Raspberries

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 15:51

© Valentyn Volkov Volkov / Rusmediabank.ru

Latin name: Rubus idaeus Family: Pink Headings: Fruit and berry crops

Common raspberry (lat. Rubus idaeus) - popular berry culture; dwarf shrub of the Pink family.

Characteristics of culture

Raspberry is a deciduous shrub with a height of 1, 5-2, 5, with a perennial rhizome and erect above-ground shoots. The root system is powerful, branched; rhizome - woody, sinuous. The shoots of the first year are pubescent, herbaceous, green in color with a bluish bloom, in the lower part are covered with small brown thorns. Two-year-old shoots, lignified, without thorns, dry up immediately after fruiting, and new annual shoots grow from the rhizome.

Leaves are compound, oval, petiolate, alternately arranged, on the outside - dark green, on the inside - whitish, pubescent. The flowers are snow-white, up to 1 cm in diameter, collected in racemose inflorescences, located in the axils of the leaves and on the tops of the stems. Flowering takes place from mid-June to late July, in some regions until August.

The fruit is complex, presented in the form of hairy drupes, grown together on a receptacle, can be red, pink, burgundy, yellow and even black. After planting, the berries appear in the second year, in the southern regions of Russia - on annual shoots, but in late autumn.

Growing condition

Raspberry is a photophilous crop, prefers well-lit areas. In shaded areas, the plant develops poorly, young shoots stretch out, and as a result, the fruiting branches are closed from sunlight. The growth of shoots is greatly delayed, and they do not have time to prepare for persistent cold weather, which subsequently leads to freezing. In addition, the lack of light weakens the culture, it becomes susceptible to pests and diseases.

It is recommended to grow raspberries on medium loamy and sandy loam, well-drained soils, with pH 5, 5-6 reactions. Despite the fact that the culture is hygrophilous, the depth of the groundwater should not be closer than 1-2 m. Heavy clay soils with a large layer of limestone located in the surface layer are not suitable for plant cultivation. Negatively raspberry refers to areas and lowlands unprotected from the winds.

Since the crop produces many root suckers during the growing season, which grow throughout the raspberry tree over time, it is best to grow the plant on the outskirts of the garden.

Landing

Planting a culture with cuttings and seedlings is carried out in the fall or spring (before the buds swell). In summer, planting can only be done with cuttings. Raspberry seedlings are planted in the furrows, less often in the holes. Planting grooves and holes are prepared in 2-4 weeks. The depth of the grooves should be about 45 cm, and the width is 50 cm. The dimensions of the holes depend only on the type of planting material. For a standard seedling, a hole is dug with dimensions of 40 * 50 * 50. The distance between the plants should be at least 50 cm, and between the grooves - 1 m.

The wells and furrows prepared in advance are filled 1/3 with a soil substrate consisting of soil mixed with rotted manure, superphosphate and wood ash. When preparing the substrate, it is not recommended to use fresh organic and nitrogen fertilizers. The next stages of planting: placing raspberry seedlings in holes or grooves, sprinkling with the remaining soil, abundant watering and mulching with peat or straw. When planting, it is important to remember: the root collar should be located several centimeters above the soil level.

To prevent further growth of raspberry roots outside the row, sheets of roofing iron wrapped in plastic wrap are placed along the groove on both sides, so that their edge rises above the soil by 10-15 cm after embedding.

Care

Raspberry is a moisture-loving plant; during the period of berry formation, it is especially in need of watering. An excess of moisture and, conversely, a long drought, can lead to a poor quality crop. Requires a culture of timely weeding, loosening and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. Superphosphate, potassium salt and wood ash are ideal for fertilizing.

The plant also needs pruning, which, as a rule, is carried out in the spring, before the buds swell. It is necessary to shorten fruiting shoots to a strong bud, as well as remove thickening and broken branches and root shoots. Bushes that are too large with a lot of berries should be tied up in a fan-like fashion. To do this, long sticks are inserted from both sides of the plant, to which part of the shoots of one bush and part of the shoots of the neighboring one are tied.