Planting black raspberries "Cumberland" and subsequent care of the bushes

The planting technique and subsequent care of the black raspberry "Cumberland" slightly differ from the agricultural technology of the usual varieties, but the berries of this culture have a completely different taste, reminiscent of blackberries. Contrary to information widely circulated in various sources, raspberries with black berries are not a hybrid. The "Cumberland" variety was bred over 100 years ago in the USA on the basis of an independent natural species of western blackberry raspberry (Rubus occidentalis, a description of which is found in Michurin's works), so the berries have their own original flavor.

Features of the variety

The variety "Cumberland" is undeservedly deprived of the attention of Russian summer residents, although it surpasses the red raspberry in several ways at once:

• very frost-hardy, does not freeze even at a temperature of -32 ° C (but for the winter it is advisable to bend the shoots to the ground);
• not afraid of drought, since the roots go deep into almost a meter (but with a long absence of watering, the yield decreases);
• black raspberries are not only tasty, but also contain substances that remove carcinogens from the body, as well as capable of suppressing the activity of genes at the molecular level that provoke the formation of malignant tumors;
• berries are good keeping quality, do not crumble or crumple;
• the culture is not damaged by the raspberry-strawberry weevil and the raspberry beetle;
• the yield of this variety of black raspberries is 5-6 kg per bush, ripening of berries is amicable, collection 3-4 times over the summer;
• flowering period - end of June, which excludes damage to inflorescences by recurrent frosts.

One of the features of the Cumberland raspberry is the absence of growth from the rhizome - young growth will not appear from the ground in the radius of the bush. This will delight many summer residents who are tired of fighting the uncontrolled spread of red raspberries.

Of the minuses of the black raspberry "Cumberland", many note the large bones in the berries, as well as very thorny thorny stems, which are easy to hurt when harvesting. To avoid this, the method of fan garter to the trellises is used.

Landing technique

For the "Cumberland" variety, well-lit, drained and not too ventilated areas of the site are suitable. In a silty or heavy clay substrate, young black raspberries will develop slowly, bear little fruit, and may eventually die.

Advice

After potatoes, tomatoes and other types of raspberries, it is better not to plant black varieties. Favorable predecessors are carrots and onions, green manure and herbs.

To the soil "Cumberland" is not too demanding, but the harvest of optimal quality is removed when planting in light loamy chernozem, as well as abundantly fertilized sandy loam and loamy soils.

Planting black raspberries is done by a trench or ditch method (pit size 45 * 45 cm). The top selected soil layer (about 15 cm) is mixed with 15 liters of humus and 1 liter of wood ash. Industrial fertilizers are also suitable: 120 g of simple superphosphate and 50 g of potassium nitrate.

The resulting soil mixture is poured with a mound on the bottom of the pit (by 2/3), the roots of the seedling are gently straightened and covered with the remaining substrate. After planting, abundant watering and mulching (about 7 cm thick) is carried out with mowed lawn grass, straw or chopped bark.

The distance between the rows of bushes should be about 2 m, and between the plants - 0.5 m.Raspberries must be tied up, so it is worth arranging a trellis system 2 m high in advance.

Reproduction

In natural conditions, black raspberries reproduce by seeds and layering from adult stems bent to the ground.In the same way, you can get planting material from the "Cumberland" variety: at the end of summer, the soft tops of several long shoots are fixed at the ground (you can use staples made of thick wire), before winter they will take root.

Black raspberries can also be propagated by cuttings. For this, the upper parts of the shoots are cut off and immersed in a moist nutrient substrate. The main condition for rooting is to maintain heat and moisture, it is better to plant in a greenhouse. The procedure is laborious, therefore it is rarely used.

Most often, gardeners get high-quality planting material of black raspberries from horizontal layers. In early April, several shoots are pruned to 12-15 cm. Soon they will begin to actively grow lateral branches, which, upon reaching sufficient length, bend to the ground and are fixed at a point at a distance of 20 cm from the top.

For the winter, rooted shoots are well covered, since the root system is still weak, there is a high risk of freezing. The next fall, young raspberry bushes are planted in their permanent place.

Care

Caring for Cumberland black raspberries is easier than for red ones, but this variety also needs periodic nutritional supplementation, protection from pests and diseases.

Top dressing

The harvest of black berries will be more abundant (ovaries are formed from almost all flowers) if you make several dressings. Below are the data per 1m² soil.

