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The description of the Przehiba raspberry is of interest not only to beginners, but also to experienced gardeners: this young variety, bred by Polish breeders, is famous for its very large berries. It is still an infrequent guest in Russian gardens, but its popularity is growing every year. Raspberry Pshekhiba appeared in Russia in 2017, when the first batch of planting material from Poland went on sale.
Description of the raspberry variety Pshehiba
Raspberry Przehiba belongs to the varieties of summer raspberries; it bears fruit on shoots two years old. This is an early variety - when cultivated in the southern regions, fruiting begins in early June; in Central Russia, the harvest begins in the first ten days of July. Przehiba raspberries also grow well in protected soil; in their homeland, the variety is successfully grown in tunnels, then the first berries can be picked at the end of May.
Raspberries of the Pshehiba variety are characterized by active growth; on average, 5–7 tall shoots of medium thickness are formed on the bush per season. In open ground the bush grows up to 2 m; in greenhouses the stems can reach a height of 2.5 m.
Young bright green raspberry shoots are abundantly covered with short purple thorns, but with age their number decreases. Thorns do not interfere with berry picking and plant care. Mature stems turn light brown and take on an anthocyanin hue.
The plant is covered with large, oval leaves of a bright green hue, having an elongated tip, the edges of the leaf blade are serrated.
The Pshehiba raspberry bush forms a large number of elastic fruit branches, which can be up to 70 cm long.
Raspberries of the Przehiba variety bloom in May with numerous large white flowers collected in clusters of inflorescences.
The fruits of Pshehiba are the real pride of the creators of the variety. In the photo of the Pshehiba raspberry variety you can see smooth, beautiful berries of the same shape, intense crimson color; the descriptions indicate that when fully ripe they acquire a darker shade. The berries are large, of medium length (30–50 mm), weighing up to 12 g. Some specimens can reach a record 14 g. The fruits are cylindrical, elongated, with blunt tops. The drupes are covered with a thin but durable skin, very juicy, with small seeds and a lot of pulp. 15–25 berries ripen on one bunch. The Pshekhiba variety is characterized by abundant fruiting.
Raspberry Pshekhiba is an extremely productive variety. During industrial cultivation, the yield, depending on agricultural technology and planting scheme, can reach 30 tons per hectare or even more. Up to 1.5 kg of berries are harvested from one shoot. The yield of a bush depends on the number of stems.
The berries have a classic pleasant raspberry taste and aroma.They can be used for processing, dried or frozen, or eaten fresh. The fruits are well suited for sale because they are stored for a long time, do not wrinkle or crumble.
Przehiba raspberries can be grown both on personal plots and on an industrial scale.
Pros and cons of Przehiba raspberries
Raspberry Pshekhiba is truly an outstanding variety - both in the descriptions of the plant and in the reviews the following advantages are stated:
- best-in-class fruits with excellent taste;
- high stable yield;
- friendly fruiting;
- good immunity to diseases and pests;
- excellent frost resistance;
- resistance to heat and drought;
- relative undemanding to light: can grow both in the sun and in partial shade;
- active vegetation;
- early ripening;
- ease of harvesting;
- high keeping quality;
- possibility of cultivation in closed and open ground.
Among the disadvantages of the variety, the following are noted:
- spreading form of the plant, suggesting the installation of supports;
- the need for regular pruning;
- high yields are achieved only with careful care;
- high price of planting material;
- Insufficient cultivation experience in the climatic zones of Russia does not yet allow us to draw conclusions about the characteristics of agricultural technology in different regions of the country.
Planting and caring for Przehiba raspberries
Przehiba raspberries are planted in the same way as other varieties of this garden crop. You can plant it in a bush or strip method.It is preferable to use trench planting, since it will be easier to arrange supports for the plants, in addition, it will greatly simplify the care of the raspberry tree.
The Pshekhiba variety needs regular watering, fertilizing and pruning. It is necessary to pull out weeds periodically. Mulching the soil around the plants will help make planting easier to care for.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Przehiba raspberries can grow both in sunny areas and in partial shade, but in areas that are illuminated and protected from the winds, the fruits will ripen earlier and be sweeter. Slightly acidic or neutral soil is most suitable for it. You should choose a place where there is a maximum amount of snow in winter, since raspberries overwinter best under abundant snow cover.
Before planting, dig up the soil and select plant debris. This way the earth will receive the necessary oxygen.
Landing rules
Przehiba raspberry plants should be placed at least 75–80 cm apart from each other, the optimal distance between rows is 150–200 cm. More dense planting negatively affects the general condition of the plants and the yield.
