Black raspberries: cultivation and care, propagation methods and the best varieties

Raspberries have many beneficial substances that have a beneficial effect on human he alth, and black raspberries contain even more antioxidants. The cultivation of black raspberries has become very popular among gardeners, they are unpretentious, as they require little to no care.

Black raspberry and its features

Black and red raspberries differ in composition of nutrients, size of berries, taste. A feature of chokeberry raspberries is a sweet taste with a honey, tart aftertaste and slight sourness. All this is due to the amount of vitamins and minerals, digestible carbohydrates and acids.

Black raspberries contain more sucrose, fructose, but less vitamin C and 2 times more calories per 100 g. Fruits are usually smaller in size than red and yellow varieties. Black raspberries are sometimes confused with blackberries. The main difference is that the berries are easily removed from the receptacle, the shoots are strewn with fruits collected in large brushes.

An unusual property of black raspberry shoots is that it does not propagate by shoots, but thanks to the tops of the branches leaning towards the soil, it sprouts roots and germinates. After that, it should be cut into 3-5 buds.

Description and characteristics of culture

Black raspberry is a perennial plant of the Rubus genus, Pink family. The bush grows up to 2 m, the shoots bow to the soil in the form of an arc, in the first year of life the length increases, in the second year flowers and berries form. Shoots are flexible, young green with small thorns, branches of the second year are brown-burgundy with a bluish bloom.

Leaves are alternate of 5 lobes, oval in shape, with small teeth along the edge. The leaf is more pubescent above than below, the lower part is distinguished by a white pile. Reminiscent of red raspberry leaves, but smaller.

Flowers are collected in a large number of brushes. They consist of 5 white, oval pointed petals with 5 light green sepals.

The growing season for the plant starts 1-2 weeks earlier than for red raspberries.

Blooms in late May - mid-June, it lasts 1.5-3 weeks. After that, fruits are formed that change their color as they grow and ripen, starting with green, green-white, pink-red, bright red, purple-black. Berries are pubescent, can be like blackberries with a slight bluish bloom.

Fresh berries can be stored longer than red ones, as they have a denser structure and almost do not crumple during transportation.

Black raspberries adopted the ability to reproduce from blackberries, the branches of the second year of life, if they are not tied up, come into contact with the soil, do not form berries at the end (penetrating crown), but a thickening from which white roots sprout. Therefore, they can be cut and planted like a seedling.

Diseases and pests of black raspberries

Black raspberry bushes are distinguished by good immunity against most diseases inherent in the Rubus genus, resistant to drought and pests. Even if it grows next to other raspberry varieties, and they turned out to be sick, black berry bushes may not become infected. But preventive measures with insecticides and fungicides should be carried out every spring and autumn.

The main pests of black raspberries:

1. spider mite;
2. aphid;
3. kidney or prooxide mole;
4. weevil;
5. gallitsa;
6. stalk fly;
7. glass butterfly;
8. harmful weevil;
9. nematodes;
10. raspberry beetle or tick.

Diseases characteristic of black raspberries:

1. powdery mildew;
2. grey rot;
3. anthracnose;
4. mosaic;
5. rust;
6. root, stem cancer;
7. white, ring, purple spotting;
8. curly.

So that plants do not become infected with diseases and do not attract pests, they and other crops on the site are treated with drugs and potential pathogens are eliminated: fallen leaves, diseased plants, weeds. Preparations: "HOM", "Aktellik", Bordeaux mixture, "Karbofos", "Fitoverm", "Fitosporin".

How to plant a black raspberry bush on the plot

Black raspberry seedlings can be purchased at trusted nurseries or specialized stores, and if you already have several of your bushes on the site, then propagate them.

Optimal timing

Black raspberries are planted in spring, summer, autumn, but the climate zone should be taken into account. The most favorable period for the rapid adaptation of seedlings, in which the growing season begins early, is spring, in March in the south of the country, in April-May, the middle lane, the Urals, Siberia. In the summer, you can also plant if suddenly the penetrating crown sprouted and was accidentally cut off, but such a plant will take longer and more difficult to adapt.

