Raspberry: description of the plant, care rules, planting, beneficial properties

Few other plants have such a surprisingly harmonious combination of taste and beneficial qualities as the well-known raspberry.

This garden crop can easily be grown in almost any area: it is unpretentious and has strong immunity. It turns out that to grow it you don’t need deep book knowledge and years of training to become an agricultural technician.

On the other hand, basic techniques and subtleties can be found in growing raspberries too. If you do not follow them, you will, of course, be able to grow a crop, but its quality is unlikely to be high.

Raspberries

In this article we will quickly and easily touch on all the most important things that are needed for proper care of raspberries. Of course, we won’t ignore the beneficial qualities of raspberry berries and leaves, let’s remember the history of the cultivation of this plant, and also tell you about interesting facts related to raspberries. It will not be boring!

Raspberry - botanical description

Raspberry is a perennial subshrub with a sinuous, woody rhizome, from which many root appendages arise. Under the ground, the root forms a powerful, branched system.

The above-ground part of the plant consists of numerous upright shoots, sometimes reaching 2-2.5 m in height. Standard height of bushes: 1-1.5 m. Raspberry shoots of the same age are greenish branches, sometimes with a noticeable blue tint. Perennial branches become woody and dry out. All raspberry shoots are covered with thin (in the first year of life) or hard, durable (perennial) thorns. At the end of the fruiting period (usually 2 years), the shoots die, and new ones grow from the root bud. One raspberry root system thus sprouts and bears fruit for up to 10 years, after which it dies.

Raspberry leaves are complex, oval or ovoid in shape, with a white or light green color on the back side.

Flowers are formed in the upper part of the bushes or at the base of the leaves, collected in brushes, and exude a subtle honey aroma. Each brush contains a large number of stamens and pistils. The petals are painted white.

Raspberries are a complex fruit consisting of small drupes fused together. The first harvest appears, as a rule, in the second year of the bush’s life. The classic color of raspberry fruit is red, but sometimes closer to pink or burgundy. But these days there are many varieties with yellow, purple, blue and even black berries.

Raspberry bush

Description of raspberry bush with photo

Today there are many varieties of this crop. Each of them has its own unique features. However, it is possible to combine all of them into one description due to the presence of similarities:

The height of the bushes is from 1.5 to 3 meters. Usually they require garter, but there are standard varieties that have dense branches and do not need garter.
The spines are small or completely absent. This makes the harvesting process much more convenient. But in some varieties they can be located along the entire length of the shoots.
The amount of shoots depends on the variety. However, it is necessary to control that there is not too much of it. Otherwise, the gardener will have to spend minerals on the appearance of new shoots, and the yield will be significantly lower.
The crop tolerates winters down to –25 degrees without mulching the soil. It is quite resistant to most known diseases. Even during illness, the shoots continue to bear fruit abundantly.
The leaves are green, wrinkled. The reverse side is usually a little lighter. Some varieties additionally have a gray sheen or fluff.
Quite high yield. You can get from 3 to 10 kg from one bush. The shape and weight of the berries directly depend on the variety. Taste characteristics are usually high. The berries are dessert, that is, sweet. But there are varieties with a little sourness. Tasting characteristics directly depend on the variety and growing conditions of the crop.
Some fruits may have a shine. It is especially valued by producers who grow crops on an industrial scale.
The keeping quality of the berries depends on the variety.

These are the main characteristics of any raspberry variety. It is worth noting that today there are fruits of red (raspberry), yellow and black colors. The latter are the rarest in Russia.

Composition and color of berries

There are three colors of raspberries: crimson, yellow and black. Regardless of color, the fruits have a number of beneficial properties due to their composition. The amount of nutrients may vary depending on the variety.

Here's what raspberries are rich in:

vitamins A, B, C, E;
calcium;
manganese;
phosphorus;
magnesium;
chlorine;
selenium;
sodium;
iron.

Important .
Due to its unique composition, the fruits of this crop are able to successfully cope with a number of diseases. They are very useful for children, as they significantly strengthen the immune system. It is also recommended that pregnant women consume the fruits, as they often lack selenium. It is also lacking among professional athletes. Frozen berries have fewer beneficial properties, but they are still preserved. To get the maximum amount of nutrients, it is recommended to eat raspberries fresh. It is worth noting that the substances included in the culture are involved in the body’s creation of amino acids, which are necessary for normal life.

Flower formula

Raspberry flowers bloom before the berries set. Depending on the variety, this may happen:

in early June for early ripening;
in early July for mid-season;
at the end of July for late-ripening species.

Flowers are usually collected in small inflorescences of the corymbose-paniculate type. They grow from the axils of the leaves and contain a large number of stamens and pistils. The petals themselves are usually white or pale yellow. With abundant flowering, you can feel the characteristic honey aroma. As a rule, the inflorescences are located on the upper part of the shoots, where the berries are then set. But in some varieties flowering is possible along the entire stem.

Distribution area

The very first finds of raspberry seeds indicate that this crop first grew in Asia. Later, with the development of human civilization, raspberries were brought first to the Mediterranean countries, and then to Northern Europe, and later to America.

The first documentary mentions of raspberries date back to the 3rd century AD. The ancient Greek scientist Cato mentioned it in his works. In Slavic writing, raspberries were also called “bear berries.”

Shady pine forests can be considered a traditional place for raspberries to grow. For a long time, this plant grew exclusively in the wild, not cultivated by humans, and only in the 16th-17th centuries did they begin to actively domesticate it. This began on the European continent, and after another 100 years the trend was picked up by farms in Tsarist Russia.

Nowadays, raspberries are distributed throughout the world , grown in temperate and temperate continental climate zones on all continents without exception.

Distribution area of raspberries in Russia

Classification

The genus Crimson has more than 120 known species. All of them are divided into two large classes: wild and garden.

All known varieties can also be classified into:

Standard bushes are bushes that resemble small trees, with strong, strong, upright branches.
Remontant varieties are raspberry varieties that, with proper care and good environmental conditions, can produce two harvests: in mid-summer and autumn. Under insufficient conditions (light, humidity, length of the warm season) they grow as standard varieties.

Read more about remontant raspberries in our article “Remontant raspberries - features of care and cultivation.”

It is also customary to divide different types of raspberries according to the following characteristics:

berry size (small, medium, large);
berry color (yellow, red, black, purple);
terms of ripening (early, mid-ripening, late);
cold resistance (winter-hardy, ordinary).

When to harvest?

It’s worth taking a closer look at when raspberries ripen:

Early berries bear fruit in early June.
Mid-season varieties begin to bear fruit by early July.
Late ones produce berries by the end of August.

Reference . Remontant raspberry varieties usually bear fruit at the beginning and end of summer. There are also species that do not mature immediately, but gradually. In this case, you can pick berries almost all summer.

Nutritional value and composition

Raspberries can be considered a dietary product, useful for people who want to lose weight. But this definition is valid only for those cases when the berries are consumed exclusively fresh without additives.

Calorie content 100 gr. raspberries are about 40-50 kcal. One glass of berries contains approximately 80-100 kcal.

Raspberries are actively used in cooking

Most dishes made from raspberries have a higher calorie content per 100 grams. product:

compote = 50 Kcal;
dried berries = 100-120 Kcal;
crushed raspberries with sugar = 250 Kcal;
raspberry jam = 270-290 Kcal.

In 100 gr. raspberries contain:

water – 86.0%;
carbohydrates – 8.3%;
organic acids (citric, malic, salicylic) – 3.7%;
proteins – 0.8%;
fats – 0.5%;
ash – 0.5%.

