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Recently, many summer residents are interested in new raspberry varieties. The unusual color of raspberries always arouses interest. Black Cumberland raspberries are a well-known hybrid of raspberries and blackberries.
These berries have a beautiful dark purple color, which gives freshly squeezed raspberry juice an unusual zest. The taste of the variety is a little more sour than usual, but the beneficial properties of Cumberland raspberries are far superior to others. Indeed, in addition to the nutrients contained in raspberries, they also contain blackberry vitamins. What a luxurious chokeberry bush looks like can be clearly seen in the photo.
Ripe purple and unripe red berries give a unique color to raspberry plantings. The benefits of black raspberries are difficult to overestimate:
- The decorative effect of the berries decorates not only the area, but also the dishes.
- The berries are easily removed from the stalk, but do not fall off the bush.
- Blooms long and profusely.
- The productivity of the bushes is high and stable.
- Tolerates drought.
- Excellent frost resistance - the bushes winter quietly without shelter.
- It has almost no pests, even birds do not peck the berries.
- The list of requirements for caring for Cumberland raspberries is minimal.
- Early fruiting compared to red raspberries.
To avoid the impression that the Cumberland raspberry variety has no drawbacks, it should be noted:
- a large number of seeds in the berries;
- tendency to thicken bushes;
- an abundance of thorns on the stems
- obligatory garter or bush formation.
Cumberland raspberries are grown by tying them on trellises. It is recommended to leave no more than 10 shoots on one bush.
Description of the black raspberry variety Cumberland
In order for the description of the Cumberland variety to be complete, attention should be paid to all parts of the raspberry bush.
Chokeberry raspberries are perennial subshrubs with arched stems. The length of the shoots is about 2.5 - 3 meters. A varietal feature is that they are covered with thorns. Shoots require shaping on trellises. If this is not possible, then gardeners shorten the shoots at the beginning of summer to get lateral branches. The Cumberland raspberry bush looks very compact.
Shoots of different ages differ in color. Annuals are green with a bluish or lilac tint, while biennials are brown in color.
A characteristic that many gardeners really like is that Cumberland raspberries do not produce root shoots. Young shoots grow from the buds of two-year-old stems, at their base. Cumberland raspberries are propagated by the “blackberry” method - by rooting the tops, as well as by layering. This is done by digging in shoots.
Cumberland raspberries begin to bloom in June. The flowers of the variety are small and white. Pollination occurs by bees or other insects. The berries are red at the initial stage of ripening, and then become black, dense and shiny.
A bluish coating is visible on the fruits, which persists during raspberry processing, especially when making jam. It tolerates freezing well, other types of preparations, and is used in baking. Cumberland raspberries are prized for their unique blackberry flavor.
Planting black raspberries in the garden
First you need to know what kind of soil Cumberland raspberries prefer. Gardeners love this variety for its unpretentious composition. But it is still better to plant Cumberland on fertile loams and sandy loams.
For planting black raspberries, select a well-lit area, protected from the cold wind. The groundwater level should not exceed 1.5 meters. Undesirable predecessors for Cumberland raspberries are nightshades (tomato, potato). These crops are susceptible to a dangerous disease - verticillium wilt, which is not beneficial for raspberries. Chokeberry raspberries are disease resistant, but the rules of crop rotation should not be neglected. Also, you should not plant black and red raspberry bushes in close proximity.
The best time to plant Cumberland raspberries is early spring.
The distance between seedlings for the Cumberland variety is kept at 0.5 - 0.7 m in rows, the row spacing is 2 meters wide. For each seedling, a planting hole is prepared with a diameter of 50 cm and a depth of 40 cm. If the soil on the site is not very fertile, then additional organic matter (5 kg), mineral fertilizers or wood ash (0.5 kg) are added to each hole. Mix the fertilizer with the soil and fill the hole. After planting, the seedling is well watered and the soil is mulched. Suitable for this purpose:
- peat;
- rotted manure;
- chopped straw;
- compost;
- dried mown grass.
Before planting, carefully inspect the roots of the seedling. If you come across a specimen with a fibrous root, it needs soil saturated with moisture. If with a rod, it will take root well in dry areas.
In the first year, Cumberland raspberries do not require staking, but in the second year, install trellises. It is more advantageous to tie the stems in a fan manner, as in the photo.
According to gardeners, this simplifies harvesting. At the same time, you can decorate the area with the help of arched stems.
Some gardeners prefer to plant the variety in summer or autumn. But in this case, Cumberland raspberries may face two dangers. In summer, seedlings take root well, but with a lack of moisture, the roots dry out and the leaves burn in the sun. Planted in the fall, young plants do not always tolerate snowless, frosty winters, so they freeze out. Therefore, if you managed to purchase good planting material in the fall, then it is better to dig it up and plant it in early spring. Properly planted plants still require care. Planting and care remain the main agronomic activities when growing Cumberland black raspberries.
