Content
- 1 History of selection
- 2 External description of blackberries of the Chachanska Bestrna variety
- 3 Characteristics of blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
- 4 Pros and cons of the variety
- 5 Rules for planting blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
- 6 Caring for blackberries Čačanska Bestrna
- 7 How does it reproduce
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews from gardeners about blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
Recently, blackberries have been confidently “winning” their place in the garden plots of Russian gardeners from ordinary raspberries. With the existing diversity, choosing its variety often causes difficulties. It is necessary to take into account not only the taste and appearance of the berries, but also other criteria. Chačanska Bestrna blackberries are popular not only in their homeland, but throughout the world due to their undoubted advantages.
History of selection
Cacanska Bestrna is a Serbian blackberry hybrid, registered in its homeland in 1984. The name was given in honor of the city where selection work was carried out.
The creator of the hybrid, M. Stanisavlevich, used well-known varieties for his experiments - Black Satin (Black Satin, sometimes sold in Russia under the name Black Velvet) and Dirksen Thornless (Dirksen Thornless). From the first, the hybrid “inherited” the taste of the fruit and high yield.The second is “responsible” for the size of the bush and the absence of thorns.
The new variety not only combines the best qualities of the varieties used during selection, but also surpasses them in many respects. Therefore, now Chačanska Bestrna is one of the most popular hybrids among those who grow berries on an industrial scale not only in Serbia, but also in the Balkans in general.
The Chachanska Bestrna variety was originally created as an “industrial” variety
External description of blackberries of the Chachanska Bestrna variety
The hybrid forms powerful bushes with shoots growing up to 3-3.5 m. They have no thorns and short internodes. At the base the shoots branch intensively. Berries are formed along their entire length. The leaves are large, the surface of the plates is highly corrugated. On the petioles there are single, not too hard “spikes”.
During budding, the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry is very decorative. Its flowers are large, “lush”, soft pink in color, with a light aroma.
The berries are large and one-dimensional. On average, they weigh 9-10 g, but there are also more “massive” specimens weighing 14-15 g. The shape is regular, oval-conical. The skin is thin, blue-black, with a glossy sheen. The blackberry is easily separated from the stalk at the stage of full ripening.
The absence of thorns greatly simplifies the care and harvesting of Chačanska Bestrna blackberries
Ripe berries of the hybrid emit a rich, very pleasant “blackberry” aroma. Their taste is balanced - sweet, with a light, refreshing sourness.
Blackberries are suitable both for fresh consumption and for any homemade preparations (jams, preserves, compotes). The filling for baking is also very tasty. After heat treatment, the berries, if processed soon after picking, largely retain their pulp texture and benefits.
Each berry of the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry consists of 85-90 small, tightly interlocked drupes.
Characteristics of blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
When choosing a blackberry variety, it is important to pay attention not only to the taste and appearance of the bush. Other parameters that determine the possibility of its cultivation in a given area and the efforts that will have to be spent on caring for the plantings are also taken into account.
Ripening time and yield
Chačanska Bestrna is a mid-season blackberry variety. In central Russia, the first berries are picked from the bushes in the last days of July or in the first ten days of August.
8-10 kg of berries are collected from the bush. Competent agricultural technology and optimal climatic and weather conditions for the crop make it possible to increase the yield to 12-15 kg. Maximum yields when grown on an industrial scale are about 20 tons per hectare.
Fruiting is extended, lasting 4-5 weeks, so the color of the berries on the bush varies
Frost resistance
The cold resistance declared by the breeder is about -25 °C. The experience of Russian gardeners indicates more modest indicators - up to -20 ° C. Therefore, it is possible to neglect covering the hybrid for the winter only in warm southern regions.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The overall resistance to pathogens in Chačanska Bestrna blackberries is quite good. Fungal diseases are a rare occurrence for her. This is also not the most favorite variety among pests.But the hybrid does not have “genetically built-in” immunity against diseases and insects, so preventive treatments with fungicides and insecticides are mandatory for it.
Pros and cons of the variety
The popularity of Chachanska Bestrna blackberries among amateur gardeners and professional farmers is due to its significant advantages over other varieties and hybrids:
- suitability for cultivation on an industrial scale and for personal consumption;
- relative unpretentiousness regarding both the landing site and agricultural technology;
- shade tolerance;
- consistently high productivity;
- very good immunity;
- ability to tolerate heat and drought with minimal damage to the volume and quality of the crop;
- absence of thorns on the shoots;
- dessert taste, large size, general presentation of the berries;
- versatility of blackberries.
Chačanska Bestrna blackberries also have quite significant disadvantages:
- achieving maximum yields and radically improving the taste of berries only 3-4 seasons after planting the seedlings;
- very low shelf life and transportability of blackberries;
- insufficient frost resistance for many Russian regions.
Presentation is one of the undoubted advantages of Chačanska Bestrna blackberries
There is no consensus regarding extended fruiting. Some gardeners consider this feature of Chačanska Bestrna blackberries to be an advantage, allowing them to eat fresh berries longer and process the crop gradually. Others note that due to the possible early onset of cold weather, there is always a risk that some part of the crop will not have time to ripen.
