Description of the raspberry variety Hercules and features of planting and care
Raspberries of the Hercules variety can increasingly be found in garden plots.This is a unique plant that gives delicious fruits throughout the season. To please your family with fragrant berries, you need to study the description of the Hercules raspberry variety and make a choice.
Brief description of the raspberry variety Hercules
The taste and aroma of berries is influenced by the composition of the soil and climatic conditions.
Feature of the variety:
- Bushes grow up to two meters high. Because of these parameters, the raspberry Hercules is called a tree. The stems are powerful, with many shoots leaving them.
- The branches are abundantly covered with thorns that are bent downward.
- The color of young shoots is green. Their shade changes every year. In bushes that are more than a year old, the branches acquire a purple hue, and by the end of the season they are covered with a silvery bloom.
- The fruits are located on the upper half of the bush.
- Ripe berries have a ruby hue. The shape of the fruit is conical. They are located under the leafy plates, which hides them from human eyes.
- With proper care, the berry weighs about 6 grams.
- A feature of this variety is the taste of raspberries. Ripe fruits are juicy with a sweet and sour aftertaste, aromatic.
- The leaves have a deep green hue. The plates are characterized by curved edges and slight wrinkling.
- Ripe berries are able to keep their appearance and taste fresh for two days.
As for harvesting, it should be carried out exclusively in dry, sunny weather. This will preserve the quality and taste of the berries. It should also be borne in mind that they are very delicate and fragile. Therefore, so that the raspberries do not deform, the container for collecting it needs to be taken small and rather wide.
The raspberry of the Hercules variety belongs to the winter-hardy and drought-resistant species. But, despite this, she needs shelter, especially in the snowless winter.
Plant advantages and disadvantages
Raspberry Hercules has many benefits. Thanks to them, the plant is in special demand among summer residents.
The main positive aspects:
- strong fruiting, which lasts until the onset of frost;
- from one bush you can collect about three kilograms of berries per season;
- has good resistance to many diseases;
- can be used both for raw consumption and for various processing;
- well tolerates transportation over long distances.
Like all other varieties, Hercules has its own disadvantages. One of these is weak shoots. Also, the disadvantages include the presence of thorns. It is recommended to wear gloves when harvesting as there is a high risk of injury to your hands.
With proper planting and caring for Hercules raspberries, harvesting can be carried out in the second half of June.
A relative disadvantage of this variety is the extended period of fruit formation. This is due to the fact that in some areas, due to the onset of early winter, raspberries do not have time to ripen.But, in order to still get the harvest, many cut branches with green berries and put them in a vase of water. After some time, raspberries will begin to turn red and acquire their natural aroma and taste.
Planting a plant
Much depends on the correctness of this procedure. In general, the planting of Hercules raspberries is no different from other varieties. When buying seedlings, special attention should be paid to the root system. They must be rosy and free of rot and other damage.
In order for raspberries to start well, it is better to buy them in early spring. It is at this time that the plant leaves the resting stage, having a lot of strength for active development.
Planting raspberries is best done in areas that are located on the south side of the building.
Stages of the procedure:
- Site selection. The plant should be planted in an area that is well lit by the sun. The site must be well protected from drafts. It is allowed to plant raspberries in the area that is in the shade only in the morning. If this is not observed, then the culture will not give the desired yield.
- Trenching. Planting raspberries should be carried out in pre-made grooves. Their size should be within 50 centimeters. The length of the trench should be determined independently. It directly depends on the number of seedlings. The distance between the bushes should be about a meter, and at least two wide. These indicators are important, since mature plants are able to grow and branch. If there is not enough space for them, this will affect the yield.
- Fertilizer. For raspberries to take quickly, put five teaspoons in each dimple. superphosphate, some sand and wood ash. Mix all components and distribute evenly at the bottom of the trench. Then pour water to form a mud talker.
- Landing. Before placing the plants in the groove, you need to carefully spread the roots. This must be done with your hands and very carefully. Then immerse the seedlings in the slurry and cover with soil. It is important to ensure that the plant is as vertical as possible. Tamp the earth around the stem and pour five liters of clean water.
It will be possible to see if the seedlings have begun in two weeks. If everything went well, then fences will need to be made along the edge of the bushes so that the seedlings do not tilt and break.
Plant pruning
To keep raspberries healthy, it is enough to adhere to proper watering, loosening the soil. Also, do not forget about feeding.
This raspberry variety is resistant to decay. Bushes do an excellent job with waterlogged soil.
