Gardeners often wonder when is the best time to plant raspberries: in the fall or in the spring? Planting raspberries in the fall (especially when it comes to seedlings with an open root system) has a number of significant advantages. It is advisable to plant raspberries in spring in a short time (very early - before the plants start to grow), in the fall there is much more time for this. At the beginning of the season, a lot of urgent matters always arise at the dacha.
When shrubs fall asleep in anticipation of winter, all life processes in them are extremely slowed down. Excavation of plants during this period is painless. Planting raspberries in the fall allows them to wake up without any stress in the spring at the right time, which is determined by weather conditions. It is also significant that in this case the natural moisture of the soil from autumn rains and spring melting of snow is used to the maximum.
Planting in spring may be preferable in cold lowlands and for capricious large-fruited varieties.
When is it better to prune raspberries: in spring or autumn, in which month?
Raspberry harvest after pruning
After winter (spring) and after summer (autumn), gardeners have the most work: they need to remove weeds, whitewash tree trunks and trim young branches. At this time, pruning of the stems and shoots of raspberries is also carried out. When is it better to prune raspberries: in spring or autumn, in which month?
- In order for the bushes in the raspberry to grow and multiply well, the first pruning is done when planting. Shorten them to 25-50 centimeters using a special tool - a pruner.
- Spring pruning perform with the onset of warmth. This is done at the beginning of the first month of this season, when the snow cover has completely thawed, but the ground has not yet fully warmed up. The time for pruning is chosen depending on the area - in March or April.
- In autumn, the processes are shortenedif they were not pruned before the beginning of the fruiting period. This is done no later than 2 weeks before a strong drop in air temperature - in October or November. Pruning this way for the winter helps the raspberries grow quickly.
Advice: In the northern regions, pruning is performed at the end of the first autumn month (September), since later (October-November) there may already be a strong cold snap.
Modern gardeners often use the raspberry pruning method. according to Sobolev - the founder of raspberry growing. He advises cutting off the scions on the bushes using the binary pruning method - the first year in the spring or early summer and the second year also in the spring.
Raspberry cut according to Sobolev
- First cut performed in May or early June, but on the condition that the stems have grown to 80-100 cm. You also need to pinch the top of the processes, cutting off 15 cm in height. Side branches begin to grow actively, a good and strong stem is formed. This year, do not carry out any more manipulations.
- Next year - in the spring, after the first leaves erupt from the buds, the second pruning is performed. It is necessary to shorten the shoots by 15 cm.Thanks to this technique, many new branches will be formed.
This method of pruning the shoots allows you to increase the number of berries 10 times, respectively, the yield increases.
How to prepare and root a stalk
For propagation of raspberries, stem and root cuttings are used. Vigorous raspberry bushes, healthy-looking and well-developed, are chosen as the parent plant. The bush should have a strong stem, rich bright green leaves and a rich harvest.
The best time for propagation by cuttings is spring. The grower will need a small greenhouse or greenhouse to root the planting material. Cuttings of seven to eight centimeters long are cut from the mother plant, making sure that two to four buds remain on each. Too large shoots for grafting will not work, since they will root poorly.
When cutting off the shoots, the knife is deepened three centimeters into the soil. The extracted stalk is trimmed with a sharp secateurs along the cut line. In the lower part of the cutting, two centimeters long cuts are made with a sharp knife. It is enough to make four or five such cuts, trying to maintain the same distance between them.
Prepared cuttings are placed for fifteen hours in a solution of means for the formation of roots. The ideal drug for this purpose is Kornevin. Throughout the entire time, the temperature of the solution should be around eighteen degrees. If it drops below, many cuttings will not be able to root.
Prepared cuttings are placed for fifteen hours in a solution of means for the formation of roots
While the planting material is in the root-forming solution, prepare the ground in a greenhouse or greenhouse. The soil mixture in which the cuttings will root should be light, nutritious, air and moisture permeable. The ideal recipe for soil preparation is as follows: mix a bucket of peat, a bucket of sand and half a bucket of earth from the forest. The cuttings are planted in the prepared soil, keeping a distance of fifteen centimeters between them. At the final stage of planting, the garden bed is watered abundantly.
