What would cause several of my raspberry branches are turning black and dying and the others are fine and producing fruit. What can I do? Thanks |
I can't tell from your description whether the raspberry plants have developed cane blight (where shoots wilt and die as fruit develops and you find dark streaks on the cane), or fireblight (where the tips of the canes wilt, become blackened, and curl over into a ?shepherd?s crook?). If it's cane blight (a fungal disease) you can prune out the affected canes and use a sulfur or copper-based fungicide to protect the new growth in the spring. Fireblight isn't so easy to control. Before doing anything, why not prune off a blackened cane and take it to your cooperative extension office for professional diagnosis? Helpful folks can inspect the plant material and look under a microscope to determine the cause. Contact: Duval County Extension, 1010 N McDuff Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32254. |