Inexperienced gardeners might think that a hybrid of blackberries and raspberries is an innovation, an achievement of modern breeders. But this is not so. After all, if you see raspberries with large berries (more than 3.4 g), then there was a blackberry. For example, such well-known varieties as “Taganka”, “Commerce”, “Mirage” - all of them have blackberry genes.
Characteristic
A hybrid of raspberries and blackberries is called ezemalin. It has the basic characteristics of mother plants. Visually, it reminds more of that culture, of which properties it got more. So, wanting to plant this plant on your site, you should familiarize yourself with the description of the varieties, reviews, photos of ezhimalina.
This plant was bred to increase winter hardiness, drought tolerance and raspberry productivity. At the same time, the taste should only have a positive effect on taste. Unfortunately, such unpretentious, undemanding hybrids were not obtained immediately. Many breeders' attempts were unsuccessful.
To date, there are many varieties of ezhimalina. Breeders tried to combine only the positive properties of these plants. For example, often a hybrid is a semi-spreading bush with shoots that grow parallel to the ground. Branches can also grow first up, and after reaching a certain height, bend down.
The plant is attractive, decorative throughout the growing season. Large pink or white flowers will be an excellent decoration of the garden, in contrast to the imperceptible flowering of raspberries. Large berry berries, most often bright colors, are collected in large brushes.
To the delight of many gardeners, breeders have bred absolutely non-studded varieties. But most bushes of the Ezemalin have small spikes.
This plant is drought-tolerant, it tolerates a lack of watering, because the root system is more developed and penetrates much deeper into the soil, unlike raspberry varieties.
Description of the variety, photos, reviews about Ezhimalina attract many gardeners. After all, everyone wants to collect a good harvest of tasty, juicy, healthy berries on their site.
Productivity
The fruit of the garden is often later and longer than ordinary raspberries. Berries have a rich and pronounced taste. They are stored for a long time, so transporting berries is easy and simple.
Want to get a good harvest year after year? Then special attention should be paid to the care and cultivation of the manor.
Compared to hybrids, raspberry yields are significantly lower. The plant received this property from blackberries. But raspberries provided the plant with frost resistance, which the blackberry lacks.
Many gardeners are interested in reviews, descriptions of varieties of ezhimalina. Photos of berries help determine the choice.
Grade "Loganberry"
This variety is considered to be the first hybrid of blackberry and raspberry. The American breeder Logan at the end of the 19th century worked on the development of a new variety of blackberry. By chance, blackberry was pollinated with raspberries growing nearby. The result was an unpretentious variety in cultivation, giving a good harvest.
The plant is spiky, has creeping shoots of medium length. The bush does not give root offspring, but if they are damaged, root shoots will appear. The number of shoots for substitution is small, but increases over time.
Berries of a red-violet hue, elongated, ripen unevenly. The diameter of the berry is on average 2 cm, length - 4 cm, weight - 8 g. Taste - sweet and sour with raspberry aroma.
Ripening early, like raspberries. Today there are various varieties of this variety. For example, Thorless Loganberry is a non-studded plant with sweeter berries ripening in late summer.
Due to its resistance to frost, this variety can be grown in central Russia.
Tiberberry variety
Want to choose a good grade? Pay attention to the description, photos, reviews of the varieties of ezemalina "Tiberberry". This plant is vigorous, with powerful creeping shoots, which, as they mature, become burgundy. On the shoots there are small rare spikes.
Fruiting occurs in August. The berries are dark red, weighing 5-10 g, with a sweet and sour taste similar to a blackberry.
This variety is absolutely not picky about the composition of the soil. Therefore, many gardeners appreciate it. In addition, the plant is resistant to various diseases and tolerates drought.
The closest relative of this variety is Tumelberry, a more frost-resistant variety. But remember that these plants still need warming for the winter.
The main disadvantage of this variety is the property inherited from the blackberry - the presence of small thorns on the branches and poor separation of the berries from the stem.
Variety Boysenberry
Boysenberry is one of the popular varieties. This is a drought tolerant plant with creeping shoots. There are 2 types of varieties: with and without thorns.
The berries are large up to 5 cm in length, weighing up to 10 g, brownish-cherry in color. When fully ripened in July-August, the berries become almost black. They have a pronounced blackberry aroma, a pleasant sweet taste with a slight acidity.
The yield is small: from an adult bush you can collect up to 5 kg of berries.
