Content
Any gardener wants to grow tasty and healthy berries in his garden. Jumbo blackberries, famous for their sweet fruits and unpretentiousness, are ideal for these purposes. But in order to avoid surprises in the process of growing this crop, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the variety. blackberries Jumbo and recommendations for caring for him.
History of selection
Blackberries came to Europe from America in the 18th century. For a long time it was a wild forest plant, but breeders could not ignore the tasty, juicy, and healthy berries. Within a short time, quite a few new varieties were developed, characterized by high yields and suitable for planting in various regions.
Jumbo is a modern, high-yielding, thornless variety of blackberry, which appeared thanks to the efforts of French breeders. He very quickly won the well-deserved love of gardeners.
Description of the berry crop
The wide distribution of this variety is explained by the high taste of the fruit and its ease of care. Reviews about the Jumbo blackberry variety are only positive. Although this is a relatively new variety, it has already become popular.
General idea of the variety
The bushes of the Jumbo blackberry variety are quite powerful, but compact and do not grow to the sides. The shoots generally rush upward, and over the course of a year they add only 45-55 cm in growth. Growing to a height of 1.5 m, they begin to bend toward the ground. Therefore, for blackberry Jumbo you need to install supports (trellises) for garter. Only 2-3 new shoots appear per year.
Jumbo is a thornless blackberry variety. The leaves of this variety of blackberries are dark green, carved, with teeth, and oval in shape.
Berries
Blackberry fruits resemble raspberries and mulberries in appearance at the same time. This variety has multi-berry clusters. The berries of the Jumbo variety are record large. In this, it is the undisputed leader among other blackberry varieties.
The fruits are black, glossy, weighing up to 30 g. The skin covering the berries is durable and quite resistant to mechanical damage.
The berries have a dense consistency but are juicy. The very sweet pulp leaves behind a slightly sour taste. The drupes, although small, are not hard.
The transportability of Jumbo berries is excellent. Berries can be stored in the refrigerator for more than a week without compromising their quality. At the same time, they do not wrinkle and do not release juice.
Characteristic
Before planting Jumbo blackberries in your garden, it is worth weighing the pros and cons to know the strengths and weaknesses of this variety.
Main advantages
The advantage of the Jumbo variety is not only its high taste, but also its heat resistance. It tolerates high temperatures well. At the same time, the quality of the harvest does not decrease; the berries do not bake in the sun.
Jumbo blackberries are undemanding when it comes to soil and are not afraid of the sun. Insufficient lighting does not affect the growth of the bush. But the Jumbo blackberry does not tolerate cold and dampness well, so it needs shelter even in a temperate climate.
Flowering period and ripening time
Jumbo is a mid-season variety. In the southern regions, blackberries begin to ripen in the second half of July, and in regions with colder climates - in early or mid-August. Since Jumbo blackberries bear fruit over a long period, both flowers and berries can be seen on the bush at the same time.
Yield indicators, fruiting dates
The first year, while the blackberry bush is growing and forming, you should not expect a harvest. But next year the Jumbo variety will delight you with sweet berries.
Fruiting of Jumbo blackberries takes up to six weeks. Up to 25-30 kg of berries are harvested from one bush. The unpretentiousness of the variety allows Jumbo to bear fruit in any conditions.
Area of application of berries
Blackberries are used fresh and also as a filling for pies. They can be dried, dried, and made into blackberry jams, preserves, and compotes. Blackberries are excellent for making marmalade and jelly. It has also found its application in winemaking.
Blackberries perfectly retain their excellent taste and do not lose their shape when frozen, which allows housewives to use fresh berries not only in summer, but also in winter.
Blackberries have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects. Blackberry fruits, leaves and flowers are used in folk medicine. Tinctures and decoctions are made from them. You can learn more about the benefits from the article... For linking
Resistance to diseases and pests
Blackberries have quite a few different diseases, but the Jumbo variety is quite resistant to many of them, which sets it apart from other varieties.
Jumbo also has few enemies among insects, and timely preventive measures reduce the risk of pest attack to a minimum.
Advantages and disadvantages
Jumbo blackberries have many more advantages than disadvantages.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Large size and weight of fruits | Relatively low winter hardiness |
| Compactness of bushes | |
| Excellent berry taste | |
| High productivity | |
| Good transportability | |
| Long fruiting periods | |
| Long shelf life | |
| Easy to care for | |
| Disease resistance | |
| No thorns | |
| Heat resistance |
A video about Jumbo blackberries will allow you to learn a little more about this variety:
Reproduction methods
There are several ways blackberry propagation Jumbo:
- apical layering (rooting of shoots without separation from the bush);
- propagation by cuttings cut from green shoots.