Rules for planting blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
A suitable location for planting Čačanska Bestrna blackberries must meet the following criteria:
- Good lighting.
- The presence at some distance of a “barrier” for protection from the cold wind.
- A flat area or a place closer to the top of a gentle hill.
- Nutritious, but relatively light soil, ensuring normal air exchange and preventing water from stagnating at the roots. The acid-base balance of the soil is neutral.
- Groundwater lying at least 1-1.5 m from the soil surface.
If there is a lack of light, the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry will not die, but the volume and quality of the harvest will invariably deteriorate
Chačanska Bestrna blackberries can be planted both in spring and autumn, focusing on the characteristics of the local climate. The second option is practiced mainly by gardeners in the south of Russia. In the spring you need to wait until the substrate at a depth of 40-45 cm warms up to at least 6-8 °C; in the fall there should be at least a month left before the first frost.
Planting holes are prepared approximately two weeks before planting the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry. If it is planned for spring, you need to dig them out in the fall. Humus and the necessary fertilizers are applied immediately, mixed with the most fertile soil (top turf) and poured back into the hole.
You need to immediately provide a place for the trellis. The shoots of the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry are quite powerful, but not erect. The height of the trellis is about 2.5 m, it consists of several vertical supports with rows of wire stretched horizontally between them. The distance between the pillars is 2-2.5 m, the wire is pulled every 60-80 cm.
Proper placement on a support provides the bushes with high-quality ventilation and lighting
Before and after planting, the soil should be watered abundantly.During the process, the roots should not be bent upward, and the root collar should not be buried in the ground. It is left raised above the soil level by 4-5 cm.
Directly planting blackberries Chachanska Bestrna is no different from a similar procedure for other berry bushes
Caring for blackberries Čačanska Bestrna
The Chachanska Bestrna hybrid requires the same care as most varieties of thornless blackberries:
- Watering. The culture is moisture-loving, but does not tolerate stagnation of water at the roots. Therefore, there is no clear schedule; everything depends on the frequency and intensity of precipitation. On average, it is enough to water the plants once every 4-5 days, spending 20-25 liters per bush. In hot weather, the intervals are reduced to 2-3 days.
- Feeding. In the spring, to maintain soil fertility, humus is distributed annually or once every 2-3 seasons around the tree trunk. Around mid-April, Čačanska Bestrna blackberries are watered with a solution of any mineral nitrogen fertilizer. Next, it is recommended to use purchased complex products specifically for blackberries or for fruit bushes. Plants are fed during flowering and twice more, with an interval of 15-20 days.
- Trimming. Chačanska Bestrna blackberries require both sanitary and formative pruning. The first is carried out twice a year, at the beginning and at the end of the growing season, getting rid of broken, frozen, most poorly located branches affected by diseases and pests. When forming bushes, it is taken into account that the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry bears fruit exclusively on two-year-old shoots, so after harvesting they are cut off completely.Excessive thickening should not be allowed, leaving on the bush 6-8 of the most powerful and developed shoots coming from the roots.
It is especially important to regularly moisten the soil for blackberries during flowering and the formation of fruit ovaries.
How to prepare for winter
Around mid-autumn, the shoots are removed from the support and carefully tilted, if possible laying them on the ground. If there is a real risk of breaking the branches, bend them as low as possible.
A tree trunk circle with a diameter of 40-50 cm is mulched with peat or humus (layer 5-7 cm thick). At the roots it is poured into a “mound” 15-20 cm high. The stems lying on the ground are covered with fallen leaves, spruce branches, straw and covered with 2-3 layers of covering material or burlap, securely fixing the entire structure. It is most convenient to pull the protection on low arches.
Do not cover blackberries Chačanska Bestrna with plastic wrap
How does it reproduce
Blackberry Chačanska Bestrna is a hybrid. Therefore, to ensure the preservation of varietal characteristics, it is propagated exclusively by vegetative methods. It is not particularly prone to forming root shoots, so gardeners use layering or cuttings.
Rooting of cuttings is possible only if the shoot of the Chačanska Bestrna blackberry can be bent to the ground. It is placed in a shallow groove, after slightly cutting the bark from below, fixed in this position, covered with humus.If a new bush is formed in this place, in the fall or next spring it is separated from the “mother” plant and transferred to a permanent place.
During the summer, the place where the new bush is supposed to form is watered abundantly.
Blackberry cuttings Chačanska Bestrna - shoot tips 12-15 cm long. For root formation, they are treated with a biostimulant. The cuttings are planted in containers with any moisture-intensive substrate one at a time, providing them with “greenhouse” conditions. Specimens that have formed roots are transplanted into open ground next spring. Blackberry cuttings from Čačanska Bestrna are harvested in early summer.
Conclusion
Blackberry Chachanska Bestrna is a variety suitable for cultivation both on an industrial scale and on personal plots. It cannot be called absolutely problem-free and completely unpretentious, but choosing a place for planting and agricultural technology will not become something too difficult even for not very experienced gardeners. The main “trump cards” of Chačanska Bestrna blackberries are the taste of the berries, the ease of picking them and high yield.
Reviews from gardeners about blackberries Chačanska Bestrna