Caring for black raspberries
Caring for Cumberland raspberries is slightly different from that for red-fruited varieties. This is due to the fact that it does not form side shoots and greatly simplifies self-care. But it’s still not worth leaving the bushes unattended.
Minimal care will allow you to harvest a decent harvest every year. Let us list some nuances of agricultural technology:
- Pay attention to watering the bushes during the formation of ovaries and ripening of berries. Water black raspberries moderately, trying to prevent the soil from drying out or stagnating water.
- Do not avoid fertilizing.Cumberland raspberries produce a lot of ovaries and require additional nutrition.
- Fertilizing should be done during certain growing seasons - after the color falls off, during the period of fruit filling, after the first harvest.
- Do not leave shoots on trellises in winter. They must be removed and bent to the ground.
- Carry out spring pruning and new tying of shoots to the trellises.
Watering is a familiar technique for gardeners. But feeding each crop is different. This is a very important action for Cumberland raspberries. She responds well to additional nutrition.
We determined the feeding time earlier, and we will list the types now.
For the first time (after the flowers fall off) it is good to use organic matter. Bird droppings or rotted manure melt in water (1:1) within a week. And then the mullein is bred in a ratio of 1:6, and the litter - 1:16. Additionally, 50 grams of superphosphate and 1 liter of wood ash are added to 10 liters of solution. For one black raspberry bush, use a bucket of fertilizer. Immediately water the bush; just pour half a bucket of clean water.
Cumberland black raspberries are fed a second time when the berries ripen. The third after picking the first berries. For both feedings, use the same composition and be sure to water the plants afterwards.
The main difference between black raspberries and conventional varieties is pruning, or rather, its necessity.
Pruning and shaping Cumberland raspberries
It will not be possible to neglect the formation and pruning of the black raspberry bush. This is a mandatory procedure when growing the Cumberland variety.If the shoots are allowed to grow as much as they please, then the plant will not have enough strength for a good harvest. You will have to make do with small and sparse Cumberland raspberries. How to prune black raspberries so that the bush is neat and beautiful, and the yield is high?
It is recommended to carry out two procedures for shaping Cumberland black raspberries. Advice! The first pruning is needed at the end of June, and the second - before the onset of frost, in late autumn.
For the first time, shoots 2 meters long are treated. The apical part of them is pinched, reducing the length to 1.7 meters. This technique stimulates the development of new 6-7 side shoots. Pinch back as early as possible in the spring to encourage branches to form faster.
The second time (in autumn) two-year-old shoots are removed, but only those that have borne fruit. Annuals are pruned at a distance of 50 cm from the ground. Autumn pruning also involves removing excess shoots on each bush. Only the 10 most powerful and healthy ones are left, the rest are completely cut out.
After autumn pruning, the bushes are prepared for winter. The main thing is to protect the plants from damage by snow or wind. The shoots are bent to the ground and fixed. Many people use metal staples for this purpose to secure the bushes. Shelter is not required for planting; snow cover is enough for black raspberries. In winters with little snow, it is raked onto bushes to protect Cumberland from frost. In spring, raspberries are freed from staples and mounted on supports or trellises. Clean the bushes from broken and dry shoots.
How to propagate black raspberries
Gardeners propagate chokeberries in several ways:
Apical layering
At the end of summer, the tops of the bush are bent to the ground and hilled. Water regularly so that adventitious roots form from the buds. Leave for the winter, covered with humus or peat. You can simply spud additionally. In early spring, young plants are separated and replanted. For transplantation, choose a permanent place or area for growing seedlings.
Horizontal layering
Choose a healthy, powerful bush for propagation. In early spring, all shoots are cut to a height of 15 cm from the ground. During the summer, well-developed shoots are formed. They make grooves in the ground and place the stems in them. As soon as the roots appear, the shoots are sprinkled with earth, without covering the leaves and apical buds. Water regularly and cover for the winter. New plants are separated from the mother bush every other year in the fall. With this method of propagation, a large amount of planting material is obtained, but the mother bush dies after 2-3 years.
Green cuttings
This method requires a protected ground, a fogging installation, and is not as simple as the previous ones. Therefore, gardeners use it very rarely.
There is another variety of the Cumberland variety - yellow raspberries.
It differs from chokeberry in its later flowering period. This characteristic allows yellow Cumberland to be grown in midland regions. Like black, it does not produce root shoots. The photo shows yellow Cumberland raspberries.
Reviews
Many gardeners enjoy growing black and yellow Cumberland raspberry varieties.
