Raspberry Diamond: description and characteristics of the variety, reviews from gardeners, features of planting and growing and caring for the plant

Remontant raspberries are a special group; berries can form on shoots of the first and second years of life. European gardeners have been producing such raspberries for more than two hundred years. In Russia, plants can be considered garden newcomers. Breeders pay great attention to remontant raspberries; many new varieties have been developed.

Raspberry Diamond is of domestic origin, its author is gardener experimenter Kazakov I.V. from Bryansk. The variety immediately became popular. Russians would like to have this amazing Brilliantovaya raspberry in their gardens, but there is not much information. We will try to talk about the features of raspberries, agricultural technology for growing and caring for a berry like the one in the photo to please you with a rich harvest.

Botanical properties

The story about the Diamond raspberry will be incomplete without a description:

1. This is a remontant variety and differs in fruiting from ordinary plants. The Brilliantovaya variety bears fruit on one- and two-year-old shoots. Raspberries can be collected from the end of July until the first frost.
2. A raspberry variety with straight shoots reaches a height of one and a half meters. The shoots of the first year are reddish with a barely noticeable waxy coating. There are thorns on raspberries, but they are small.
3. The greenery is bright green, the leaves are slightly curled at the edges and have sharp teeth.
4. The berries of remontant raspberries of the Brilliant variety, as noted in reviews, are shiny, red with a purple tint, similar to a precious ruby. If we talk about the size of the fruits, they are average, about 4 grams. Look at the photo, there they are, diamonds in the palm of your hand!

Important! Varietal raspberries have a delicate aroma, juicy pulp, but despite this, they do not soften, gardeners write about this in reviews.

Reviews

Gardeners have fallen in love with remontant raspberry varieties for a long time, and Brilliant is no exception and is becoming more and more popular every year.

I liked the variety in terms of taste and productivity, but the fact that the bush is spreading is not very convenient. It must be constantly tied up and very thoroughly. The berries tolerate travel well, and when frozen for the winter they do not lose their appearance.

I consider the disadvantage of this variety to be that the sweetness of the berries depends entirely on the weather. If there is no sun, then the raspberries are sour. I like the yield and unpretentiousness, and I grow Diamond for making preserves, jam, jellies and liqueurs. I didn’t appreciate it as a dessert variety for fresh consumption. For food we need delicate delicate varieties, but they are not distinguished by their transportability and high yield.

Pros and cons of the variety

The Brilliant raspberry variety has a lot of advantages, although the disadvantages cannot be kept silent either. Everything is noted in the table:

Description of the variety

Bush

The bush itself is quite spreading, on average reaching 1-1.2 m in height, rarely higher than 1.5 meters.

The leaves are a uniform green color, slightly curled, with sharp teeth along the edges.

Annual shoots are reddish in color with a large amount of waxy coating and faint thorns. Biennial sprouts are light brown in color with small thorns.

Fruit

The berries are medium in size (about 4 grams), deep purple in color with a characteristic shine. The taste is sweet, with a slight sourness.

The aroma is pleasant, weakly expressed. The pulp is juicy, but not prone to softening.

General characteristics

Raspberry Diamond shows good productivity. Under favorable conditions, each bush produces about 3 kg of berries.

Ripening begins in early August and lasts until late autumn;

Average resistance to soil drying out. Has good heat tolerance. Frost resistance is average, up to -25°C.

Raspberries of the Brilliant variety were bred for Central Russia, but are also successfully grown in other regions (North-West, Volga region, Ural, Siberia, Far East, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.).

How to plant raspberries

Choosing a time

If you want to propagate remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety, this can be done in spring and autumn. When planting in autumn, they focus on warm weather in September or early October. In autumn and early summer, in contrast to spring propagation, seedlings with a closed root system are used. In this case, the raspberries take root faster. Summer and spring plantings will delight you with delicious ruby ​​berries.

Landing site requirements

The Brilliant raspberry variety, judging by the description, is demanding on lighting.

Advice! The place should be open, but protected from cold winds from the north.

