Content
Raspberries, one of the most beautiful, aromatic and healthy berries, are rarely grown in a household plot. Currently, many varieties are known, both traditional and remontant. Not all of them are able to meet the diverse tastes of consumers. But there are varieties that, despite the fact that they were bred many decades ago, are still not only in demand, but also occupy quite leading positions in many characteristics.
These include Mirage raspberries, a description of the variety and photos of which are presented in this article. The name of the variety may seem somewhat unexpected, but after you see the bushes of this raspberry during the fruiting period, then perhaps the thought will occur to you that this can only be a mirage. However, this spectacle of bushes strewn with berries is a reality with a real piercing raspberry aroma of wild berries.
Description and history of the variety
Back in 1976, one of the outstanding Russian breeders V.V. Kichina crossed two raspberry hybrids received from D. Jennings of the Scottish Institute of Horticulture as part of an exchange program, 707/75 x Large Dvuroda.As a result, a hybrid form of raspberry was obtained, which began to undergo testing at the Kokinsky stronghold of VSTISP and in 1978 received the code name K151.
Only since 1980, this raspberry officially acquired the status of a variety and received the name Mirage. For some unknown reason, the Mirage raspberry variety was not included in the State Register of Russia, although it has enjoyed great popularity all these years and was even grown in some regions suitable for the climate as an industrial one. At the moment, it is slightly displaced by more productive and frost-resistant raspberry varieties, but nevertheless it has not gone away and is actively used by both private gardeners and small farms.
The bushes of this variety are moderately spread in different directions, are of medium height, reaching a height of 1.6 -1.8 meters. Fresh annual shoots have a light brown color with a red tint and a slight waxy coating without pubescence. Internodes are located at a considerable distance - every 4-7 cm. The shoots become very thin towards the apex. Two-year-old shoots are distinguished by a rather grayish tint. Soft, straight, short thorns are located along the entire height of the shoot.
Fruiting branches, the so-called laterals, branch very actively. A branch can form from three to five orders of branching, each of which, in turn, bears 15-20 berries. The dark green, strongly curled leaves of medium size are distinguished by a corrugated surface and pubescence.
The raspberry variety Mirage has good shoot-forming ability and produces about 9-11 replacement shoots.This is enough to successfully propagate bushes and at the same time restrain the growth of bushes in different directions. In addition, each raspberry bush produces about 5-8 root suckers.
Raspberry Mirage is a medium-late variety in terms of ripening. This can be very convenient to fill the gap in raspberry fruiting, when the early traditional varieties have already fruited, and the remontant varieties have not yet ripened. Mirage raspberries ripen starting from the end of June in the southern regions and in the second half of July in the middle zone. The harvest can be harvested within about a month; in 5-6 pickings the berries will be completely collected from the bush.
In terms of yield parameters, the Mirage raspberry variety still occupies one of the leading positions. From one bush you can collect an average of 4-6 kg of berries. In industrial terms, this gives up to 20 tons per hectare.
Considering the fact that the Mirage variety belongs to the large-fruited raspberry group, it is relatively winter-hardy in its category - it can withstand down to -25°-27°C. If you let the young shoots ripen well, then you don’t even have to bend them down for the winter. Although, in the conditions of the Moscow region, this variety can show sufficient frost resistance only if the shoots are bent down and covered for the winter.
But the Mirage raspberry is relatively drought-resistant and tolerates heat well.
The variety also exhibits a good degree of resistance to major fungal and viral diseases. May be somewhat susceptible only to growth virus.
Characteristics of berries
The bright red, fragrant bunches of berries that literally strew the entire Mirage raspberry bush at the time of fruiting cannot but cause delight and surprise. The berries are characterized by the following parameters:
- The size of the fruit can be from large to very large: without much effort you can get berries weighing 4-7 grams. When using intensive agricultural technology (regular and abundant watering and fertilizing), the weight of the berries easily reaches 10-12 grams. The berries from the very first harvest are especially spectacular.
- The shape of the berries can be called elongated-conical.
- The berries on the bushes are quite even.
- Color – bright red, matte, without pubescence.
- The berries are not subject to falling from the bushes or shrinking, and are held quite firmly on the stalks.
- Medium sized bones.
- The taste of the berries is excellent, they are not just sweet, but dessert-like with a slight touch of sourness, which gives a feeling of complete harmony. The intense raspberry aroma is felt several meters away and completes the picture.
- Even during periods of prolonged rain, the berries do not lose their sweetness and do not become watery.
- In the sun, the berry is resistant to baking and does not wither.
- The density of the berries is quite sufficient to withstand short transportation.
- The use of Mirage berries is universal; they can be eaten fresh, dried, and used to make numerous preparations for the winter, from compotes to jam and marshmallows.
Features of cultivation, pruning
Considering the average spreading nature of the bushes, when planting, leave up to 1.2-1.5 meters between them, and it is better to make row spacing about 2.5 meters wide.
Abundant mulching of bushes with organic materials will solve several problems at once: it will preserve the structure and moisture of the soil and provide additional nutrition to the raspberries.
Spring pruning of Mirage raspberries is quite important, since it allows you to influence both the stability and productivity of the bushes. In early spring - in April, all damaged and weak stems are removed so that no more than 8-9 shoots remain on one linear meter of planting. Then the tops of the stems are trimmed at a height of about 1.5 meters. On other raspberry varieties, additional pruning is often done at the end of May - beginning of June to increase fruiting. The Mirage raspberry variety does not need this, since it is genetically determined to form many lateral fruits along the entire stem, and not just at its top.
Fruiting stems should be cut out immediately after the end of fruiting, without waiting for the onset of autumn, in order to minimize the spread of possible diseases and infections.
In contrast to spring formative pruning, autumn is a time of primarily sanitary pruning of Mirage raspberry bushes. Only broken and weak shoots are removed, taking into account that during the winter some loss of shoots may occur due to frost.
Otherwise, to obtain good harvests, standard techniques are used: regular watering and fertilizing: in early spring with a predominance of nitrogen, before flowering with complex fertilizer, and during budding and fruiting with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium.
Reviews from gardeners
Reviews from amateur gardeners and professionals who grow Mirage raspberries on an industrial scale can vary quite a lot.If the former value the excellent taste of the berries and very good yield indicators, the latter have found varieties that are more winter-hardy and interesting in other respects.
Conclusion
Raspberry Mirage may be inferior to some non-large-fruited varieties in frost resistance, but in terms of the sum of all indicators it still remains one of the most promising varieties for cultivation.
