Raspberry Ruby giant: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Features of remontant raspberries
2 Characteristics of a large-fruited remontant variety
3 Rules for growing remontant raspberries
4 Review
5 Conclusion

Every year, an increasing number of gardeners switch to remontant varieties garden crops, and raspberries in this case are no exception. The main difference between remontant raspberries is that such a crop bears fruit several times a season (usually twice), that is, the gardener will be able to get two harvests from the same bushes. Another quality of the sweet berry is its large fruit size and natural “raspberry” taste. The Ruby Giant raspberry can boast of all of these advantages - this variety definitely deserves the attention of farmers and summer residents.

In this article you can find a description of the Ruby Giant raspberry variety, photos and reviews of those who have already planted such a crop on their site. The advantages of remontant varieties will also be listed here, and how to grow them correctly will be discussed.

Features of remontant raspberries

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the Ruby Giant, it is worth understanding the main differences and features of all remontant raspberry varieties. So, remontant crops have a one-year life cycle: every year they throw out new shoots on which the fruits ripen. In the fall, all raspberry bushes are pruned to ground level, since the current year's shoots die off in winter.

Attention! Regular garden raspberries bear fruit on two-year-old shoots, so young branches are not pruned in the fall.

Maintenance allows you to increase the crop yield several times, because the plant will bear fruit either continuously or several times per season. In order for raspberries to delight you with large and tasty berries all summer, remontant bushes need to be properly cared for, because they need many times more food and water.

Important! The main goal of a gardener who has planted remontant raspberries is to obtain the highest possible yield. To achieve this, you need to shorten the ripening time of the fruits: plant the bushes in high beds, warm them in winter, remove snow from the raspberries in early spring and insulate the buds.

Remontant raspberries have many advantages. Here are just the main ones:

Such raspberries bloom later, therefore they are rarely affected by diseases and pests characteristic of this crop;
the berries do not accumulate chemicals and toxins because the bushes do not have to be processed;
the harvest stretches for 2-2.5 months - all this time the gardener will be able to collect fresh berries;
all remontant varieties are distinguished by excellent winter hardiness, because the shoots are cut to zero, and the roots of any raspberry tolerate frost very well;
the yield is several times higher than that of a conventional garden crop;
The berries have a longer shelf life and are suitable for transportation.

Of course, it is worth mentioning the disadvantages of remontant raspberries. First of all, the taste of such a berry is somewhat worse than that of an ordinary garden berry. You also need to understand that the bushes will need increased nutrition, because they produce a lot of fruit throughout the season. Therefore, remontant raspberries (including the Ruby Giant) will have to be regularly and intensively fed and watered frequently.

Characteristics of a large-fruited remontant variety

Ruby Giant is a raspberry that has appeared quite recently. This variety was bred by Moscow breeders based on Patricia, known and loved by Russians, which is why Gigant is often called an improved Patricia. The new species is even more winter-hardy and resistant to diseases and pests.

Description of the Ruby Giant variety:

the variety is classified as remontant and large-fruited;
average bush height – 160-180 cm;
the tips of the shoots are inclined, hanging;
the stems of the Ruby Giant are not covered with thorns, which greatly simplifies the collection of berries and pruning of shoots;
Raspberry fruiting is extended - from July to September;
the frost resistance of the root system is good - the Ruby Giant bushes can withstand frosts down to -30 degrees without shelter;
the crop has good immunity to pests and infections and rarely gets sick;
raspberry Ruby Giant is unpretentious to soil composition and climate conditions;
the berries are very large - their average weight is 11 grams;
the shape of the fruit is a truncated cone with a blunt end;
the color of raspberry berries is bright red, ruby;
the taste is very refreshing, sweet and sour, pleasant, there is a pronounced aroma;
the berries are dense, elastic, tolerate transportation well, do not drain;
remontant raspberries Ruby Gigant are suitable for any purpose: fresh consumption, preparation of preserves and preserves, freezing;
The yield of the Ruby Giant is simply amazing - about 2.5 kg from each bush in one harvest; in one season you can get up to 9 kg of fruit from a bush.

Important! The biggest advantages of the Ruby Giant variety are unpretentiousness, frost resistance, productivity and excellent fruit quality.

It’s very difficult to look at a photo of ripe giant berries and not want to plant such a miracle in your own garden!

Rules for growing remontant raspberries

Although remontant varieties differ greatly in characteristics from ordinary garden varieties, such raspberries need to be grown in much the same way. The main differences are in pruning and the amount of fertilizing, but the rules for planting and watering are almost the same.

Landing

The Ruby Giant raspberry variety grows best in sunny areas of the garden, protected from drafts and strong winds. Any raspberry prefers loamy, loose soil that retains moisture well.

Advice! It is necessary to take into account the spreading nature and height of the Ruby Giant bushes: this raspberry will need a lot of space.

