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Reviews of Samokhval raspberries are still very rare, since this new product went on sale only in the spring of 2019, and amateur gardeners have not yet had the opportunity to get to know it better. The originator of the variety promises an amazing rich taste of large-sized fruits, early ripening and increased productivity.
Description of the raspberry variety Samokhval
The remontant raspberry variety Samokhval is one of the recent achievements of Russian breeders who crossed the famous varieties Nizhegorodets and Karamelka. The result was a variety that combines the advantages of both predecessors. In announcements from the originator, this variety is also called Nizhegorodets-2.
Raspberry Samokhval has a compact bush formed by strong straight stems up to 2 cm thick, without support. However, under the weight of the fruit, the tops may droop significantly. Bright green young shoots acquire a light brown tint when ripe. At the base, the stems of the Samokhval raspberry are densely covered with medium-sized thorns.
With good care, the height of the bush reaches almost 2 meters.The stems are evenly leafy with large, rich green, jagged, oval-shaped leaves with a sharp tip.
Samokhval raspberry blooms friendly and abundant. Medium-sized white flowers are formed in inflorescence-clusters. The variety is characterized by good fruiting. On each stem, 20–30 berries ripen at the same time. The first harvest can be expected already in the year of planting if it was done in autumn or early spring.
The berries are slightly pubescent, very large, elongated, wide, with a blunt tip. The descriptions note their density, which prolongs shelf life and transportability. The Samokhval variety is especially valuable for its fruit size: with good care, the berries can reach a length of 50 mm and a weight of 10 g. The color of the fruit is from bright red to ruby; overripe berries may have a whitish coating. The berries have a bright dessert taste of raspberries with a slight sourness and rich aroma.
Samokhval fruits are universal: they can be eaten fresh, processed into jam, syrups, juices and other preparations; they lend themselves well to drying and deep freezing. When fresh, they can be stored in the refrigerator for several days (in a shallow container).
The Samokhval variety belongs to the mid-season varieties of raspberries: in the central zone, plants begin to bear fruit from the 20th of August. The variety is high-yielding: 6–8 kg of fruits are collected from one bush.
The Samokhval raspberry bush has a powerful branched root system, which forms a large number of root shoots.
Pros and cons of remontant raspberries Samokhval
The undoubted advantages of the Samokhval raspberry variety include the following qualities:
- high yield rates;
- the ability to bear fruit in the next season after planting;
- excellent taste;
- transportability of the crop due to the density of the berries;
- ease of reproduction;
- frost resistance;
- adaptability to different growing conditions;
- ability to grow without support;
- immunity to diseases and pests;
- good tolerance to growth in partial shade;
- high quality berries throughout the season;
- a small number of thorns.
In reviews from gardeners and descriptions of Samokhval raspberries, there are indications of the disadvantages of this variety:
- increased demands on the fertility of the substrate, the need for regular feeding;
- poor drought resistance;
- the need to shade plantings in regions with a hot, dry climate;
- the presence in some cases of deformed fruits with drupes of different sizes;
- loss of a significant part of the crop in regions with short summers.
Planting and caring for Samokhval raspberries
The agricultural technology for planting and caring for Samokhval raspberries is practically no different from the rules for planting and growing other varieties of raspberries. It requires a spacious area with fertile soil, regular watering and fertilizing, and annual pruning. Another important technique when caring for this crop is mulching the soil under the bushes. It will significantly simplify the care of plantings: it will protect against excessive growth of root suckers, retain moisture in the soil, and prevent the growth of weeds.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
For planting Samokhval raspberries, choose an area that is well lit by the sun, but this variety will also feel good in partial shade.Due to the characteristics of the bush and the ability of the plant to adapt to different conditions, the bush will grow well both in small summer cottages and in open spaces during industrial cultivation. This garden crop is demanding on soil quality: it prefers well-permeable and moderately moist fertile substrates.
Particular attention should be paid to preparing planting holes or trenches. They are dug out in advance, and a nutrient mixture of peat, wood ash, compost, humus and mineral fertilizers is placed at the bottom.
When choosing a place to plant Samokhval raspberries, it is worth considering that the plant actively forms root suckers and takes over territory far beyond the boundaries of the area allocated to it. It is better to place the raspberry tree away from other plantings, including other varieties of raspberries.
