Cumberland Black Raspberry is an exotic beauty that stands out by its large dark purple berries against the background of the usual red raspberry varieties. This perennial shrub is able to grow in one place for about 20 years. Its seedlings are not easy to find for sale. For the unusually black color, Raspberry Cumberland, reviews of which are almost always enthusiastic due to its unusualness, are often confused with blackberries. The only difference is the size of the berries (they are smaller in raspberries) and their eating (in blackberries with a stalk).
Raspberry Black Cumberland: Description
Raspberries have an amazing aroma and a sweet, pleasant taste. The vitamins and useful substances in its composition are of invaluable health benefits. On the bushes, the fruits hold for a long time and are well stored both fresh and frozen. Black Raspberry Cumberland is an excellent base for compotes and jams. In order to enhance the taste and appearance of the finished dishes, it is often mixed with red berries.
Shrubs in shape - semi-spreading, with overhanging arched shoots; height - about 3 meters. Annual shoots are green with a bluish bloom; biennial plants are characterized by a brown color with a purple coating. Raspberry fruits are medium, rounded. At the initial stage of ripening, they have a red color, which gradually darkens and, upon reaching full maturity, turns black.
Benefits of Raspberry Cumberland
Raspberry Cumberland, the description of which is similar to other raspberries, is high-yielding and bears fruit for 12-14 years. Further, there is a decrease in productivity, so old bushes have to be replaced with young seedlings. Characteristic features of this variety are late prolonged flowering, good transportability, high productivity. On each shoot of the bush, with proper care, about 10 brushes with 10-15 berries can be observed. If the number of shoots is left more than ten, then the berry will be small. In pests, such a raspberry variety is not of interest, possibly due to the black color of the berries.
The disadvantages of the variety include severe thickening of the bushes, the abundance of seeds in the fruits and a large number of thorns on the shoots.
Black raspberry does not give root offspring, which is its important advantage, because it does not force gardeners to suffer from getting rid of young shoots.
Aronia raspberry planting
Cumberland raspberry planting is recommended on gray forest soils or light loamy chernozems. The most optimal planting dates are early spring, immediately after the snow has melted. A place for shrubs is better to choose sunny and well protected from the winds. It is not recommended to plant raspberry seedlings near a blackberry, after uprooting red raspberry, as well as after harvesting potatoes and tomatoes.
The distance when planting between the bushes should be from 1.5 to 2 meters, the row spacing is 2 meters (to avoid shading of the berries). Long raspberry shoots should preferably be fixed on a trellis, consisting of three rows of wire (at a height of 0.7, 1.3 and 1.8 meters from the ground).
The depth of the pit for landing is approximately 30-40 cm with a diameter of half a meter. To enrich the planting soil with useful substances, 6–7 kg of peat moss compost (or humus), 150–200 grams of superphosphate, 70–80 grams of potassium sulfate should be added to the pit . As an analogue of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers , sieved ash can be used, which will require about 500 grams per pit. After planting, the plant should be abundantly watered (about 4 liters under each bush) and mulched with a rotted compost layer of 6-8 cm.
Since Raspberry Cumberland is quite flexible and tall, it is recommended that the stalks be tied to pre-installed trellises the next year after planting. It is preferable to choose a fan garter method that provides convenience when harvesting.
Raspberry Cumberland: Care
Aronia raspberry blooms quite late, at the end of spring frost; this feature of the plant determines the salvation of the fruit from freezing. There are many flowers on the bush; they hang with tassels on almost all shoots. Cumberland Raspberry is an excellent honey plant, so it is willingly pollinated by bees.
Garter shoots can not be used if they reach a height of half a meter shortened by 10 cm. This operation will lead to the formation of lateral shoots, which will give the plant compactness.
Despite the unpretentiousness, Cumberland raspberries still need care throughout the season, for which they will fully repay a good tasty crop.
Important Care Factors
Important factors in caring for aronia raspberries are:
- Spring garter of the shoots of the plant to the trellis.
