Transplanting Raspberries to Expand Your Patch

Expanding your raspberry patch using your own transplants is a fairly easy process. Transplanting Raspberries will save you time and money if you move transplants from your existing patch to start new patches or expand an existing one.

Transplanting Raspberries

Expanding your Raspberry patch

There are three things you need to pay attention to when transplanting raspberries. First, you need to know when you should be transplanting raspberries. Second, you need to know how to do it. Third, you need to know how to care for the plants after transplanting raspberries.

When to transplant raspberries

Expanding your raspberry patch using your own transplants starts in the early spring. New raspberry plants will start to emerge in your patch very early in the spring. Raspberries spread via their root system. In fact, they spread very aggressively. After only one year you will start to see small new plants coming up surrounding the mother plant. These new plants can be left in place to grow or they can be moved to new spots in your garden.

The key to expanding your raspberry patch using these new plants is to get them moved very early in the spring. Young, small plants transplant much easier. They are easier to move because they don’t have much of a root system yet.

Also, the wetter and cooler conditions of early spring make it much easier for the transplants to get established in the garden before the heat of summer arrives. So as soon as you start to see the new plants come up get the ones you want to be moved, transplanted!

How to transplant raspberries

Transplanting raspberries couldn’t be easier. The first step is to decide where you want to transplant too. In that spot dig a 6-inch hole. It’s also a good idea to mix in a little compost in that hole.

Next, sever the transplant from the mother plant. Somewhere under the ground, there is a root from the mother plant connecting the new start. I sever the plant using a sharp shovel by cutting straight down about 6 inches all around the plant.

Carefully dig up the plant trying hard to keep the root ball intact. Move it to the new hole and firm the soil around the new transplant.

Last spring I moved several plants around in our patch. While I was doing it I filmed a video for my YouTube channel. So if you would like to see this being done you can watch this video. Be sure to subscribe to my channel while you are there.

Care after transplanting raspberries

As soon as you finish transplanting raspberries you should water in the transplant. Give it a good drink right away to ensure the roots are moist and to help the soil settle around the plant.

Over the next few weeks be sure to water often. The new plant won’t have much of a root system at first so it will need plenty of water until the plant is established.

Raspberries also do better with some mulch to keep the soil cool and to help keep weeds down. The mulch can be as simple as a few inches of grass clippings. But 2 or 3 inches of compost would be even better. Put this out right away with new transplants to help minimize stress on the new plants.

Expanding your raspberry patch using your own starts is really pretty simple and if done early in the year it is also very effective. It’s not a perfect method, I’ve found that around 80% of the transplanted starts will survive. So plan on losing a few starts. (But hey no big deal they were free anyway!)

My patch is a perfect example of how successful this method can be. This big beautiful patch was started 3 years ago using this method and starts from a neighbor’s patch.