Raspberry, the queen of the garden, the first assistant for colds, is a worthy decoration of the vast majority of household plots. Healing properties are possessed not only by the fragrant berries of the plant, but also its leaves and rhizomes.
Raspberry Hercules: Description
Of the many varieties of this useful shrub, it is worth choosing Raspberry Hercules, the name of which speaks for itself. The first and important advantage of it is the significant size of the berries, reaching a weight of 9 to 15 grams.
Large fruits of saturated ruby-red color have the shape of a truncated cone and high density, which is very convenient during transportation. The taste of berries is pleasant, sour-sweet (according to experts, 4 points on a 5-point system).
Repairing grade Hercules
Raspberry Hercules belongs to the repair varieties. This means that, unlike ordinary raspberries, the development of which takes place in a two-year cycle (the first year is the growth of shoots, and the second is the fruiting of stems that have already become two-year-old), the raspberry has been able to grow and reward an excellent harvest in one season. After picking ripe berries, the fruiting stems in the last month of autumn or early spring need to be cut to soil level, taken out and destroyed. Also along with the stems from the plot are taken out the majority of diseases and pests, which on the usual raspberry varieties carry the winter in the aerial parts of the bushes. Also, the advantage of Hercules raspberries as a representative of the repairing variety is its low susceptibility to diseases and pests. There are practically no worm berries damaged by the raspberry beetle larva, weevil and gall midge.
External signs of a garden beauty
Repair raspberry Hercules has an average bush height (from 1.5 to 2 meters), insignificant spreading, does not bend under the weight of the crop; Strong erect bushes do not require garter on the trellis. The leaves are deep green, wrinkled, slightly twisted, have an average size. The shoots of the current year in the summer are inherent in a greenish tint, which by autumn is replaced by cherry and acquires a waxy coating. Brown shoots are characteristic for two-year-old shoots. The stems are covered with numerous sharp spikes covering the entire shoot and directed downward.
Berries ripen at the end of August, the fruiting period continues until the frosts. Under the condition of timely top dressing and the required agrotechnical measures, one bush is able to produce up to 3 kilograms of excellent quality fruits per season, the third part of which ripens in the autumn, which excludes the possibility of pest damage.
Weaknesses and Strengths of the Shrub
The resistance of the bush to numerous pests due to late fruiting is an undoubted advantage of this variety, as well as increased resistance to gray rot, fungal diseases and frost. However, raspberries Hercules needs a winter pruning and sheltering bushes.
The sour taste of berries, numerous spikes on the shoots, poor shoot formation and prolonged fruiting time (in some regions the crop does not have time to ripen completely) are the disadvantages of the variety. Raspberry Hercules, reviews of which for the most part have a positive bias, bears fruit in the upper part of the shoots, less often - practically over their entire surface. A weak shoot formation is to some extent an advantage, because it does not require additional thinning of the bushes due to their excessive thickening.
Raspberry Hercules is recommended for cultivation in farming and gardening and is perfect for the Central and Central Black Earth regions, feels comfortable in the middle zone of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, but does not fully reveal its capabilities in the forest-steppe and northern regions.
Care Features
Bushes need to be planted in well-lit places, because raspberries love sunlight. For uniform lighting and ventilation during planting between the bushes, it is required to withstand about 80 cm, between rows - at least 1.5 meters. The basal area is periodically required to mulch and feed several times a season. Chemical means of protection to treat bushes is optional. An important factor is regular watering. After harvesting the last fruits, it is advisable to cut off the aerial part of the stems completely in order to obtain a good and high-quality future crop.
Heracles raspberry variety can be grown for a two-time harvest (early and autumn), which is very beneficial if raspberries are grown for sale. Also, the charm of a two-time harvest is that you can treat yourself to a delicious berry out of season. It should be remembered that the volume of berries given by the bush will still be the same, only with a breakdown by time.
Also, raspberries Hercules can be grown as an autumn variety, which is achieved by winter pruning to ground level. In this case, the crop will be late, but plentiful. If you leave a small part of the shoot, fruiting will move to a later date, which is a feature of all repair varieties.
How to get a high yield?
To obtain early raspberries, autumn full pruning or pruning for 2 buds is practiced, while all young thin shoots need to be cut to reduce the load on the bush and expand the feeding area. This measure is quite suitable for early harvesting, however, yield from a lower bush will be less than expected. With full autumn pruning, the bush will turn out to be less tall, but with a more abundant crop. Raspberry Hercules is a relatively winter-hardy variety, but in snowless winters, as well as with the threat of icing and freezing frost, it requires shelter.
Raspberry Hercules: reviews
According to reviews, berries are not affected by pests; they can be consumed fresh and frozen, and also used to make healthy jam, sweet jams and flavorful compotes. Repairing raspberries Hercules, according to gardeners, for a season yields from one bush from 1.5 to 3 kg of high-quality berries. It all depends on the size of the bush and the agronomic conditions of cultivation.