Malina Joan Jay

The most popular varieties of raspberries are remontant, that is, those that bear fruit continuously and repeatedly. A newcomer to this type of plant is the Joan Jay raspberry. In the article, we will consider the features of the variety, the positive aspects and yield, as well as the methods of reproduction and frost resistance.

Raspberry Joan Jay is a hybrid. Crossbreeding was carried out by the British breeder D. Derek. For the parent couple, he chose Joan Squire (male flowers, pollen was taken for pollination) and Terry Lewis (female flowers, flowers were pollinated). The result was not long in coming, and in 2008 a new species of raspberry appeared in Maidstone, England.

The bush is medium-sized, low. Saplings of the first year grow up to 1 m. 5-8 stems per bush. In the second year, the branches grow up to 2 m. The peculiarities of the shoots are that they are thick and have no thorns at all.

One shoot has an average of 7 lateral stems from 40 to 60 cm long. The shoots themselves are light green in color, straight. But the more harvest, the more the branch can bend. To avoid this, it is worth installing trellises.

The leaves are large, with a shallow deep pattern, there is a slight hairiness.

The main advantages of the variety:

• good drought resistance;

• high productivity;

• long fruiting period;

• lack of thorns;

• uncomplicated propagation algorithm.

The disadvantages include:

• low frost resistance;

• short shelf life;

• overripening;

• the need to install supports.

Raspberry Joan Jay has an average ripening period and belongs to the type of remontant. Harvesting begins in the second half of July, the main harvest falls in September, but in October the remnants ripen.

There are 50-80 fruits per branch, 6-7 kg of berries can be harvested from a bush. If we consider the plantations, then it is possible to collect up to 15 tons of berries per hectare.

The berries are large, deep red. They are conical in shape, weighing 6-8 g. By the end of the season, the weight of the berries will significantly decrease.

If the tip is white on the berries, then the fruit is not yet ripe. The color of the berry is uniform, and when harvesting, the berry is easily removed from the core.

The fruit tastes sweet and sour, rich, juicy, with a pleasant raspberry aroma. The pulp is dense, firm, fleshy. The skin is strong, the berries do not crack. The main disadvantage: the berries tend to overripe quickly.

It is possible to plant this raspberry during the entire growing season, since the seedlings have a high survival rate. For a good harvest immediately in the first year, gardeners usually use fertilizers and growth stimulants. And also water the plant correctly.

The bushes should be mulched. This will provide a normal natural environment for the soil, it will not dry out or get too hot, and will also prevent weeds from germinating.

It is worth thinning the bushes correctly, as well as tying up young shoots so that they do not break under the weight of the fruits.

If we talk about the place where it is better to plant raspberries, then this is always the sunny side of the site. The rows should go from north to south. It is worth digging up the previously allocated area, letting the earth stand for a while so that it becomes loose. If necessary, the soil can be dug up with fertilizers. If the area is clay, then, if possible, it is necessary to remove the clay.

Next, you need to do the rows. For planting seedlings, you can use the method of holes or trenches. Here, the choice will be purely personal. The pits should be up to 50 cm deep, up to 80 cm wide. The number of holes should be equal to the number of seedlings. We install trellises next to the holes and throughout the entire raspberry grove. The distance between the supports is from 3 m, and the wire on which the branches will be attached should be distributed at 3 levels: 0.7 m, 1 m and 1.6 m.

In addition, growth stimulants or any other fertilizer can be poured into the pits. The seedlings are lowered into the hole and covered with earth so that the root collar is at ground level. It is necessary to leave 80 cm between the bushes, but between the rows, 1-2 m will be enough.

After planting, the seedlings must be shed, 2 buckets per hole.

Raspberries are pruned, like all domestic crops, twice a year: in spring and autumn. In the second year after the harvest season, it is worth cutting off the branches so that only 30 cm remains in length.This contributes to the active growth of shoots the next year. In the fall, pruning is done after the first frost.

In the spring, dried up shoots are removed, those that did not leave after winter, and healthy ones are pruned to the first swelling bud. Each cut should be treated with a garden pitch.

Raspberry Joan Jay loves water. Although this crop tolerates drought, it should not be overused. The lack of moisture will affect the yield, the berries will begin to shrink, although their taste will not be affected. On average, one bush should take 20 liters, but if we proceed from the fact that bushes are planted in a trench, then 60 liters per 1 m.

And also it is worth doing top dressing throughout the growing season. It can be wood ash, it will help to avoid the attacks of most pests and supply the bushes with the necessary minerals, or manure.

This variety has low frost resistance, only up to -16 degrees. Therefore, many gardeners, after cutting the bushes, begin to carefully cover them. If the shoots are cut to a hemp, then they can be covered with a layer of sawdust mulch. Then spruce branches are placed, and then any dense covering material is suitable, usually a film is used.

And also it is worth taking care of the roots. In this case, when the first snow falls, a small mound is made over the bush.

In the southern regions, you should not cover raspberries.

Raspberry Joan Joy perfectly resists the most common diseases and pests. But only if you take care of her properly. If you do not process the bushes in time, then some diseases may develop.

• Didymella or purple spotting. Because of it, immunity weakens, and raspberries become vulnerable to a number of other diseases and insects.

• Gray rot, it destroys the fruit.

• Mosaic, a disease that penetrates the wounds on the stem. Difficult to withdraw.

Among the pests, it is worth noting such as:

• raspberry sawer, eats up the stem from the inside;

• flea eating leaves.

During the entire growing season, raspberries give new young shoots, which greatly facilitates the reproduction of the bushes.

In order to propagate raspberries, you will need young, healthy shoots 15-20 cm long. The seedlings are carefully separated from the bush, preferably together with the soil, and transferred to a designated new place. Pits for new shoots should be dug in advance.

And also can be propagated by shoots of rhizomes. To do this, you need to dig up small green shoots in May and transplant them into containers. During the rooting period (3.5-5 weeks), the shoots should be intensively fed. Before disembarking, they should be already 40-60 cm long. The disembarkation must be done before the beginning of July.