The optimal time for planting in the fall in the southern regions is until the end of October, in the middle lane until the end of September.In colder regions with a sharp change in climate, it is better to refuse planting in the fall, but if seedlings were purchased, then they should be carefully mulched after planting.

It is important to remember that black raspberries are less resistant to sudden temperature changes and severe frosts.

Preparing the planting hole and seedlings

For better growth and getting used to new conditions, the seedling should be planted in a place where nightshade has not grown before, ideally the land should rest for a year. You can plant next to other varieties of raspberries, but it should be noted that the usual one will quickly clog plantings of black raspberries in 2-3 years.

The plot for cultivation is dug up in autumn, introducing organic fertilizers, green manure, rotted manure, litter.

In the spring they dig a hole 40-50 cm deep, up to 50 cm in diameter. If the site is often flooded or the soil is heavy, wet, then a layer of drainage and sand is laid on the bottom.The rest of the soil is mixed with organic fertilizers, ash, peat, rotted sawdust. The third part of the mixture is applied on top of the sand. A seedling is planted from the root neck by 4-6 cm, in the center of the pit and sprinkled with soil mixture, slightly pressing down and watering from above.

If the soil is heavy, then it is better to water in half: part in the hole, part after planting.

The place should be sunny on the east or south side of the plot, without drafts. The seedling is placed in a bucket of warm water the day before planting, you can add growth or root stimulants. Before planting, 30-40 minutes before planting for disinfection in a solution of manganese, if the seedling was not soaked in stimulants.

Technology and seating charts

Technology and planting schemes for black raspberries are the same as for other species and varieties of the genus Rubus.

The right method guarantees the grower a high yield.

Single rowSuitable for planting around the perimeter of the territory or for farms. They dig a long ditch up to 40 cm deep and plant black raspberry bushes at a distance of 80-100 cm single-row scheme, only between the first and second ditch the distance is about 50-70 cm, the row spacing is 1.5-2 m Involves planting bushes in a small circle, like a nest. Circle diameter 100-120 cm, distance between bushes 50-80 cm climatic conditions. Plants are planted close together, creating natural thickets that are more likely to survive the cold winter

Scheme	Description
	The same as the single-row one, but the depth of the planting ditch is more than 60 cm, since layers of organic matter are laid out on the bottom for future nutrition of the bushes
Pithole	Often used in individual gardens when the number of seedlings is small
Nested

For planting on an ordinary garden plot of 6 acres, it is optimal to use a patching scheme. For example: plant seedlings along the fence at a distance of 50-80 cm between bushes, not picking up shoots, but leaving them leaning towards the ground. Only giving the direction of all shoots in one direction: left or right. After a year, the shoots will begin to sprout, they are cut off and planted between old bushes, and their branches are directed in the opposite direction. Thus, the bushes will gradually move around the garden.

Nuances of culture care

Black raspberries are unpretentious in care, can go without watering for a long time and bring a solid harvest, it is suitable for growing summer residents who visit their plot on weekends. Compliance with agricultural care techniques will extend the life of the bushes and get a bountiful harvest.

Spruce irrigation frequency

The first watering is carried out in the spring.If it was with little precipitation, then as soon as the soil warms up to +15 and frosts are not expected, each bush is moistened with 10-12 liters of warm water, you can add fertilizer, weed infusion, manure or nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Watering frequency 1-2 times a week. During the flowering period, the number of times is increased to 3-4, especially if the weather is hot, without precipitation.

Reduce the frequency of irrigation during fruit ripening. After harvesting, the frequency is 1-2 times in 2 weeks. Before shelter for the winter, 2-3 weeks before the expected frost, watering is completed. Irrigating bushes too often can harm crops and cause disease.

Loosening the soil

Loosening the soil is carried out 1 time in 1-2 weeks, usually this happens when weeding, in dry weather or 1-2 days after rain, watering, this allows you to make the soil breathable.