It’s good if there is space between buildings or along the fence on the south side. Look at the photo how abundantly the remontant variety Brilliantovaya bears fruit in the open air.

Warning! The shade for planting the Brilliant variety is destructive, plants slow down, and flower stalks do not form.

Particular attention should be paid to the depth of groundwater: no higher than one and a half meters. Although the Diamond raspberry is a moisture-loving plant, according to gardeners, excess water leads to rotting of the roots. Therefore, low places for planting remontant raspberries are not suitable, as are too high ones.

Preparing the site

Advice! The landing site is prepared a month in advance, regardless of the season.

Dig up the soil using a shovel and remove the roots of the weeds. The hole for the remontant raspberry seedling of the Brilliantovaya variety should be 40x50 cm. It will be convenient to place the root system in it. Humus or compost, superphosphate and potash fertilizers are poured into the bottom of the pit. The whole composition is mixed well and filled with water.

Features of choosing planting material

To grow a good bush of the Diamond variety, you need to stock up on appropriate planting material. It is advisable to purchase seedlings in specialized stores or nurseries. Material purchased on the street can be very disappointing.

What criteria apply to seedlings:

• the Brilliantovaya raspberry shoot must be thicker than 1 centimeter, and there must be no damage or signs of disease;
• the root system is well developed, length 15 cm and above;
• The seedling should have up to two healthy shoots with buds.

The root system of varietal raspberry planting material can be open or closed.

What planting material to use for propagating raspberries regarding the root system is decided by each gardener independently.

Landing rules

Sometimes, for various reasons, it is not possible to prepare the soil in advance for planting Brilliantovaya raspberries. It can be fixed. We fertilize the soil immediately before planting.

And now about the landing rules:

1. If the root system of Diamond raspberry seedlings is open, inspect it. Remove all brown roots, as well as damaged ones. Prepare a mash of clay and mullein in advance and dip the roots in it.
2. Place the seedling straight into the hole, straightening the roots. If the raspberry root system is closed, then this step is skipped, as well as dipping in mash.
3. Fill the top with fertile soil and make a hole for watering. The surface around the seedling needs to be trampled.
4. After watering, sprinkle with mulch. It will retain moisture and provide additional nutrition.

Advice! When planting several raspberry seedlings, you need to maintain a distance of up to 60 cm between neighboring plants.

If Brilliantovaya raspberries are planted in several rows, then row spacing, according to the description, is allocated up to 1.5-2 meters.

By July you will have a kindergarten like the one in the photo.

How to increase productivity

In order for raspberries to fully reveal all their varietal advantages, it is necessary to create comfortable growing conditions for them. Taste and sugar content are affected by weather conditions, soil composition and the amount of watering and fertilizing.

Garter to the trellis

The spreading bush of the Diamond tree needs support: under the weight of the fruit, the stems bend towards the ground and can break. In addition, raspberries growing on trellises are evenly illuminated by the sun, well ventilated, and the lower branches do not touch the ground. And harvesting is much easier this way. Near the bushes they install two-meter poles 3 m from each other, bury them, pull the wire in 3 rows at the level of 70 cm, 1 m and 1 m 60 cm and tie up the bushes.

Sprawling raspberry bush requires garter

Proper watering

Raspberries suffer equally from excess moisture and severe drought. It is advisable to water it a week (a bucket under the plant), young bushes - more often. With excess moisture, especially in rainy summers, the root system may suffer from a lack of oxygen, and the tops of plants turn yellow. In this case, it is necessary to reduce watering.

There are several types of watering raspberries. Drip irrigation is carried out using special tubes, in which moisture is evenly delivered directly to the root. The drip irrigation system is especially convenient for gardeners who come to their dacha only on weekends. This method allows you to constantly maintain the required level of humidity in the raspberry garden. Sprinkling is carried out using a hose in the morning or evening hours. Imitating rain when watering will help plants absorb moisture better and retain it longer. Irrigation through grooves is often used: grooves 15 cm deep are laid on both sides of the row at a distance of 40 cm from the plant, water is poured into them (5 liters per bush) and covered with earth. The soil is loosened. Remontant raspberries especially need moisture during the fruiting period: sprinkling is not used, the soil is moistened through furrows or using drip irrigation. In the fall, before frosts, moisture-charging irrigation is carried out.