In the subsequent time in the greenhouse, it is necessary to ensure the temperature at the level of 24 to 26 degrees and the humidity in the range of 90 to 92 percent. If these conditions are strictly observed, after about a month, almost all the cuttings will take root. When the roots appear and the cuttings start growing, they are ventilated for longer and less often. After two weeks, the cuttings can already be moved to a permanent place. Cuttings are dug out of the greenhouse along with a lump of earth and transferred to another part of the garden. Over the summer and autumn, they will grow up and in the next season they will already give a harvest.
When and how to properly prune common, red, yellow, black raspberries in summer, after harvest?
Plain red raspberry when pruned correctly
Summer pruning is important for any raspberry variety. After picking berries - in July or August, on red, yellow and black raspberries, do the following:
- Cut all the branches on which the berries have ripened to the surface of the soil. Don't leave the hemp! They have already fulfilled their function and are not needed by the plant, but will only pick up juices and interfere with the young growth.
- Try to limit the spread of the crop in a timely manner... Thanks to this, it will be possible to maintain excellent yields. Crop branches that grow in the center will develop rapidly, grow and produce a lot of berries.
- Throughout the summer - 2-3 times a month, remove all shoots, which cut out of the soil... Leave only those that are located within further than 20 cm from the central bushes, that is, you should get smooth raspberry beds, and not thickets overgrown with young shoots. If this is done regularly, then such a process will not require a lot of effort and time.
It's important to know: Young shoots that have just emerged from the soil do not need to be pulled out or dug up. Simply cut the undergrowth below the surface of the soil with a shovel and it will dry on its own.
In addition, shorten the shoots of red and yellow raspberries by 20 cm, and for black ones - up to 40 cm... Black raspberry-blackberry stretches over 2.5 meters in length, after cutting off the top, about 2-2.1 meters of the stem should remain.
What if you didn't manage to plant the seedlings on time?
If you did not manage to plant raspberries in time, you can save them in several ways: using common dripping in the area or home storage in a cool place.
The method of dropping is applied in the fall, so that the seedlings are preserved until spring. Choose a dry, sunny place on a hill where a trench is dug, the length of which depends on the number of seedlings. For each bush, you need twenty centimeters and so much more - to save free space. The depth of the trench should be about sixty centimeters, and the width will fit equal to the wooden box.
You cannot add seedlings and cuttings in an area with a close occurrence of groundwater, as they will provoke rotting of the root system. The trench is dug from west to east, the south-facing slope is dug at a forty-five-degree slope, and the north slope is vertical. Heavy soil is lightened in advance by mixing it with peat and sand. It will be much easier to take out plants from light soil with the arrival of spring.
At the bottom of the dug trench, moss, sawdust or branches of conifers are laid, creating a layer of fifteen centimeters. These materials will be needed for thermal insulation. Before placing the seedlings in the trench, they must be prepared. Extra leaves are removed from the stems, and the roots are placed in a container of water for five hours. If the root system is dry, the residence time in the water is increased to two days.
Do not bury seedlings and cuttings in an area with a close occurrence of groundwater
After soaking, diseased and damaged roots are removed. The seedlings are placed in the trench with their roots to the north and tops to the south. Thanks to this arrangement, the plants will be well lit. The roots and parts of the stems are covered with a twenty-centimeter layer of earth, the trench is watered abundantly and sprinkled on top with a little more earth. Before the onset of frost, the plants are completely covered with soil, forming a kind of mound.
You can also save seedlings in the basement of the house. To begin with, prepare an earthen mixture for seedlings, which is steamed, mixed and cooled. The seedling is wrapped in a bag, where the substrate is added, filling all the space between the roots. Be sure to ensure that no air pockets form in the bag. Several holes are made in the bag so that air can penetrate inside, the soil itself is moistened, and the bag is tied.