The berries contain the most important micro- and macroelements for the human body: potassium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, iodine, ascorbic acid, vitamins A, B, C, PP, K.

The composition contains a small amount of sugars: glucose, fructose, sucrose (together up to 8-9 grams per 100 grams). Polyunsaturated fatty acids are also present: omega-3, omega-6.

Varieties

More than 600 varieties of raspberries are known in the world. Some are specially bred for cultivation in temperate or continental climates throughout most of Russia.

Detailed information is presented in the “Raspberry varieties” section.

Golden autumn

The most popular raspberry variety with yellow berries, medium ripening, and remontant qualities (but in temperate climates it produces mainly 1 harvest).

The berries are large, sweet, and easy to transport.

Yellow giant

An almost ideal option for cold regions, since this variety is winter-hardy, bearing fruit even before the first frost.

Yellow giant raspberries are characterized by particularly high yields (up to 6-7 kg per bush per season). High immunity deserves special mention.

Firebird

One of the most popular varieties in Russia. The berries ripen in July-August.

The most important positive aspects of the variety: cold resistance down to -25С, sweet taste of berries, which may not fall off for a long time even in a ripe state.

Ember

Raspberries with black berries that ripen in mid-summer.

Strengths: excellent keeping quality, high yield (5-6 kg per bush).

Ruby

Raspberries, suitable for temperate climates, and for Siberia, the Urals, and some regions north of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

This is a large-fruited variety, characterized by exceptional frost resistance and stable yields throughout its life.

Raspberries, overview of varieties and types

Undoubtedly, one of the most favorite berries in Russia is raspberries. Raspberries are quite winter-hardy and unpretentious, and quickly begin to bear fruit. Raspberry bushes, depending on the variety, can be low - about 1.5 m, medium - no more than 2 m and vigorous - more than 2 m, as well as upright, medium and slightly spreading. Bushes also differ in the direction of growth, the number and thickness of shoots, with or without thorns. Berries from 2 to 12 g of excellent taste and aroma also have valuable medicinal and dietary properties, are rich in biologically active substances and vitamins. The berries are used fresh, dried, frozen, and prepared into preserves, juices, jams, compotes, liqueurs, liqueurs, and marmalade.

Raspberry (lat. Rubus) is a shrub from the Rosaceae family.

Grows in clearings, forests, bushes, and river banks. Often grown in gardens.

Raspberry is a deciduous shrub with a perennial rhizome, from which biennial aboveground stems develop, usually up to one and a half meters high.

The rhizome is sinuous, woody, with multiple adventitious roots, forming a powerful branched system.

Stems are erect. The shoots of the first year are herbaceous, green with a bluish bloom, juicy, covered with thin, usually frequent miniature thorns.

The leaves are oval, alternate, petiolate, compound, with 3-7 ovate leaflets, dark green above, whitish below, pubescent with small hairs.

The flowers are white, about 1 cm in diameter, collected in small racemes, located on the tops of the stems or in the axils of the leaves. The petals are shorter than the calyx lobes.

The fruits are small, hairy drupes fused on a receptacle to form a complex fruit. Fruits appear not only on the shoots of the second year. In the southern regions, fruits also appear on the shoots of the first year in mid-autumn. These shoots become woody and turn brown, and fruiting branches with flower buds grow from the axils of the leaves. Immediately after fruiting, the side branches dry out, but new stems grow from the same root the next year.

In central Russia, raspberries bloom from June to July, sometimes until August.

There are about 250 (according to other sources up to 600) species , distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. About 30 species and several hybrids grow in Russia, which have different names:

Rubus idaeus - common raspberry, forest
Rubus fructicosus - gray blackberry (ozhina, ezhina)
Rubus chamaemorus - cloudberry
Rubus caesius - gray blackberry
Rubus saxatilis
Rubus arcticus - arctic princess (raspberry), glade, mamura
Rubus armeniacus - Armenian or Himalayan blackberry
Rubus sachalinensis - Sakhalin raspberry
Rubus nessensis - bramble
Rubus candicans
Rubus odoratus - fragrant raspberry
Rubus humulifolius
Rubus matsumuranus
Rubus nemorosa
Rubus glaucus - mora
Rubus neveus - Mysore raspberry

Fragrant raspberry - Rubus odoratus.

Grows wild on rocky forest slopes in eastern North America.

Deciduous shrub up to 3 m tall (in cultural conditions no higher than 1.5), with shiny brown shoots and peeling bark . Young shoots are hairy and glandular, shiny brown, without thorns. The leaves are simple, large, up to 20 cm, 3-5-lobed, with sharp, ovate-triangular lobes, similar to maple (for this similarity, some authors classify this species as a separate genus and call it “raspberry maple”). The leaf blade is light green, pubescent on both sides, glandular, on a long petiole. Large, up to 5 cm in diameter, pink-purple flowers (a white variety is also known) with a pleasant aroma, solitary or collected in short paniculate inflorescences, densely planted with long, glandular hairs; bloom in the first half of June, decorating the plant throughout the summer. The fruits are up to 1 cm, hemispherical, flattened, light red, sour, edible, but there are very few of them . The leaves turn yellow at the end of September.

It is winter-hardy, although the ends of the shoots often freeze slightly at the latitude of Moscow . It is recommended for quick gardening, as undergrowth in forest parks, for decorating inconveniences. In culture since 1770. It can occasionally be found in the landscaping of Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and other cities.

Beautiful raspberry - Rubus deliciosus

An elegant, widely spreading deciduous shrub up to 3 m tall, common in the western regions of North America . The bark on the shoots is dark gray, flaking longitudinally. Young shoots are softly pubescent. The leaves are simple, kidney-shaped or ovate, up to 7 cm long, 3-5-lobed, unequally toothed, somewhat reminiscent of grape leaves, but smaller and more delicate, dark green, shiny. The flowers are pure white, large, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary, with a pleasant delicate aroma. Flowering is very abundant, colorful, lasting up to 20 days. The fruits are hemispherical, up to 1.5 cm, dark purple, dry, tasteless .

Good in any garden, park, square, especially in parterre plantings in the foreground. In culture since 1870.

Hawthorn leaf raspberry - Rubus crataegifolius.

This original Far Eastern subshrub differs significantly from the well-known fruit shrub M. vulgare , and is grown primarily as an ornamental plant, although the fruits are quite juicy, but sour and contain many hard seeds. In cultivation in Russia they are planted only in botanical gardens.

In nature, the bush reaches a height of 1-2 m; specimens grown in Moscow have the same dimensions . Blooms from mid-June to August. The shoots are dark purple or brownish-red, furrowed, thick, branching at the top, covered with thorns and pubescent. The bush looks decorative due to the fact that the shoots bend in an arch, especially in the upper part. The leaves, unlike most types of raspberries, are simple, three- or five-lobed, dark green, pubescent on both sides, large-serrate along the edge, up to 12 cm long. Their autumn color is very beautiful, turning yellow, orange, dark red. Flowers are up to 2 cm in diameter, white, collected in apical drooping inflorescences.

The fruits are dark red, shiny, sweet and sour, juicy complex drupes, fused at the bases, ripening in early August . It blooms and bears fruit from the age of 5.