1. Immediately after flowering, black raspberries benefit from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 35-40 g of urea (or ammonium sulfate), 15 g of potassium sulfate, 25 g of simple superphosphate are diluted in 10 liters of water. You can use an infusion of cow dung: one part of the raw material is poured with two parts of warm water, the container is closed and insisted for about 3-4 days. At the end of fermentation, everything is mixed, ash is added at the rate of 1 glass per liter. Before use, the resulting fertilizer is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 7.
2. Two weeks after the first feeding of black raspberries, the second is made. You can use complex liquid fertilizers (Diammophos, AVA) or prepare an infusion of nettle or wood ash in advance.
3. After collecting the first batch of berries, 10 g of potassium sulfate, 30 g of simple superphosphate are dissolved in 10 liters of water and the bushes are spilled. It is not recommended to embed the substances in bulk in the soil, since the time of their arrival to the roots will depend on the rain.

Advice

An excess of nitrogen at the end of summer will slow down the ripening of the shoots due to the intense growth of green mass and worsen the wintering conditions of the bushes.

During the growing season in dry weather, black raspberries need watering (7-8 liters per bush). This is especially true since the formation of ovaries. After fruiting, watering is stopped.

Bush formation

The formation of a bush is an integral part of the work to obtain a high yield of black raspberries: the resources of the plant are rationally distributed, ventilation is provided.

Variety "Cumberland" grows rapidly, so the first-year shoots are cut to 1.8 m at the end of June (in the northern regions they are cut to 1.5 m). This procedure will stimulate the growth of lateral branches that will bear fruit in the next season. In early November, they are shortened to 35 cm. The two-year-old shoots of black raspberries that have matured are also cut off, leaving 10-12 pieces (the strongest).

If the trimming is done correctly and in a timely manner, then the installation of trellises during planting is not required.

Disease protection

Black raspberry "Cumberland" is resistant to most pests and pathogens, but there are two diseases that can destroy plantings: verticillium wilting and the so-called mosaic complex.

In the first case, the causative agent is a fungus of the genus Verticillium alba-atrum, an extremely dangerous microorganism for plants that remains in the soil for a long time and causes the gradual death of crops by affecting their vascular system.The disease begins with wilting of individual leaves, shoots, which subsequently turn yellow and dry out. On loamy soils, the process develops more slowly, and on loose soils, plantings can be destroyed in a matter of days.

The most unpleasant thing is that there is still no effective remedy capable of destroying this pathogen without harming the plant. Black raspberry bushes with signs of verticillosis are dug up and burned, and the holes are spilled with a solution of nitrafen (2%) or copper sulfate (4-5%) at a consumption of 4-5 liters for each. You can plant something in this place only for the next season.

To minimize the risk of verticillium damage, you should not plant black raspberries next to strawberries (they often get sick and infect surrounding crops), as well as with nightshades (they themselves do not get sick, but are carriers) and with apple trees.

The mosaic complex of diseases includes:

• blackberry necrosis virus (black raspberry necrosis);
• mottling of leaves;
• yellow mesh virus;
• chlorotic spot.

Transfers to raspberries various strains of these viruses aphids and other sucking insects.

Diseases are manifested by defects in the leaf plate:

• tuberosity, rough surface;
• bordering veins, alternating areas of gray and green colors;
• specks and spots.

Affected leaves turn yellow, curl and fall off, raspberry shoots weaken, the tops often dry out. The only effective method of control, as in the case of verticillium wilting, is the removal of diseased raspberry bushes. The soil is treated by digging and sowing with green manure plants.

The following measures will help to avoid serious diseases of black raspberry:

• timely cleaning of weeds;
• top dressing;
• destruction of aphid colonies throughout the site, as well as control over the population of ants that carry these insects;
• preventive spring and autumn spraying with a solution of copper sulfate with lime milk (Bordeaux liquid).

Under favorable weather conditions, fungal infections of black raspberries are not terrible.

Pest control

Most pests are not interested in black raspberries, but some insects can also affect it:

• gall midge (swelling is formed on the stems);
• aphid;
• raspberry fly;
• spider mite.

They get rid of pests with standard insecticides for such cases: "Fufanon", "Karbofos", "Aktara", "Aktellik".

Cumberland is the oldest black raspberry variety, but over the years it has not lost its value and still has a loyal following. Those who initially liked the taste of the original black berries do not let go of this variety from their site.

Many gardeners note that even in the conditions of a short and unfavorable summer, you can not only eat plenty of sweet berries, but also stock them up for future use. To maintain the yield of black raspberries, it is enough to follow simple agrotechnical techniques.