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shrubsFruit & Orchards
heruga

Will a high enough raised bed prevent wineberry from spreading?

Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
5 years ago

I want to make a 2 foot high raised bed with bricks and plant my wineberries(rubus phoenicolasius) in there. Will the roots still reach down more than 2 feet?
Also if you're going to tell me don't plant this, this is the most invasive thing please just don't. I also have everbearing raspberries and I find them equally invasive. I want to grow wineberry because of its ability to produce fruit in partial shade and I like it's taste better

Featured Answer
  • PRO
    The Logician LLC
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Don't know about wineberry rooting habits, but around here I don't see red raspberries escaping from 2-foot high beds.

    Spaces and bulges may form on an unmortared 2-foot high wall of brick filled with soil. Cinder blocks would be more stable.

    • Comments (11)

    • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
      5 years ago

      raised bed prevent wineberry from spreading?


      ===>>> doubt it

    • cecily 7A
      5 years ago

      wineberry also tip roots

    • Kevin Reilly
      5 years ago

      Yes I think the concern is more tip rooting of anes

    • Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      Tip rooting I can easily detect and control even before the cane bends down to the ground. I'm more worried about underground roots spreading

    • Sara Malone Zone 9b
      5 years ago

      Shuold be fine. They are my fondest memories of my NJ childhood.

    • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
      5 years ago

      What is around the bed? Wineberries + lawnmower = no more wineberries.

      They are something I miss. Apparently we are too far north for them to naturalize.

    • Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      I thought of another alternative and wondering if this will be any better. I'll basically create a 12 inch deep by 12 inch wide trench around the wineberry bed and backfill with sand and Stab the spade in the trench periodically. Kind of like how you would for a bamboo.

      Sara I know that you are in the west coast now, miss them don't you

    • PRO
      Form and Foliage
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      I tried growing them for a while but suffered a series of unrelated crop failures and finally realized that I am just a lousy farmer. when I go visit my brother or sister in summer they always try to find a patch for me. Best berry ever!


      Sara

    • Colin Johnson
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      Environmental scientist here. Preventing invasives from spreading is a thing, but every plant has its use. Even japanese stiltgrass is allowed to persist if its actively preventing erosion (which it does extremely well). It may be foreign, but it's still just a plant. Even if it does escape a bit, just stay on top of your mowing so seeds don't germinate. Seeds will escape regardless (wind) but just mow the escapees down and all will be fine.


      As far as the bed goes, I'd use untreated 2x4 and add a bp-free waterproof layer against the walls to prevent it from breaking down. If you dig a little trench to embed it a bit, that'll keep the water from pouring out the perimeter.

      https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/rubpho/all.html

    • sam_md
      3 years ago

      It took two years but finally the voice of reason from Colin Johnson.

      BugwoodWiki page for New Jersey is a good reference. The good news is they are shallow rooted and relatively easy to pull out, wear gloves. "sticky" red hairs up and down the stem and whitish leaf underside.

      If NJ is anything like my state OP should simply look for the nearest trashy, unkept roadbank where the mower cannot reach. They grow there by the thousands.

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