It grows well on fairly moist, slightly podzolic soils, tolerates shade, but blooms and bears fruit better in bright places. Planted in April and October. Since the plant develops as a subshrub, all old faded shoots are pruned in the fall to the two or three lower buds, this stimulates the formation of new shoots in the spring. It is quite winter-hardy in the middle zone, although the shoots, like those of a subshrub, die off in winter, but quickly grow back in spring .

Propagation by stratified seeds and cuttings (cuttings give a high percentage of rooting when treated with IBA 0.01%), root suckers, formed in large numbers, by dividing bushes. They are planted as single bushes, in groups, or used to create trimmed and untrimmed hedges and borders. The berries are used for food by the local population within the natural range.

Common raspberry - Rubus idaeus.

Common raspberry is a branched perennial subshrub with an erect stem, up to 180 cm high . The shoots of the first year are green, sterile, covered with thorns, while the shoots of the second year are fruit-bearing and slightly woody. The leaves are alternate, odd-pinnate, with 3-5, sometimes 7 leaflets, glabrous above, white-tomentose below. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish-white, five-petaled, collected in axillary racemes. The fruit is a crimson-red complex drupe, easily separated from the conical receptacle . Blooms in June-July. The fruits ripen in July-August.

Common raspberries are widely cultivated in the central and northern regions, the Urals and Siberia . In the wild, raspberries are distributed in forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part of the CIS, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, Crimea and some regions of Central Asia.

The fruits are used as medicinal raw materials . They are harvested at full maturity without a cone-shaped receptacle. Harvesting is carried out only in dry weather after the dew has dried; the berries are placed in small and shallow baskets. The collected raw materials are cleaned of leaves, branches, spoiled fruits that accidentally got into it and dried in air. The collected raspberries should be dried in the sun or in cooled ovens at a temperature of 50-60°, spread out in a thin layer and carefully turning over. The dried fruits are a complex drupe of round or cone-shaped form with individual (30-60) fused grayish-crimson drupes. The smell is specific, pleasant, the taste is sour-sweet. Raw materials are stored in a dry place in solid containers.

Beneficial features

Raspberries contain malic, citric, caproic, formic and salicylic acids, vitamins C and B, carotene, sucrose, glucose, fructose, tannins, cyanidin chloride. The seeds contain up to 15% fatty oil.

Wild berries are considered more valuable - their fruits are smaller and more sour than garden berries, but they are more fragrant, less watery and are better preserved when dried.

The diaphoretic and antipyretic effect of raspberries, associated with the presence of salicylic acid in it, has been known since time immemorial . Tea made from dried fruits is an excellent remedy for colds. In folk medicine, raspberries are also used to improve digestion, for scurvy, anemia, stomach pain, and fever. Infusions and decoctions of raspberry leaves are taken orally as an astringent for diarrhea, gastric and uterine bleeding, inflammatory bowel diseases, and as a gargle for sore throats and catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract. A decoction of flowers is used to wash the face for erysipelas, acne and to wash the eyes for conjunctivitis . Infusions of leaves and flowers are used for hemorrhoids and gynecological diseases, and a decoction of leaves with potash is used as a home remedy for dyeing hair black.

In scientific medicine, dried raspberry fruits are used as a diaphoretic for various colds.

To prepare the infusion, brew 2 tablespoons of dried raspberries with a glass of boiling water, leave in a closed vessel for several hours, then filter. Take it hot. Raspberry fruits are included in sweatshop collections No. 1 and No. 2.

The industry produces syrup from raspberry fruits, which is used in pharmacies to improve the taste of medicines..

Common raspberry varieties

Early ripening

Scarlet sail. The bush is powerful, the shoots are weakly thorny in the lower part, erect, with drooping tops, prone to branching, tall (up to 2.2 m), bright red in autumn, shoot formation is good (9 - 11 pieces per bush). Winter-hardy, in severe winters when the main bud freezes, it forms a harvest due to axillary buds. Productivity up to 1.7 kg of berries per bush. Berry weighing 2.5 - 2.7 g, round-conical, ruby color, universal use. Tolerant to major fungal diseases. Damaged by raspberry and spider mites, sensitive to mycoplasma overgrowth.
Runaway. It is very popular among amateur gardeners. The bush is medium-sized (1.7 - 2.0 m), slightly spreading, shoots are erect, almost thornless, light brown by autumn, shoot productivity is good (7 - 9 pieces per bush). They are distinguished by high winter hardiness. The yield is good - up to 2 kg of berries per bush. The berries are medium-sized (2.5 - 3 g), golden-apricot in color, excellent taste with a delicate aroma, not transportable.
Meteor. The bush is powerful, of medium height (1.8 - 2 m), upright, slightly spreading, with good shoot-forming ability, weakly remontant. Winter-hardy, high-yielding - up to 2 kg per bush. The variety is distinguished by very early (at the end of June) and relatively friendly harvest ripening. It opens the season for raspberry consumption. The berries are medium-sized (2.7 - 3 g), ruby in color, round-conical, good taste, aromatic. Resistant to major diseases.
Early sweet. The bush is tall (2 - 2.5 m), semi-spreading. The shoots are erect at the base, curved at the top, spiny, with a waxy coating, with a reddish tan in the fall, shoot formation is average. Winter hardiness is high, average yield (1.2 - 1.5 kg per bush). The berries are small - up to 2 g, round-conical, red, excellent taste, with a strong aroma of the best forms of forest raspberries, non-transportable. Tolerant to major fungal diseases.
Sun. The bush is medium-sized, the shoots are tall (1.8 - 2 m), low-thorned, powerful, with a sloping upper part, shoot formation is average. Winter hardiness is moderate, yield up to 1.5 kg of berries per bush. The berries are large (3.5 - 4 g), round-conical, raspberry, with delicate aromatic pulp, sweet and sour, excellent taste. Moderately resistant to major fungal diseases.
Early surprise. The bush is medium-sized, semi-spreading, the shoots are straight-growing, strongly spiny, with a slight waxy coating, shoot formation is average. Winter-hardy, relatively drought-resistant, yield up to 1.5 kg of berries per bush. The berries are medium-sized (2.5 - 3 g), blunt-conical, red, of good taste. Tolerant to major fungal diseases.
Abundant - on a powerful two-meter bush, large and very large bright red berries (4–10 or more grams), dense, and transportable, ripen.
Cumberland is a variety of black raspberry. It is winter-hardy (withstands frosts up to 30 ° C) and is very decorative. On bushes 1.5–2 meters high, dotted with numerous thorns, sweet, round, black and purple shiny berries ripen. And that's not all the advantages. 'Cumberland' is resistant to disease, the berries ripen smoothly and do not wrinkle during transportation.

