Topic: weeding around raspberries

[calamityjayneuk]

Hi all

my raspberries were a failure last year and this year I have planted some more. I think I killed half of them them off last year, I read later they have shallow roots and I had hoed around them so I'm not sure whether that's what did it.

But I've also read I should keep them well weeded, so how does everyone manage this? I am scared I will kill this lot off too  ???
 

[valmarg]

What raspberries have  you got?  Summer or Autumn fruiting varieties?

They do need completely different treatment.
valmarg

[jjt]

If you can mulch them you'll keep the weeds right down. I use grass cuttings and they do a great job, keep the moisture in also. Pile them on heavy and clear it off in November or so.

[Crystalmoon]

I weed mine by literally lying down on the ground & hand weeding. I considering adding grass cuttings as a mulch soon to see if that helps but as I have bindweed under mine i dont want to obscure it too much or it will have more chance of establishing itself so I may not mulch & just do my 'belly' weeding regularly  :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

You won't obscure bindweed, it'll come right up through the grass cuttings and stick out like a sore thumb.

[calamityjayneuk]

I have 4 summer ones and 4 autumn. I knew they need to be pruned at different times, but still learning about the rest.

Not sure about lying on my tummy to do it crystalmoon!

[saddad]

The ones between me and my neighbour (91) had got infested with Docks... and Geums I took a two pronged fork to them and dug them all out... they seem to have survived, even the one I dug and translpanted by mistake!!
(Autumn Bliss if you need to know!)

[kippers garden]

I mulched round mine with two year old leaf mould that the council delivered.  I kept the leaf mould lovingly for this time then mulched with it in early spring......low and behold i've got thousands of sycamore seedlings appearing and i have to pull each and everyone out...Grrrrrr!