Enjoy a bountiful raspberry harvest with fall mulching techniques
Raspberries are one of the most beloved fruits. To enjoy bountiful harvests, we should also take care of them in the fall and winter seasons. It’s worth getting familiar with the method of mulching.
At the beginning of May, we wrote about mulching strawberries to protect them from diseases and pest attacks, and to enjoy abundant harvests. Mulching will also help us in the fall and winter seasons to protect the bushes and have a very successful harvest next year. We can do this with both strawberries and raspberries.
Mulching raspberries - what is it?
Mulching is one of the most important cultivation techniques that can significantly affect the condition of our plants. This procedure involves covering the surface of the soil with various materials: straw, bark, agro-fabric, or compost. This is particularly important in raspberry cultivation, as raspberries require care to ensure abundant fruit harvests.
What material is best to choose? The most popular ones are straw and hay due to their many advantages. First, they retain moisture in the soil, creating a layer that reduces water evaporation. Second, they protect against weeds. Light does not reach the soil, which inhibits weed germination. Additionally, they also improve soil structure.
Other popular materials are bark and chips. Their advantages primarily include durability (they decompose more slowly), aesthetics, and micronutrients.
How to mulch raspberries?
Mulching raspberries is an extremely simple procedure. The process starts with preparing the ground. Before starting to mulch, you must weed and level the soil. Raspberries do not like competition in the form of weeds, which can take away valuable nutrients and water (remember to water!). Therefore, it is important to carefully remove all weeds from the area where we plan to mulch.
Then, choose the appropriate material from the aforementioned ones - depending on preference. This way, our next year's harvests will be better than ever.