Medium ripening varieties

Arabesque - a compact bush of this raspberry grows up to 1.5–2 m. Burgundy-red shiny berries weigh 4–8 g. The variety is very unpretentious, adapts well even to unfavorable conditions
Arbat - medium-sized, powerful, spreading bushes hung with large, dark red berries. The usual weight of each is 4–12 g, but there are a lot of giant berries - up to 18 g. The disadvantages of the variety include moderate winter hardiness - in cold winters the shoots need to be bent and covered with snow.
Balm. The bush is medium-sized, the height of the shoots is 1.7 - 1.8 m, they are upright, medium-thorny, and the shoot productivity is average. It is distinguished by its high winter hardiness and yield (up to 2.2 kg of berries per bush). The berries are medium-sized (2.5 - 3 g), ruby in color, truncated-conical, good sweet and sour taste. The variety is resistant to major fungal diseases, is slightly damaged by spider mites, and is resistant to damping off of the bark and winter drying of the stems.
Yellow Giant is a remontant variety of large-fruited raspberries. The one and a half meter bush produces large and medium light yellow berries (4–8 g).
Crane. Bush of medium power, compact. The shoots are medium-sized (1.7 - 2 m), thick, straight, slightly spiny, shoot formation is average, remontant. Winter-hardy, productive (up to 2 kg per bush). The berries are medium-sized (2.7 - 3.5 g), blunt-conical, ruby, dense, of good taste. Relatively hardy to fungal diseases, resistant to raspberry mite.
Kirzhach. The bush is powerful, slightly spreading, with a high shoot-forming ability, the shoots are erect, slightly spiny. Winter-hardy, high-yielding (up to 2 kg per bush), medium-sized berries (2.8 - 3 g), blunt-conical, universal purpose. Relatively resistant to fungal diseases and raspberry mite.
Cumberland . The only variety of black raspberry released in Russia. A bush of medium height (1.5 - 2 m), with arched shoots covered with numerous sharp thorns and a thick waxy coating. Does not form root suckers. Propagated by rooting the tips of shoots. Winter hardiness is average, it is advisable to cover the shoots with snow. Productivity can reach 1.7 - 2 kg of berries per bush. The berries are small - up to 2 g, round, black-violet, shiny, with a whitish coating between the drupes, sweet, with a blackberry flavor, transportable. Tolerant to major raspberry diseases and pests.
Lazarevskaya. The bush is low (1.5 - 1.8 m), straight-growing, slightly spreading. The shoots are thin, erect, prone to branching, slightly spiny, light brown, shoot formation is very high (up to 15 - 20 pieces per bush). Winter-hardy, high yield - up to 2.2 kg of berries per bush. The berries are medium-sized (2.6 - 3.5 g), elongated-conical, dull red, good taste, with a weak aroma. Moderately resistant to fungal diseases. Highly sensitive to raspberry mite.
Reward. The bush is medium-sized (1.7 - 2 m), spreading, with moderate shoot formation. The shoots are erect, medium thick, spiny, and burgundy in autumn. Winter-hardy, yield up to 2 kg of berries per bush. The berries are medium-sized (2.5 - 3 g), elongated-conical, red, good taste, with a typical raspberry aroma. Moderately resistant to fungal diseases. Highly sensitive to raspberry mite, shoot gall midge, mycoplasma wilt.
Lilac mist - a one and a half meter compact bush strewn with bright red, shiny, large berries (4–10 g). The peculiarity of the variety is resistance to viruses.
Shy. The bush is medium-vigorous, compressed, with moderate shoot-forming ability. The shoots are almost thornless, tall (1.8 - 2.2 m), erect, prone to branching. Winter-hardy, the yield is stable and high - up to 2.2 kg of berries per bush. The berries are medium-sized (3 - 3.5 g), round-conical, universally used. Tolerant to major fungal diseases and raspberry mite. Sensitive to spider mites.
Companion. The bush is medium-sized, with moderate shoot-forming ability, shoots 1.8 - 2 m high, powerful, straight-growing, medium-thorny. Winter-hardy and productive - up to 2 kg of berries per bush. I years are medium-large (2.7 - 3.5 g), dense, hemispherical, dark crimson, universal use. Tolerant to fungal diseases, relatively resistant to spider mites, sensitive to shoot callitsa and raspberry mites.
Tarusa is a one and a half meter bush with standard type shoots - a raspberry tree that does not require supports. The first domestic variety of this kind. Large (4–12 g) bright red berries, dense, transportable.

Late ripening varieties

Brigantine. The bush is compact, of medium height (1.8 - 2 m) with a moderate number of powerful, erect, weakly spiny shoots, and average shoot-forming ability. Winter hardiness is average, yield is high (up to 2.2 kg of berries per bush). The berries are large (3.2 - 3.8 g), dark crimson, dense, round-conical, good taste. It is damaged to a moderate degree by fungal diseases. Sensitive to raspberry mite. Relatively resistant to spider mites, anthracnose and drought.
Latham. Launched in the USA. The bush is medium tall (1.6 - 1.8 m), compact, shoot formation is high. The shoots are medium thin, straight, spiny, with a thick waxy coating, and bright red in autumn. Winter-hardy, yield 1.7 - 2 kg of berries per bush. The berries weigh up to 2.5 - 2.8 g, round, red, mediocre taste with a weak aroma. Resistant to mycoplasma growth and winter drying. Moderately resistant to fungal and viral diseases.

Remontant varieties

Indian summer. The bush is medium-sized, spreading, the shoot-forming ability is average, the shoots are erect, strongly branched, the fruiting zone exceeds half of their length. The autumn harvest is up to 1 kg per bush, and in more southern regions - 1.5 - 2 kg. The berries are medium-sized (3 - 3.5 g), round-conical, good taste, universal purpose. The first berries ripen before frost. In the central part of Russia, the potential yield is realized by 50 - 70%.

Growing

Raspberry is a shrub consisting of a perennial root system and an aerial part in the form of annual and biennial shoots . The raspberry root system is represented by a rhizome - an underground stem, from which lateral roots extend 1.5 - 2 m and are located in the surface 10 - 50 cm layer of soil. The roots can penetrate up to two meters or more in depth.

It is better to plant raspberries in autumn or spring. When planting in autumn, the bushes are hilled up for the winter and unearthed in the spring . For planting, high-quality seedlings with a dense fibrous root system and mature aerial parts are selected. The seedling is dipped in mash, placed in a hole and watered abundantly.

There are two common methods of growing raspberries - preserving the individuality of the bush and tape . When forming a bush, 8-10 powerful shoots are left on each planting site by the end of the second year, the remaining weak growths are periodically removed. Ribbon placement of raspberries consists of creating a strip of plants. To do this, all shoots outside the strip are regularly removed, and excess weak shoots in the strip are removed. The tape method of growing plants allows you to obtain higher yields, and the tape itself can serve as a hedge. In summer cottages, it is advisable to grow raspberries on supports. This makes it easier to care for and harvest. Tethered shoots are better illuminated, develop a greater number of inflorescences, and as a result produce a larger, high-quality harvest. On annual shoots in the year of their growth, flower buds are laid in the axils of the leaves, most often two together: one main, larger one, the second smaller.

Raspberries can grow in one place for up to 15 - 20 years, but the most productive period lasts no more than 10 - 12 years . By this time, the rhizome is aging, the shoots become smaller, the yield decreases, and the bushes must be uprooted.

The durability and productivity of raspberries are determined by the biological characteristics of the variety, winter hardiness and the level of agricultural technology used.

Raspberries are a weakly resistant crop; shoots and buds at the ends of the shoots suffer from frost. Temperatures of -30°C have a detrimental effect on plantings, especially if the plants have not finished growing in the fall in a timely manner.

Raspberries do not tolerate drought or excessively moist soils . It grows well and bears fruit in loose, nutritious and moderately moist soils.

Raspberries are a fast-growing crop; they begin to bear fruit already in the second year after planting. Fruits well and every year.

Raspberry is a good honey plant; bees visit its flowers even in rainy weather.

The life of fresh raspberries is disappointingly short: a day, maybe two. If the raspberries do not spoil even on the fourth day, then hats are taken off to this variety.

Carrying berries anywhere is a pain: they can’t stand the bumps on the road. And therefore, as soon as they are collected, they try to immediately cook, dry, freeze everything that is not immediately eaten - in a word, bring it into some stable state in order to preserve the amazing raspberry aroma for as long as possible.

