Raspberry Remontant. Part 4

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Raspberry remont: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6

Technology of growing remontant raspberries

Seat selection

Unlike common

raspberries, remontant raspberries have increased requirements for sunlight, warmth and soil fertility, so the right choice of planting site and pre-planting soil preparation are of particular importance.

The place for the future raspberry tree is chosen especially carefully. An indispensable condition is a sunny, well-lit area, sheltered from the wind. Observations have shown that it is the illumination of the site that strongly affects the timing of the beginning of flowering. In shading, flowering occurs later, and the plants cannot show their full potential, they sharply reduce the remontance zone, delay the beginning of berry ripening, or do not form a harvest at all.

Therefore, the first rule when growing remontant raspberries is "the more sun, the better." Plants should be planted so that they are fully illuminated throughout the day.

The second rule is “the more heat the better”. This is relevant for most regions of Russia, especially for the Non-Chernozem zone and, in particular, for the North-West region. Here, for planting remontant raspberries, it is better to choose a place on the south side of the house, outbuildings, fences, or simply sheltered from the north from cold winds by fruit trees or berry bushes. In such places, even within the boundaries of one garden plot, its own microclimate is formed. In spring, snow melts faster and the soil warms up, in summer it is much warmer, and in autumn light frosts come a little later. This is exactly what a remontant raspberry needs. It is noticed that the earlier the snow melts from its plantings and the growth of shoots begins, the earlier the first berries ripen and the higher the yield.

Soil preparation

Repaired raspberries can grow on any soil, but prefers loose, well-fertilized medium and light loamy with a neutral or slightly acidic pH = 6-7.

To obtain a good harvest of remontant raspberries, high doses of organic and mineral fertilizers must be applied to the soil before planting. Academician I. V. Kazakov noted that the need for basic nutrients in remontant raspberries is 1.5-2 times higher than that of ordinary raspberries.

On soils of medium mechanical composition (light and medium loams) and medium fertility, 2-3 buckets of well-decomposed humus, compost or high-moor (red) peat and a glass of complex mineral fertilizers, preferably enriched with microelements ("Kemira universal", "Stimulus", "Growth", "Nitroammofoska"). Complex fertilizers can be replaced with one glass of superphosphate and a glass of potassium sulfate.

If the gardener is opposed to the introduction of mineral fertilizers into the soil, then he needs to increase the amount of organic fertilizers by 1.5-2 times, and replace the lack of potassium and trace elements with a half-liter can of wood ash.

Low-fertile soils are improved by the annual application of increased doses of organic fertilizers (10-15 kg / m²). Excessively wetted areas are drained by drainage or open ditches.

In the northern part of the Non-Black Earth Region and in the North-West, with a close standing of groundwater and the impossibility of their drainage, you can plant raspberries on ridges, planting plants in furrows, the bottom of which is useful to lay out with various organic materials that give humus - wood chips, chopped brushwood, reeds, reeds other.

Fertilizers are applied annually in spring and autumn according to generally accepted technology.

Considering the increased need of remontant varieties for nutrients and the impossibility of filling the entire area well at once, it is advisable to apply fertilizer to the trench. To do this, in the direction of the future row of plants, they dig a trench 0.5-0.6 m deep, at the bottom of which organic and mineral fertilizers are applied at the rate of 1 meter of its length: 2 buckets of humus or compost, 1 glass of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. It is better to replace mineral fertilizers with a liter can of ash. Mix fertilizers with the top layer of soil and drop to the bottom of the trench - the first layer. Then mix the bottom layer of soil with the same fertilizers and throw it back into the trench - the second layer.

The trench is lightly tamped so that all the soil can fit in it, and seedlings are planted.

A similar method of pre-planting soil preparation - filling it with fertilizers - can also be used when planting seedlings in pits, introducing into each of them half the dose of fertilizers recommended for 1 meter of the trench.

The precursors of the raspberry are important. It is impossible to lay a new plantation of remontant raspberries in areas where nightshade crops grew in the previous year: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Under no pretext can the site freed from the raspberries be used for this. With long-term cultivation of raspberries in one place, a phenomenon called "soil fatigue" is clearly manifested. It is generally accepted that it is caused by its depletion in minerals and, above all, in microelements. In addition, specific substances secreted by the raspberry root system accumulate in the soil, which inhibit newly planted plants and prevent their normal growth and development. There is only one way to deal with "soil fatigue": raspberries can return to their original place no earlier than in 5-7 years.

The best soil maintenance option in the year preceding the laying of remontant raspberries is black fallow. In this case, the soil will "rest", soil microorganisms will largely restore its fertility, and gardeners will have time to fight perennial and annual weeds. Good results before the establishment of new plantings are obtained by the content of the soil under green manure crops, which are plowed into the soil, contributing to its recovery and increase in fertility. Green manures are plowed into the soil 1-1.5 months before planting the seedlings.

When pre-planting soil preparation, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarity of the structure of the root system of remontant raspberries. In most of its varieties, the root system has a type close to the pivotal one, it is directed into deeper layers of the soil, which suggests a deeper pre-planting digging of it. And when planting each individual seedling, it is advisable to dig a hole to a depth of 50-70

cm. It is advisable to add an additional half of a bucket of humus to the bottom of this hole, which will stimulate the plant to form a deeper root system and in the future will have a positive effect on both drought tolerance and and on the stability of high yields.

The question of planting remontant raspberries on high ridges should be decided individually, depending on the soil and climatic characteristics of the site.

