Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 10:10

I planted several blackberry & raspberry plants last month that I bought from some big box stores. Many of them now have purple leaves. At first I thought it was because of cool night temps like the blueberries, but the lows have been in the 70s for over a week now. I also have a lot of raspberry bushes that have yellowing leaves & a couple seem to be almost dead. I googled purple leaves but haven't found any info. Anyone know what's going on?? Most plants did flower & have fruits forming already.

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RE: Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Posted by Fred_1933 7b (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 13:42

I cannot help you on what causing the blackberry leaves to turn purple. The unusual weather we have had this spring would cause many problems on fruit trees and vines.

I have a concern on my Triple Crown blackberry plants. The next years canes are not rooting at the base plant as they should, they are rooting some two-three feet away. Also couple of my Apace blackberry canes have turned into gray leaves and died with blackberries fruit on them. I may be the guilty party for adding too much mulch.
Couple of my Triple Crown plants didn't sprout new canes for next years berries.

RE: Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Posted by steve333 z5 CO Mountains (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 17:06

Purple foliage can be a sign of phosphorus deficiency, which can be caused or made worse by cool temps.

You could try a foliar spray with some diluted fertilizer containing P (middle number in the 3 numbered fert ratings) and see if that makes a difference. Miracle Grow or similar fertilizers can be used for foliar feeding, but check the package.

RE: Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Posted by BrittneyT2 6b (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 9:37

Last night I read that magnesium deficiency will cause purple leaves & to use Epsom salt. Anyone else heard this?

RE: Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Posted by shazaam NC 7B (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 9:52

Like Steve, I ordinarily associate purple foliage with phosphorus deficiency, but nutrient deficiencies can be tricky to diagnose given the complicated interactions involved. Where it gets complicated is that just because a plant is suffering from a deficiency doesn't mean that the nutrient in question isn't present in sufficient quantities -- it could very well be that something else is interfering with uptake. For example, like Steve pointed out, phosphorus is less accessible when soil temps are cool, so, even though it may be abundant in the soil, plants can't take it in as efficiently. Soil pH can also have a big impact on nutrient availability. So...have you had a soil test recently? That would help you zero in on any obvious causes. When you start adding amendments without a good knowledge of what's already present in your soil, you run the risk of making matters worse.

RE: Raspberry & blackberry leaves turning purple

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Posted by BrittneyT2 6b (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 11:03

I haven't had nutrient tests, but pH is 6. Temps have been warm for weeks now with exceptions of a few cold nights. There were even days in the 90s. We've had a LOT of heavy rainfalls over the past month here on SW Indiana. Even some of the well established trees in the area have a few colored leaves at their tops- as if fall was almost here. It's weird.

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