Immediately before planting, the soil on the site must be dug up, scattering humus, peat, wood ash, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. It is allowed to apply fertilizers directly into trenches or holes prepared for planting bushes.

It is recommended to plant remontant Ruby Giant raspberries in spring (from March to May) or autumn (from September to October). The distance between neighboring bushes should be within 1-1.5 meters.

The raspberry roots are thoroughly straightened and the seedling is placed in the hole. The root collar should be at the same level relative to the ground as it was before transplantation. When the soil is compacted, you need to water the raspberries. Regardless of the weather and soil moisture, half a bucket of water is poured under each bush.

Attention! Remontant raspberries produce few shoots, so they are usually propagated by cuttings and green shoots.It will not be very easy to propagate the Ruby Giant on your own; you will have to buy seedlings.

Care

The Ruby Giant is completely unpretentious - raspberries bear fruit under any conditions and even with little care. Certainly, to increase the yield of the variety, you will have to take better care of the Giant:

Loosen the soilto improve air circulation and provide oxygen access to the roots. The first time the soil is loosened is in early spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed. It is worth taking into account the close location of the raspberry roots to the surface and digging up the soil no more than 8 cm. During the entire warm season, the procedure is repeated 4-5 times. If the soil between the rows of the raspberry tree is mulched, the problem solves itself - there is no need to loosen the soil.
Mulch protects the roots of the Giant from frost and overheat, so it is needed throughout the year. The ground is covered with mulch immediately after planting the seedlings; the protective layer must be changed annually. Sawdust, straw, peat, hay, humus or compost are used as mulch. The height of the mulch layer after settling should not exceed 5 cm.
Water Ruby Giant raspberries are needed abundantly and often. The depth of soil wetting should be 30-40 cm. Watering remontant varieties is especially important during the period of flowering of bushes and formation of fruits. After harvesting the next harvest, raspberries need to be watered so that the next portion of berries can be collected on dry ground. In a dry autumn, you need to water the raspberries before winter.
Repair raspberries are needed feed abundantly, since the formation of a large number of fruits takes a lot of nutrients. If the planting of seedlings was carried out according to the rules, and the land was well filled with fertilizers, this supply may be enough for a couple of years.In the future, the Giant is fed 2-3 times per season, using organic matter or mineral complexes. The plant itself will tell you about the lack of fertilizer: the berries will become small and tasteless, the leaves will change color or begin to dry, the whole bush will be lethargic and sloppy.
Remontant raspberry Ruby Giant is necessary normalize. Remove emerging shoots and excess shoots, leaving no more than 10 strong branches per square meter annually.
Tall Giant Bushes tie upusing supports or trellises (depending on whether the raspberries were planted in bushes or in a trench). If the shoots are not tied up, they will fall to the ground, which will lead to spoilage of the berries. When remontant raspberries are grown on two-year-old shoots (to get a double harvest), the branches are divided into two parts and placed on trellises so that all shoots have enough sun.

Attention! You don’t have to take care of the Ruby Giant at all – there will still be a harvest. But the number of berries depends very much on the correct agricultural technology and ranges from 2 to 11 kg per bush.

Trimming

This type of crop is capable of producing crops on both biennial and annual shoots. But practice shows that early fruiting on young stems greatly depletes the bush, so they try to delay the ripening of the crop on the current year’s shoots until the end of August. Early berries are collected from two-year-old shoots.

To establish this type of fruiting, you need to prune the bush correctly:

in the fall, cut out two-year-old shoots and weak shoots that have given fruit;
For annual branches, slightly shorten the tops to the length that already had berries;
In the spring, carry out sanitary pruning of the raspberry tree (remove weak, frozen or rotted stems).

Important! If you plan to harvest only one harvest from a remontant variety, in the fall all shoots are cut flush to the ground.

Review

Ivan Pavlovich, Bratsk

I planted the Ruby Giant two years ago. I bought the seedlings at a sale, so I planted raspberries in the spring (although it is better to do this in the fall). Despite this, all three purchased seedlings took off well. That same summer, around the end of August, I collected my first harvest - several dozen large and very sweet berries. For the winter, I cut off all the shoots completely and did not cover them (there is always a lot of snow in our area). The giant overwintered well, and the next year's harvest was plentiful - about 3 kg from each bush. The berries are tasty, aromatic, although a little dense. This fall I scattered humus over the raspberry patch, and next season I look forward to even bigger harvests!

Conclusion

The Ruby Giant raspberry variety is perfect for growing on an industrial scale and for private farms, cottages and gardens. This crop is a remontant one, it is large-fruited, and therefore produces abundant harvests. Thanks to their taste, Gigant fruits have received several gold awards at international horticultural exhibitions. Reviews about the Ruby Giant variety are mostly positive.

Raspberry Ruby Giant