If you plan to store raspberries in the cellar, the bag is tied exactly above the root collar. If you plan to keep the seedlings in the refrigerator during the winter, then the plant is wrapped in a bag until the first branches. Next, the plant is placed where the temperature will be kept between zero and five degrees Celsius.
When and how to properly trim common, red, yellow, black raspberries in the fall, for the winter?
Black raspberry
Autumn pruning should be done in October-November, depending on the area. It is important to cut the crop stems 2 weeks before the appearance of a light frost at night. How to properly cut the usual red, yellow, black raspberries in the fall, for the winter? Here are some tips:
- Cut out all the growththat is weak, dry, damaged and sore. This sanitization is important for raspberries.
- Cut off the shoots near the soil surface, then collect and burn behind the fence of the site so that pests and diseases do not spread throughout the site.
- Harvest green growth as well, since it still does not have time to ripen and will dry out anyway, taking the juices from the main root.
To obtain a good harvest of black raspberry-blackberry, the following pruning features should be taken into account:
- Late autumn (late October, early or mid-November - the warmer the region, the later, and vice versa, the colder the region, the earlier) remove the shoots that grew for 2 years and gave berries.
- Cut the side stems to 30-50 cm in length... Leave no more than 10 thick and healthy growths on one stem.
- The rest of the stems are pruned near the ground.
- By winter, bending of the shoots is carried out... The plants are tied up and gently bent up to 40 cm to the ground. Thanks to such manipulations, the culture overwinters well, covered with snow.
- Bend down before the onset of cold weatherso that the shoots are not yet dry, otherwise they may break. It is better to do this before early October in cold regions.
Bending down raspberry stems in autumn
Visual step-by-step landing instructions
Planting seedlings involves the following sequence of procedures:
- the seedling is lowered into the prepared hole and placed in the center;
- you can not bury raspberries, but you should not plant them on the surface either, otherwise it threatens to dry out the root system;
- they begin to fill the hole with soil, straightening the roots and making sure that the earth fills all the space between them;
- the earth is slightly compacted and tamped;
- raspberries are watered abundantly;
- the substrate is covered with mulch, for example, sawdust or peat;
- the seedlings are cut, leaving a height of twenty centimeters.
Video: trench planting method for raspberries
Video: how to trim remontant raspberries
It's important to know: If raspberries of this type grow in northern latitudes, where real summer lasts a little more than a month, in the fall you need to remove all shoots, and even young ones.
During the summer, raspberries will not have time to bear fruit 2 times, and with such manipulations we help the shrubs to skip the first wave of berry ripening. Thanks to this, strong shoots will form, the culture will begin to bloom earlier and there will be a lot of fruits and they will be large and of high quality.
Planting in closed containers
If there is not enough space on the site and the gardener wants the raspberries not to grow and give growth, they can be planted in closed containers. For the plant, containers are selected made of metal or plastic, fifty by fifty centimeters in size. The bottom of the pots is removed, the field of which is placed in pre-dug holes and added dropwise. When the raspberries are watered, moisture and liquid fertilizing do not go outside the pot, but remain completely inside the container. As a result, the place next to the raspberries remains free, and shoots are not formed.
Do I need to prune raspberry bushes when planting?
Raspberries
If, after planting, the raspberries are not cut off, the harvest will be small. Also, young shoots that can bear fruit the next year will not appear. In addition, plants that have already begun to bear fruit take root better. Therefore, it is important to prune the raspberry bushes when planting. Use a pruning shear to cut the stems, leaving stumps no more than 25-50 cm in height.