Raspberries are used to make jam, marmalade, caramel filling, syrups, liqueurs, and are also dried.

In the first year, the shoot grows in length and thickness and does not form branches.

In the second year, the shoot does not grow, but the buds on it begin to grow and form fruit branches of varying lengths.

Very few fruit branches are formed from the buds of the lower part of the shoot, and the buds at the end of the shoot very often freeze or the berries formed from them are very small and there are few of them.

Biennial shoots that bear fruit dry out and die, and new shoots grow next to the rhizome located in the soil.

The underground part of raspberries is perennial . It consists of a rhizome, from which, as already noted, lateral roots extend in all directions. Raspberry roots are located in the soil at a depth of 10 to 50 cm, depending on the thickness of the soil layer. To the sides of the bush, the roots spread within a radius of 1.5 - 2.0 m.

New annual shoots grow from adventitious buds located on rhizomes and roots during the growing season.

The shoots that appear early in the spring grow well, reaching a normal height by autumn - they are left to replace the shoots that bear fruit.

The shoots that appear in the second half of summer grow slowly, they are of no value, and it is recommended to destroy them.

Raspberry diseases and pests

Anthracnose. It affects young shoots, leaves, their petioles and berries. The disease on the shoots manifests itself in the form of round (oval) depressed spots (ulcers), first purple, then gray, bordered by a red-violet border. Dotted spots form on the leaf blades, and sores appear on the berries, which then dry out, causing the death of leaves and petioles. The brushes and berries also dry out. With severe damage, the shoots become bent, stop growing and even die (including two-year-old shoots).

White spotting. The causative agent of the disease overwinters on plant debris. Affects leaves and stems. Round whitish spots with a thin brownish border appear on the leaves; the tissue in the center of these spots crumbles. The stems become covered with vague whitish spots, the bark on them cracks and peels off. If the infection is severe, the stems may die.

Purple spotting. The causative agent of the disease overwinters on plant debris. It affects stems, buds, leaf petioles, and less often leaves. Light purple spots form on annual shoots, which gradually become reddish-brown. The spots, growing, merge and can cover up to 1/3 of the shoot in length and “ring” it. As a result, the shoots become fragile, easily break and die.

Gray rot. Affects berries and shoots. Infection occurs during flowering. Affected berries rot and are unsuitable for use. On young shoots, elongated spots appear in the internodes, looking like watermarks in autumn and winter. In winter, the bark on the affected areas cracks, and black fruiting bodies of the fungus are visible in the cracks. Such shoots die during wintering. Cold and wet weather favors the development of the disease.

Powdery mildew. It affects berries and growing points of young shoots, as well as young leaves. The disease develops especially strongly in humid and warm weather. Spots appear on the affected parts, covered with a light gray cobwebby coating (as if sprinkled with flour). The berries are unattractive, their quality decreases sharply and they are unsuitable for consumption.

What varieties do you grow? We are waiting for your stories!

Features of care and agricultural technology

Cultivated raspberries, which grow in gardens and vegetable gardens, may differ from wild varieties in their rich harvest, more pleasant taste and constant fruiting. But it is obvious that for proper cultivation, you need to follow certain care rules . They are simple, but they also have their own subtleties.

Spring care

Key stages that you need to pay attention to as winter ends: digging or loosening the soil in the raspberry field, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers (all already in April).

In May, it will be necessary to organize watering to accelerate the growth of the bushes. Minimum frequency – 1 time per week. In the same month, it is permissible to treat raspberries against pests or diseases, but it is important to complete all procedures before flowering begins.

In spring, it is permissible to carry out spot pruning of raspberries. But you need to be careful in this matter: some sources recommend cutting all shoots to a height of 20 cm. It is better not to do this, as then up to 50% of the future harvest will be lost. Only visibly diseased and dry branches that were missed in the fall should be trimmed.

How to care for raspberries in summer

Basically, all care for raspberries in summer comes down to controlling the humidity in the area. It is optimal to water it once a week, as in spring, but if there is extreme heat, the intensity can increase to 2-3 waterings weekly.

In mid-summer, most raspberry varieties begin to bear fruit. To make harvesting easier, you should remove weeds from the area in a timely manner. That's all there is to worry about.

Raspberry harvest

In exceptional cases, in summer raspberries may be subject to particularly severe attacks by insect pests. Of course, processing the plant before harvesting is not very correct and even harmful. Therefore, in this matter, you need to choose the right time to treat the bushes and do this only in desperate situations.

Autumn care

Some types of raspberries bear fruit until late autumn. At this time, all that remains is to harvest the crops and occasionally water the bushes if the weather is dry.

Also, autumn is a time of preparation for winter. When the raspberries have stopped producing fruit, you should start pruning, removing all old branches and shedding the foliage (usually this time occurs in mid-October). If cold winters await, then the area must be covered, but this must be done in such a way that the raspberries do not grow (to start work, the optimal air temperature outside should be no higher than +10С).

It is important to clear the area of excess debris (otherwise pests will overwinter there) and weeds, then thoroughly water the soil and feed it with potash fertilizers. This will help prepare the raspberries for the cold weather.

Details of caring for raspberries in the fall are in the article “Caring for raspberries in the fall, preparing for winter.”

Planting raspberries

Planting raspberries
Do not underestimate the importance of choosing a place for raspberries . Key two conditions for a quality harvest:

sunny location;
protection from strong winds (near fences, trees).

That's not all. It is advisable to choose an area where water will not stagnate in the spring after the snow melts. This means that we need not lowlands, but hills. For the winter, it is advisable to collect snow on the site, covering the raspberries.

In severe frosts, you will need to carefully bend the shoots to the ground, as in the figure.

Finally, it is not recommended to make raspberries where crops previously grew that suffered from the same pests as raspberries: potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries .

Raspberry bushes should be planted in holes or trenches, maintaining a distance of 40-50 cm between each bush.

More information about planting raspberries is in the article “All about planting raspberries.”

Watering

Raspberries are sensitive to watering . Moisture should be added especially often at the end of spring and throughout the summer, during the active growing season of the crop. In the fall, do not forget about heavily watering raspberries before winter (this is done most often in October, 1-2 weeks before frost) so that the bushes are hardened and prepared for frost.

Despite this, raspberries can be easily flooded due to inexperience. During the peak period, you need to moisten the soil 2-3 times a week if it is hot, and 1-2 times if the weather is cloudy and rainy.

Garter

Tying raspberries is a step that some people use, but others don’t.

On the one hand, some branches may require support, especially when the harvest begins to fill.

Raspberry garter

The most common way of tying is fan . This is when strong sticks are driven in on different sides of the bush, and raspberry branches are tied to them at different heights.

On the other hand, strong, powerful berries are formed quite infrequently in temperate climates, so additional strengthening of the branches is unlikely to be necessary.

Top dressing

You will definitely need to feed the raspberries. Moreover, this needs to be done several times throughout the life of the raspberry tree.

Raspberry feeding

The very first fertilizing is needed when planting raspberries. It is better to give preference to organic fertilizers, such as manure. But you can replace it with superphosphate to improve the raspberry root system. The same mixtures can be used every fall to prepare the bushes for frost.

Annual fertilizing is needed in early spring. During this period, preference should be given to nitrogenous fertilizers. Thus, it is recommended to apply nitrogen-containing mixtures for the first time when the height of raspberry shoots is 10 cm, and the next time - a month later and then until the end of summer.

