Cornell University : Cornell Cooperative Extension
|
Cornell University : Cornell Cooperative Extension
|
| Yates Association |
|
Wild Black Raspberry |
|
June 12, 2002 Everyone who has ever been on a picnic in July in the Finger Lakes has seen these "black berries" growing wild along hedgerows, roadsides, woodland clearings and abandoned fields. They are wide spread throughout North America. These berries pull free forming a hollow shell leaving the core behind on the cane. This trait identifies them as raspberries and not blackberries. Two other common names besides black raspberry are black-cap and black thimble berry. Rubus in the name represents red while occidentalis references the western hemisphere in the family of Rosaceae. The black raspberry is an upright arching shrub growing four to six feet in height and will become quite a tangle in a few years if growing conditions are suitable. The fruit is eaten by over 150 animals which includes nearly all the game birds and big game animals. The defecated seeds can lay dormant for several years waiting for the right environmental conditions for germination. Any soil disturbance which brings sunlight to the seeds may cause them to begin growing. The leaves are alternate with serrated margins. The red-purple canes have stiff thorns and usually live only two years. Fruiting occurs on these two-year old canes. In late spring, small flowers appear which have little ornamental value. Small juicy delicious reddish-deep purple berries appear between strawberry and blueberry harvest filling the gap for us hungry gatherers. Mother nature does a pretty good job of distributing these berries. They readily propagate themselves by spreading roots and natural tip layering where the cane tips touch the ground. Gardeners can easily move plants to other desired locations. Wild black raspberries are hardy. Most of us eat them out of hand right off the bush. However, they do make fine jam and jelly and my favorite black raspberry pie. We have not observed a lot of bird or game animal assaults on our wild patches so there must be enough wild plantings nearby to go around. The dead canes can be removed every spring cleaning up the plant as well as removing excessive cane production keeping the clump in a more manageable size. Later in late spring the tips of the new canes can be pinched back to induce branching. The Indians made a tea from black raspberry roots used to treat stomach aches. Black raspberry root teas where also used as a traditional treatment for bleeding disorders. Berry juice was used as a flavoring. The three most common diseases of raspberries are mosaic virus, anthracnose, and verticillium wilt. Mosaic virus is handled by keeping other red or black raspberries at least 300 feet away if possible and by obtaining virus free stock. Remove any infected plants as soon as disease is discovered. Anthracnose requires good sanitation practices which involves removing dead canes and leaves. A complete spray program with chemicals labelled for raspberries may be necessary. Protection against verticillium wilt is best done by not planting raspberries in previously infected soils. Insects are a minor problem for raspberries. Two that may appear are the raspberry cane borer and the raspberry fruit worm. The cane borer makes two holes near the top of newer canes. The tip then wilts. Cut the tip off below the holes and crush the cane making sure the insect will do no further harm. A regular spraying program using labelled chemicals for raspberries and raspberry fruit worms should bring them under control if necessary. Chemical
spraying should always be the last resort for insect or disease control
and should only be used when infestation is causing excessive damage
or when historically such excessive damage is common. Always use the
correct labelled mixes and wear all the protective clothing and face
protection mentioned on the chemical label. Label all sprayers. A
month from now we may not remember what went into the sprayer. When
spraying any chemical for insect or disease control, try to find two
chemicals that control the same problem and alternate them using the
time intervals on the label. There are always a few that seem to be
immune. Using two chemicals may reduce the opportunity for one insect
of disease problem becoming immune to one chemical. Cornell
Cooperative Extension Yates Association |