Kokanee Raspberry

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

3-9 Feet

Mature Spread

3-9 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 8

Kokanee reliably fruits on the newest growth year after year to provide a late crop of exceptionally sweet and large berries. The late cropping makes for a longer harvest season when grown alongside early fruiting raspberries. Compact canes are smoother with fewer thorns than other varieties, making seasonal pruning far less of an ordeal. Individual plants will bear upwards of 6 lbs of bright red fruit each season to use fresh or freeze for use through the winter.

Kokanee Raspberry Care  

Primocane raspberries need regular pruning and fertilizing to produce the best fruit and healthiest plants. Make sure that your raspberry patch receives plenty of sun (at least 6-8 hours early or late in the day) and supplemental watering during periods of high heat or drought. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation are ideal and are best installed during the initial planting of the raspberries. 

Plant Kokanee with a generous 4-6 feet of spacing. This allows the plants to produce canes for many years before division is needed. Primocane raspberries produce fruit only on the newest growth in the summer. Remove all canes that have fruited, either in the fall or late winter to make room for new growth. 

Growing Kokanee Raspberry

Kokanee will produce fruit even in the first year of planting. To give Kokanee time to settle in, plant it late in the winter as soon as the soil can be worked. Because Kokanee is a compact grower (3-9 feet tall and wide), little extra support is needed for individual plants. Keeping raspberries in their own space is helpful when it comes time to prune or pick, making raised beds a good choice. Allowing access to all four sides of the bed makes maintenance much easier.  

Kokanee grows well in containers with excellent drainage and at least a 5-gallon capacity (16-inch diameter or greater). Use a potting mix for acid-loving plants and add a slow-release, granular fertilizer annually. Water containers regularly to keep the soil moist, but not overwatered. Allow the top 1-2 inches of potting mix to dry between waterings.

Watering Kokanee Raspberry

Even though raspberries are drought tolerant at maturity, they need moisture at key times to produce juicy, large fruit. Consistent watering from flowering to the end of fruiting is key to a successful crop. Mulching annually with organic materials will enrich most soils and improve moisture retention.

Feeding Kokanee Raspberry

Fertilize twice a growing season to encourage the best fruit crop. Apply a balanced, granular formula as a top dressing around the plant and water it in well. Feed in the spring as the new growth appears and then again late in June before the flowers appear.

SKU:

1231015479-pc