Planting in holes
It is recommended to cook the land in the fall, loosening and digging up the site. It is advised to fence the perimeter of the raspberry tree with boards so that the tenacious plant does not grow. For planting, prepare holes forty by fifty centimeters in size, observing an interval of two meters. It is enough to leave a distance of one meter between the rows. Pits are prepared in advance by digging and filling with a nutrient substrate. It is imperative to take into account the planting height, since the root collar will have to be above the ground so that after watering and soil shrinkage it will be level above the ground.
How to rejuvenate old raspberries by pruning: diagram, tips
Rejuvenated raspberries by pruning
It often happens among inexperienced gardeners that they do not properly care for the raspberry tree. Because of this, raspberries are overgrown with young growth, weeds and old stems. Naturally, the yield drops dramatically. But you can rejuvenate old raspberries by pruning. Here's a diagram and tips:
- In spring, after warming up, cut each stem up to 1 meter high... Leave 2-3 strong branches or, if the bush is powerful, then 4 or 5 branches. Cut off weak, slightly frozen, twisted, dry branches.
- Thin the planting well without worrying about trimming too much. The more spacious the bed is, the better the harvest will be.
- Passages must be clean: meter rows should alternate with half meter aisles.
- Remove young growth in a timely manner.
Advice: In addition to pruning, you need to mulch the soil (hay, straw, leaves, grass), water the bushes abundantly.
After all the manipulations done, raspberries will give a good harvest this year. After harvesting, cut off all the shoots that have borne fruit, pinch off the tops. In the fall, fertilizer can be applied, such as ash.
Remember, your efforts will not go to waste. Pruning for rejuvenation will help transform an overgrown bush into a super-yielding giant. In addition, not only the number of berries will increase, but also their size.
Tips for choosing a seedling
The successful cultivation of raspberries depends on the quality of the planting material, so its choice should be approached carefully. Raspberries are propagated by green shoots, 1 and 2 year old seedlings, rhizomes and potted seedlings. Any planting material must be clean and completely healthy. For cultivation, seedlings are chosen with a strong developed root system, which should be at least twenty centimeters long.
The green mass should be dense, and the main stem should be at least a centimeter thick at the very base. In the lower part of the raspberry shoot, three to four buds must be present. When choosing, pay attention to the condition of the seedlings: they should not be frozen and dry. You should not buy lush and too large raspberry bushes, because they are difficult to take root in a new place.
The successful cultivation of raspberries depends on the quality of the planting material.
Quality planting material is best purchased from reputable nurseries. You should not buy seedlings from little-known gardeners, as the plants can be infected. Choose nurseries located in your area, because the seedlings in such establishments will be adapted specifically to the climate of your region.
Seedlings can be prepared using your own raspberry plantings in the garden. Plants are separated along with the ground, so that later it would be easier for them to take root in a new place. The green mass of the plant is immediately shortened by forty centimeters, removing all the leaves. If traces of fungal diseases and dead buds are found on the seedlings, they must be urgently cut off at ground level and burned to prevent the spread of the disease.
Stimulants for disembarkation
When planting raspberries, both in spring and in autumn, the use of special substances that stimulate the active development of the root system is not an obligatory agrotechnical method, but it is very desirable. Before planting, the roots of seedlings can be immersed in a solution of one of such biostimulants as Humate, Zircon, NV-1, Heteroauxin, Kornevin, Kornerost (and their analogues). In this case, it is not recommended to exceed the dosage of the drug and the soaking time, you need to act exactly according to the instructions. Then this liquid should be watered. Powdery means the roots are powdered directly in the planting pit.
How to prepare the soil for planting raspberries: a step-by-step guide
Soil preparation depends on several factors:
- Raspberry variety;
- The quality of the land in the allotted area;
- What is the planting: single or the whole area is planted.
But it's worth starting by choosing a site. And then we will prepare it specifically for raspberries.
- The ideal location is on the south side near the fence. Here raspberries will be comfortable (the fence will protect the bushes from drafts and northern winds), and they will be able to reproduce peacefully.
- The place should be sunny.
- Cannot be planted where groundwater is close. And it is not recommended to plant bushes on hills where the soil dries out quickly.
