Soft fruit

1. RHS Level 2 Certificate
Week 23 – soft fruit

2. Learning Objectives
 Describe the factors to be considered when selecting suitable
cultivars of soft fruits.
 Describe the factors in choosing a suitable site for growing soft fruit
 For named varieties of each of raspberry, blackcurrant and
strawberry state in each case
 planting, feeding and pruning requirements;
 care and cultivation requirements;
 describe 1 pest and 1 disease for each and their symptoms and
controls
 describe harvesting and storage requirements for each
 State the advantages of purchasing certified stock.
 Describe how quality and yield can be determined by the following:
planting; base and top dressings; mulching; weed control;
irrigation; training systems; appropriate pruning; and pest and
disease control.

3. Choice of site
 Sheltered – soft fruit is less dependent on
bees than top fruit for pollination but
windbreaks will still improve fruit set.
 Sunny- south facing aspect for best ripening
 Good depth of top soil – 30 – 45cm
 pH 6.5-7.0 ideally. Lime if below 5.8.
 Frost protection – avoid frost pockets

4. Choice of species and cultivars
 Personal taste – grow what you like.
 Proposed use – to eat fresh, make jam etc.
 Space available – redcurrants can be grown as
cordons but blackcurrants need space for the bush
to develop. If space is limited grow what is
expensive or rare in the shops.
 Certification scheme – DEFRA monitored schemes
that guarantee plants are virus free and grown to
prescribed standards. Buy certified plants if they are
available e.g. Strawberries.

5. Raspberries – varieties
 Summer fruiting – Early ‘Glen Cova’; Mid-
season ‘Malling Jewel’; Late: ‘Leo’
 Autumn fruiting- ‘September’ (red fruit);
‘Fallgold’ (Yellow fruit).
 Buy certified plants.

6. Raspberries – cultivation
 Plant in Autumn – need good soil preparation,
permanent planting.
 Construct support – three strands galvanised wire
50cm apart between stout posts about 2m tall.
Posts 3-5m apart.
 Plant bare rooted certified canes when dormant
(November to March). Shallow rooted so only
plant 7-8cm deep. 40cm apart in rows 1.5m apart.
Cut canes to 30cm immediately after planting to
encourage new canes to develop.

7. Raspberries - care
 Pruning – summer fruiting types fruit on previous
years canes; autumn fruiting on this years. After
fruiting cut out fruited canes.
 Watering – shallow rooted so need regular
watering in dry weather.
 Feeding – sulphate of potash in January;
superphosphate every third year; sulphate of
ammonia in late March, then mulch.
 Net to protect the crop from birds.

8. Raspberries – pests and diseases
 Raspberry beetle – the grubs tunnel the fruit and
make it inedible. Spray at pink fruit stage and then
two weeks later.
 Birds – net or cage the crop.
 Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) – grey fluffy mould on
leaves and fruit. No approved chemical control –
improve air circulation and remove and destroy
infected canes (or individual leaves etc if mild
problem)
 Cane blight - Serious fungal disease that enters
through damage to canes. Canes wilt and die.
Remove and burn affected canes; control by copper
fungicide spray.

9. Strawberries - varieties
 Early: ‘Pantagruella’; Mid-season: ‘Grandee’;
Late: ‘Cambridge Late Pine’.
 Using the Early, Mid-season and Late
varieties enables strawberries to be picked
from June until late July.
 Perpetual: ‘Aromel’

10. Strawberries - planting
 Buy virus certified plants. Prepare the soil by
single digging and incorporating well rotted
manure and adding balanced fertilizer.
 Need good drainage.
 Plant in July or early August 40-50cm apart,
rows 75cm apart.
 Strawberry beds build up pests and diseases so
will need to be moved and the plants replaced
every 3-4 years.

11. Strawberries – aftercare.
 Water well until established and then as the berries
are swelling in dry weather. Do not splash the
berries or foliage as this will encourage botrytis.
 Feeding – not likely to be needed unless growth is
poor. Balanced fertilizer in early Spring if needed.
 Strawing down – when berries start to swell put
straw beneath the trusses (over a scatter of slug
pellets) and between the rows.
 After harvest, cut off leaves to about 10cm and burn,
collect the straw and compost or burn.
 Cover plants using cloches in January if an early
(May) crop is required. Use an early variety for this.

12. Strawberries – pests and diseases
 Stem and root nematodes (eelworm) – tunnel
the roots and weaken the plants, leading to
low yields. No chemical control, rotate the
crop.
 Aphids – spread virus and distort young
growth. Fatty acid spray when first seen.
 Slugs and snails – pick or pellets.

13. Blackcurrants - Varieties
 Early: ‘Blackdown’ (Good resistance to
American Gooseberry Mildew).
 Mid- Season: Ben Lomond (Relatively late
flowering so some frost resistance)
 Late: ‘Jet’ (Very late flowering, some
mildew resistance)

14. Blackcurrants - cultivation
 Slightly acidic soil preferred; can stand partial shade;
must have moist soil in summer that is rich in organic
matter.
 Plant 5cm or so deeper than the nursery mark –
encourages new shoots from the base.
 Plant bare root when dormant in Autumn; prune all
shoots to 10cm immediately after planting.
 From year three, remove 1/3 of oldest wood each
year

15. Blackcurrants – pests and diseases
 Big Bud Mite – swollen buds
containing mites that damage
and weaken the plant and
spread Reversion disease.
 American Gooseberry Mildew –
thick white fungal growth on
leaves, stems and fruit.
Weakens the plant, fruit
destroyed.

16. Learning outcomes
 Describe the factors to be considered when selecting suitable
cultivars of soft fruits.
 Describe the factors in choosing a suitable site for growing soft fruit
 For named varieties of each of raspberry, blackcurrant and
strawberry state in each case
 planting, feeding and pruning requirements;
 care and cultivation requirements;
 describe 1 pest and 1 disease for each and their symptoms and
controls
 describe harvesting and storage requirements for each
 State the advantages of purchasing certified stock.
 Describe how quality and yield can be determined by the following:
planting; base and top dressings; mulching; weed control; irrigation;
training systems; appropriate pruning; and pest and disease control.