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Raspberries The Moscow giant has become one of the new products among large-fruited raspberry varieties recent years, but, despite its very attractive characteristics, the appearance of this variety is covered with a layer of uncertainty. After all, the Moscow giant has not yet been included in the State Register of Russia. And in the catalogs of raspberry varieties of famous Russian breeders working in the Moscow region, it is also not mentioned.
Nevertheless, Moscow giant raspberries are actively distributed and advertised by several large garden centers, such as Russian Garden and Victoria. In this article you can find a description of the variety, as well as its photo and some reviews from gardeners. But you can only check how reliable this data is by yourself by planting this raspberry variety in your garden.
Description of the variety
It should be noted that, in addition to the Moscow Giant raspberry variety, you can often find descriptions of the Moscow Giant variety in various sources.
Perhaps they are the same variety, the name of which was modified for advertising purposes.
The name of the variety largely speaks for itself. All parts of plants of this variety are gigantic in size - from shoots and leaves to flowers and berries.
It is clear that the stems are characterized by great growth vigor. They can reach a height of two meters or even more. In general, bushes tend to grow a large amount of green mass, so it makes sense to be very careful when feeding Moscow Giant raspberries. Otherwise, instead of many large berries, you can only get powerfully overgrown green bushes.
Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied only in early spring, and then it is better to switch to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with the obligatory addition of microelements.
The leaves are unusually large in size and have a rich, bright green color.
The shoot-forming ability is within average limits - about 10 new shoots are formed every season, some of which can be used for propagation. Root shoots are formed, but also on an average scale - up to 4-5 per bush.
According to the timing of ripening, Moscow giant raspberries can be classified as early ripening. It begins to bloom in May-June, and the first fruits appear by the beginning of July. An important feature of this variety of raspberries is its tendency to remontant. That is, in conditions of an abundance of sunny days, it is capable of producing a second harvest at the end of summer - in the fall on young shoots of the first year.
Their main difference from real remontant varieties is the fact that the berries appear, as a rule, only in the very top part of the shoots, and not along their entire length, like in remontant raspberries. In addition, the appearance of the second crop is largely determined by warm and sunny weather conditions during the spring and summer.A guaranteed second harvest of raspberries of this variety can only be expected in the southern regions of Russia.
However, in such favorable conditions, the yield of Moscow giant raspberries can reach a total of 10-12 kg per bush per season. But the average yield of this variety is impressive - even when grown in the conditions of central Russia, about 6-8 kg of raspberries are obtained from one bush.
It is also assumed that this variety has above average resistance to major pests and diseases and high frost resistance. There are some doubts about the last point, since large-fruited raspberry varieties, although they can withstand frosts down to -25°-30°C, do not tolerate thaw periods well and often wither away due to significant temperature changes in winter. True, judging by the reviews, Moscow Giant raspberry bushes have good regenerability and are able to regenerate from the roots even after the lower part of the shoots freezes or damps off.
Characteristics of berries
The name of this raspberry variety refers primarily to the berries. They can really be gigantic in size, the size of a matchbox or more. The average weight of one berry is 10-15 grams, and the very first berries easily reach 20-25 grams.
- The pulp of the Moscow Giant raspberry fruit is quite dense, but at the same time very juicy;
- The berries have a very beautiful shiny surface;
- The drupes are firmly attached to each other;
- The shape of the berries is conical and varies from moderate to strongly elongated;
- The color of the fruit is bright, red-crimson, dark when fully ripe;
- The taste is sweet, typically raspberry, with barely pronounced sourness;
- The seeds are so small that they are not felt at all when eaten;
- Due to their density, the berries of this raspberry variety have good transportable properties and are stored well, so they are quite suitable for growing for sale;
- The use of berries is universal, they retain their shape after freezing, they make delicious fruit drinks, compotes, jellies and preserves;
- Fruits can be stored for up to 3-5 days at room temperature and up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Planting and care
Despite the high yield rates and the gigantic size of the berries, caring for Moscow Giant raspberries is no more difficult than caring for any other large-fruited raspberry varieties.
From the moment of planting, it is necessary to ensure that the raspberry bushes are comfortable and cozy in the place chosen for them.
The place should not only be bright, but also sunny, but at the same time protected from strong winds. Any raspberry will enjoy growing on supports or trellises because it increases air and light access to all parts of the plant. And, of course, regular watering is a necessary element of caring for this variety of raspberries. One bush will require approximately 10-15 liters of water.
Since raspberry bushes spend a lot of effort on producing a large harvest, they also require regular feeding throughout the warm season. But by the beginning of autumn it is advisable to stop them so that the shoots have time to ripen well and prepare for winter.
Pruning Moscow giant raspberries differs from pruning traditional raspberry varieties and remontant varieties.If the young shoots of the first year have managed to bear fruit at their tops this season, then before the onset of stable frosts the upper part of the shoot is removed. This is done even if there are still unripe berries on the top. The following year, fruits are formed on the remaining lower part of the shoots, and only after the final harvest is the entire shoot removed.
It is not recommended to prune these raspberries as remontant varieties completely in the fall, since in this case you will lose part of the harvest that would ripen on these shoots next year.
But in regions with harsh climatic conditions, it is possible to grow the Moscow giant as an ordinary two-year-old raspberry, cutting out only two-year-old fruit-bearing shoots in the fall and not touching the one-year growth at all.
Reviews from gardeners
The Moscow Giant raspberry variety appeared quite recently and therefore there are not many reviews on it. In addition, gardeners often confuse it with other varieties, such as Yellow Giant, Moscow Giant, Hercules and others.
Conclusion
Raspberry Moscow giant is one of the largest-fruited and most productive varieties. But in order for her to be able to show all her capabilities, it is necessary to find the right approach to her.
