Help for peppers and raspberry bush

stanleh

Hi!

The buggies are infultrating my green pepper plant.  It got a late start so it's now starting to bear fruit but the buggies are getting the peppers.  Can anyone recommend something to spray that isn't a pesticide?

My other question is about my raspberry bush.  I just planted it about a month ago and was doing a good job keeping it watered but missed a couple days and now most of the leaves are brown and shriveled.  We just had a good bit of rain but that didn't seem to revive it.  I know it won't bear fruit for a couple years but should I prune it back or leave it?  Or does anyone have a different suggestion?

Thanks!
Heather

alliapistor

stanleh:

Hi!

The buggies are infultrating my green pepper plant.  It got a late start so it's now starting to bear fruit but the buggies are getting the peppers.  Can anyone recommend something to spray that isn't a pesticide?

Thanks!
Heather

Any idea what type of bugs?  This will make a difference for treatment.

No clue re raspberry bush.

stanleh

No idea b/c I don't really see any on the plant or in the peppers but one fell off the plant and it just had a hole in the side of it and dirt on the inside.  Another has fallen off the plant (and the top of it is mushy and holy) and another is still on the plant but has a hole in it. 

nefariousmango

What Zone do you live in?  That will help with the raspberry question.  If you're quickly approaching first frost (like we are in one 4-5) you should mulch around it and water it deeply until then (make sure you're not over-watering it, but that's hard to do outside unless you live somewhere where it actually rains).  Right before or right after the first frost, cut it back to less than a foot tall and maybe even just pick a few good looking canes and prune away the rest.  Cover the first few inches or more of the canes you keep with mulch, we usually use tree trimmings and the cut canes for this, to protect them from freezing, sunburning, and drying out.

 I wouldn't worry too much about the leaves at this point, you don't want new growth this late in the year anyway but you do want to make sure the root system is at its peak (hence the deep watering).  

stanleh

I'm in 7a (in GA, 30ish miles north of Atlanta.)

CollegeGrrl219

I find that raspberry bushes around here can just be left alone and they'll dig their roots as far as they need to go for water. I'd leave it be. However, I don't know how well they grow in your area.

nefariousmango

For Georgia, you might be on the other end of the watering issue- did the leaves wilt before falling off, or just dry out?  Over watering can also cause the leaves to brown and is actually a bigger culprit than under watering in most of the country.  We have nearly 0% humidity all summer long here, with the occasional thunderstorm, so watering is key.  If you get lots of rain and you were still watering, you probably drowned the roots a bit and it just needs a chance to dry out.