Blooming is the most important and concerning stage for fruit crops. Many factors influence it and directly determine fruit yield.
This is also something that many raspberry growers are interested in. When do raspberries bloom?
We will reveal it in the next sections!
When Do Raspberries Bloom?
Flowering time depends on types of raspberries. Summer-bearing ones usually flower in the early summer but may be earlier or later, depending on climatic conditions.
Everbearing types bloom in two seasons: summer and autumn.
Raspberries are a plant that belongs to the Rosaceae family, along with apples, strawberries, etc. It is grown in high mountains or places with cool climates.
This is a small climbing plant, and almost every part of the plant has sharp thorns. Its leaves often grow in clumps and have a wide canopy.
Its flowers grow in white clusters under the leaf axils, then bear fruit shaped like a plate of sticky rice.
This tree variety includes two main types: summer-bearing and everbearing, with different ecological characteristics.
Summer-fruiting raspberries bush bloom once a year, and it’s the summer crop. The exact time depends on temperature, climate, and the hours of sunlight per day.
It will likely range from April (warm climates) to June (cooler climates).
Everbearing raspberries produce fruit twice a year. The first bloom time begins in late spring and early summer, and the second starts in the fall. Many people call them fall-bearing plants.
How Long Does Raspberry Bloom Last?
These flowers last quite short, usually only blooming for a maximum of about 1-2 weeks before they begin to fade. This is the time when raspberry plants produce fruits.
Bloom time also depends on many other factors, such as plant variety, climate, weather, and raspberry bush care.
Flowering time is when the plant enters the pollination stage. Insects such as bees and butterflies are agents that help transport pollen grains from one plant to another.
Because raspberry flowers are characterized by their small size and their very light pollen grains, the wind can also pollinate them.
Pollen grains are carried by the wind far away and fall on the pistils of other plants.
Pollen grains germinate on the stigma, forming pollen tubes. The pollen tube elongates and passes through the ovary to reach the ovule.
Spermatocytes in the pollen grain move along the pollen tube and combine with egg cells in the ovule to create a zygote.
At this time, the flower petals will begin to fall to make room for the fruits to develop. Unpollinated ones will also fall from the tree but will not produce fruit.
When To Harvest Raspberries?
The crop of fruit usually happens quite quickly. The time from fruit setting to ripe fruit and harvest only takes about 20 days.
The unripe fruits are pale or spotted, hard and small. When the fruit changes color and feels soft to the touch, it’s time to pick them.
Each variety has a different color. The popular berries are black raspberries, red raspberries, purple raspberries, yellow fruit, etc.
It’s best to check the ripeness of the fruit early in the morning and pick them right away because this is the best time to harvest.
At other times of the day, rising temperatures will cause them to soften and shrink.
Its spherical, plump fruit consists of many nodes clustered together to form a fruit shape. Ripe fresh raspberries have a uniform color, are bright, and are heavy with a size of about 0.3 – 1 inch.
You will feel the excellent flavor of fresh berries.
Overripe ones are often dull, deformed, collapsed, damp and may become discolored or moldy.
To pick, gently grasp the berry with your thumb and index finger; summer raspberries will fall into your hand and leave a torus shape.
Why Is Your Raspberry Not Flowering?
You have a garden of raspberries. Even though it has been planted for many years and cared for regularly, the tree still shows no signs of flowering.
The results leave you disappointed and discouraged. There are many causes leading to this situation:
Tree’s Fruit-Bearing Age
A basic mistake beginners make is a lack of patience. Although raspberry canes varieties can flower earlier than many other fruit trees, it takes a certain amount of time to mature enough.
So, when growing a tree, you must learn about the ecological characteristics of the tree to understand how many years it takes for the tree to flower.
Remember that all numbers are approximate, as other factors influence when plants bloom.
Genetic Breed
There are some fruit trees that do not flower, usually due to inheritance from the F1 generation of trees. We don’t select varieties carefully when we plant, so we choose poor-quality plants.
Problems With Climate
Climate has a great impact and influence on vegetative growth. When the cold winter comes, the flower buds may fall off.
When there is frost in spring, the blooming flowers will die. During that season, your tree will not have any signal.
One of the reasons plants do not bloom is adverse changes caused by the weather. Light is also one factor affecting the flowering and fruiting of plants.
Fruit trees belonging to the Rosaceae family need a lot of direct sunlight and will not be able to flower and bear much fruit if there is not enough light.
Fertilization, Soil Type
Fertilizing plants is one of the effective measures to help plants grow and develop well. Fertilizing too much or improperly and at the right time will harm the plant.
When we fertilize too much nitrogen, the leaves will turn yellow, and fruit trees will not flower.
Mistakes in caring for raspberry bush, such as fertilizing the wrong fertilizer, cause the plant to lose balance in organic matter and micro elements.
Irrigation Problems, Weeds, Planting Spacing
Watering too much or too little makes it difficult for fruit trees to flower.
If you don’t weed control, the perennial weeds will compete with the raspberries for nutrients and water, causing them to lack the necessary substances for the plant to grow.
Planting distance that is too thick and without annual pruning is also one of the reasons why your plants won’t flower.
There is competition for nutrients between them, so the amount of nutrients is insufficient for each plant.
Disease Situation
Common diseases that often appear on fruit trees are fungal infections like white spots on leaves, aphids eating leaves, etc.
Infected plants often grow poorly, have difficulty flowering, the flowers will be eaten or rotten, and the plants will not produce fruit that season. Winter injury is also a reason.
How To Encourage The Raspberries To Bloom?
Based on the above causes, we can limit and overcome the problem of slow flowering by:
- Choose healthy plants from an excellent source
- Apply the right amount of fertilizer at the right time
- Water properly, adequate drainage
- renovate garden soils, soil level, soil surface
- Prune weak branches and decayed petals to rejuvenate the tree and encourage the growth of flowering buds.
- Improve planting land
- Disease control
- Pruning raspberries, pruning summer
Conclusion
We know that summer and autumn are the answers to the question: when do raspberries bloom? Knowing this time is essential for the best care and harvest.
Garden owners need to focus on taking care of this stage because it greatly determines the fruit production.
