Raspberry Shrubs

Cane Growth

• While raspberry plants are perennial, their canes are biennial. The type that bears fruit in the summer of its second year grows green vegetative stems during the first season, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Bark covered in the second year, the canes die after producing fruit. The other variety, called everbearing, produces raspberries on the tips of its canes during the autumn of the branches’ first year and bears fruit lower down the next year. The plants grow haphazardly if not pruned, reaching heights of up to 5 or 6 feet.

Fruit

• Raspberry fruits come in red, purple and black. Yellow ones are albino reds, according to the University of Minnesota Extension. The cultivars’ order of ripening is: red, black, purple and yellow, according to Ohio State University Extension. Red raspberry shrubs withstand cold better and produce bigger fruit than the black ones, which have canes that bend more. Black raspberries contain more seeds and are more fragrant. A cross between the red and black, the purple variety, grows like the black ones. The yellow ones develop like the red.

Location and Soil

• Raspberry shrubs prefer full sun and plenty of air circulation but not in an extremely windy location because the branches are prone to dry out, according to the University of Minnesota. Ohio State University Extension recommends the plants receive at least six to eight hours of sun. In addition, the plants prefer well-draining loam soil with humus. Soil pH levels should range between 5.6 and 6.2.

Care and Planting

• Ohio State University Extension recommends early spring planting. Spacing between the plants varies, depending on particular raspberry types. Fertilizing and mulching helps, as does watering the plants frequently because of their shallow root system. In addition, the University of Minnesota recommends annual pruning and installing supports such as twine and posts. Wind damages the canes.