It is also important raspberry pruning... Thickened bushes are considered the main problem of the lack of a bountiful harvest. Therefore, in order to prevent this, it is recommended to periodically trim the shoots. Twigs that are thinner than a pencil should be removed. They will not be able to produce a crop and at the same time harm the development of fertile shoots.
In order for the remontant raspberry Hercules to be as in the photo, you should use one of 4 cropping methods:
- Standard. It is held only in the spring. To do this, remove all shoots, leaving no more than 30 centimeters from each. If everything is done correctly, the raspberries will release young twigs, which at the beginning of the season will give 30% of the harvest, and at the end - 70%.
- To the root. A similar cut should be carried out before the onset of frost. This should be done about 14 days before the first frost. Using root pruning, the harvest will be more abundant, but the first berries will appear a little later than with the standard one.
- Double pruning of bushes. The first procedure should be carried out after the ovary begins to form. This period falls in mid-May. If the shoots are removed on time, then the second harvest will be many times higher than expected.
- Removal of tops. Cut off the bushes in this way in the fall.The top shoots should be removed 40 centimeters. In this case, the initial harvest will be about 60% of the total.
Such procedures should be carried out only with a sharp knife. You can also do this with a pruner. If you cut off with other devices, then there is an opportunity to harm the shoots, and they will begin to lose their abilities.
It should also be noted that if you prune in the fall, it is not necessary to cover the bushes for the winter. This is especially true of those plants around which it is laid mulch.
Irrigation is the key to a high-quality harvest
The abundance of the raspberry crop Hercules depends not only on planting, but also on care, which provides for proper watering.
Irrigation of the bushes should begin in the second half of May. The procedure is carried out twice a month. Watering should last until the end of October. In order for the root system to be well saturated with water, it is necessary to make furrows near the stem. They should be at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other, and their depth should be about 10 centimeters. After the indentations are made, water is fed into them. Use three to four buckets of liquid for each bush. This should be done early in the morning or late in the evening. Such a feature of watering is necessary so that the leaves do not get burned if liquid gets on the plates.
To improve the safety of the crop and ensure good transportation, do not remove the stalk when picking berries.
Also, do not forget about loosening. Thanks to good air penetration to the roots, the bush will receive the right amount of vitamins. Plowing the soil around the stems should be 5 to 6 times a season. The first procedure should be carried out in early spring, before the buds bloom. The next weeding is recommended immediately after crusting or weeds emerge. The depth of loosening between the rows should be within 15 centimeters, in the area of the root system - 7 cm.
An important procedure for caring for raspberries is mulching. Thanks to him, you can reduce the number of weeding, as well as maintain the optimal percentage of moisture. For this, it is recommended to use sawdust, compost, humus or peat. The thickness of the mulch should be within 5 centimeters. It should be laid at the base of the bush. This procedure should be carried out once a season. Until next spring, the material has time to rot, which requires its renewal.
Potential pests
Raspberry Hercules is resistant to most diseases. It is rarely infected by insects, but despite this, it succumbs to viruses.
The main diseases of this variety:
- Rust. The outer part of the deciduous plates is covered with yellow spots. Also, in the presence of this problem, the color of the stems changes. They are covered with small sores that have a gray tint. To cure raspberries from rust, you will need to treat the bush with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid. A good prevention of this disease is the systematic loosening of the soil. Mulching also helps prevent rust from developing.
- Mosaic. This disease also affects deciduous plates. They not only deform, but also change their shade. The middle part becomes darker than the edges. If nothing is done, the stems will thin out, and the fruits themselves will lose their taste. It is almost impossible to cure a bush from this disease. If such symptoms appear, the affected shoots must be removed as soon as possible.
- Septoria. Plants that are affected by this infection are distinguished by leaves on which there are round spots of a brown tone. After a while, they turn purple. Septoria is very dangerous, as it affects not only the leaves, but also the buds. At its first manifestations, the bushes need to be sprayed with 0.5% copper oxychloride. An excess of fertilizers containing a large amount of nitrogen can lead to this problem.
Also, an excessive number of shoots is a common cause of poor fruit formation. This problem is called fouling. Sometimes up to 200 branches can grow on one bush. Often they are all very thin and not capable of producing crops. To get rid of this problem, the bush must be cut down and burned. This is the only and effective method. Removing the plant will prevent the spread of the virus to other crops.
Observing the rules of planting and caring remontant raspberries Hercules, you can get a high quality and bountiful harvest. The berries of this variety will have a rich aroma and incredible taste that will not leave anyone indifferent.