Landing rules
There is nothing complicated about planting Jumbo blackberries. It is enough to follow simple rules.
Recommended timing
Jumbo is planted in spring or autumn.Bushes with a closed root system are planted from spring until the first frost.
Choosing a suitable location
Jumbo blackberries prefer sun and warmth, so it is best to plant them in areas with good lighting, protected from the wind, and preferably at a slight elevation. Excess moisture is harmful to the plant.
Soil preparation
When planting seedlings, you need to prepare a fertile mixture, which is laid out at the bottom of the dug hole. In order to make the mixture, the following components are needed:
- superphosphate – 300g;
- manure - 4 buckets;
- garden soil - 8 buckets;
- wood ash – 700 g.
The soil needs to be mixed well.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
The best age for planting blackberry seedlings is one and a half years. At the same time, they must have:
- 1-2 stems;
- presence of a basal bud;
- developed root system;
- 2 or 3 roots more than 10cm long.
Algorithm and landing scheme
The recommended seedling planting pattern for this variety is 1 m x 2 m. However, thickened plantings are allowed for Jumbo blackberries.
Subsequent care of the crop
Caring for Jumbo blackberries is quite simple and includes the following activities:
- watering;
- loosening the soil;
- seasonal and formative pruning;
- deletion weed;
- feeding;
- preparation for winter.
Growing principles
Blackberries of the Jumbo variety need trellises for gartering, since grown shoots at a height of one and a half meters begin to bend towards the ground. And to prevent the formation of chaotic thickets, you need to take care of the plant.
Necessary activities
This variety tolerates drought well, but if possible, it is better to water the plant at least once or twice a week. It is imperative to water during flowering and fruiting.
To increase the yield of Jumbo, it is necessary to fertilize the blackberries in the spring. To do this, add 25 g of a nitrogen mixture and a couple of buckets of humus under the bushes. In summer, 45-55 g of potassium or phosphorus fertilizers are used for feeding for each bush.
Other agrotechnical measures (loosening and weeding) are carried out as necessary.
Shrub pruning
Correct blackberry pruning promotes its growth and fruiting. The purpose of the spring pruning procedure is to rid the plant of frozen shoots. During the autumn season, aged, non-fruiting shoots are removed, which only weaken the plant.
Preparing for winter
When preparing Jumbo blackberries for winter, you need to cut off old and weak shoots at the root, leaving 7-9 young and strong shoots, which should also be shortened by a quarter (20-40 cm).
Having finished pruning, the bush is removed from the trellis and bent to the ground. The soil under the bush is covered with a layer of mulch of 10-12 cm. For this you can use sawdust, pine needles, and peat. The top is covered with agrofibre, film, or roofing felt.
Diseases and pests: methods of control and prevention
Blackberries are susceptible to the following types of diseases:
- non-infectious (excess or lack of microelements);
- bacterial (root cancer);
- viral (curl, mosaic, yellow mesh, rust).
But the Jumbo variety is quite resistant to diseases, and if preventive measures and agricultural practices are followed, it will delight you with delicious berries for a long time.
The main enemies of blackberries are pests:
| Pests | Signs | Way to fight |
| Khrushchev | Damages roots. The plant withers and dies | 1. Sowing mustard near blackberries2.Before planting, soak the roots in a 0.65% solution of Aktara3. Use of Konfidor, Antikhrushch for cultivating the soil around bushes during the growing season |
| Raspberry beetle | Damage to leaves, shoots, inflorescences, roots, berries | 1. Preventive seasonal digging of soil under bushes2. Dusting the dug up earth with ash or tobacco dust3. When buds appear, spray with solutions of Iskra, Fufagon, Kemifos |
| Raspberry stem fly | Damage to young shoots | Trimming damaged shoots and then burning them |
| Blackberry mite | Deterioration in the appearance of the plant and the quality of the berries | Spring spraying of shoots (before buds open) with Tiovit or Envidor solutions |
| Spider mite | Yellowing and premature leaf drop | When the first leaves appear, treat the plants three times with an interval of 7 days with Fitoverm, BI-58, Actofit |
Conclusion
It is obvious that the large-fruited blackberry variety Jumbo deservedly enjoys the attention and love of gardeners. It would seem that a foreign hybrid needs to create maximum comfort, but in fact, the variety is unpretentious, high-yielding, and with little effort will certainly delight you with a magnificent harvest.