And now about preparing the soil:
- In advance, in 2-3 weeks, the land in the area allocated to the raspberry-tree is dug onto the bayonet of the shovel (this is approximately 25-30 cm).
- To destroy pests, the soil is treated with insecticides.
- If the soil is acidic, it must be deoxidized with dolomite flour or lime.
- Sandy soil needs organic feeding.
- When the soil after digging has compacted, you need to dig planting ditches or holes. Drainage is laid at the bottom of the ditches.
Further actions will be already immediately before and during the landing.
Preparing for winter
The main task of autumn raspberry care is to prepare the shrub for winter. Raspberries survive frosts down to -35-400C, but on condition that it is completely hidden under the snow (exception, special winter-hardy varieties that can withstand frost over a snow cover). The shoots are bent to the ground, tied together and pinned to the ground. It is very important to do this while the stems are still flexible enough, no later than the end of September. Additionally, raspberries are covered with snow after the establishment of a permanent snow cover
Before laying raspberries for winter, you need to prune them. Autumn pruning can be carried out from August (when the fruiting period has ended) until the onset of the first frost (as a rule, the end of September). If we are talking about ordinary varieties of raspberries (not remontant), then it is better not to postpone. Pruning in August, on the one hand, stops the spread of diseases and pests, and secondly, allows the shrub to direct all its forces to the growth of young shoots.
Gooseberry pruning
When to prune gooseberries
Gooseberries tend to grow rapidly both in height and in width, so gooseberry branches are pruned annually after the leaves have fallen from the bushes.
Pruning gooseberries in the fall
Pruning gooseberry bushes primarily involves removing dry, crooked, thickening and old branches at the root, which reduce the yield of the bush. On a young bush, select the five strongest branches and shorten them to a height of 20-25 cm, and remove the rest of the growth. In older bushes, in addition to sanitary pruning, shortening of curved and downward shoots is carried out, and cut the young growth of the current season to the second or third strong bud, without too shortening the branches that you decide to leave bearing. Make sure that the overgrowth from the roots does not grow, remove it in time.
When is the last watering done?
Good watering is another important step for better wintering raspberries.... The last watering before wintering is also called water-charging. It is needed in order to saturate the soil with moisture, because moist soil provides the best frost resistance of the root system.
It is recommended to do moisture-charging watering about a week before the first frost. That is, it falls in all regions around October.
In general, watering raspberries is recommended to be gradually reduced from August. In late summer and early autumn, the shrubs are no longer watered at all, especially if it rains. If this period is completely dry, then you need to water the soil sparingly, just not allowing it to dry out deeply. Therefore, under normal conditions, water-charging irrigation occurs after a long break in irrigation of raspberries. The classic watering rate before winter is up to 40 liters. for every square meter of land.
Whether to remove dead wood
Yes, yes and yes again! This is the main purpose of the autumn pruning of garden shrubs. All dry branches that were marked in the summer are cut to the very base, without leaving a hemp. But it’s not that simple.
Dry branches of currants and gooseberries are usually quite large and sometimes you have to saw them with a short-toothed hacksaw.Be careful and trim carefully so as not to "loosen" the trunk. Due to the increased fragility, the branch must be held with one hand during pruning.
Dead wood of raspberries is almost all shoots from two years of age and older. In autumn, they are clearly visible due to shaggy bark growths. There is no sense from these branches, autumn pruning will allow the plant to quickly regain strength next year and release a lot of new growth.
Dead wood from all berry bushes should be cut directly at the root, leaving no cuttings. Even if the branch is damp to the touch at the very base, it most likely will not give the required number of young shoots, so it must be completely removed.
Why prune fruit bushes
If fruit bushes - currants, gooseberries, honeysuckle - are not cut off, although they live a long time, their shoots become smaller in growth, there are few berries on them. The reason is that inside the bush it became too crowded due to old branches not cut out in time. How can you recognize them and distinguish them from the young?
