irrigation is essential. Most raspberry plantings have a dripline system installed.

Do not plant raspberries where there have been planted potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or bulbs without prior fumigation of the soil. These crops are hosts for the disease Verticillium Wilt, a fungus that can stay in the soil for many years and can infest the raspberry crop.

Planting #1 Grade Plants

Do not trim roots prior to planting. Plant as early in the spring as possible. Space the plants 30 inches apart in the row and allow 8 to 10 feet between rows for a hill system. For hedgerow planting, space plants 18 inches between plants. Plants may be set:

in a plowed furrow
in holes dug with a shovel

Plant the roots in an inverted "T" formation. Cover with soil, placing just 1½ to 2 inches of dirt over the roots. Planting depth is of great importance. Raspberries planted too deeply will not survive. Irrigating the field or watering individual plants after planting is recommended if good moisture is not present at time of planting.

Planting #2 Grade Plants

Follow the instructions for planting #1 grade plants, but use 2 plants in lieu of one #1 grade plant.

Planting Bulk Root Material

Bulk root material is planted in a hill system, using 150 to 200 pounds of material per acre. Use 1½ to 2 ounces per hill. It is critical to use the correct amount. Too much root material per hill will generate excessive canes. Do not cut material; plant them as they come from the box. Cover with 1 to 1-1½ inches of soil only.

Hedgerow planting rate is 250 to 300 pounds of material per acre. The root material is placed continuous in the row and covered with 1 to 1½ inches of soil.

Note: The fine root system should not be allowed to dry during the planting process. This can happen very quickly on a warm, windy spring day.

Fertilization

Raspberries need good soil fertility for optimum growth and production. This should be applied early in the season with additional amounts according to weather and leaching conditions.

Raspberry Plant Spacing Per Acre

Hill System
2½ feet    by    7 feet    2,489 plants
2½ feet    by    8 feet    2,178 plants
2½ feet    by    9 feet    1,936 plants (hand harvesting)
2½ feet    by    10 feet    1,742 plants (machine harvesting)

Hedgerow
Plants are spaced 1 to 1½ feet in the row and 7 to 9 feet between rows (3,226 to 4,840 plants per acre). Plants will fill in the bed from root suckers, and are usually confined to a hedgerow about 1½ feet in width.

Ken M. Spooner Farms, Inc.
9710 State Route 162 East
Puyallup, WA 98374