Slow painting

Sunday 27 April 2008

Lime-induced chlorosis

The things one learns from an allotment. I'm fairly certain this is what is afflicting some of our new raspberry canes. We planted them last year. One didn't make it through the winter. Another has had a tough start because the family man-with-strimmer keeps razing it to the ground when he powers by on grass-cutting duty. This year, as the canes have started to really pull away, it's become very obvious that all is not well with two of them - perhaps significantly the canes nearest the grass edge of the plot.

So we have healthy canes:




And these pale yellow specimens:













By chance this week I received free with an order of other soft fruit from the wonderful Ken Muir a book called 'Grown Your Own Fruit'. Although I must have read about yellowing raspberry leaves in the other gardening bibles I own, it took the nice photos of raspberry ailments in Ken's book to make the penny drop. I gather I now need to apply the wonderfully-named Flowers of Sulphur.

1 comment:

Lydia said...

It is really an encouragement to see your garden. Your spring must be favorable now: ours is still bitterly cold in Oregon, having recently snowed! I planted potatoes and onions a month or more ago and haven't seen them since. You will have food for your family--food that you will not have to buy and will be better for you. Thanks so much for sharing.