The oldest branches of a bush are always the lowest inclined to the ground. Let's clarify that we are now talking about powerful branches, which could be called skeletal, and not about every little thing. Rationing their number is the basis of the health and fruiting of the bush.
Whether you take all varieties of currants, or gooseberries, honeysuckle, rose hips, etc., as well as various ornamental shrubs - they all have this featureb: the oldest skeletal branches always, as it were, form vaults to the sides... They are more deflected than others, are located on the periphery and tend to bend all the way to the ground.
Why does the plant need it? Basically, so that the first branches do not interfere with the sun to illuminate all subsequent ones: the growing shoots of the young should "emerge" from the clarified center, then fruit buds are also laid on them. (In the dark, in strong shade, fruit buds do not form.) There is another reason: the tops of the oldest branches, sprinkled with leaf litter, take root, thereby the young bushes "scatter" to the fresh soil like strawberry whiskers.
Have you noticed that the tops of all bushes take root very quickly? Even in raspberries in some years such rooting takes place, although its shoots are very fleeting, they do not have time to take root, so the raspberry prefers to "scatter" with the help of root shoots.
The highest yield is possessed by the skeletal branches of the bush of average age, they create the bulk of the crop. Each berry culture has its own aging period for skeletal branches, and the fruit grower knows them in order to cut them out in time. As they age, they move to the sides and lean to the ground more and more, there are fewer leaves and berries on them, they become black, gnarled and semi-dry. This is usually not brought to this, since these gnarled branches are a breeding ground for scale insects, kidney mites and other vermin.
To the content
What can you plant raspberries next to?
Why is it important to choose neighbors for raspberries? So that the plants protect each other, protecting them from diseases, pests, weather conditions (wind, excessive lighting, in which the soil dries quickly).
So good neighbors:
- Apple tree.
- Herbs such as dill, basil, marjoram, parsley.
- Rowan.
- Lilac.
- Pear.
- Currant (any).
- Plum.
- Garlic.
- Red elderberry.
- Nettle.
And again, the most ideal option is to leave raspberries without neighbors!
Dates of planting raspberries
Raspberries should not be planted in late summer. Young shoots at this time had not yet matured, the process of active outflow of nutrients into the root system had just begun, renewal buds on the root collar had not formed. Autumn can be early or late, but only the period of leaf fall of raspberry bushes is a sure signal for digging seedlings and planting.As a rule, in early maturing varieties this happens a little earlier than, say, in late maturing and large-fruited. The last to be transplanted are the remontant varieties. Stable autumn coolness and rainy weather contribute to good survival rate.
What needs to be done after pruning?
Pruning is very stressful for any plant. Top dressing and abundant watering will help to reduce its influence.
It is better to fertilize raspberries immediately with mixtures with potassium or phosphorus - this will help the culture to start preparing for the winter season and increase the frost resistance of the roots.
To prevent cut raspberries from becoming a target for pests, at the same time they can be sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.
Finally, later there will be only one necessary step - mulching. For regions with cold winters, a step may be added with the obligatory covering of the raspberry with foliage, straw or cloth to protect it from severe frosts.
Pruning honeysuckle
When to prune honeysuckle
Many experts believe that honeysuckle does not need pruning until it is 5-7 years old. Honeysuckle bears fruit on annual shoots, but enters full fruiting only in the eighth year of life. It is best to prune honeysuckle in the fall, after the foliage has fallen, but do not delay this procedure until the first snow.
Pruning honeysuckle in the fall
Starting from the eighth year of life, an annual thinning and rejuvenating pruning of honeysuckle is carried out, during which aging and too thickened tops of the skeletal branches are removed, gradually increasing the role of replacement shoots growing in the middle part of the old skeletal branch as new bearing branches. Thinning of the peripheral zone is carried out by trimming. Make sure that the lower parts of the branches are not too exposed.
