moving raspberry bushes

[STHLMgreen]

On my newly acquired allotment there are 4-5 raspberry bushes that one of the allotment pros has told us are good for next year. They have no fruit this year.  Thing is they're just in random places and we'd like to set them all at the back of the plot. We'll probably need to moved at least one in the next week or so.

Any tips for moving them?

[STHLMgreen]

[triffid]

Any chance you could wait till they're dormant (November-Jan)? Much easier to move without stressing the plants. Especially with the severe weather we've been having, you might well lose some...

But if you have to move them now ... the night before you move them, give the rasps a really good soaking.

Next, dig a deep, wide hole in their final site (18 inches deep), water it and chuck in some bonemeal and well-rotted manure. Find a batten or straight length of bamboo that will reach clear across the hole.

Get hold of a barrow if poss; if not, use a tarpaulin or a big piece of hessian or something so you can carry the rasp with a substantial rootball and soil.

Then dig out your rasps (easier if you can get help when lifting them out because you can have someone lifting the bush while someone else supports the roots and soil.) If it's just you, my trick (used with roses, which is where I learned to move prickly things in full growth  :) !) is to lever it up and over to one side with the spade under the rootball, stuff the tarp as far down as poss, then wiggle the spade out, use it to lever up the other side so you can grab the tarp and pull it all the way under the plant.

Then you drag/barrow the whole caboodle over to the new site, drop it into the hole complete with tarp and lay the batten or bamboo cane across the hole so you can check that the rasp is going to be buried to the same depth it was before.  Dig out or fill in under the rasp as necessary; once you're happy, ease the tarp away, fill in the hole and firm it with your foot (but not with your full weight).

Repeat till all rasps are re-homed or till you can't stand the blood, sweat and prickles  ;D

Finally, water again, and make sure they get a good soaking every couple of days for the next fortnight or so till they settle in.

Fingers crossed! 

[STHLMgreen]

Thanks a lot Triffid.  :)

Very very helpful advice.  And using the tarp if I'm alone, that's a tip I could use for more than raspberry bushes.

I'll try to wait until mid September. Here in Stockholm I wouldn't want to wat too much longer or there's the chance I could be digging through snow!

[triffid]

Oops! Hadn't noticed what bit of the world you're digging in...  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

September should be OK. Moving them in the height of summer in a drought would be problematic, but later in the year, no probs. I did it myself once.

[jennym]

... raspberry bushes that one of the allotment pros has told us are good for next year. ...

I guess this would mean they are summer fruiting types - so don't cut down canes, if the new canes that have been produced this year bear fruit in 2007, you only cut them down after they've fruited. Then leave any new canes that have sprung up in 2007 so they will produce fruit in 2008.