It has been about 8 weeks since we planted the raspberries. We’ve seen a lot of growth over the last month with the start of spring. All 10 of the canes seem to be doing well, some better than others.
With the 6 inches or so of new growth, I decided it is time to begin training these guys.
They aren’t quite tall enough to reach the lattice but there is a bit of forward growth that I want to redirect.
I used this lovely Velcro tape to tie the raspberries to the trellis. I’ve used it in years passed for other gardening projects and have been happy with it. I cut long strips of the Velcro tape and wrapped it around the raspberry cane a few times leaving it pretty loose then attached it to the lattice with a bit of tension. I left the tape as loose as possible while still positioning the raspberries where I wanted them. I’ll check them in a couple days to look for signs of stress, but I think they’ll be fine.
The first 3 raspberry bushes had enough growth and flexibility to begin training them. The other 7 either aren’t quite tall enough or are still to rigid to train without placing too much stress on the limbs. Again, I’ll reevaluate in a few more days.
Another bonus with this Velcro tape is that I can easily reposition the tape as the plants grow.
A lovely bee taking care of business…