Raspberries can be watered by sprinkling using a hose

Nutritious food

Remontant raspberries are very demanding in terms of nutrition and immediately react to a lack of microelements, especially potassium.

• Yellow foliage, poor growth and flowering are a sign of nitrogen deficiency;
• dull dark green color of foliage, weak shoots, shrinkage of leaves - symptoms of phosphorus starvation;
• deformation and curling of the leaves, a brown rim appears along the edges of the leaf - there is a lack of potassium;
• curling of leaves, falling of ovaries, dying of shoots signals a lack of calcium;
• yellowing of leaves and shredding of fruits is a consequence of iron deficiency;
• the presence of weakly growing leaves that turn yellow from the middle to the edges indicates a lack of magnesium.

Before planting, the soil is well fertilized, then the raspberries are fed three times a season. In the spring, to stimulate the growth of shoots and the formation of ovaries, nitrogen fertilizers are applied: urea, ammonium nitrate and potassium fertilizers: potassium sulfate, ash. In mid-summer, plants are fertilized with nitrophoska (70 g per 10 liters of water) to make the berries larger. In autumn, plants also need minerals, especially potassium. Granules of superphosphate and potassium salt are added to the soil, and ash is scattered around the bushes. Important. Fertilizers are applied only to moist soil so as not to burn the roots. After fertilizing, raspberries must be mulched. Organic fertilizers also improve the composition of the soil - mullein, bird droppings, diluted with water 1:10 and 1:20, respectively (5 liters per plant). They are applied before flowering and after harvesting the fruits. In the fall, the soil around the bushes is mulched with manure and compost - in the winter they will warm the raspberry roots, and in the spring they will provide it with nutrition. It is useful to feed the raspberries with herbal infusion after harvesting. Nettle, dandelion, burdock are placed in a barrel, a little earth, ash (50 liter glass), a packet of yeast, 1 kg of dry chicken manure are added, poured with warm water, covered loosely and left for 7 days. After fermentation is complete, the resulting infusion is diluted with water (1:10) and applied to the soil.

On nutritious soil, Diamond raspberry bears fruit abundantly

Loosening and mulching the soil

To ensure air access to plant roots, the soil must be loosened. Since raspberry roots are close to the surface, loosening is carried out between rows to a depth of 10–15 cm, the first time immediately after the snow melts. During the season, the soil is loosened after weeding and each watering. Then the ground is mulched with straw and hay - this will prevent the growth of weeds and retain moisture for a long time.

Reproduction methods

You can propagate raspberries using root shoots. Although the variety is characterized by an average degree of shoot formation, sufficient root shoots grow. In the summer, regrown shoots with white roots are dug up and planted in fertile soil. It has been noticed that only those offspring of Brilliantova that have grown no more than 5 cm and have red leaves take root well. Raspberries are distinguished by their vitality; the shoots will soon begin to grow.

Raspberries reproduce well by root suckers

When propagating by cuttings, after the end of the season, the roots are cut into 10-centimeter cuttings and planted in furrows at intervals of 30 cm. Moistened, mulched and covered with pine needles. In early spring, the shelter is removed and the ridge is covered with film. After 2 weeks, sprouts will appear, the film is removed.

How to prune correctly

An important place in caring for berry bushes is occupied by its pruning. Be sure to remove overgrown thin and crooked branches. At the end of October, all shoots are cut off at the root with pruning shears. This pruning makes it easier to care for raspberries, does not require insulation for the winter and prevents the development of diseases, because many pests overwinter on the stems. You can remove fruit-bearing shoots, leaving annual shoots whose tops are cut off. In this case, in the next season you can get 2 harvests, but the berries will be smaller. It will be necessary to carry out sanitary pruning in the spring to remove frozen and broken stems. In May, before flowering, the tops of shoots that have reached 1 m can be pinched. This encourages more branching and increases yield. But it delays fruiting by 2 weeks.

