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Raspberries belong to the plants whose fruits have been used by mankind since time immemorial. Archaeologists discovered its seeds at ancient sites of people of the Stone and Bronze Ages. Wild raspberries live in Europe, Asia, and North America. Its distribution is mainly associated with the northern part of the European and American continents; accordingly, in general, it is more frost-resistant than drought-resistant crop.
From the mountains and forests, raspberries gradually moved to human habitations; today they are grown everywhere in temperate climates; many varieties are suitable for the northwestern regions. The best raspberry varieties We try to plant on our plots.
Biological description of raspberries
Raspberries belong to the genus Rubus of the Rosaceae family. The genus consists of almost one and a half thousand species.The sisters of the garden varieties of raspberries that grow almost everywhere in our country are blackberries, princelings, cloudberries, brambles, stone fruits and other lesser-known species.
Most species come from temperate or cold zones of the northern hemisphere, but some grow above the Arctic Circle, in tropical mountainous regions of the southern hemisphere, and on oceanic islands.
Origin of modern varieties
Raspberries, the varieties of which we are accustomed to planting in our garden plots, originate from the following species:
- European red raspberry;
- American black raspberry;
- American raspberry aromatic;
- American red raspberry;
- Asian purple raspberry;
- Asian yellow raspberry;
- South American species Glencourt (Mora).
Most modern varieties with high yields and excellent taste are obtained by crossing European red raspberries with other species. They have preserved its large fruit size and high quality fruits.
Problems of modern breeding
Possessing genes of different species in the hybrid offspring, modern raspberries differ in color, size, and taste of the berries. Productivity, drought resistance, frost resistance, size and number of thorns also differ. There are early and mid-ripening varieties, raspberries that bear fruit in the fall and remontant (bearing fruit repeatedly).
When creating new varieties and hybrids, breeders are tasked with creating raspberries with the following characteristics:
- Large fruit. The weight of the berries should not be less than 5 g.
- The tightness of holding the drupes on the stalk. What is the use of high quality berries if they fall to the ground immediately after ripening?
- High taste and nutritional qualities.
- Mechanical strength of shoots.
- Good transportability.Raspberries are delicate and easily wrinkled; breeders are trying to create varieties suitable for transportation over long distances without losing commercial qualities.
- Resistance to diseases, pests, adverse weather conditions.
- High yield.
The structure of a raspberry bush
By the nature of growth and fruiting, raspberries belong to the shrub berry crops.
Roots
Raspberries have a well-branched root system, the bulk of it is located in the upper layers of the soil, mainly at a depth of 30-40 cm. Only a small number of roots penetrate deeper (up to 1 meter), primarily this is observed on light sandy soils. In the horizontal direction they grow by 2-3 m, but most are located within a radius of 50-60 cm.
The strong root system of raspberries promotes the formation of powerful shoots and ensures good yield. The longevity of each individual bush is determined by the time it takes for replacement shoots to grow from the buds of the rhizome.
Stems
Raspberry stems have a two-year development cycle. Depending on the vigor of growth of the variety, the age of the bush, growing conditions, provision of nutrients and moisture, the shoots in the first year of development can grow up to 1.5-3.0 m. This year they do not branch (which does not apply to remontant raspberries). Some varieties have straight stems, while others grow with a slight slope.
At the beginning of the growing season, the shoots grow intensively, with a daily increase of 4 cm or more, and the taller and thicker they are, the better the raspberry harvest we can expect next season. Due to excess nutrients and moisture, the stems can grow almost 2.0 m in height.They will not have time to ripen before frost and will freeze or freeze, which will certainly negatively affect the yield. In addition, during fruiting of raspberries without a trellis, the shoots will die, which will also not have the best effect on the quality and quantity of berries.
Last year's raspberry stems are called fruiting shoots; they do not grow in height or thickness. Branches with leaves and inflorescences develop from mixed buds. After the raspberries bear fruit, they gradually die off until they die completely in late autumn. As they age, they draw water and nutrients from the soil. They need to be trimmed to the ground surface in a timely manner.
