hi I bought a thornless blackberry two years ago and it fruited last autumn with disappointing results. I have now discovered it has dry berry and the standard comercial remedy is to spray with copper. Does any one know of an organic remedy. As it was a bought plant I lovingly cared for it following planting instructions and surrounging it in compost. and then mulching. Would it do better in poorer soil? I have grown raspberries and boysenberrry plants for years without encountering this problem. These plants were purchased very cheaply through local church bazaars. I am beginning to wonder if comercial plants have diseases bred into them! Does any one know also if there is any risk of this disease spreading to my other berry plants?
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Thanks Christy that was very helpful, not too late for lime sulphur here as first leaves just showing now.
Christy Ralphs said:
I've found that the thornless varieties are far less vigorous than their thorny cousins. The commercial growers don't use thornless ones for that reason (I think), so the thornless ones are just bred for the home gardener. I wouldn't have thought poorer soil would be better - I give mine that best possible.
Copper at certain levels is an acceptable organic remedy. So is lime sulphur. Bit late for lime sulphur now, but that is probably the best remedy - you spray just as they are starting to unfurl their first leaves early in the season. Timing is critical with controlling fungal diseases - they get established early in the season. I give my berries lime sulphur, then follow up with a couple of copper sprays 2 & 4 weeks later. I don't spray once they have started flowering.
Yes I would think that there is a risk of disease transfer. I don't know much about the specifics of dry berry, but other fungal diseases (e.g. mildew) are easily transferred, especially in rainy weather. You'll need to be vigilant about the prunings - I would remove them and either burn them or put them somewhere where they won't infect anything else (not in compost).
My thorny boysenberries and loganberries are actually fine without spraying - if don't spray then probably lose 10-15% of crop to dry berry, which is acceptable for me.
I've found that the thornless varieties are far less vigorous than their thorny cousins. The commercial growers don't use thornless ones for that reason (I think), so the thornless ones are just bred for the home gardener. I wouldn't have thought poorer soil would be better - I give mine that best possible.
Copper at certain levels is an acceptable organic remedy. So is lime sulphur. Bit late for lime sulphur now, but that is probably the best remedy - you spray just as they are starting to unfurl their first leaves early in the season. Timing is critical with controlling fungal diseases - they get established early in the season. I give my berries lime sulphur, then follow up with a couple of copper sprays 2 & 4 weeks later. I don't spray once they have started flowering.
Yes I would think that there is a risk of disease transfer. I don't know much about the specifics of dry berry, but other fungal diseases (e.g. mildew) are easily transferred, especially in rainy weather. You'll need to be vigilant about the prunings - I would remove them and either burn them or put them somewhere where they won't infect anything else (not in compost).
My thorny boysenberries and loganberries are actually fine without spraying - if don't spray then probably lose 10-15% of crop to dry berry, which is acceptable for me.
Replies
Christy Ralphs said:
Copper at certain levels is an acceptable organic remedy. So is lime sulphur. Bit late for lime sulphur now, but that is probably the best remedy - you spray just as they are starting to unfurl their first leaves early in the season. Timing is critical with controlling fungal diseases - they get established early in the season. I give my berries lime sulphur, then follow up with a couple of copper sprays 2 & 4 weeks later. I don't spray once they have started flowering.
Yes I would think that there is a risk of disease transfer. I don't know much about the specifics of dry berry, but other fungal diseases (e.g. mildew) are easily transferred, especially in rainy weather. You'll need to be vigilant about the prunings - I would remove them and either burn them or put them somewhere where they won't infect anything else (not in compost).
My thorny boysenberries and loganberries are actually fine without spraying - if don't spray then probably lose 10-15% of crop to dry berry, which is acceptable for me.
Hope that helps :)