Landing rules
You can plant Samokhval raspberries throughout the season. If you plant cuttings in early spring, you can harvest the first harvest from them in the fall.
The technology for planting Samokhval raspberries is very simple: seedlings with an open root system can be soaked for several hours in a solution of a growth stimulator, cut off overgrown roots, place the shoots in holes or trenches with a nutrient mixture and cover them with soil. After the procedure, the plantings should be well watered and mulched.
Between Samokhval raspberry bushes, a distance of 50–70 cm is provided; when planting in several rows, leave at least 150 cm between them.
Watering and fertilizing
The Samokhval variety tolerates heat and drought well, but the yield directly depends on the amount of moisture the plant receives. Watering the raspberry tree should be plentiful and always regular. You can use sprinkling or root watering. It is optimal to dig shallow ditches along the raspberry rows and water them.
The volume of water applied to raspberries depends on weather conditions. On average, each bush should have 20 liters with a watering frequency of once a week.
This variety of raspberry is extremely sensitive to soil fertility, so it responds to proper regular fertilizing with a noticeable increase in yield. Mineral complexes are applied both at the root and by spraying the raspberry tree.
It is recommended to feed Samokhval raspberries three times:
- In early spring, after the end of frost, chicken manure or other organic fertilizers are applied; the use of mineral complexes is less preferable.
- At the moment of flower bud formation, the plant’s need for phosphorus and potassium increases.
- After harvesting, raspberries need to be fed with organic fertilizers so that they recover before wintering.
Trimming
Pruning is the most important step in caring for raspberries. The originators of the Samokhval variety recommend in the fall to simply cut or mow down all the shoots of the plant.
The pruning procedure allows you to solve several problems at once:
- increase bush productivity;
- carry out prevention of viral diseases and pest damage;
- simplify the preparation of plantings for winter.
When cultivating Samokhval, some gardeners use the usual pruning scheme used for summer varieties of raspberries, that is, they remove only two-year-old shoots. Thanks to this, you can get an earlier harvest, but the quality of the berries may deteriorate noticeably, and you will also have to carefully cover the stems for the winter and pay special attention to disease prevention.
If the plant was not mowed before winter, sanitary pruning is carried out in mid-spring.
Preparing for winter
The Samokhval variety is frost-resistant: its root system tolerates temperatures down to -35...-40°C. If the bushes have been mowed in autumn, then preparing the raspberries for winter will not be difficult: it is enough to mulch the root system with a thick – up to 15 cm – layer of mulch.
If the bush has not been pruned before winter, you can protect it from frost by providing cover with snow.
Harvesting
Harvesting raspberries is the most labor-intensive process of cultivating this shrub. The Samokhval variety compares favorably with other varieties of raspberries in its uniform fruiting and dense berries collected in large clusters that are easily separated from the bush. The main difficulty is the long (about 2 months) fruiting period. Ripe fruits are collected every other day or every 2 days in small baskets. For commercial use, berries that have not reached technical ripeness are collected and immediately placed in the refrigerator.
Reproduction
Raspberries of the Samokhval variety are easily propagated due to the active formation of young shoots. Root shoots are simply separated from the plant and planted in a new location.
Some gardeners prefer to propagate this crop by dividing the bush. The main condition is to divide the plant so that each seedling receives 3–5 trunks.
Diseases and pests
The plant is resistant to major pests and diseases of the crop.
Raspberries of the Samokhval variety can in rare cases be affected by rust, powdery mildew, and anthracnose. Treatment of raspberries with Bordeaux mixture and timely destruction of the affected parts of the plants help prevent infection with these diseases.
The most common raspberry pests are the raspberry weevil, stem gall midge, raspberry aphid, spider mite, and raspberry beetle. Spraying the bushes with insecticides will help get rid of the invasion of these and other insects.
It is important to remember that with proper care of raspberry plantings and other crops growing in the neighborhood, the plants rarely get sick.
Conclusion
Reviews about Samokhval raspberries, although not numerous, allow us to form a first impression about this interesting variety. The undeniable advantages of a new variety of crop, without a doubt, look attractive to amateur gardeners and garden owners.
