My experience with shade and cane berries -
Anne and Polka did really well and produced plenty of primocane fruits in full shade! 2 bowls full.
Prime ark traveler and freedom produced less than 5 berries in full shade.
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Thanks. You’d think that you’d get more blackberries in the shade, I’m thinking y’all have worse heat than us? But I know Cali has lots of different micro-climates, so maybe it’s not that bad where you’re at. I’m surprised you can grow rasps in zone 9.
Do you get a good floricane crop on the blackberries or rasps?
Cane Berries have been the easiest plants to grow for me. I do only primocanes as its easier to maintain. just cut everything down in winter. I removed all my floricane plants in the first year after I saw how low maintenance the primocane option was! So no experience with floricanes.
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Thanks Girly. Some of the rasps we’re getting are summer bearers, so I have to keep the canes over the winter, obviously. But for the fall bearers, I’d like to get two crops if possible. But, maybe after tending to a dozen or so sucker canes off of each plant, I might change my tune.
Anyone else have a comment about the sun requirements for rasps and blackberries? I’d like to hear from those berry growers like @Klondike_Mike, @northwoodswis4, @Drew51, @Hillbillyhort, @jtburton or anyone else. Thanks!
Full sun is best for me
Will produce in a shaded area ,production not as good
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Yes better in full sun, but will produce in the spot you mention. I would put them there. Some raspberries do not like full sun even here, so it may turn out the spot you mention is ideal. Yellows like Anne can burn in full sun. Himbo Top produces wherever you put it. You can always move them.
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Subdood, my berries have all been grown in full sun. They like it here in the North.
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Most of mine get full sun but I have a few canes in some shady areas and they seem to produce about as well as the others.
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Thanks for all the replies. I suppose the spot I have picked will work out alright. In the late spring thru early fall, the sun will be filtering thru that big tree that’s behind it for a couple hours, but around 10am, the patch will be be totally sunlit until it sets behind the hills about 6-7pm. So that’s probably enough light.
I use an app that shows how the sun (and moon) travels over your location during any given time and date. Of course it won’t show shadows, but it is still useful. It’s called Sun Position Map. Highly recommended.
I have three gooseberry plants down there now, but they are in more shade, but I understand they do well in shady areas anyway.
You can buy sun meters you set out for a day that will tell you what exposure is in that spot.
https://smile.amazon.com/Luster-Leaf-1875-Rapitest-Calculator/dp/B002XZLLXU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1517423820&sr=8-6&keywords=plant+sun+meter
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The one thing with sun late in the morning is that the dew will keep the raspberry plants wet for a longer time. In the humid area you live, that can be problematic for raspberries getting fungal leaf infections. That alone doesn’t kill the plant, but it weakens them, allowing other things to bring and end to them. Something to think about.
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All of my rasps are waking up with Anne being the earliest. However, it looks like my PAF blackberry may not have made it. Some of the canes are split. Guess I’ll just have to wait to see if the roots are still ok.
My raspberries are also waking up. I’m thinking about moving them to a drier location. They did not grow well last year. Planted last year. Only reason I can think of is this location is too wet during the winter and spring.
If I move them I’ll have black raspberries and red raspberries in the same bed. I read somewhere that red should be planted far away from black to avoid disease pressure from black. Does anybody grow black raspberries in the same bed as reds? No issues?
Ive heard that too but im unsure what the consensus opinion is. Ive heard some talk related to planting black cap wild rasps near patentend cultivars due to the high rate of viruses. But im not sure about varieties like Jewel.
After scrapping brandywine last year due to its abysmal growing habit im now in the market to fill its spot with a new everbearing variety. I think ive narrowed it down to Joan J or Josephine. I’ve heard they are both excellent. Ive not been able to find Josephine in single plants, only 5-packs. I need to replace my PAF as well. Blackberries definately dont seem as hardy as rasps.
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Susu I grow them together with no problems . Well next to each other but the beds merged over time .
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I ordered a Joan J to be among my new batch of berry plants. I heard they’re pretty good producers and have good flavor. All of my plants are due in in a couple weeks.
If you’re looking for a different purple rasp, you could try Royalty, even though it’s a late summer bearer, like Brandywine. I ordered a Royalty as well.
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From what I understand it’s the other way around. many red raspberries are asymptomatic to some viral infections and blacks are not. But I look at it as a cannery in a coalmine. the blacks will let you know if you have a problem.
As has been said wild raspberries, any kind are to be avoided.
Oh also it is not unusual for raspberries to take a year to adapt, so if you move them, they might not perform well this year either.
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I was going to take a large amount of soil with it.
Hopefully it won’t disturb them too much. Do you thinking sitting in the water after snow and rain for about a day before drying out could make them unhappy. That’s what happens in their current location.