Grade "Texas"
"Texas" is a plant with long creeping shoots up to 4 m. From one adult bush of this variety you can collect about 6 kg of delicious, dark red berries. Plants bear fruit for more than 15 years.
The berries have a sweet and sour taste, and become darker as they darken. Completely ripe, dark berry has practically no acidity. There is a blackberry flavor.
The plant is not afraid of harsh winters and rainy cool summers. This variety of Yezemalin has good fruit and grows in the middle lane.
The disadvantages include sharp spikes and poor separability of the stem from ripened berries.
Varieties of "youngberry" and "sunberry"
These are late ripening varieties. Spiked shoots. The berries are dark red, with a slight acidity. Harvest can be harvested before the first frost. Many people use these varieties to create hedges on a personal plot, can become a real decoration of the garden.
To date, there is a wide variety of varieties of Ezhemalin. Sometimes the difference between them can be significant, so each gardener will be able to choose a suitable variety for themselves.
Planting a plant
Ezemalin is an unpretentious plant. It can be grown on any soil, but loose, fertile, moderately moist soils are best suited. It is advisable to choose areas protected from the wind.
Planting Ezemalin can be carried out in spring or autumn. When planting vegetative seedlings, it is necessary not to damage the earth lump.
Bushes are recommended to be planted in rows at a distance of 80 cm from each other. Between the rows should be 1.5-2 m. With a denser planting, the plants will not have enough solar color, this will affect the quantity and taste of the crop.
Before planting, it is necessary to prepare pits 40 x 40 x 40 cm. The extracted soil must be mixed with humus. It is not recommended to use chicken droppings, because a large number of organic fertilizers causes increased bush growth, but negatively affects winter hardiness.
Having placed the seedling in the pit, it is necessary to carefully straighten the roots and fill it with prepared soil. Water is abundantly watered. Add soil if necessary.
Winter preparations
All plants must be prepared for wintering. All shoots that have reached a length of 2 meters in a year should pinch the tops. Due to this, branching of the plant is improved. With long side shoots, you can also carry out a similar manipulation.
In regions with cold winters, shoots are not cut, but insulated. How to cover the winter season? It is enough to untie the shoots from the trellises and lay them on the ground. A variety of covering material is laid on top. As a heater use leaves, burlap, straw, peat.
Daily reproduction
The seed germination in hybrids is quite high, but not all seedlings grown from them retain the properties of the mother plant. Therefore, most often, the reproduction of Yezemalin occurs by layering and cuttings. These are the most effective ways to grow mandelion. Caring for seedlings is just as important as growing an adult plant.
During the autumn pruning, you can root small shoots of twigs with 1-2 buds in a pot or directly in the open ground. It is advisable to create greenhouse conditions at least temporarily. To do this, cuttings can be covered with a jar. You should also ensure that the soil is constantly moist. In spring, rooted shoots can be transferred to a permanent place of growth. Experienced gardeners argue that lignified cuttings are also suitable for the propagation of hedgehogs. They take root perfectly.
Propagation by layering is also simple. To do this, in the spring it is necessary to nip young shoots to a depth of 20 cm. The shoot itself must be crushed from above. This place needs to be watered well throughout the summer. By autumn, they will take root in several places. It is only necessary to cut the shoot into several young seedlings and plant them in a permanent place of growth. But it is better to postpone the transplant in the spring. Until this time, it is undesirable to cut off cuttings from the mother plant.
Sometimes gardeners propagate this plant by root cuttings. To do this, in the spring take the roots of an adult plant, cut them into pieces of 10 cm. They are planted separately from each other, watered and loosened the soil. After a certain time, a new plant will grow from such cuttings.
Diseases and Pests
Most often, hybrids do not give root shoots. Due to this, the time spent on plant care is significantly reduced. Many gardeners are interested, but what kind of diseases and pests are terrible in the world? Breeders claim that this plant is resistant to certain fungal diseases that often threaten raspberries and blackberries.
Sometimes on varieties "Boysenberry" and "Youngberry" you can find verticillosis or powdery mildew. But for the variety "Loganberry" these misfortunes are not at all terrible. But “loganberry” and “youngberry” are susceptible to rust, and “Boysenberry”, on the contrary, shows excellent resistance to this disease.
Breeders argue that there are varieties that show resistance to almost all diseases.
Conclusion
Ezemalin is a tasty, large berry that should definitely be on every household plot. This plant is unpretentious, requires minimal care. And from one bush you can collect a large crop of delicious and ripe berries.