Topic: Joan J plants just delivered...........

[tricia]

I have just taken delivery of 10 bare root Joan J. raspberry plants but my friend won't be able to plant them for me till next Friday 6 December. Is it better to keep them in a bucket of water (in GH) or try to sort of heel them in to the soil? I'm only able to use one hand at the moment so the latter would be quite difficult, I think!

Tricia

[Digeroo]

I do not think they will like a bucket of water.  Raspberries do not like their roots flooded.

Heel them in.  Dig a hole in a handy spot outside and throw them in and cover the roots with soil.   You can then gently pull them up when you need them.  Alternatively plant them in a pot in a bunch and cover the roots with potting compost put them outside, that is what the nurseries do.  It is easy to shake off the compost.   They will not be growing or using nutrients so you can reuse the compost.

[Ian Pearson]

…or they should survive in a polythene bag stored outside or in a cold shed. I once accidentally left some like this for two months, and they grew fine.

[tricia]

Thanks - I'll take them out of the bucket in the morning and try to heel them in. The soil where a pear tree was recently taken out should be loose enough for me to scrape a hole deep enough.

Tricia