Plants placement and planting

Varietal agricultural technology for remontant raspberries is still poorly developed, since this is still a completely new crop. For example, there is no complete clarity in determining the optimal distance between plants in a row and between rows for single-row and tape plantings, for many varieties the most justified number of shoots per 1 m² has not been established.

Due to the fact that remontant raspberries are a very light-loving culture, when choosing a planting scheme, each gardener should ensure that the planted plants are well lit. In no case should the thickening of the plantings be allowed, in which the bushes will lack sunlight - this reduces the yield.

The choice of a planting scheme should be individual both for individual varieties and for different soils and levels of agricultural technology.

When implementing the initial recommendations for single-row planting with a distance of 0.5-0.7 m between plants in a row and 1.2 m between rows, as well as with tape placement of raspberries with distances between plants in a row of 0.5-0.7 m, between lines - 0.6-0.9 m, between the tapes 1.5-1.8 m, our plantings at their summer cottage in the North-West region turned out to be very thickened. We got all the negative consequences that follow from this. Therefore, we laid new plantations of remontant raspberries taking into account the latest recommendations of I. V. Kazakov, who recommended for medium-fertile soils the distance between rows of 1.5-2 m (sometimes up to 2.5 m), and between plants in a row - 0.7- 0.9 m. With this planting scheme, the individuality of each bush is preserved, lighting conditions are significantly improved.

On his personal plot, he recommended creating plantings of remontant raspberries in the form of small well-lit groups (clumps) formed by 1-3 or 2-3 plants with a distance of 50-70 cm between them, or planting three plants in a triangular pattern, not only for the purpose of harvesting, but also as an element of decorative gardening. At the same time, when creating such a group, you can use varieties with different colors of berries: red, yellow and orange. Then, in the second half of summer, on a well-visible area against the background of a green lawn, you can get an incredibly beautiful exotic "bouquet" of fresh foliage and a riot of large, elegant berries.

You can place plants in a square-bush way with sides of a square 1-1.5 m and randomly place plants in the sunniest and warmest places.

Repaired raspberries are planted in autumn or early spring before the beginning of the growing season of plants. For most regions of Russia, autumn planting is preferable, since at this time more favorable temperature and water regimes develop, allowing plants to prepare for overwintering and start the spring growing season in a timely manner.

But gardeners should know that there is no need to rush to the autumn planting and start it in early - mid-September, since at this time the root system of the seedlings has not yet formed enough, which leads to poor survival and unreliable overwintering of plants. The best time for autumn planting is October, when the first light frosts come.

If the planting could not be carried out in the fall, then it is transferred to early spring, and the seedlings are buried in an inclined position and must be watered. But the spring planting should be carried out earlier, as soon as the soil thaws, since the raspberry seedlings wake up very early in the spring bark buds, which can break off with a belated excavation from the trench and subsequent planting.

Standard seedlings should have a well-developed root system and a shortened aerial part 25-30 cm long. Planting technique is the same as for common raspberry. Plants are planted at the same depth at which they grew in the nursery, while deepening them a little - by 2-5 cm, so that the root buds are necessarily closed. This deepening is necessary so that after planting, when the soil subsides, the root system of the seedling does not end up on the soil surface. Plants planted both too high and too deep do not take root well. The planted plants must be watered, even if the planting was carried out in damp soil or during rain. This is necessary in order for the soil to fit tightly to the roots, which helps to accelerate the survival rate and further development of plants. After planting and watering, the soil must be mulched with humus or peat with a layer of 5-10 cm to protect the soil from drying out during spring planting, and in autumn mulching contributes to slower soil freezing and creates additional time for root growth, which does not stop in autumn even at a temperature of +1 … -2 ° C.

Gardeners who have plantations of remontant raspberries on their site and want to expand them can use green root suckers, the so-called "nettles", which are formed on the plantation in the first half of summer, for planting. By this time, they had formed an aerial part - a stem 10-20 cm high, leaves with a sufficient amount of nutrients and a small root system. The most developed root suckers are dug out with a clod of earth and immediately transplanted to a permanent place. At the same time, in order to reduce moisture loss, they remove part of the leaves and shade for the first time of planting.

If the green root suckers are weak, they are planted for growing in a small greenhouse or in open ground, providing shading and shelter in the first two weeks.

You can also use an easier way to propagate remontant raspberries by root cuttings, planting them directly in the ground. With this method, in late autumn, after digging up the plants, roots are harvested with a diameter of more than 1.5 mm, they are cut into cuttings 7-19 cm long. Then they are planted in a well-prepared area in furrows, cut through 25-30 cm, laying them in a chain to a depth of 2 -3 cm and covering with soil. The plot is watered, mulched and covered with coniferous spruce branches for the winter for slower soil freezing. In the spring, as early as possible, the shelter is removed and the ridges are covered for two weeks with plastic wrap. As the green offspring appear, the film is removed and the usual care of the plantings (watering, feeding) continues. By fall, seedlings grown from root cuttings grow to standard sizes and are used as planting material.

Of particular interest to amateur gardeners is the seed reproduction method of remontant raspberries. Most of its new varieties are complex interspecific hybrids, when reseeding the seeds of which, in many generations, economically valuable seedlings will appear with some characteristics for the better than the original variety. But seed reproduction must necessarily include the stratification and scarification of seeds (see special literature).

Read the rest of the article:

Raspberry remontant. Part 5

Galina Aleksandrova,

Candidate of Agricultural Sciences