A shoot always forms around the bushes, which absorbs 50% of all nutrients intended for raspberries. It is necessary to get rid of excess shoots by cutting them with a sharp shovel at a depth of 8 cm.

Pruning raspberries - video

Preparing for winter

Diamond raspberry is frost-resistant, but you should prepare for winter in advance. Before the onset of cold weather, the stems are cut off at the root, the soil is mulched with sawdust and straw. In this case, there is no need to cover the raspberries. If annual shoots are left, they should be covered before frost. Pegs are dug along the row and the wire is pulled at a level of 25 cm from the ground. After watering and mulching the soil, the raspberry stems are bent in an arc and secured with twine to the pegs. Or the bent stems are simply pressed with a board. The top is covered with agrofibre. It is very important to do this on time, a week before the onset of frost. At high positive temperatures, shoots may damp out.

Before the onset of cold weather, raspberry bushes are covered

Secrets of agricultural technology

Top dressing

Diamond raspberry, as mentioned in the description of the variety, requires special care, in particular, it is necessary to constantly feed it.

Let's consider the fertilizer application scheme:

1. In March, the plantings are fed for the first time. Urea (20 grams) is dissolved in a bucket of water and poured over one square meter.
2. When peduncles form and flowers begin to bloom, a second feeding of Brilliant raspberries is required. It will require potassium sulfate (2 tablespoons), potassium sulfate (3 tablespoons). They are dissolved in ten liters of water. The watering rate is the same.
3. The plants are fed the third time when the harvest is harvested. After all, diamond raspberries need to gain strength for the winter. Add a spoonful of potassium sulfate and two boats of double superphosphate to a bucket of water.

Raspberries respond well to feeding with mullein (1:10) and chicken manure (1:5). It must be diluted in accordance with the specified proportions. Such feeding of raspberries is carried out every month separately from feeding with fertilizers.

Watering requirements

Raspberries of the Brilliant variety are demanding when it comes to watering, although they can withstand short-term drying out of the soil. It should be taken into account that in such a situation, the sugar content in the berry decreases during ripening. Excess vaga makes the fruit watery. In a word, when watering you need to find a middle ground.

When to water raspberries:

• in the beginning of May;
• when shoots begin to form;
• twice in June and July;
• at the beginning of August;
• before sheltering for the winter.

Up to one and a half buckets of water are poured onto one plant. Raspberries respond well to artificial rain (photo below), but this procedure is performed either before sunrise or in the evening.

Warning! If it rains, then watering the Brilliantovaya raspberries should be stopped so as not to saturate the soil with moisture.

Landing

In the middle zone, prepared raspberry seedlings can be planted not only in autumn, but also in spring. Remontant raspberry bushes planted in one area can bear fruit abundantly for several years.

More on the topic: Yellow remontant raspberry variety Amber

Raspberries should be planted in areas with groundwater located more than 1.2 m from the surface. It is first necessary to apply fertilizers and deep dig the soil.

Remontant raspberries love bright lighting; they grow well and fully develop only in well-lit areas, so even a small shadow can negatively affect the further growth and formation of berries.

Before planting, it is advisable to shorten the shoots on planting plants to a height of 20-25 cm. The planting hole should have dimensions of at least 30x30 cm.

It is necessary to plant bushes in rainy weather or in the evening, with row spacing of at least 1.7-1.8 meters and a row distance of 0.6-0.7 cm.

After planting, the plants need to be watered at the rate of one bucket per two planted bushes, after which it is recommended to mulch the plantings.

How to trim raspberries

Remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety increase yields with constant pruning. But there are laws here, because fruiting occurs on both one-year and two-year-old shoots.

Let's look at this issue in more detail:

1. If you grow raspberries on first-year shoots, then in the fall you need to cut out all the shoots to the ground, without stumps. As gardeners say, the plantation is “mowed.” When young shoots appear in the spring, the bed is thinned out and the excess is removed. To obtain a harvest, 5-6 well-developed healthy shoots from one root are enough.
2. If the raspberry tree is formed from shoots of the first and second years, then the shoots that have grown over the summer are left to winter. Damaged branches need to be cut out for the winter. In the spring, an inspection is carried out, shoots that did not survive the winter well are cut out, and then the young shoots are thinned out. Admire these beauties in the photo.

