Information on Wild Raspberry Bushes

Plant Description

• Raspberries, hardy perennials, come in three varieties: black, red and purple. Each plant requires similar growing conditions, and only the color of their fruit sets them apart. Raspberry bushes grow 3 to 6 feet tall and most have protective thorns to ward off wild life. From May to July, raspberries bloom small clusters of flowers.

Harvesting

• These plants can take up to two growing seasons before bearing any fruit. Morning, before the day has become too warm, offers the best conditions for harvesting these berries. Gently roll the berries off the can, do not squeeze or pull them. Summer-bearing raspberries will be ready for harvesting during June, according to the Colorado State University. These plants produce flowers and fruit on growth from the previous growing season. Fall-bearing raspberries will be ready for harvesting in late summer or early fall. Fall-bearing plants produce fruit and flowers on canes grown that year. After harvesting, fall-bearing plants can be cut back completely to encourage more growth for the next season.

Propagation

• Gardeners who wish to plant raspberry plants in their gardens can transplant young plants from the wild. Before transplanting any wild plant into the garden, check for signs of disease or pests. Find young plants in several ways. The red raspberry will sometimes have smaller plants shoot off from the main root system. These small plants, called suckers, can be cut away from the mother plant and replanted elsewhere. Black and purple raspberry canes can sometimes grow tall enough and heavy enough to tip over. The tips of the canes can begin to root when in contact with moist soil. Gardeners can cover the tip in several inches of moist soil to encourage this, and the following spring the rooted cane can be removed from the mother plant.

Diseases

• Both fungal and viral disease can infect raspberry plants. Fungal diseases include anthracnose and gray mold, according to the University of Minnesota. Anthracnose affects both back and red raspberries, and appears in late spring. Brown spots appear on leaves, and gray oval-shaped spots on the canes. This disease will cause the canes to dry out and die. Gray mold will appear first on young flowers, but can quickly move to the berries.

  Viral diseases include raspberry leaf curl and raspberry mosaic disease. Raspberry leaf curl will cause leaf curl, stunted growth and small seedy fruit. Raspberry mosaic disease will cause blistering, molting and tip browning of the leaves. This disease can decrease fruit yields.