Raspberry Octavia (hand made)

When breeding raspberries, the correct solution would be to have bushes on the site with different periods of fruit ripening. Late fruiting raspberries are considered more suitable for harvesting. Today, over 200 of these varieties are available to gardeners. These include Octavia (Octavia) - the development of English breeders.

Octavia is the result of crossing the very successful Scottish variety Glen Ample and EM 5928-114. This work was carried out by biologists of one of the oldest agricultural institutions in Great Britain - the East Malling Research Station in Kent (England). The authorship belongs to the renowned specialist, Master of Science in Genetics Victoria Knight (Victoria Knight). The name of the variety refers to the Latin word octo (eight), because its fruiting falls in August, the eighth month.

The variety was launched in 1996 and passed numerous tests before entering the country's market in 2002. Octavia quickly spread among the horticultural sector in Great Britain and became a favorite commercial variety.

Raspberry is a winter-hardy and high-yielding (with intensive care and favorable weather conditions) non-renovated Octavia variety forms a powerful bush with straight, flexible shoots. The fruits of this summer-late-ripening variety are large and conical in shape. Subject to certain rules of agricultural technology, the berries will be very sweet, without acid. The variety is recommended for both amateur and commercial cultivation.

Octavia starts flowering two weeks later than Glen Ample. In the regions of Central Russia, the crop can be harvested in late July - early August. In the milder climate of western Ukraine, raspberries bear fruit even in mid-July. The fruiting period is long - about 5 weeks.

In the UK, this raspberry has no restrictions for cultivation: it is recommended even for Scotland and other northern regions. Having conquered the British market, Octavia has gained recognition in many European countries. There it is a popular industrial grade. In Ukraine, in Russia, this raspberry is chosen by experienced amateur gardeners who are not afraid of painstaking work on their site and want to get a harvest of raspberries of different fruiting dates throughout the summer season. A true "British", Octavia prefers a temperate continental, humid climate.

According to the characteristics declared by the developer, Octavia gives a good harvest: from 3 to 3.5 kg of ripe berries from a bush. Such a result can be obtained not immediately, but for about 3 years of cultivation. Industrial figures: about 20-25 tons per hectare. The variety is universal: it is used for processing, freezing and fresh sale on the market.

Large berries of rich, but not dark red color have a regular round-conical shape. The presentation of the crop is at a height - the berries are uniform in size, weighing 6-8 g each. The seeds are very small, the drupes are well linked. Gathering is easy: the brushes are large, and the ripe fruits do not crumble.

The taste of Octavia is very high: the berries are sweet-sugar, with a strong aroma. Outside, the berry is dry, dense and strong, tolerates short storage and transportation well.

It is possible to unleash the full potential of this variety only if the necessary conditions are met.

• Octavia requires regular application of a large number of intensive fertilizing.

• Despite the fact that the berry is not "baked" in the sun, excessive heat is contraindicated for it. From heat and drought, growth is inhibited, the berries become smaller and become sour.

• The bush requires a trellis support device, because for 2-3 years the shoots reach 2 meters.

• Excessively rainy climates and poor drainage can cause root rot and a deterioration in the palatability of the berry.

Disembarkation is carried out in the spring, before the buds awaken, or in the fall. Plants are placed at a distance of at least 0.5 m from each other on a well-lit by the sun, protected from the wind, on a flat area. The row spacing between future bushes should be about 3 m wide.

Sour soil is unsuitable for planting, it requires the introduction of lime. Saplings of this variety take root well on light loamy, well-drained soils. The roots should not be deeply buried, raspberries do not tolerate deep planting. The root area must be mulched.

Shoots begin to grow intensively, requiring pruning, at 3 years. It is necessary to carry out the manipulation in the fall, leaving about 10 of the healthiest and strongest. After winter, a secondary, spring pruning is performed, removing the weakest or damaged shoots so that 5-7 shoots remain.

After planting, seedlings for 1.5-2 months need abundant watering so that they take root and grow.

Intensive dressing is applied at certain periods:

• early spring (nitrogen fertilizer);

• before flowering (manganese, phosphorus);

• after flowering (ferruginous and potassium supplements).

Octavia tolerates snowy winters well with frosts even down to -30 ° C. But residents of central Russia and the northeast are better off not taking risks and covering the bushes.The cut stems must be bent down and wrapped with agrofibre.

The Octavia variety turned out to be quite resistant to the main viruses infecting this genus, except for the bushy dwarf virus. The plant resists pests well. Octavia has a weak resistance to root rot.

Octavia reproduces well by cuttings and root layers. They can be rooted in containers or planted directly into open ground.