Cutting and shaping principle

The first pruning occurs when young shoots grow over 2 m, they are shortened to 1.6-1.8 m, this gives impetus to the growth of side shoots, cut in autumn, leaving 20-30 cm. Old shoots that fructified, removed in the fall in late September - early November.

How and what to feed black raspberries

Black raspberries require more nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium during the growing season, so you can feed them with complex purchased fertilizers, urea, or apply rotted manure, ash, peat, topsoil from the forest into the soil.

In summer, along with watering for abundant fruiting at the flowering stage, nitrophoska, chicken manure are introduced. In autumn, the soil is mulched with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, adding chlorine, fluff, green manure.

Preventive treatments

To prevent infection of plants with diseases or pests, the soil around the bushes is shed with a weak solution of manganese, lime, copper sulfate, TMTD, boiling water, Fitosporin, sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.

Reproduction of black raspberries

Reproduction of black raspberries is carried out in several ways: cuttings, branches, dividing the bush, offspring - these methods retain the properties of the parent bush, but the seed method may not convey these qualities. Cuttings allow you to quickly breed raspberries in the country.

Layers

Propagation of black raspberries by layering is the easiest way, two-year-old shoots after fruiting are bent to the ground with a drooping crown and sprinkled with fertile soil by 2-3 cm. Shoots begin to germinate after 2-4 weeks, in October they are cut off from the main bush or in early spring.

Root offspring

Black raspberries do not reproduce well by root offspring, as they are laid longer than those of red raspberries. It is better to take an offspring located at a distance of at least 20-30 cm. Cut off with a sharp pruner from the parent bush and planted in a new place.

Green and woody cuttings

Green cuttings are prepared from young shoots in late spring, early summer, the crown is removed, cut into 15-20 cm long, treated with a root formation stimulator and planted in separate containers with a nutrient substrate or in a greenhouse. In the spring, rooted plants are planted in open ground.

Lignified shoots are cut according to the same principle, but in autumn. Wrap in polyethylene and clean in a cool place until spring. In March-April, viable ones are selected and planted in open ground under a glass jar or separate containers that need to be covered with polyethylene to maintain high humidity. In the fall or next year in the spring, planting is carried out in open ground.

Seeds

The seed method is the longest. In autumn, dried berries are collected on a bush and put in the refrigerator to stratify the seeds for 1 month.Then they are sown in containers with soil mixture and covered with glass, creating high humidity and heat. When 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, gradually open the lid, adapting them. As they grow, the seedlings are transplanted into separate voluminous pots. Finished plants can be transplanted into open ground in a year, in the spring.

Popular black raspberry varieties

Breeders have bred many varieties that can grow in different climatic zones and bring a big harvest. One of the best varieties described by gardeners is Cumberland raspberry, which comes with yellow and black fruits:

1. Cumberland is the most popular and unpretentious mid-early variety. Berries are collected in 10-12 pieces. in the brush. Polydrupe up to 2 g, small, yield up to 10 kg from a bush. Resistant to drought, frost down to -30. The leaves are larger than other similar varieties, with a glossy surface.
2. New Logan - an early variety, high-yielding, up to 10 kg per berry season. Requires shelter in winter temperatures above -24. Berries of medium size up to 3 g.
3. Bristol is one of the resistant varieties to drought, frost down to -30 and diseases. Collect up to 5 kg from a crop bush. The fruits are black with a bluish bloom, medium ripening.
4. Charcoal - resistant to diseases, pests and long weather without rain. It tolerates frosts down to -30. Yield up to 8 kg, medium berries, 2-3 g.
5. Boisenberry - elongated berries of medium size, raspberry-blackberry sweet taste without sourness. High-yielding grade of average term of maturing. Withstands frosts down to -25.
6. Litach - a young Polish variety, mid-season, high-yielding, but requires shelter, as the allowable temperature is -23.
7. Black Jewelo - the branches of the bush of the first year are green with a white milky coating. Early ripe variety, late June - early July, high-yielding, fruits up to 2.5 g. The bush is very sprawling, 8-10 shoots per season.

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