In general, on young bushes, slight thinning with shortening of the shoots prevails, and fully fruiting bushes are thinned moderately, also slightly shortening the shoots. Old bushes are subject to strong thinning. Leave one third of the fruiting branches without pruning at all, unless it is required for sanitary purposes. Over time - upon reaching the age of 8-10 - these branches are cut in turn "on a stump".
Shrub soil preparation
It is almost impossible to overfeed an adult raspberry plantation (in the first half of the season). This culture loves organics. If you plant it near a compost heap or loose (especially cucumber) beds, the root shoots will "run away" there. Placement after siderates is successful.
When laying a raspberry in the fall, it is not forbidden to add any fertilizers (including infusion of weeds and compost from leaves) to the soil, except for fresh manure and chicken droppings (they can burn the roots and reduce winter hardiness). First of all, the soil must be loose. It is also important to carry out deoxidation (preferably in advance or in a mild form, so as not to disrupt the absorption of nitrogen by wood ash, dolomite flour). Ash is allowed to be applied in the amount of half a kilogram (1 liter) per one running meter of the trench. Complex mineral mixtures, humates with trace elements, potassium sulfate, superphosphate (the dosage is indicated on the packages, approximately 30 grams of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers per running meter) - everything will be beneficial. There is no point in adding urea and saltpeter in the fall. It is better to offer nitrogen in the form of long-lasting organic matter - rotted manure, grass humus, mixed mature compost - from 10 kg (about a bucket) per well.
The prepared trench is spilled with water before planting and again after it. Mulching is a must! As a rule, additional watering in the fall is not required.
You should know that even in the most ideal conditions, the survival rate of raspberries is rarely one hundred percent. Even 30% is considered a good result. The plantation from the shoots taken on their site is formed "with a reserve". When purchasing seedlings of a new valuable variety, it is safer to take at least three pieces.
Timing of pruning raspberry bushes
Autumn pruning is recommended as early as possible. It is best to do this right after picking the last berries. Some gardeners do not wait for the entire ovary to ripen and cut the raspberry tree in mid-August. In this version, all the vitality of the plant will go to the benefit of the young growth of this year. Fresh shoots will be strong, strong and have time to woody before the onset of cold weather. This will serve as a guarantee of good fruiting for the next year.
Cut raspberries as early as possible
Old branches are always a source of the appearance of harmful insects and infectious diseases, which are especially activated in the warm autumn season. The faster you get rid of last year's shoots, the healthier the raspberry will be next year. In warm southern regions, the culture can bear fruit again, so there they are not in a hurry with pruning and carry out this procedure closer to mid-autumn. It is important to be in time at least 15–20 days before the onset of frost.
Double pruning of raspberries according to Sobolev
The famous Sobolev technique, which significantly increases the fruiting of raspberries, consists in double pruning of bush shoots. Many experienced gardeners argue that in the climate of the middle zone and northern regions of our country, such a technique will not work, since the second part of the crop simply does not have time to ripen. However, for semi-renovated varieties, for example, it can provide an excellent opportunity to increase yields. This technique will be especially good for the southern latitudes of Russia.
IMPORTANT! In any case, double pruning according to Sobolev is done only on two-year increments, one-year shoots are not touched, since they already have a program for the fastest ripening of berries!
This method is especially effective on bushes with many tall, unbranched branches.
Pruning remontant raspberries by the Sobolev method Photo: fermer.blog
The Sobolev pruning technique consists of the following simple steps:
- The first time is the end of May or the first days of June, when the shoots reach a height of 70-100 cm, cut the apical tops by 10-15 cm. Thus, dormant buds in the leaf axils awaken and the stem begins to branch out in breadth. Accordingly, it is on such two-year branches that the first summer harvest will be formed;
- The second time - in the fall after fruiting, that is, in the summer, two-year shoots are not cut out at the root, or in the spring - a more optimal time, cut the tops on each lateral branch formed after the first cutting by the same 10-15 cm.This will stimulate the formation of even stronger branching and greater collection of fruits.
