What's wrong with my raspberries?

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

They don't develop properly. Rather than the fruit being made of lots of little bobbles, each fruit is made of one or 2 oversized bobbles. I have no idea of the variety as the canes were here when we moved into the house 5 years ago. They're a summer fruiting variety.

I think they're just old and need replacing. My mum reckons a good feed will do the job. My local "reputable Garden Centre" said it's birds. (WTF?)What do others think?

Do you have netting protecting them? It does look as though they have been eaten. If the canes are old or the older canes need cutting out you can get much smaller fruit, but they will still be whole.

I'd try pruning them well (not now obviously), feeding them and giving them some protection. If the same thing happens next year then replace the plants.

Blackberries in woods do this I've noticed when they get a bit old and tired and dry.

They look a lot more like red currants than any raspberry I ever saw. Leaves are similar to raspberries.

Hi all - sorry I've not been back, my MIL had a heart attack last week so we've been spending time with her. On the mend again now fortunately!

So. Birds. I don't think so. I netted them all last year and the same thing happened. The fruit doesn't seem to develop in the first place - right from when they first start to form there are gaps in most of the raspberries.

funny yes, exactly, that's what I thought it might be.

Iljkk the individual bobbles are more like the size of currants than raspberries. Buit they're definitely raspberries - honest!

A few of the fruits are fully formed (though the bobbles are still over-sized). I tried picking some last night and as soon as I did they disintegrated, the bobbles all just came apart.

I'm going to have to dig them out and start again, aren't I?

That is so weird. It is almost like the druplets (bobbly bits) are developing wrong and getting too big.

I wonder if this could be a kind of extreme effect of one of the raspberry viruses?

Have a look at this: www.fruitdisease.co.uk/raspberrybushydwarfvirus.asp

Oh shove that looks exactly it . I didn't think it was birds. Looks like my canes are going to have to go.

It's rotten when that happens. A lot of raspberries do only produce really well for a few years before succumbing, though, so not your fault or that unusual (I think mine are struggling from being moved from shady damp in the garden to a sunnier slope in the allotment, and I half expect to see virus problems shortly). Do you have any autumn-fruiting canes? I've found them to be a bit tougher and more virus resistant.

These are the only ones I have - I'm having a look at a few articles and Heritage and Esta are recomended as being particularly resistent to it, but having trouble tracking down some canes at the moment. I'll keep looking, and ring my local garden centre who are very good at getting hold of things.

Apparently I need to sterlise my tools too! How on earth do I do that?

I guess it's the wrong time of year for planting new canes - bet you find loads come late autumn/spring though (I know this is when Aldi have their spectacular offers).

I sterilise pots with Jeyes fluid, so I guess you could put some on a cloth and wipe tools with it too. It reeks, though. Make sure you wear gloves - I didn't, and it wouldn't come off! I ended up stinking out an entire restaurant at dinner afterwards