Raspberry Japanese

Many people love raspberries since childhood for their large and always tasty berries. There are quite a few types of raspberries. In this article, we'll take a look at a variety called Japanese. It came to the territory of Russia from the Far East quite recently, therefore it is very exotic, and many do not even know about it.

The exact place where this beautiful variety was bred is unknown. There is a lot of evidence that raspberries were grown in Japan and China. For example, in China it is called Miao Miao.

Date of origin XIX century. Who is the breeder is unknown.

In Russia, the variety is known under another name - Purpurenoplodnaya.

Raspberry Japanese is a medium-sized shrub, it reaches a height of about 2 m. The stems are rather slender, reed type. The leaves are feathery, dark green in color, they are slightly pubescent on the underside. Raspberry shoots are long, more than 3 m, covered with fleecy bristles. Due to the fact that the shoots of this culture are very curly, it is often compared to a vine.

Raspberry ripening times vary greatly. For example, in the Far East, the flowering period is early May, all due to climatic conditions. In Russia, the climate is colder, so flowering begins either at the end of May or at the beginning of June.

Flowering occurs on the carpal inflorescence, on average there are 5 small flowers per cluster. Berries are set unevenly, and fruiting itself stretches from August to the very frost.

Depending on the region, the ripening period is very varied, it follows that the harvest begins around August-September. In the season, you can collect up to 1.5 kg from one bush, but if the bush is small, then only about 0.5 kg of fruit. In the first year, berry picking always takes place at the end of summer, in subsequent years - as the raspberries ripen.

For the convenience of harvesting, all fruiting branches should be cut to a length of up to 2 meters and fixed with trellises.

The diameter of one berry is on average about 10 mm, the color varies from red to dark purple shades. There is also a black color. It is because of the dark shades that this variety is confused with blackberries.

The shape of the berry is oblong, up to 1 cm in length. The taste is quite sweet, not sugary. Sweetness also depends on the amount of sun and feeding, if the food was not enough, then sour notes will be present.

This type of raspberry does not require any special conditions for growing.The variety is rather unpretentious, but it has one very significant feature that should be taken into account: Japanese raspberry is a very aggressive culture. It grows very quickly and can fill a site in almost one season. It often releases roots, it is because of this fact that the variety does not get along with other types of crops, since it absorbs the entire territory.

This culture is a representative of berry bushes, so it is best to plant Japanese raspberries in a slightly acidic environment. It can be planted both in spring and autumn. The site must be sufficiently illuminated by the sun.

It is not recommended to plant the plant in places where tomatoes or potatoes previously grew. Raspberries suffer from the same diseases, so the risk of infection increases.

Before planting a seedling, you need to prepare a place.

• Dig holes. The diameter of the fossa should be 2 times larger than the root system of the seedlings.

• Fertilize the soil with organic fertilizing.

• The seedling should be lowered into the hole, along the way, the roots should be spread down.

• Then sprinkle everything with soil and tamp.

• Drizzle with water and cover with mulch.

And also when planting, you always need to take care of the trellises, otherwise the bush will subsequently begin to grow uncontrollably. Therefore, the supports should stand 1.5-2 m apart from each other. The wire should be placed from the ground at a level of 1 and 1.5 m, respectively.

If the variety is planted in a place where shade prevails, then the raspberry will sprout like an ornamental shrub. The leaves will become stronger and larger, but the berries, on the contrary, will ripen more slowly.

As mentioned earlier, this culture is prone to rapid growth. Therefore, it is impossible to avoid pruning. It should be done every year after harvest. First, two-year-old shoots are removed, as well as those that are affected by diseases. Fruiting branches are shortened by about 30 cm. This will stimulate the growth of lateral shoots. It turns out that the bush will not grow in length, but in breadth.

Japanese raspberries should not be over-watered. This should only be done during very dry summers as the soil dries up.

Top dressing is done only once at the beginning of the season, that is, in the spring.

The culture tolerates frost well. If the temperature in the region drops below -30 degrees, then the shrubs should be insulated. But raspberries will calmly endure frost at 20, 25 degrees, and the snow that has fallen will be its shelter.

This variety of raspberries does not have any peculiarities in reproduction. The bush reproduces in all available ways.

The most popular way is, of course, layering. New shoots are not immediately separated from the main bush. In the spring, they are first tilted and secured with wire in a small trench. Layers are watered, and only in the fall they are separated from the main bush and transplanted into a new hole. This method is suitable for those who want to plant a bush, for example, in another place.

Japanese raspberries reproduce on their own without any intervention. Therefore, it is only necessary to monitor the root system so that the plant does not go wild.