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I bought a 2-year-old cutting of a raspberry bush and it arrived over the weekend. I am in Chicago and we will have freezing weather for the next few weeks.

Should I plant it like I normally would if warm weather was here to stay?

Where should I keep it? Options:

  • I have a garage spot I could put it in (slightly warmer than being just outside)
  • I could put it outside but it might freeze. If I do this should I put a bag over it?
  • I could keep it inside (apartment is usually high 60s)

Thanks for the help :)

TddOrBust
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    is it bareroot or in a pot? Do you have a basement? A sunny window elsewhere in the apartment? – Jurp Mar 13 '23 at 21:20
  • Thanks! It is bareroot. I have a basement storage unit that is heated to like 60 or so and gets no light. I also have plenty of full sun in my unit. – TddOrBust Mar 14 '23 at 02:57
  • So, not a cutting, a bare root? When I lived in the area , I planted a lot of bear root trees, bushes, grapes etc. when convenient. Often had subsequent freezes. . I do not recall a problem. – blacksmith37 Mar 14 '23 at 16:19
  • @blacksmith37 Depends, I think, whether the cane has sprouted, whether there's frost in the ground (I'm in southern Wisconsin and we have no frost down to at least four inches) and how much soil moisture is available for the roots. If it's sprouted, then I would not plant it outside - the sprouted leaves will freeze and the cane will die. IMO, it's safest to plant in a pot and keep indoors, even if unsprouted (due to the variability of soiil moisture at this time of year). – Jurp Mar 14 '23 at 18:06

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Given that the plant is bareroot, you have to plant it immediately. If, when you've unwrapped it from its packing material, you find that the roots are kind of dry, then soaking it in a bucket of water for a couple of hours would be a good idea. Do not over-soak it.

You'll obviously need a pot with a hole in the bottom and some soilless mix, but don't worry about the quality of either because you'll be planting this outside fairly soon. Pot up the raspberry - don't put gravel or anything on the bottom of the pot because it hurts the drainage. Put on a saucer/old plate or whatever and water well. Remove any water from the saucer/plate after 30 minutes.

If the plant has sprouted, then move it into a sunny room, but not in direct sunlight for a week or so. If it hasn't sprouted, you can keep it in the basement or garage, but should check it daily for sprouting. As soon as it sprouts, put it in your sunny apartment - again, not in direct sun for a week or two.

Jurp
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