Hey all. Just saw the new growth on this cane looks weird, the other cane that came up looks great and not like this.
Not seeing anything out of the ordinary for new growth on my caneberries. Sometimes when new growth hits an obstruction the newest growth can be compressed like that.
1 Like
Huh, fascinating. Maybe it was laying on another stem or something? I was worried it was too much nitrogen or something
Too much nitrogen would result in tips and edge of leaves turning brown.
It does not look normal, looks sort of like a nutrient deficiency. Maybe caused by high or low pH. Have you added lime sulfur or wood ash recently?
I added dolomite lime at planting. Donât think I used that much though⌠Maybe itâs just working itâs way through the soil
Raspberries and blackberries like an acidic environment. So the lime may be it. But it doesnât look bad. And your other plants are fine so just leave it and hopefully it will come around. Maybe a little too much lime around that plant.
I collect rainwater and a flush of acidic rainwater would neutralize the lime.
Although itâs not bad and should get better. A good rain would help.
https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/soil-ph-blackberry-plants-18032984.php
Gypsum is a good source of calcium for acid loving plants as it will not raise pH. Lime is used to raise pH. I tend to avoid it as nothing much likes pH above neutral. Some exceptions. Lime works good at getting rid of moss in grass as they hate basic environments. Grass donât care and will grow in basic soil.
Dolomite is the safest to use, I will say that.
Avoid high calcium in general as one receptor takes up calcium, potassium and magnesium. High calcium can block the absorption of the other two. Enough to cause deficiencies.
In those instances of too high calcium use this
https://www.amazon.com/LANGBEINITE-Sulfate-Magnesia-Organic-Fertilizer/dp/B07S7Z3XLT/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BxsL873oWKKN2rGBFPE3whkv6XxX_jrEBHnTI8VkUnXwC3vKVw3Lhde_-77BbKulxBzQ2_rGrr-f9g6WU5r6CJX7UW1ypu059VKrWim4VKWsEEHwKtzn6WdZ-y7c2gE2UFrcwIeS3FAjyKrqtl1VpUncRnrw5-KUvE_vjnbtY9L1PWb1hlHBuxJ3hyQW_FgHVFn3F0O__76d6P05IYRO3w.tnY1rSCLj3XIrHgzTXxOZZ8OdE9eRjS16Q33PwjqZ7Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=sul-po-mag&qid=1713801665&sr=8-6&th=1
3 Likes
Dang, Iâm sure I was just a bit too heavy handed. I put a couple handfuls of the lime around each one, I just figured it would help because we have acidic clay here but I shouldâve gotten a soil test and not made assumptions like an idiot. The soil I mixed in Iâm sure leveled out the ph enough to be absolutely fine. It was growing so great before this too, totally bummed. Should I get something to correct it back? We have no rain in the forecast for awhile.
Iâm thinking about grabbing some Dr. Earth acidic loving fertilizer to maybe mellow it out a bit? Thoughts? Just for a one time application, maybe it will help. The largest primocane is at the point where I should top it anyways but the small one is a little too small.
1 Like
It canât hurt and may help.
Not organic but jacks acid loving special fertilizer contains ammonium sulfate which will immediately lower pH would work very well. Plants should color up quickly as pH will get to a range plants can uptake nutrients.
1 Like
This stuff is pretty good and fairly commonly available. I had to use it when i made my wicking tubs like TexasPrepper2 years ago. He added lime to his bagged soil which was already neutral⌠alot of the bags of âpotting soilâ have lime already added and are neutralâŚso you have to read the bags.
I know alot of folks are growing canefruits in pots now⌠so maybe will help someone that is having issues.
I donât use sulfur for raspberries but I do buy sulfur for blueberries. All you need is elemental sulfur and Amazon has it fairly cheap. Although almost double what I last paid. Itâs 21 bucks for five pounds. Set the amount you need. You can buy 1 to 50 pounds.
Remember this stuff takes 6 months to a year to work. So if your plant is in trouble right now use the jacks fertilizer I posted.
elemental sulphur takes a season to show resultâs. Does this product work faster?
Ammonium Sulfate, Aluminum Sulfate, and Iron Sulfate are all things people use when they need a âright now!â lowering of soil ph.
How much should I use??
Do you have any tips to test soil pH, I have tried using the test kits that comes with capsules filled with test chemical and do a color comparison. But its hard to read the results accurately because the color gets muddled by soil contents.
I like to use MColorpHast strips. They are meant for liquids. But you can get an approximate reading by putting in soil, wet with distilled water. Wait 3-5 minutes and read strip. Itâs not super accurate but gives you a ballpark number. Funny you mention pH as I was going out to test my blueberries when I saw your post.
So I tested Spartan blueberry near the trunk. Notice the white strip buried halfway.
Reading is about 5.3. I use the 4.0 to 7.0 strips. Easy to read.
I tested tap water and reading is 7.0 which tells me itâs too basic.
These are industrial grade strips. Strips are plastic. You can probably find other companies that make them on Amazon.
I bought mine from this site but they are kinda expensive. Look on Amazon for better prices.
1 Like
thank you, this is great much simpler and can test multiple plants quickly. Also, the 4-7 range kit is more accurate than universal range?
Most pesticides need to be delivered in an acidic solution. These strips will tell you how much vinegar to put in tap water to get a 5.0 solution. I myself just use rainwater. Mine is extremely acidic. Test it!
This is so important and could be the difference between working or not! No need for vinegar with copper or sulfur.
Not saying you should use this but is a good example.
Malathion has a half life of 30 minutes in 8.0 water. In 5.0. Water malathion has a half-life of 30 hours.
I have to say this product works wonders. I normally fertilize blueberries with organic granular from Down To Earth but takes a long time to kicking. Earlier this week I gave them a TSP to TBS of Jacks Acid and they have already turned green and started to grow more leaves.
Sometimes blueberries need a kick start. Im about to fertilize now to get them off to a good start. Mine need a kick too. Especially after a freeze from last night.
1 Like