Berry bushes in the garden not only delight us with the harvest, but also very decorate our garden space. It is known that raspberries, currants and gooseberries contain more biologically active substances than other fruit crops. Their fruits even after processing (jam, compotes, confiture) retain more than half of the vitamins. A rare garden does without berry bushes. And in the Kuban, probably, raspberries, red or black currants, and gooseberries grow in every garden.
It is well known that there is nothing better than raspberry in the treatment of colds. After all, there are so many salicylic acid, vitamins, trace elements in it.
Blackcurrant, gooseberries in berries accumulate pectin and P-active compounds in combination with ascorbic acid, easily digestible forms of iron, phosphorus and other trace elements. Fresh berries and their processed products are used in the treatment of blood diseases, vitamin deficiencies and cardiovascular diseases.
In the conditions of southern Russia, raspberries, currants, and gooseberries ripen in late June - early July. This time does not coincide with the period of mass ripening of fruit crops and grapes. At present, the market for valuable medicinal products of raspberries, currants, and gooseberries mainly depends on home gardening. Therefore, the demand for planting material of these crops is increasing annually. But you should buy a clean, healthy planting material.
How to check when buying whether the berry shrub is healthy
Here are some signs of infected plants. In berry shrubs, woody is often spread - a large nocturnal butterfly and its caterpillar feeding on wood. It is easy to determine by the cutaway shoot. The core of the slice, when struck with wood or glass (a butterfly with transparent wings by its caterpillar), becomes black. A healthy seedling is distinguished by a light green core of shoots.
Care for berry bushes
In the south of Russia in the autumn (September to November), the growing season continues. After a hot summer in autumn, under optimal conditions of air and soil temperature (20-25 degrees), with periodic rainfall, the root growth is again activated, laying, differentiation of generative buds continues. That is, the next year’s harvest is being laid. These processes continue until steady decreases in air and soil temperature occur, often until the end of December.
Prior to autumn leaf fall, it is very important to maximize the use of weather conditions for active root growth and continued accumulation of plastic substances, which ensures the realization of potential productivity. To this end, it is important to provide thorough soil care. It is known that its loosening after rain ensures the preservation of moisture, the active state of the root system. Therefore, regularly, at least once a week, it is necessary to carry out shallow loosening of the soil around the plants in rows, as well as in aisles. It is advisable to add humus, peat or biohumus, as well as ash, which is rich in potassium, under cultivation.
If the bushes have dry or broken branches, they must be cut to living wood, taken out of the plot, burned. The main pruning - shortening branches, shoots, forming bushes - is best done in early spring, in March. After winter, it will already be possible to determine the state of plants or damage to individual branches.
In October-November, with a long absence of rainfall, it is advisable to periodically, 2-3 times a month, irrigate.
All these measures will help to ensure the maximum laying of generative formations of the berry-fruit buds that form the crop.
Propagation of berry bushes
Raspberries are propagated mainly by annual offspring - this is a healthy stem with a rootlobe. And currants or gooseberries - layering or annual cuttings. Propagation by green cuttings in the south without fogging plants fails.
The best time for propagation by layering or lignified cuttings is early spring, the period of kidney swelling. This usually occurs in late February - early March.
Where better to plant berry bushes
Placement of berry plants on a personal plot is best done along its borders, in sunny open areas. In the shade under the fruit trees they will not bear fruit.
Raspberry seedlings can be placed at a distance of 30-40 cm, currants or gooseberries - 60-100 cm. The soil for planting should be deeply dug up, loosened with organic mixtures: 2/3 humus + 1/3 sand or ash for heavy loamy chernozems; 2/3 humus + 1/3 clay on light sandy loamy soils.
Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped in a thick soil-humus mash (2/3 humus + vermicompost + earth + preparation Kornevin or Heteroauksin). This provides good adhesion of the earth during planting, high survival rate of plants.
When planting, raspberry seedlings are placed in the planting pits, sprinkled with earth to the level of the root neck. And the seedlings of currants or gooseberries - 5-10 cm above the border of the stems of the root system. After planting, the soil around the plants is compacted, necessarily watered (for 2-3 bushes - 10 l of water).
If planting takes place before winter, they need to be covered with earth, humus up to 5-10 cm high. In spring, the soil around the plants is leveled and mulched with humus.
Autumn planting dates begin with a steady decrease in air temperature to 5-7 degrees, after shedding of leaves. This is observed in the last decade of November - early December.
In spring, the earliest planting dates are used - in the second half of February or the first decade of March.
It should be recalled that the soil under the berry shrubs should always be clean of weeds. After all, they not only deplete the nutritional value of the soil, absorbing a large number of organic compounds, but also contribute to the accumulation, spread of fungal diseases, pests. Therefore, throughout the growing season, the soil should be clean from weeds.
Before the start of winter (in late November - the first decade of December), the soil between the rows can be dug deeper (up to 15-20 cm). After that, on the surface of the earth, in rows around the plants, in the rows between rows, an organic mulch material is decomposed - a rotted horse, cow or bird humus with a layer of up to 10 cm. Such mulch not only maintains a positive soil temperature for a long time, but also serves as a good dressing and top dressing for plants and early spring root growth.
Biological features of berry bushes
When soil care should take into account the biological characteristics of berry bushes. For example, in raspberries, the rootlobe is located in the upper soil layer (15-20 cm). In gooseberries and currants, the bulk of the roots is located at a depth of 40-60 cm in the soil, and skeletal roots reach a depth of 1.0-1.5 m. Therefore, raspberries are more demanding on watering, loosening around plants should be carried out shallow (up to 5-7 cm )
Raspberry stalks live no more than two years. In the first year, they grow to 1.0-1.5 m and lay generative buds in the upper part of the shoots. Next year, inflorescences and berries are formed from generative buds. After fruiting, the stems dry out and die. In repairing raspberry varieties, fruiting occurs in the first year of shoot development and the next.
Gooseberry, currant bushes consist of shoots, branches of different ages with annual growths on 2-3-4 year old wood, as well as annual offspring on the surface of the earth, which shorten and form young fruiting branches in the second year.
Old, 5-year-old branches with weak annual growths are usually removed from the bushes completely at ground level. The smaller the old branches, the more convenient the care of the soil, the more active is the growth of annual growths, on which the main crop of berries is formed. In addition, on 2-3-4-year-old wood, pods (twigs with fruit buds) form, which form up to 30% of the total yield. Timely thorough care of the soil and plants will allow you to regularly receive high yields.
To obtain environmentally friendly medicinal products of berries, the use of pesticides in the fight against diseases and pests after setting fruit should be completely abandoned. The most appropriate use of biological agents to control powdery mildew, other fungal diseases, as well as aphids, ticks. Among them are strong infusions of celandine, garlic, bitter red pepper based on an aqueous soap solution. They are used after flowering, setting berries (in late April), as well as before ripening berries (in the second half of May).
These protective measures are absolutely safe for human health during spraying, as well as when using berries, both fresh and for processing.
Famous processed products - jams, jams, compotes, juices can be replenished with vitamin raw jams (berries and sugar 1: 1), as well as wines, liquors that are made from raspberries, currants and gooseberries (colored varieties) have a dessert flavor, pleasant aroma, medicinal properties.