Rule : nitrogen fertilizers cannot be applied in the fall or before winter.

Read more in the section “Feeding raspberries”.

How to plant a bush?

There is a special technology for planting raspberries. It allows you to ensure rapid growth of the crop and obtain a fairly tasty and abundant harvest.

In what place should I plant?

It is necessary to plant the bushes in the right place, otherwise the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the variety will be significantly reduced. Here are the basic rules to follow when choosing a location:

Under the raspberry tree there should not be groundwater at a depth of one meter. Otherwise, the roots will be constantly in water, which will cause rotting.
The soil should be loamy or sandy loam.
You need to choose a sunny place. Otherwise, the crop will not be able to produce enough sugar for the berries to grow large and sweet.

Important . It is not recommended to plant raspberries where tomatoes used to grow or where there was another raspberry tree. The soil is already depleted and will require large amounts of minerals and other nutrients to restore it.

Planting can be done in spring or autumn. Each season has its own advantages.

When planted in spring, the plant is better suited to winter. It has a more powerful root system. At the same time, during the season you can immediately understand whether it is necessary to grow a given variety, or whether it does not meet the needs of the gardener. But when planting in the fall, you can save on fertilizers, since the young root does not need a lot of nutrients to keep warm. Also, in the spring, active growth begins immediately, no time is wasted on acclimatization.

It is necessary to decide when to plant bushes, based on your own preferences and the period when the planting material appeared. It is forbidden to plant it in the summer, as it will not have time to complete its biological processes before frost. It is better to preserve it artificially and plant it in the fall.

Growing in greenhouses

Raspberries are usually grown in greenhouses if they are going to produce them on an industrial scale or sell them in the winter. In this case, it is necessary to create the same conditions as when planting in the open air. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that greenhouses have an air ventilation system.

Raspberry planting algorithm:

First, dig a hole or trench. The hole size should be 60x60. The distance between them is about 80 cm. A distance of about 1.2 meters should be made between the trenches to make it convenient to harvest and process the crop.
Next, you need to lay out humus at the rate of 5 kg per bush. When planting, it is prohibited to use other organic fertilizers.
Then they plant a raspberry bush and cover it with soil.
At the end, it is necessary to water at the rate of 15 liters of water per bush.

Important. Sometimes gardeners first pour water into the hole and then plant a raspberry bush. In this case, it is possible to achieve better traction with the ground. However, it is necessary to resort to this method with sufficient experience in gardening. Otherwise, there is a risk of flooding the culture after some time.

Trimming

A huge part of proper raspberry care is pruning. If you do not remove old and dry branches, then the raspberry plant will invariably run wild: produce a smaller and poorer quality harvest, thicken, and get sick.

There are two most important periods for pruning that should not be skipped: spring and autumn..

How to prune raspberries in spring

In spring, pruning is a spot treatment of raspberries. You definitely need to remove dry branches if there are any left after the winter. Young branches can be left unpruned (the harvest will be larger) or shortened to 20-30 cm in height (then the harvest will be of better quality).

Pruning raspberries in autumn

The stage that lays the foundation for the future harvest is pruning raspberries after harvest, in the fall. This time usually falls in October. The main thing is that the temperature outside should no longer be higher than +10С, and the next frosts are predicted no earlier than in 1-2 weeks.

There are some differences in fall pruning.

There is an option for a complete renewal of the raspberry tree, when all the branches are cut off at the root. Next season there will be young raspberries, but the harvest will be small, but of high quality.

Pruning raspberries at the root

Partial pruning means getting rid of all old (two-year-old) and dry branches and diseased shoots. This rule is relevant not only for ordinary raspberries, but also for remontant ones. Before winter, you need to leave no more than 5-10 raspberry branches per 1 m2 of area.

If partial pruning is chosen, then you need to take care of covering the raspberry tree. In non-harsh climates, it is permissible to sprinkle the soil in the raspberry garden with leaves and tops removed from the garden. In severe conditions, additionally cover the soil with a cloth, and when snow falls, cover the raspberry bushes with it to a height of 40-50 cm.

Covering raspberries

Caring for raspberries

It is necessary to properly care for the development of raspberries. When ideal conditions are created, a rich harvest grows. But this is quite difficult to do. Find out in more detail the features of caring for this crop.

Before fruiting

At this time, it is necessary to properly care for raspberries so that they can bear fruit abundantly. Several nuances should be taken into account:

The first feeding is done in early spring after the snow melts. In this case, the soil should be disinfected beforehand. Organic fertilizers are applied and only in liquid form, so that the measles system “wake up” faster and begin active growth.
Mineral fertilizers should be added during active growth and during the flowering period. It is worth noting that they must be based on phosphorus, manganese, superphosphate, potassium and iron. They can be purchased in specialized stores. Fertilizing is done at the root according to the instructions.
Watering should be carried out when the soil dries out by 5 cm. In this case, watering is carried out at the rate of 15 liters per bush. If planting was done using a trench type, then you need to pour out about 50 liters of water per square meter. During the flowering period, it is forbidden to use irrigation ditch so as not to damage the buds.
After watering, be sure to loosen the soil and remove weeds. This will allow the roots to get enough air.
Periodic pruning should be done in areas where there is a large accumulation of growth. It is completely removed. You also need to cut off diseased or dry shoots.

These are the basic rules for caring for the crop until the berries are set. It is important to understand that with a large amount of water in the soil, the roots begin to rot. If there are diseases, it is worth treating the bushes with fungicides. Rot is removed physically. If there are pests, then they need to be combated using industrial poisons.

After harvest

During this period, it is necessary to properly prepare the plant for winter. How it will survive the cold and whether it will be able to bear fruit next season depends on this. You need to start work about three weeks before the first frost.

Here are the rules to follow:

It is necessary to dig and remove weeds. This will allow the raspberries to receive more nutrients and oxygen.
Apply organic fertilizers (solid form). But this must be done so that they do not touch the root system. Otherwise, the ammonia released, which is supposed to warm the roots in winter, will burn them. As a result, the plant will die.
Next, you need to remove all green leaves from the plant. When cold weather sets in, it will die if they are on the branches.
According to the rules indicated below, pruning is performed. The level of snow in the region must be taken into account. The bushes should be bent so that they are completely covered with snow.
The soil needs to be mulched to prevent the root system from freezing. For this, it is recommended to use peat and other nutrients. To prevent the wind from scattering the mulch around the dacha area, it is covered with cloth or polyethylene. The latter material does not allow air to pass through, so a large number of holes must be made in it. Otherwise, the roots will suffocate over the winter.

These are the basic requirements for preparing raspberry bushes for winter. If everything is done correctly, the plant will survive the cold well and will bear fruit next summer. It is worth noting that when growing in a greenhouse, it is not necessary to bend the branches. This is done only so that they are hidden under the snow and do not freeze.

Pruning shoots

It is necessary to trim shoots in all seasons except winter. In this case, garden shears are used, and pruning is done at a slight angle.

This must be done correctly:

First, dry branches are removed.
Next you need to remove the diseased shoots. They are discolored or have characteristic thickenings.
During the summer, thinning should be done. That is, remove shoots on which the root system spends nutrients to the detriment of the fruits.
In autumn, it is necessary to remove all leaves from the shoots and trim them so that the height is about one meter. This is required to prepare for winter.

Reference . Pathogenic microorganisms often live inside raspberry branches. Once in the compost pit, they contaminate all organic fertilizers. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to burn all shoots that are cut from this crop.

