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Large, delicious raspberries come from consistent good care in the berry patch. Proper watering, adequate fertilizer and good pest management are important parts of that good care.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Poor leaf color should always be investigated because it can be a sign of disease, insect activity or nutrient problems.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Using a non-selective weed killer seems like an easy way to get rid of weeds along a fence line, but the spraying leaves weed seeds in the bare soil exposed to sunshine, making it easy for the seeds to germinate. This can create a repeated need for spraying.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Fence lines and areas under decks, fuel tanks, etc. are ideal places to use a long-term weed barrier instead of repeated spraying.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Is now the best time to fertilize my raspberries? How should I do that and how much fertilizer should I use?

Raspberries should be fertilized in the spring when you see the buds begin to swell.

In most home gardens, the raspberry plants will need a nitrogen application every year. Utah County soils usually have adequate phosphorus and potassium, but a soil test will let you know that for sure. If either phosphorus or potassium is low in your soil, you’ll need to use a fertilizer that contains the needed nutrient. If your plants only need nitrogen, ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) is a good choice.

Your raspberries will need about 2 to 3 ounces of nitrogen for every 10 feet per row. Since ammonium sulfate is 21% nitrogen, you’ll need to use between two-thirds of a pound to just under 1 pound of ammonium sulfate for those 10 feet of row. For best results, apply half the amount needed when the buds on the canes are swelling, then apply the remaining half several weeks later.

The fertilizer should be applied along the row in a band several inches wide and several inches away from the plants. It’s important to water in the fertilizer that same day.

If you want to use manure as part of your fertilizer program, you should apply that to your plants in the very late fall or early winter. Applying manure or any other fertilizer mid-summer through mid-fall can stimulate late growth that would make your plants more susceptible to winter injury.

Your plants will tell you from year to year whether you need to adjust the amount of fertilizer you use. Think about how your raspberry plants looked the year before. If the leaves were a healthy green and the new canes, called primocanes, reached 6 to 8 feet in length, then you probably don’t need to change what you’re doing. If the leaves were pale green in color and cane growth was poor, you probably need to increase the amount of nitrogen a little.

Pale green or yellow leaves with darker veins may mean you need to include some chelated iron with your fertilizer application. If the primocanes are thin or too tall, you’ll need to decrease the amount of nitrogen.

I am trying to get rid of grass growing along our fence line and under our propane tank, as you can see in the attached photo. What is the safe way you would recommend for me to get rid of this grass?

I going to guess that when you say “safe way” to end your fence line problems, you mean avoiding chemicals, or at least chemicals that persist in the soil or move farther into your landscape.

Of course, glyphosate (KillzAll, Ultra-kill, Roundup, etc.) will keep the area under the fence clear of grass, will stay put where you apply it and doesn’t stick around very long. The problem with using this method for you fence line is that weeds will show up easily when the turfgrass is dead. This is always the case with exposed soil. Without grass or other plants to shade the soil, weed seeds can easily germinate, so the spray must be repeated a few times during the year to keep the fence line and tank area clear.

There are other ways to solve this problem, though. They’re more work at first but can be more effective in the long run.

You could use a wide strip of heavy-duty weed fabric covered with a thick layer of compost, mini bark nuggets or pea gravel. Any of these will need to be refreshed yearly, but compost would cause the fewest problems with your mower.

Another option is one of the commercially available weed barrier products for fence lines. They may cost more than the other methods but can be long-lasting and effective.

You might also consider a more permanent solution: a concrete barrier. It’s basically a mower strip under the fence that extends a few inches out from the fence on both sides so that the wheels of your mower can ride on the strip. It is the most costly option and involves a more work upfront, but it’s the least work and maintenance once it’s done.

You can use one of these same options under the tank — you’ll just need to do it on a larger scale.

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