Thursday 18 September 2014

"Autumn Bliss" Raspberries

Along one side of my garden I have a row of "Autumn Bliss" raspberries, growing against the fence. At this time of year they are an unruly tangle, somewhat inadequately restrained by three parallel wires secured to eyebolts in the fence-posts.


I am concerned about the state of the raspberry foliage. Only the leaves at the (still growing) tips of the canes are green now; the rest are pale yellow with pronounced green veins:


Is this a mineral deficiency or a disease, I wonder? And what should I be doing about it? Can anyone advise me on this please?

Despite the state of the leaves, the fruit seems OK:




I have picked quite a decent amount of fruit over the last two or three weeks. Never a lot at any one time, mind, just a handful every couple of days. Still, with a scoop of ice-cream or a splosh of "proper" cream they make a welcome dessert.


Autumn Bliss is a so-called Primocane variety, which means that it fruits on the current year's canes, as opposed to ones from the previous year as in Floricane varieties. This suits me well, because it means I can cut them down completely at the end of the year, without the need to sort out which canes need to be kept and which discarded.

As the name suggests, it is a late-fruiting variety too, producing its fruit from mid-August right up to the time of heavy frosts. Again, this makes it an attractive choice for me, because it produces its crop after the Strawberries have finished. My photo also demonstrates that it fruits simultaneously with some of the Blueberries - the late varieties though, definitely not "Earliblue"! Most of the Blueberries have been harvested now. Just the odd one or two remain, and I'll leave those for the birds to enjoy.



8 comments:

  1. I'm new to growing raspberries so I'm afraid I can't help with your query. My autumn fruiting ones are a yellow variety and to me, they just look odd. Raspberries should be red. I have to say that I'm not that keen on them, give me a strawberry any day.

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  2. If I had to guess I'd say a manganese deficiency. Iron deficiencies can cause clorosis too. Though if it is that, like calcium deficiencies in tomatoes, it isn't always caused by lack of mineral in the soil, but by conditions that prevent it from being absorbed.

    I have a fall bearing raspberry too, but I like it fruiting on both ages of cane, so I get harvests most of the year, but the problem with that is I do have to deal with sorting through my canes. Or would if I hadn't killed a lot of the plants due to not watering. Oh well. Raspberries are such weeds. I'm sure they will spread back in if I'm good.

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  3. I've sprayed mine with a seaweed solution in the past. It has always perked them up, you've beat me too it I have a post ready for tomorrow for mine.

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  4. I've had similar symptoms on my summer fruiting raspberries which I treated with chelated iron (a powder at my local nursery, just followed the directions on the pack) and that fixed it!

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  5. Some of the leaves of our All Gold are the same and I was thinking the same as Daphne.

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  6. These leaves are formed when the soil pH 7 or more. This is not a viral disease. Sometimes it happens when someone chews the roots (eg, ants build their city). But this is rare, and in this case weakens and yellows all escape.

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  7. Hello, I am concened I might be late to ask this question since I have no idea if I will be answered.
    Have you got any photos of the Autumn Bliss suckers sprouting from the ground? I have bought Autumn Bliss raspberry plants and I am not sure if they are actually Autumn Bliss.
    Plus, two years ago I bought raspberry plants they told me to be Heritage but now I heavily suspect they are actually Autumn Bliss.
    Could you recognize them by photos or so?
    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Henrique; There is a photo of Autumn Bliss canes sprouting in this post: http://marksvegplot.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/buds-and-blooms.html

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