The algorithm for planting Pshekhib raspberries is as follows:
- dig a trench or planting holes;
- add a mixture of fertile soil, organic fertilizers and mineral complexes;
- place the cutting in a hole or trench;
- Before filling the roots, the plant is watered;
- cover the seedling with fertile soil;
- cut shoots to a height of 20–25 cm;
- mulch the soil.
Watering and fertilizing
Drought resistance is one of the characteristics of Przehiba raspberries, but obtaining a good harvest is impossible without regularly providing the plantings with moisture. Watering is especially important when the plant is preparing for fruiting. At the same time, you need to ensure that moisture does not stagnate at the roots, which provokes infection of the raspberries with fungal diseases. In hot, dry weather, watering is done no more than once a week. For industrial cultivation, it is convenient to use the drip irrigation method.
Like other varieties of raspberries, Pshehiba is very sensitive to fertilizing. It reacts especially well to organic matter: mullein, bird droppings, weeds. Gardeners prepare organic fertilizer as follows: a large barrel is filled one third with compost, cow manure and bird droppings. The mixture is poured with water and left for 2 weeks. The resulting solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5.
The first time raspberries are fed is in the spring, during the active growing season, then when the bushes fade and before winter, after harvesting the fruits. Mineral complexes for berry bushes are applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Trimming
The main task of pruning Przehiba raspberries is to stimulate the development of shoots. To do this, the tops are cut off, which stimulates branching. The shoots that thicken the crown are cut off; 7–8 branches should remain per 1 m of the row. Root shoots are also removed.
Since Przehiba raspberries bear fruit on shoots two years old, after fruiting they should be cut off to stimulate the growth of new branches.
Sanitary pruning of raspberries is carried out in the spring. Remove frozen, weak, broken shoots. The remaining branches are shortened to the level of the first healthy bud.
Preparing for winter
Frost resistance and resistance to freezing of the buds are a distinctive feature of the Przehiba raspberry. Despite this, in harsh winter conditions the bushes need shelter for the winter. The shoots are removed from the supports, bent to the ground and covered with agrofibre or spruce branches. The shelter is built before the onset of cold weather, since the branches become fragile from frost.
As experience in cultivating raspberries in Russia has shown, in the southern regions the Pshekhiba variety winters well without additional shelter.
Harvesting
Picking ripe raspberries is a labor-intensive procedure that requires a lot of time. However, harvesting the fruits of the Przehiba variety is greatly simplified due to the large size of the berries, smooth ripening and density of the drupes.
The fruiting period of raspberries stretches over several weeks, so ripe berries are picked every few days. To collect fruits, use only small containers so that the berries do not wrinkle. After picking, this variety of raspberries can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Reproduction
The optimal methods for propagating Przehiba raspberries are cuttings and propagation by root shoots. It is most convenient to obtain new plants from root suckers during planned thinning of the raspberry tree. They select the strongest and healthiest specimens, dig them up along with a lump of earth and immediately transplant them to a new place.
To obtain Pshehiba raspberries from cuttings, shoots up to 25 cm long are cut in the fall, dug in and covered with spruce branches or film for the winter. Already in the spring they will become full-fledged plants.
Raspberries can be propagated by dividing the bush, but growing from seeds is not practiced, since the plants obtained in this way do not inherit the varietal characteristics of the mother crop.
Diseases and pests
A varietal feature of the Przehiba raspberry is its outstanding immunity to diseases and pests. Cases of infection of raspberry plantings of this variety are associated with significant errors in care.
Such diseases include, for example, late blight, which affects the plant due to stagnation of moisture at the roots. A bush infected with late blight quickly withers and dies. You can fight this disease with the help of fungicides.
Another common disease is raspberry rust. Plants growing in regions with high humidity are at risk. Dark yellow bumps appear on the leaves, which become more numerous over time. A bush affected by rust does not survive the winter. You can get rid of rust using Bordeaux mixture or copper-containing preparations.
The most common raspberry pests are spider mites and aphids. They not only harm the plant themselves, but also serve as carriers of diseases. You can destroy pests using traditional methods, for example, by treating the raspberry tree with a solution of laundry soap, ash, garlic or onion peels. Spraying the plantings with insecticides will also help.
To prevent diseases and pest damage, it is recommended to buy planting material only from trusted suppliers, provide the plantings with proper care, promptly destroy affected plants and observe crop rotation.
Conclusion
The description of the Pshehiba raspberry will be supplemented as experience in growing it in private plots and on farms is gained, but now we can say that the variety is rapidly gaining fans among Russian gardeners. Habitual agricultural technology, resistance to diseases and pests, high yield and other advantages of Pshehiba raspberries rightfully receive high marks and excellent reviews.
