Raspberry Raspberry Ridge

Raspberry Raspberry Ridge has become a very interesting and desirable novelty on the Russian agricultural market. Not only ordinary summer residents strive to grow it, but also professional farmers. Since 2019, this variety has gone on sale and is very popular.

The Raspberry Ridge was created by the famous breeder of the Shkolny Sad kennel, Vladimir Shiblev. His assistant was his son Ilya Shiblev, who is the head of the kennel. The nursery is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region and has been breeding various crops for more than 30 years.

The plant has medium sized bushes with moderate vigor. Their height does not exceed 100-150 cm. The bush has sprawling shoots with rare but very hard thorns. Annual branches are light brown. Corrugated beautiful large leaves are slightly pubescent. The variety is recommended not only for growing on a personal plot, but also for industrial planting.

The main advantage of this remontant raspberry is its amicable ripening in medium terms. Depending on the region, berry picking continues in two stages. The first can start in July or August, the second in September-October.

Since the plant is adapted to any conditions, it can be grown in any region of the country. This can be the south, the middle zone of Russia, Siberia or the Urals.

The raspberry ridge is a very productive variety, on an industrial scale, 15-16 tons can be harvested from one hectare, and on a garden plot you can get at least 5 kg of ripe berries from a bush.

Raspberries are bright red in color and oblong in shape. Large fruits can weigh from 12 to 14 g, and their length varies from 2.5 to 3.5 cm. The pulp has a sweet taste, good density and juiciness, has a rich, fruity and berry aroma. Thanks to these characteristics, it is not only transported over long distances, but also has good keeping quality, which is very important for the market. The tasting assessment of berries on a five-point system is 4.5 points.

Raspberry ridge prefers to grow in a sunny location, away from groundwater. To obtain a good harvest and prevent various infections, the bushes need constant loosening and removal of weeds, which can be carriers of various diseases.

This variety requires light, loose, nutrient-rich soil with good air exchange and neutral acidity. And also it can be sandy loam or loamy soil with a pH of 5.7-6.5 m.In order for the plant to grow as comfortably as possible, when planting, it is necessary to adhere to the distance between the bushes from 0.5 to 1 m, and between the rows of 1.5-2 m ...

In one place, the Raspberry Ridge can grow from 10 to 14 years.Depending on the soil, a specific planting method is used. If the soil is sandy, then it is better to plant the bushes in a trench way. A layer of tops or cut branches is laid at the bottom. Next, you can lay a layer of green grass or weeds. This will help retain water after watering. The last layer will be soil with compost or fermented manure.

Clay soil is suitable for raised beds, it is this method that facilitates the access of heat to the root, and also thanks to it, the water does not stagnate. Clay soil does not warm up for a long time in spring, and this is very bad for the roots, so raised beds will bring them warm much faster. It is thanks to this method that remontant varieties will give a good harvest. In this method, it is also necessary to make the first layer from coarse branches, the second from green plant mass, and the third using fertile soil with humus or compost. After planting the plantation, it is necessary to mulch the roots with weeds, straw or hay, so that the roots will not dry out.

As with any remontant variety, pruning for the Raspberry Ridge is chosen based on the amount of harvest you want to get. In order for the raspberries to ripen once a year, but with a bountiful harvest, for this, at the end of fruiting, all the shoots are cut off at the root. In warm regions, this is done in the fall, and in temperate latitudes - in the spring. This is due to the fact that raspberry bushes trap snow in winter, which means that they winter better. In regions where winters are snowless, but wet, it is better to cut the bush in the fall so that the pests do not survive over the winter.

To obtain two harvests per year, at the end of fruiting, only two-year shoots are removed, and the upper part is shortened at the tops of the stems of the first year. Only after the shoots have borne fruit, they are bent and covered for the winter. Despite all these methods, it is also necessary to carry out sanitary pruning by removing dry and damaged branches. The plantings should not thicken, as this provokes not only a decrease in yield, but also the reproduction of pests.

It is very important to ensure that the ground does not dry out. She especially needs watering during flowering and fruiting. Regular watering is very important, once every one to two weeks. One bucket of water is used for one bush. It is brought directly under the roots in the morning or evening. As for dressings, nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the raspberry plant to build up green mass. This is done before flowering or during fruit setting. Organic fertilizers will be a good top dressing. For the simultaneous ripening and sweetness of the fruits, phosphorus or potassium dressings are used.

Despite the fact that this variety is frost-resistant and does not need shelter, in regions with little snowy winters, it is better to cover the bushes with a thick layer of mulch or sawdust.

Raspberries are disease resistant, but preventative measures will not hurt. Shrubs are treated in the spring before flowering using fungicides and insecticides. To prevent infection with fungal diseases, bushes and soil can be treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

The easiest way to reproduce is by dividing root suckers or young shoots. This variety has horizontal rhizomes that extend from the mother bushes by 3-4 m. It is they who create adventitious buds and give out young shoots. Thanks to her, you will have strong seedlings.

According to gardeners' reviews, we can say for sure that the berries have excellent characteristics, they are tasty, sweet and very aromatic. Due to the fact that the bushes are not tall, the crop is harvested without additional devices, such as a ladder or stool. In turn, there is no need to bend over or sit down. The plant has good frost resistance and drought resistance. Reproduces well, disease resistant. Due to its simultaneous ripening, the variety is ideal for mechanized harvesting. There is no need to prop up the bushes, and the beautiful appearance of the berries gives excellent prospects for sale in the markets. The only drawback is that raspberries grow very actively, and in small areas you need to use additional measures to curb crop growth. For this, slate or sheets of metal are dug into the ground.