Buds and leaves
Raspberry buds are formed in the axils of leaves on annual shoots. In most varieties, they are formed in two - one above the other. Usually the upper ones are better developed; in the future, fruit branches will grow from them, and rosettes of leaves will grow from the lower buds. It happens that both are equally developed; in case of damage to the upper bud, not leaves are formed from the lower one, but a fruit branch, although weak, with small fruits.
During the raspberry growing season, up to 40 leaves can grow on the shoot, replacing each other. Their formation begins in the spring and usually continues until the end of summer, with each leaf living for about 30 days.
Flowers
Raspberry flowers are bisexual and are well pollinated by their own pollen. Although this plant is self-fertile, the best yields are obtained from a plantation on which 2-3 different varieties grow. Raspberry inflorescences on fruit branches collected in a cluster of 3-5 flowers do not open at the same time.The upper ones open first, and then the lower ones, so flowering usually lasts 25-30 days.
Fruit
The raspberry fruit is a composite drupe - a collection of small juicy drupes fused together. The fruits are formed and held on a hard, inedible stalk, which, depending on the variety, ranges from 7 to 15% of the total mass of the berry.
The shape of the fruits can be:
- round;
- oval;
- conical (truncated conical);
- cylindrical.
The color of raspberries usually varies from pink to deep burgundy. There are very sweet, but low-aromatic yellow dessert varieties and black ones, most often used for processing.
The size of raspberry fruits depends primarily on the variety, but soil fertility and water conditions are important. The first harvest berries are usually the largest. Raspberries can have fruits:
- small – within 1 g;
- medium – 2-3 g;
- large – from 4-5 to 6-8 g.
The quality of the berries, in addition to taste and size, is determined by the adhesion strength of individual drupes, the density of their connection, and the density of the pulp.
The crop ripens unevenly. Berries from one bush are collected as they ripen in 5-10 steps, depending on the variety and weather conditions. From the beginning of flowering to the time the berries begin to ripen, an average of 30 days pass.
The benefits of raspberries
In addition to the fact that raspberries are delicious, juices, syrups, jams, marmalades, wines, and tinctures are made from them. It is dried, frozen, and added to fruit salads and compotes. Raspberries are valuable honey plant, and the dried leaves are used to make tea substitutes.
Raspberries contain sugars, traces of essential oils, proteins, pectins, mucus, organic acids, alcohols, vitamins A, B, C, and tannins. Its seeds contain up to 22% fatty oils.
Raspberry fruits and leaves are widely used in folk medicine and are included in many medicinal preparations, the effectiveness of which is recognized by official medicine. Active research is currently underway on the healing properties of raspberry leaves. As recent research has shown, they contain substances whose action is similar to the action of some hormones, but does not cause side effects.
Raspberry varieties
We offer you a description of raspberry varieties and photos to make it easier to navigate the huge number of existing varieties. Even on the smallest plot, you can plant several varieties of raspberries with different ripening periods and enjoy delicious, healthy fruits until autumn.
Early varieties
Of course, early raspberry varieties are the most desirable in any area. We have been waiting for this berry all year and are happy to harvest the first harvest. Early raspberries are the most expensive, so we present varieties that can be grown on an industrial scale, simply in large areas and intended for sale.
Novokitaevskaya
An early variety, extremely productive, it is capable of producing 150-200 centners per hectare on an industrial scale. Winter- and drought-resistant raspberries, resistant to stem damage. Red blunt-pointed fruits weighing 2-2.5 g have high consumer qualities.
Bryansk Cascade
Medium-sized, medium-spreading raspberry bushes produce medium-sized berries weighing about 2.5 g. They have a blunt-ended shape and a crimson color. This variety requires little care and can be grown on large plantations, where it produces a yield of about 80 centners per hectare.
Meteor
This raspberry variety ripens earlier than others, and is also intended for growing in cold climates. The blunt-ended berries, weighing up to 3 g, have a sweet and sour taste with a raspberry color. Productivity is up to 80 kg/ha, resistance to disease and drought is high.
Mid-season varieties
Having satisfied your appetite, you can start making raspberries. It is the varieties that ripen in the second half of summer that are usually processed.