Diseases and pests

Like any similar garden crop, raspberries get sick, sometimes quite often. Despite the fact that the plant is relatively unpretentious to external conditions, a site allocated for it that is far from ideal can lead to weakened immunity. And this is the first step towards the development of diseases or pest invasions.

Gray rot affects raspberries and is one of the most common diseases of this crop. Ideal conditions for development are high humidity and dampness.
Anthracnose is another fungus that can appear on the entire plant: berries, stems, leaves and even roots.
Raspberry rust is a fungal infection that causes the leaves and then the entire bush to dry out.
Curly curl virus is also a common disease that affects both leaves and berries.
Stem and root cancer - thickenings on the roots and stems.
The raspberry beetle is a pest that feeds on nectar, and its larvae feed on plant berries.
Galitsa is a fly that lays eggs in the stem of raspberries, interfering with the normal development of the bushes.
Raspberry aphid is an insect that destroys literally everything on raspberries: leaves, stems, flowers, berries.

However, raspberry bushes are, in most cases, persistent plants. To treat them, you can use classical techniques without resorting to pesticides and expensive products.

“Sick” raspberries

Raspberry bushes: planting

Before planting a raspberry tree, choose a suitable location for the site. Contrary to popular belief that raspberries are shade-loving, they need good lighting and maximum protection from cold winds. Raspberries are usually planted along a fence or building. The soil for planting raspberries should be low acidic or neutral (lime it if necessary).

When to plant raspberries

Each raspberry planting period has its own advantages and disadvantages:

Autumn planting gives seedlings time to take root, and in the spring they begin to grow earlier. However, if there is insufficient shelter, raspberry shoots may freeze in winter. Autumn planting (or transplanting) is done at least 2 weeks before the arrival of frost. In the middle zone this is approximately the second half of October;
Spring planting for raspberry seedlings provides more chances for good adaptation - after all, there are several warm months ahead. Planting is carried out before the buds swell - in the first half of April. The disadvantage of this method is that this season, most likely, you will not see raspberries.

Important! Although it is believed that the plant can bear fruit for up to 14 years, already by the 5th-6th year the raspberry fruits become smaller and the yields decrease. Therefore, in the 6-7th year, it is recommended to renew the raspberry plantings by transplanting young seedlings to a new location.

How to plant raspberries

The area for planting raspberry seedlings is prepared in advance: pumpkin or legume crops and green manure are planted. An even better option would be a rested area where nothing has grown. The location of raspberry plantings is done in 2 ways:

In a trench: the depth of such a trench is at least 40 cm, and the width is up to 60 cm. The distance between the rows of bushes reaches 1.5 m;
In the holes: the depth and width of the holes is similar to the previous method, and the distance between seedlings is 0.7 m. Row spacing is 1.5 m.

Soil for planting

The soil from the holes is divided into 2 parts: the top fertile one is diluted with organic matter (for each bucket of humus 1 tbsp. wood ash) approximately in half and a “cushion” of soil is made for the seedling, leaving approximately 1/3 of the depth of the hole free. After this, plant as follows:

the prepared bush (stem height up to 40 cm, roots - 25-30 cm) is dipped into a clay mash;
Having straightened the roots, place them in a hole or trench and sprinkle them with soil, compacting the soil around the roots;
in this case, special attention is paid to the placement of the root collar - it should protrude slightly (2-3 cm) above the soil level;
after planting the raspberry bushes, they are slightly tugged upward: if the soil is yielding, the bush should be replanted;
The last stage of planting raspberries is compacting the soil around the bush, abundant watering (5-7 liters per bush), mulching with rotted straw, sawdust, and peat.

Important! Subsequent watering of the bushes depends on the time of planting: in the fall it may not be needed at all, but in the spring it is carried out as needed (at least once a week).

How to store berries?

Fresh raspberries themselves cannot be stored for long . The reason for this is the soft structure, as well as the high water content in the berries.

For a freshly harvested crop, the rule is not to leave it in the sun for even a minute, otherwise the shelf life of the fruit will be greatly reduced. In a shady, cool place, the berries can retain their quality for up to 3 days.

Raspberry harvest

If you need to preserve fresh raspberries longer, then you need to sort them out, remove all the stalks, and sort soft and damaged fruits from ideal ones. Raspberries should be stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid. The best place to leave the berries is in the refrigerator. Raspberries can stay there for up to 7 days.

Advice: do not leave raspberries in an uncovered container next to other products, especially those with a strong smell, as the berries perfectly absorb all odors.

The most famous way to preserve the raspberry harvest for a long time is to make jam from it and seal it in jars.

Beneficial features

Raspberries are perhaps the most common plant used in folk medicine. There is hardly anyone who has never in their life drank raspberry jam tea for a cold. In addition, infusions of raspberry leaves, herbal or berry tea are used to improve immunity. This popularity is quite easy to explain. Raspberries are a real storehouse of vitamins A, C, multivitamins, minerals, amino acids, fiber, and essential oils. Its berries have excellent antipyretic (due to salicylic acid in the composition) and diaphoretic properties, which is especially important for all colds without exception.

Raspberries are one of the leaders among garden crops in terms of iron content. This indicates that its berries are useful for strengthening the heart and blood vessels, stabilizing blood pressure, improving blood composition, and removing cholesterol from the body. The coumarins contained in the composition improve blood clotting.

It is known that raspberries are one of the best natural analogues of many synthetic drugs used to treat the gastrointestinal tract, nervous disorders, hypertension, atherosclerosis, liver and kidney diseases.

Raspberry dessert

For women's health

It is also worth noting that raspberries have excellent anti-aging qualities. First of all, due to the effect on human blood vessels. In addition, a special combination of minerals and natural acids, essential oils (oils are concentrated in the seeds up to 20-25% of their weight) ensures the removal of toxins from the body, which slows down aging.

For men's health

Men will benefit from raspberries due to their zinc content. This element stabilizes testosterone levels in the body.

Vitamins of the PP group and coumarins, which are beneficial for the vascular system, also have a beneficial effect on the genitourinary system.

Contraindications and who should not eat raspberries?

Raspberries are an excellent sugar substitute. This is especially true for people suffering from diabetes. However, when eating raspberries, you also need to know when to stop, otherwise the level of glucose in the blood will increase.

Decoctions of raspberry leaves have proven themselves to be effective for stomach diseases. This plant allows you to get rid of painful sensations, the teas gently envelop the walls of the stomach and even trigger the processes of remission of the affected tissues.

On the other hand, raspberries contain rough fiber. Therefore, it is not recommended to consume berries for ulcers and gastritis, as they can irritate or even damage the delicate mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.

The same can be said about the effect of raspberry fruits on the stomach of people with pancreatitis. Fruit acids contained in large quantities in berries irritate the mucous membranes and provoke a surge in disease activity.

Raspberries in any form are strictly prohibited for gout..

A complete ban on the consumption of berries of this crop applies in the event of a confirmed allergic reaction to certain substances in the composition.

Properties of raspberries

Raspberry fruits contain fructose, organic acids - citric, malic, tartaric, ascorbic, formic, nylon, as well as vitamins and microelements - magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Raspberries have long been used as a remedy for colds, brewing tea from dry berries, using them in the form of jam or grated with sugar. Unlike other berries, raspberries do not lose their healing properties after heat treatment.