Bushes that are processed according to the Sobolev method should be planted at a decent distance, since there is a strong raspberry branching. Since the volume of the shrub is increasing, it is accordingly necessary to increase the rates of watering and dressing.
There are also some disadvantages of this method:
- The Sobolev pruning technology contributes to the excessive thickening of the bush, which can lead to the development of diseases;
- The climatic conditions of a large part of the territory of our country do not allow enjoying the extended high yield, since in September constant cold rains and even the first frosts are possible.
Varieties and types of berries
Thanks to the tremendous work of breeders, the raspberry variety is represented by more than 300 species (20 of which are grown in Russia), differing in endurance, ripening time, yield, with their own disadvantages and advantages. To choose a suitable planting material for yourself, you need to familiarize yourself with the classification of raspberries.
The variety is:
- common raspberry (traditional) - differs in undemanding to soil and climatic conditions, giving numerous annual shoots, bearing fruit in the summer of 2 years of life, but low-yielding.Popular varieties: Solnyshko, Izobilnaya, Early Sweet, Meteor, Cumberland;
- remontant raspberry - rapid ripening of fruitful buds, contributing to flowering and fruiting in the first year of life even in a short and cool autumn, the fruits of the second harvest are larger and more aromatic than the first, ripens in August-September. Needs a warmer, sunny, draft-proof location: Penguin, Hercules, Diamond, Golden Autumn;
- raspberry-blackberry hybrids - combine the characteristics of both raspberries and blackberries, differ in cold resistance, thornlessness (from raspberries), unpretentiousness, increased productivity (from blackberries), many varieties do not give root growth, are grown on trellises (Loganbury - fruit weight 5- 10 g, yield 5-7 kg from one bush; drought-resistant variety Tayberry - fruit 5-7 g, productivity up to 9 kg);
- decorative species with a few sour berries, but fragrant flowers: raspberry (fragrant raspberry) - shrub (1.5-2 m) with large maple-like leaves, fragrant flowers up to 6 cm in diameter pink or purple, blooms from July to September; excellent raspberry - the Olympic Double variety begins to bloom at the end of May, the flowers are single, drooping, double (3 cm), the fruits are large, orange.
These varieties of raspberries are also divided into numerous groups:
- large-fruited and medium-fruited;
- sweet and sweet and sour;
- early ripening, mid-ripening, late;
- frost-hardy or not winter-hardy.
On a branching bush with curved shoots or on a standard tree, with a different leaf shape, there are single or collected in a bunch of red, yellow, orange and other berries of numerous shades.
For example, the black raspberry variety "Ugolyok" has small berries weighing 2 g, sweet and sour taste, ripens early and does not crumble, is stored for a long time, yield up to 6 kg. "Yellow giant" (the name characterizes the color and size) - yellow berries weighing up to 10 g are very sweet, juicy, the bush bears fruit until frost, tolerates cold winter well.
The original standard form of the bush, which does not require support. Compact raspberry trees of the "Krepysh" variety will not only please with a rich (up to 4 kg per bush) harvest, but will also bring a "zest" to the landscape. This is a medium-ripening variety, large-fruited 8-10 g with red berries bears fruit stably and gives a rich harvest only in warm climates, does not tolerate temperature extremes.
For planting in the northern regions of Russia (Altai Territory), gardeners recommend repairing varieties of increased cold resistance: Brilliant, Rubinovaya, Zorenka Altai, Gift of Siberia.
Breeders have bred plants for northwest, for example, the Leningrad region: the August miracle, Elegant, Eurasia.
Offered for cultivation in the middle lane (Moscow region): Indian Summer-2, Inaccessible.
For all regions of Russia - Linda, Scarlet Sails.
Modern cultivars are well adapted to weather conditions, even a lack of sun has little effect on yield and taste, but there are some subtleties of agricultural technology, which become the main condition for abundant fruiting.