Shy
Relatively low-growing raspberry bushes with erect shoots are winter-hardy, but they have average drought resistance, yielding up to 100 centners per hectare. Conical, slightly pubescent, sweet and sour berries, 3-4 g each, have a dark crimson color and a faint aroma.
Reward
A variety with medium or tall erect bushes, high resistance to cold and drought, produces a yield of 100-140 c/ha. Dark red blunt-pointed berries 3.0-3.5 g are very tasty, sweet and sour.
Balm
An erect, prickly raspberry bush of this variety reaches a height of 1.8 m and has good winter hardiness. Dark purple berries reach 2.5-2.8 g and are most suitable for processing. Productivity is on average 60-80 c/ha.
Giant
The yield of this variety is very high - it can produce an average of 4-6 kg per bush, and under favorable weather conditions up to 8. Large-fruited, weighing up to 18 g, bright red raspberries with elongated dense berries have a sweet and sour taste. This variety has another name - Pride of Russia. Raspberry winter hardiness is good, but in the north it requires shelter.
Late varieties
If for one reason or another there are no remontant varieties on your site, late raspberries will come to the rescue.
Brigantine
Erect compact bushes of this variety grow up to 1.8-2 m, winter well and produce a yield of up to 55 c/ha.Round-conical berries weighing 3.0-3.2 g are bright red, suitable for processing.
Hercules
Raspberries have strong, erect shoots that do not require garter. It bears fruit from August until frost, managing to yield up to 70% of the harvest. Berries – 5-10 g, ruby color, sweet and sour.
Remontant varieties
Remontant raspberries have the following biological feature: they bear fruit in the summer on last year’s stems, and in the fall on the top of the current year’s shoots. The next season, in the summer, a summer crop of berries is formed on the same branches.
Indian summer
Low, with strong, well-branched shoots, raspberry bushes bear fruit until frost, yielding up to 40 centners per hectare, with good care - up to 70. The berries of this variety are very tasty, weighing 2.5-3 g, and have a truncated conical shape.
Zeva
Strong bushes are medium-sized, have a yield of 50 c/ha or more. The shiny elongated berries weighing 2.5-2.7 g are very tasty. Swiss variety.
Brusvyana
A remontant variety, the first harvest is produced very early, the second - from mid-August until frost. Up to 7 kg of very tasty, albeit sour, raspberry berries weighing up to 15 g are collected from the bush. The shoots easily reach 2.0 m and have few thorns. The fruits retain their shape well during transportation.
Monomakh's hat
A low bush of this variety looks like a tree. Elongated ruby berries weigh about 7 g, in the south they yield a harvest of up to 5.5 kg per bush, in northern latitudes even half of the harvest does not have time to ripen - up to 2.5 kg.
Yellow varieties
The sweetest dessert varieties, best suited for fresh consumption. Unfortunately, in terms of aroma they cannot be compared with red raspberries.
Yellow giant
This variety is considered the largest-fruited; its berries can reach the size of a walnut.It tolerates frost very well, its shoots reach 2.5 m.
Orange miracle
This variety is unpretentious, has good winter hardiness, and is resistant to diseases. The conical long berries are bright orange, dense, tolerate transportation well, their weight is from 4.5 to 6 g. The semi-spreading bush requires staking and produces up to 2.5 kg of fruit.
Black varieties
This raspberry originates from America and has almost no root shoots, which makes it easier to care for.
Cumberland
A description of raspberry varieties would be incomplete if we did not mention Cumberland. This is our most popular and widespread variety of black raspberry, which is not at all, as some claim, a blackberry hybrid. The bush, which is very resistant to disease and frost, requires obligatory garter, bears fruit for a long time, and does not fall off. Some people think that these raspberries taste very sweet and have too large seeds, but it is best to freeze them - the berries keep their shape and do not spread. Productivity is within 4-7 kg per bush.
Ember
A variety of domestic selection, early ripening, winter-hardy, with oblong berries weighing up to 3 g and shoots growing up to 2 m.
Conclusion
Raspberries are one of those berries that Russians can enjoy to the fullest when they grow them in their garden plots. After all, Russia is a recognized leader in the world market for the production of this crop. It is easy to care for, and many varieties winter well even in cold climates.