An infusion and decoction of raspberry leaves is recommended for the treatment of cough or sore throat, an infusion of flowers and leaves is recommended for gynecological diseases and hemorrhoids. Preparations from raspberry flowers, fruits and leaves have anti-sclerotic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects and are used to treat colds, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, heart rhythm disorders, and kidney diseases.

Eastern medicine uses raspberry preparations to treat infertility and impotence.

For eczema, acne, rashes and erysipelas of the skin, use an infusion of raspberry leaves - wipe the skin, and for blepharitis and conjunctivitis, make eye lotions from the infusion. A decoction of raspberry roots stops nasal and hemorrhoidal bleeding and treats purulent otitis media.

And recently, experts from Clemson University conducted research that helped discover another remarkable property of raspberries. By giving raspberry extract to experimental animals with cancer, scientists found that 90% of cancer cells died under the influence of this drug - no known antioxidant is capable of such a result. Moreover, any variety of raspberry can cope with the tumor.

However, those who decide to experience the healing properties of raspberries on themselves should know that it is contraindicated in cases of exacerbation of gastritis, duodenal and stomach ulcers, as well as in patients with gout, nephritis and amyloidosis.

Use in cooking

Most often, raspberries are eaten fresh, although today a large number of dishes are known. The most common are various milkshakes, ice cream, cakes, juices, teas, jams, and fresh salads.

Use of raspberries in cooking

A significant advantage of raspberries is that they are relatively easy to pick and do not require a lot of sorting, peeling, etc. In fact, the collected berries are immediately ready for consumption or storage.

It is interesting that the berries of this crop retain all their beneficial qualities for several days even after being picked from the branch.

Raspberries not only have a special taste, but also a smell that is pleasant to most people. Therefore, this berry is needed not only for use as food, but also for cosmetology and perfumery. Shampoos, creams, lotions, bath foam, and perfumes are prepared with raspberry extract.

Interesting facts and beliefs

Turkey is considered the birthplace of raspberries, although today the plant is distributed throughout the globe in temperate climate zones and even northern regions.
Sometimes raspberries are called “pioneer plants” because, due to their unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil, they easily grow even in rather unfavorable conditions, in swamps, for example. Thus, raspberry bushes are among the first to begin to grow even in burned areas after forest fires.
Raspberries have more vitamin C than oranges.
Raspberries contain large quantities of phytonutrients - useful microelements that reduce blood pressure, inflammatory processes, and normalize liver function.
Raspberry extract is often included in medications for the treatment of burns and teenage acne.
Every year, Russia produces the most raspberries in the world: about 125 thousand tons.
The root system of the bush lives up to 10 years. The above-ground part of the plant changes every 2 years.
The raspberry consists of 86% water, 12% carbohydrates and 1-2% protein and fat.
Unlike some vegetables, berries and fruits, unripe raspberries, picked from the branch, no longer ripen.
Ellagic acid, contained in large quantities in raspberries, is, according to some sources, a useful substance for the prevention of cancer.
Raspberry fruits contain small quantities of at least 2 different types of alcohols (tartaric, isoamyl).
Raspberries are a favorite place for bees to collect nectar. The peculiarity of this plant is the flowers drooping downwards. Thanks to this, insects can feed on nectar and collect it even in light rain. It is estimated that bees collect up to 70 kg of honey per hectare of raspberry fields. Other crops bring no more than 50 kg of honey from a similar area.
Dried raspberry leaves can completely replace classic tea.
According to legend, raspberries have always been white, but one day a young princess in Crete wanted to treat Zeus with them and scratched her hand. After this, the berries were forever colored the color of her blood.
The first garden laid out in Rus' consisted entirely of raspberry bushes. According to information that has reached us, raspberry fields were broken on a typical Russian scale and were often so large that wild animals, including bears, settled in them.
Wild raspberries are always smaller in size than cultivated ones and not as sweet, but significantly richer in terms of the content of nutrients.

Planting raspberries in open ground

What time to plant

Raspberries can be planted in open soil in both spring and autumn (from September to October). The area suitable for planting should be sunny. If this crop is grown in a shaded place, then due to lack of light, young shoots sometimes stretch so much that they shade the fruiting stems. Different raspberry varieties have their own soil preferences. However, most of them grow well on light nutritious soils; loam and black soil are also suitable for this plant. The soil pH required for raspberries should be between 5.7 and 6.5. This subshrub cannot be grown in lowlands and places with uneven terrain, because there is stagnation of water. Also, steep slopes and even elevated areas are not suitable for planting; in this case, the raspberries will suffer from a lack of moisture. To plant such a crop, it is recommended to choose a flat or slightly sloping area. In the same place without replanting, such a subshrub can be grown for 7–10 years, after which it will need replanting, because the soil will be severely depleted. And in this area it will be possible to plant raspberries again only after at least 5–7 years. In areas where nightshades were grown (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers), this berry crop should under no circumstances be planted. But the area after grain or legume crops is very suitable for planting raspberries.

Planting raspberries in spring

Spring and autumn planting differ only in the way they prepare for this procedure, but otherwise they are absolutely the same. At the beginning of the spring period, you need to prepare a hole, the size of which should be 0.5x0.4x0.4 m, while the top nutrient layer of soil should be folded back separately. The distance between specimens in the garden should be about 0.5 m, while the row spacing should be at least 1.5 m. The top nutrient layer of soil must be combined with 50 grams of potassium sulfate, 100 grams of granulated superphosphate, and 10 kilograms of humus or compost and with 0.4 kilograms of wood ash. Part of the resulting soil mixture should be poured into the hole, and the rest should be piled up next to it. If before you start planting, the soil mixture in the hole becomes caked, it will need to be loosened. Then the seedling should be placed in the hole so that the replacement bud is located just below the ground level. After the roots are carefully straightened, the hole should be filled with soil. It is compacted, and then a not very deep hole is made around the plant, which should be filled with water. After the liquid is completely absorbed, the surface of the hole must be mulched with sawdust, humus or dry straw. The seedling is shortened to 0.3 m above the soil level. If the weather remains dry for several days after planting the raspberries, the plants will need repeated watering. It is worse to plant raspberries in the spring than in the fall, because there is a high probability of being late due to unfavorable weather, as a result of which the seedlings will take root much worse. In the spring, they plant planting material purchased in a special store or nursery, or that which was prepared in the autumn (it is placed in the refrigerator for the winter).

Planting raspberries in autumn

In autumn, preparation of the planting hole should be done 6 weeks before planting day. The area is dug up to the depth of a spade bayonet, while all weed roots are selected and 0.2–0.4 kg of superphosphate, 2 to 3 buckets of rotted manure and 100–200 grams of potassium sulfate per 1 m2 of area are added. If you fertilize the soil before planting, raspberries will not need phosphorus and potassium fertilizers for about 5 years. If the soil is peat, then for every 1 m2 of land you need to add four buckets of sand. It is best to plant raspberries in the last days of September or the first days of October. In the fall, both specialists and experienced gardeners recommend planting this crop, because in this case it will be possible to slowly prepare the area for planting, and the plants themselves take root well before winter, and in the spring they begin to grow actively.

Proper planting of raspberries in the fall. Tarusa variety.

Conclusion

That's all that could be said about raspberries. Yes, yes, about those very raspberries, the taste and smell of which is familiar to every person.

At the same time, it is not difficult to guess the reasons for such popularity of raspberries. This plant is grown almost everywhere in our country, adapts well to most conditions and always produces a harvest even in the northern regions. That is why it is a favorite delicacy among entire generations of people, and is also probably the most famous primary cure for colds.