Raspberry Red Guard

Many gardeners fell in love with remontant varieties of raspberries and are happy to plant them on the site. One of the leaders in popularity among them is rightfully considered the Krasnaya Gvardiya variety, which delights with its appearance, high yield and taste of berries.

The raspberry variety Krasnaya Gvardiya was bred in 2005. Its creator is the breeder Ivan Vasilievich Kazakov. This raspberry turned out to be one of the best varieties bred by this scientist. The variety received such an unusual name due to the appearance of the fruit. The berries are almost all the same size, reminiscent of the slender ranks of the Red Guards.

Repaired raspberries have powerful, erect, closely spaced shoots, which greatly facilitates both their care and harvesting. The stems reach a height of 160 cm. The thorns on them are small. The leaves are markedly different from the leaves of other varieties - they are large and wrinkled, the color of the foliage is dark green. The flowers are white. Ripens early compared to other remontant varieties. The variety is distinguished by a high degree of resistance to both winter frosts and summer droughts.

The Red Guard begins to bloom in mid-June. Flowering continues until early July, and in the second decade of July you can enjoy the first harvest. Fruiting ends in October.

The yield of the variety is high, up to 5.5 kg per bush. There are a lot of berries, they hang in clusters from the branches. Harvesting takes a long time, almost until the snow falls. About 95% of all fruit set on the bush ripens, which is unusual for other remontant varieties. High yields of bushes and at the same time a compact arrangement of shoots make it possible to grow the variety even in small household plots, while getting a good harvest.

Very large cone-shaped berries. The length of these "giants" are up to 5 cm, the weight of the berries is on average 8-10 g, but some of them even reach 15 g. Their color is dark red, the berries are glossy. Sweet, dense, aromatic berries with firm and juicy pulp. In addition to the wonderful taste, the tasting score of which is 4.8 points, the berries have another advantage - they do not fall off the branches, even if they are not picked in time. An interesting feature of the variety is the berries that are often found fused with each other - "Siamese twins".

It is not recommended to pick berries on rainy days. Excessive moisture will affect the taste and shelf life. You can store berries for up to two days at a temperature of about 2 degrees Celsius, spreading them in a thin layer in a box or cardboard box. Transportability is high, the berries do not crumple much. The harvested crop can be frozen, made jam or jam from it, and also consumed fresh.

One of the important points of care is the formation of bushes. They are regularly examined and thinned out. This will help maintain yields.

Raspberries of this variety must be tied up, preferably on trellises. A wire or strong twine is pulled between the installed pipes or other supports at a height of 50 cm and 100 cm. Shoots are attached to them.

The Red Guard belongs to self-pollinated varieties, but if you plant bushes near the apiary, bees will help to significantly increase the yield.

It is necessary to plant bushes according to certain rules. The best choice of landing site on the site will be its southern part. Light exposure is very important for the development and growth of raspberries. The beds must be protected from wind and drafts.

The soil should be loose, with a slightly alkaline reaction. If the soil is acidic, liming is necessary. Ash, calcite or dolomite can be added. High groundwater levels should be avoided. The distance when planting between the bushes should be about 60 cm, between the rows - about 2 m. It is convenient to plant the seedlings in prepared trenches or holes. Their depth is about 50 cm. Drainage is done at the bottom, enriched soil is poured, a young bush is planted on top and covered. The ground is covered with mulch.

Planting is carried out in early spring at the time of the swelling of the buds on the trees.

Pruning can be carried out in the fall, but, as Kazakov himself recommends, it is better to do this in early spring. In winter, tall shoots keep the snow out. Many gardeners also practice pruning twice, both in the fall and in the spring. Sick and broken branches should be removed during the summer. Young shoots are also removed if it is not planned to use them as planting material.

If mulching is carried out with high quality, then in the future there will be no need for additional watering. Watering is necessary at the time when young seedlings take root, and in conditions of severe drought during the active formation of ovaries. Water the raspberries once or twice a week if the air temperature is above +27 degrees. At a moderate air temperature and a long absence of rain, water is watered 2 times a month.

For the development of the plant and increase the yield, fertilizing is also practiced. In the spring, raspberries are fed with nitrogen: ammonium nitrate, urea. During flowering and berry ovary, plants are fed with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. At the end of the season, you can strengthen the strength of the raspberry bush with superphosphate.

You can propagate by root suckers, and choose the largest growth for transplantation.

In the first half of summer, the daughter shoots must be separated from the bushes. Cuttings about 30 cm high are planted at a distance of about 20 cm from each other. They are watered and mulched. For the winter, these seedlings are covered. When the threat of frost passes in the spring, the soil warms up to +10 degrees, young bushes are planted in a raspberry tree.

You can also propagate the plant by dividing the bushes in the spring. They are dug up, divided into parts, each of which should consist of 3 shoots, and planted in separate holes.