Attention! Some gardeners with extensive experience in growing raspberries make separate beds. On one, only “first-year” plants are grown, on the other, “second-year” plants.

Aftercare for raspberries

Raspberries “Brilliantovaya” require the same agricultural technology as all remontant varieties:

1. Watering is required if there has been no rain for more than 14 days, and abundant watering before winter until frost.
2. Thinning the bush from young shoots - leaving only the strongest. In the fall, after the last harvest, all annual shoots are removed, except for two old ones, about 25 cm tall.
3. The raspberry variety is high-yielding, the berries are large - a trellis and tying are required.
4. Raspberry "Diamond" requires feeding at the time of planting, during flowering and several times, with an interval of 14 days, during the fruiting period.

It is recommended to cover cut raspberries with sawdust or special material for the winter.

Do I need to tie it up?

Some varieties of remontant raspberries are not tied up, since this is not necessary. But this does not apply to Diamondova. If you do not carry out the necessary work, you can lose most of the harvest. The fact is that due to the abundance of berries, the erect raspberry shoots cannot withstand the weight and bend down to the ground.

It is best to use a double trellis for tying. The pillars are installed, three rows of wire or strong, non-stretching twine are stretched between them. Each shoot is tied in three places. Remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety not only increase the yield, but also maintain the integrity of the shoots during winds and showers, air circulates freely. In addition, the berries will not end up on the ground, and spores of fungal diseases will not fall on them.

Large-fruited remontant raspberry Diamond

The variety is developed by domestic breeders - it is patented and included in the State Register of the Russian Federation of varieties approved for cultivation in 2006. Admission region: Central. Authors: Kazakov I.V., Kulagina V.L., Evdokimenko S.N., Nam I.Ya. This is a large-fruited remontant raspberry of a universal purpose for gardening.

It is characterized by average resistance to drought, but tolerates heat well, winter-hardy (down to -24°C). Raspberry Brilliantovaya is an early ripening variety that is capable of ensuring ripening of up to 90% of the formed crop in the regions of tolerance. The recommended number of plants for a family is 4–5 bushes per person for individual use.

Appearance of the bush, characteristics of the berries, ripening time, yield

The bush is low (1.2–1.5 m), with medium vigor and branching. Does not require much support and remains bent under the weight of the crop without lying on the ground. The remontant variety has less shoot formation - 5–6 replacement shoots per season; during wet periods there may be more of them. The shoots are biennial woody, erect, brown in color. Young stems of the first year are initially green and soft, but by the end of the season they turn reddish.

The shoots are slightly drooping with a strong natural waxy coating. The same coating is also present on the lateral fruiting branches. The stems have soft and straight thorns that are located at the base. There are few of them, which makes it easier to pick berries without the risk of injury. The leaf has sharp teeth along the edges, green with a bluish tint, slightly wrinkled and curled. Raspberries bloom with small white flowers with five petals, which are surrounded by green sepals.

After pollination of the flower, a berry is formed, consisting of many medium-sized drupes, which are connected with the help of tiny hairs into the familiar raspberry fruit. Large-fruited variety. The berries are flavorless, red-pink, elongated-conical with an intense shimmering diamond shine, which gives the raspberry its name. The pulp is juicy and tender, the taste of sweetness (5.5%) and acidity (1.2%) is balanced (taste rating 4 points).

Contains 20.5% vitamin C. The weight of the berry is 4–5 g, the yield declared by the originators is 76.1 c/ha, or 2–4 kg (4–8 l) from each bush, according to reviews from gardeners. Ripens in mid-summer and bears fruit until late autumn. For the most part, gardeners who grow Diamond raspberries respond positively and appreciate the variety for its ease of care, the quality of the berries and their ability to be stored and transported.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• Benefits of the autumn raspberry harvest:
• convenient ripening time and extended fruiting;
• is little affected by pests and does not require chemical treatments;
• ease of care compared to summer varieties (no need to worry about covering for the winter and bending down the shoots);
• resistance to climatic influences (heat and cold);
• quality and consumer value of berries.

