August Red Raspberry

Planting

• “August Red" raspberries like full sun and a soil with organic matter and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, per "Rodale's Garden Answers." Avoid planting in places where water collects after rain and low spots where frost tends to settle. Refraining from planting where grapes, berry plants or plants of the tomato family have been grown previously helps reduce disease potential. Red raspberry plants need to be staked or grown on trellises. "August Reds" are usually planted 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 5 to 10 feet apart. Colorado State University Extension recommends cutting the tops within 4 to 6 inches of the ground and soaking the bare-root plant at least 5 hours prior to planting.

Watering

• Raspberry plants need water to produce berries. If you can’t water every day, water two or three times a week at least. Drip irrigation systems work well, but should be installed right after planting.

Harvesting

• Pick "August Red" raspberries as soon as they ripen. Overripe berries invite unwanted guests: insects and mold. Check your plants at least every other day to prevent berries from getting too ripe. Raspberries come off the plant easily and are delicate when ripe. Separate the damaged and overripe berries from good ones. Once picked, raspberries do not last long, so use them or keep them cold. After the third year, production begins to wane and old plants should be removed and replaced after 8 to 10 years.

Pruning

• As soon as they finish bearing in the summer, cut fruit-bearing canes off “August Red” raspberry plants at ground level. In late winter, remove slender or bent canes and any canes outside the 1-foot-wide row, cutting them flush with the ground. University of Maine Extension recommends cutting other canes within the row so that only four to five hardy, evenly spaced canes remain per foot. Only cut winter-killed cane tips or you will have no berries. Another way to prune "August Red" is to cut all canes to the ground after harvesting the fall crop, which is the best way to winterize raspberries in harsher climates. Pruning this way will yield only a fall crop.

Controlling Pests and Diseases

• Raspberry fruit worms, spider mites, raspberry sawflies, Japanese beetles, cane borers and raspberry crown borers are all pests that can attack red raspberry plants. Diseases include gray mold, powdery mildew, drought verticillium wilt, crumbly berry virus, leaf spot, orange rust, anthracnose, spur blight and crown gall. Diseased plants and plants overtaken by pests should be removed. Keeping plants weeded and thinned out helps to prevent disease by maintaining good air circulation. Handpicking and biological controls help reduce pests.