- Trimming and removing diseased, dry and thin shoots.
- Moderation in irrigation and prevention of stagnation of water during the formation of ovaries and ripening of fruits.
- Fertilizing infusion of mullein mixed with superphosphate and ash (with an abundance of ovary).
- Fertilizing the plant after shedding flowers, during the pouring period of berries and after the first harvest.
- Preparing for winter, consisting in removing shoots from the trellis and bending them to the ground. You can not hide the bushes, because raspberries are a frost-resistant crop. It is enough to use special metal brackets that reliably hold shoots at the same distance.
Due to the difficulty of finding seedlings of such an unusual plant, they can be grown independently: by seeds, green cuttings, the method of rooting shoot tips or horizontal layering.
Reproduction of Aronia raspberries
An easy and easy way is to root the tops, which usually hang down to the ground due to long shoots (up to 3 meters). The tops just need to spud with earth (preferably in August) and compact; then by September you can already enjoy the subordinate roots and small shoots. They should be huddled for the winter, can be covered with humus or peat; a newly formed bush can be separated from the mother plant in the spring, by planting it separately for growing or already in a permanent place.
More seedlings can be obtained using horizontal leads. To do this, all shoots of the bush in early spring need to be cut to 15 cm, in the summer they will grow, and in August, well-developed stems should be fixed in grooves. When the adventitious roots first appear, the fixed shoots should be sprinkled with earth, leaving leaves and apical buds. Next fall, young shrubs will grow from the rooted layers, which can be separated from the uterine plant and transplanted. It is advisable not to abuse this method of obtaining seedlings, because overuse of the uterine bush will lead to its death.
Cuttings or seeds of Cumberland raspberries rarely propagate. Gardeners are not very welcome this method due to its complexity.
Aronia raspberry bush formation
To obtain a good harvest and the convenience of its harvest, the Cumberland raspberry variety needs the correct formation of a bush, which is advisable to start when the shoots reach a growth of 50–70 cm. They should be shortened by 7–10 cm. This will stop the growth of the shrub and cause the growth and development of side shoots, which in early spring, before the start of the growing season should be shortened by 3–6 buds (depending on the strength of the appendix). Along with this, it is required to completely remove weak shoots at the base.
Cumberland raspberries, like any plant, need moisture, so they need to provide plentiful watering before ripening berries (in June - the month).
Pruning
The first pruning of the plant is carried out after the shoots of the current year reach a height of more than 2 meters. They should be shortened to a height not exceeding 180 cm (approximately in late June - early July). After pruning, branching of shoots along the entire length and a massive appearance of lateral processes will begin. Moreover, with the trimming of the tops it is impossible to be late. The early stages of its execution will leave the side shoots a larger margin of time for growth and development.
The second pruning should be done at the beginning of November (when the plant dormant). The lateral processes should be greatly shortened - up to 20-50 cm. They will produce an excellent high-quality crop next summer. In parallel with pruning, it is required to cut (as close as possible to the base) already birthing two-year-old shoots, leaving 8-10 of the thickest and most powerful branches on the bush.
Top dressing
Cumberland raspberries, like any of the plants, need high-quality nutrition.
The first time you should feed the plant after shedding flowers. A bucket of mullein should be bred with 8-10 buckets of water; bird droppings are bred for more water (fertilizer bucket for 18–20 buckets of water). To this should also be added ash (a liter jar) and superphosphate (100 grams). For each bush, the consumption is 3 buckets of the resulting composition.
The second top dressing in the same way is carried out when pouring berries, and the third - after the first harvest.
To avoid the fading of the berries should not be allowed to dry out the soil. Berries are harvested approximately every 1-2 days (as they ripen), and each time their number increases.
Raspberry Cumberland, the reviews of consumers and gardeners about which are only positive, while ensuring proper quality care, will fully please gardeners with a generous and tasty crop for at least 14 years.