• Disadvantages of culture:
• dependence on the sunny location of the beds;
• the need for mulching to suppress weed growth;
• using garters to provide lighting inside the bush;
• applying large amounts of fertilizer due to increased growth of ovaries and prolonged fruiting.

Wintering

If you live in regions with a mild climate and abundant snow, then you will not need special shelter for the remontant Brilliant raspberry. But for the Urals and Siberia one cannot do without shelter.

As we have already said in the description, remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety bear fruit on one- and two-year-old shoots. Depending on which option you like best, the plantations will be prepared for winter.

If you need Diamond raspberry shoots for next year, after fruiting, bend them to the ground before frost hits.

Warning! Even a slight frost causes the shoots to become brittle and break at the base when bent.

Brilliant raspberry shoots are tied into bunches (photo), covered with non-woven material and covered with dry soil or sawdust. To prevent the shelter from blowing away in winter before snow falls, boards are placed on top.

The ridges with cut raspberries are covered in the same way.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of culture include the following:

• attractive appearance of berries;
• resistance to heat and drought;
• excellent transportability;
• the ability to collect fruits for a long time.

The disadvantages of the plant include the following:

• dependence on the sun - even slight partial shade negatively affects the development of culture;
• need for support - under the weight of the berries, the branches bend towards the ground.

The difference between the positive and negative sides of this raspberry is obvious, which is why the variety is enviably popular among domestic berry lovers.

Diseases and pests

Remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety are resistant to many diseases. But with improper care, if the gardener makes mistakes in agricultural cultivation techniques, under unfavorable conditions the plant is still susceptible to some diseases. Fungal diseases can be introduced along with planting material.

What diseases (see photo) may varietal Diamond raspberries suffer from:

• anthracnose;
• purple spotting (didimella);
• rust;
• root cancer;
• chlorosis;
• canker spot (cancer of stems).

Among the pests (photo below) on remontant raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety, the most common are:

• raspberry glass;
• raspberry beetle;
• weevil;
• stem fly.

Methods for the prevention and control of diseases and pests of raspberries of the Brilliantovaya variety are traditional, exactly the same as for all other varieties of this type of plant.

Harvest and storage

The harvest begins in early August. From one bush you can get up to 3 kg of raspberries, subject to proper agricultural practices. Fruiting is extended, so you can enjoy fresh berries until frost. As a rule, plants manage to yield most of the harvest before the onset of cold weather.

Raspberries are harvested in the morning, after the dew has dried, but not in rainy weather. Please note that this berry is extremely tender, despite the density of the pulp and its ability to withstand transportation. It is better to cut the berries together with the stalks for better preservation.

In room conditions, the harvested crop can be stored for no more than a day, but in the refrigerator this period increases to 2–3 days. You can grind the berries with sugar, and then the delicious food can be stored for 2-3 months. Be sure to sift out damaged and moldy berries to avoid rapid spoilage of the collected fruits.

You need to pick raspberries in the morning, when the dew has disappeared.

Diamond raspberries are good fresh, in jam and jam. They can be used to decorate confectionery products and added to fermented milk products. They make excellent marmalade, jellies, fruit drinks and wine. But an equally good idea would be to dry the berries in the oven. Dried raspberries are placed in glass jars or paper bags and stored in a cool, dry place, where they can last up to two years.

A reliable way is to store raspberries in the freezer - here they can last 2-3 years.

What to remember

1. Plant bushes at a distance of 2 m from each other. Brilliantova's bushes are spreading and need a lot of space.
2. It is better to prepare voluminous planting holes in the fall . Prepared fertile soil and mineral fertilizers during planting give a good start to the development of the plant and early harvest.
3. In autumn, cut off 2 summer shoots . When the above-ground part of remontant raspberries is cut off in autumn and spring, new fruit-bearing shoots are formed that can produce an earlier harvest.

Why don't raspberries bear fruit?

1. