Content
Raspberry variety Bell is a deciduous semi-shrub plant, it belongs to the Rosaceae family. Gardeners grow raspberries with different ripening periodsso that from the beginning of summer until late autumn you can have excellent and healthy berries on your table. Breeders of the Altai Territory are developing raspberry varieties zoned for the harsh climatic conditions of central Russia and Siberia. According to the time of the beginning of fruiting, varietal plant species are divided into early, middle and late ripening. Raspberry Bell is one of the creations of Siberian agronomists and botanists.
Our article will help you find out the main characteristics of this raspberry variety; in the attached photos you will see what the plant looks like and its wonderful fruits. At the end, our story is supplemented by a video with useful tips from an experienced gardener on how to properly plant raspberry bushes in the garden.
Description
General characteristics are characteristic of all types and varieties of raspberries; they may differ in the height of the bush, the size and density of the leaves, and the color of the fruit. Raspberry Bell has all the main characteristics, but also has its own distinctive characteristics:
- raspberry roots Bell - a perennial sinuous rhizome with many appendages forming a branched root system;
- stems - annual and biennial erect shoots up to 1.5 meters high (some varieties reach 2.5 m), plants in the first year of life have green stems with a bluish tint, soft, herbaceous, with small thorns-needles, in the second year they become brown and elastic and become woody; after fruiting ends, the two-year-old stems dry out; in the fall, gardeners break off such branches;
- Bell raspberry leaves are oval petiolate, from 3 to 7 petals grow on the petiole, the surface of the leaf blade is dark green, the back side of the leaves is whitish, covered with fine fluff;
- raspberry flowers are small (about 1 cm in diameter), white, five-petaled, with many stamens, collected in small clusters, pollinated by bees collecting nectar from them, flowering begins in May or June;
- Bell raspberry fruit is not a whole berry, but soft grains, covered with pulp, fused into a complex fruit (weighing up to 3.3 g) in the form of a bell, red (or yellow, depending on the variety) grains, smooth and shiny on top, slightly whitish inside, whole The dome of the berries is covered with sparse hairs; fruits are formed on two-year-old shoots.
Raspberry Bell belongs to plants with an average period of fruit ripening. The berries on the bushes of early raspberry varieties are already turning red, and the Bell is just forming the first hard buds. He takes over the baton from his early ripening brothers when they are already finishing the fruiting season. By the beginning of July, the fruits on its bushes begin to turn red, ripening together and quickly.
Productivity
The Bell raspberry was registered in the State Register of Patented Plants in 1991. In the brief description to the registration sheet, the high yield of the variety is noted; the average figure is given - 105-120 c/ha. In terms of 1 sq.per meter of planting this will be 10.5 - 12 kg, or 5-7 kg per bush (approximately). With such a yield, gardeners will have to try hard, picking berries from the bushes in the midst of a hot summer. You shouldn’t delay picking the fruits; they ripen quickly, and overripe berries may fall off.
According to the gardeners themselves, the harvest sometimes exceeds the specified amount, but this can only be with good care of the plant plus favorable weather conditions.
Taste and benefits
It is necessary to say a few words about the wonderful taste of berries and their benefits for the human body:
- The taste of Bell raspberry is pleasant, honey-sweet, not cloying. The grains of the berries are soft and melt in the mouth without creating a hard sensation on the tongue. The juice is spicy with a subtle hint of bitterness from the grains. Tasters gave them a score of 3.8 out of 5.
- Raspberries are useful to eat fresh, in compotes, and in jam. They contain many vitamins, microelements, and essential oils that benefit humans. A spoonful of raspberry jam will bring relief to a child who has a cold, increase appetite during illness, improve general condition, warm and calm.
Advantages
Among all the descriptions of the advantages of raspberries, the most characteristic of the Bell variety are:
- low temperature resistance — the Bell raspberry can withstand winter frosts down to -20° C and below, for this there is an additional way to protect the bushes: in the fall you need to tilt the bush as close to the ground as possible and secure it in such a position that in winter the snow completely covers it and warms it from the burning frosts;
- raspberry bell tolerates dry weather conditions well or long periods without watering, excessive watering is more detrimental to it than its complete absence;
- This raspberry variety, according to manufacturers, is protected from invasion pests, in particular, spider mite, in their reviews, gardeners also note that this is an insect bypasses the plant;
- raspberry Bell very rarely affected by a fungal disease such as purple spot, which often destroys other raspberry varieties.
Flaws
This wonderful raspberry variety also has some disadvantages:
- green the leaves of raspberry bushes grow very quicklyWhen closing the clusters with ripening berries, they must be constantly thinned out;
- the clusters on the raspberry shoots bend to the ground under the weight of large fruits, it is necessary to tie them to trellisesso that when assembling you do not have to bend over and hold the stem with one hand and pick the berries with the other;
- raspberry bell afraid of drafts and stagnation of moisture in the root zone, in such cases, the bushes often get sick, the foliage and stems dry out, and the roots are affected by root rot;
Raspberry root rot
Raspberry purple spot - the variety is very sensitive to light, with a lack of sunlight and strong shading, raspberries ripen poorly, become small, and lose their sweetness.
Planting and care
You can plant Bell raspberries as follows: in spring and autumn. It is quite difficult to grow raspberries from seeds at home; it is a long process and this method does not guarantee the preservation of the plant’s varietal characteristics. We recommend growing and propagating raspberries by dividing the bush, it is very simple. In the second year of life, the plant develops many basal shoots; the tallest and most viable shoots are separated from the common rhizome, preserving several healthy roots. This is done in the fall when preparing raspberries for wintering.
During this period, your neighbors in the country or your friends still have a lot of good raspberry seedlings, which they throw away because they are not needed. If there are no Bell raspberries on your site yet, borrow or buy a couple of seedlings from other gardeners, they will be happy to give them to you, this is still better than just throwing away the plant. When planting raspberries in the garden, follow these recommendations:
- Choosing a landing site. Choose a place for raspberries that is well lit by the sun. Some summer residents, due to a lack of space, plant raspberry bushes along the fence, near the walls of sheds and other buildings that shade the plant most of the day. Raspberries cannot develop and bear fruit well in such conditions.
- The soil in the area allocated for raspberries should be fertile and loose, neutral in acidity. Such conditions are common for garden plots; the Bluebell raspberry is not very picky about the soil.
- If there is sufficient area and number of seedlings, raspberries are planted in rows, with 2 m between them; seedlings are planted at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other.
- During autumn planting, the tops of the seedlings are pruned by 5-10 cm, this depends on the height of the shoot. In spring, this procedure can be omitted.
- Subsequent care for raspberries consists of performing normal work: removing weed, loosening the soil, thinning the foliage, tying stems with tassels to trellises. Raspberry Bell has enough natural rainwater, but if there has been no rain for a long time, it is necessary to water the bushes with 1 bucket per plant 2-3 times a week. Once a month, such watering is combined with fertilizing.
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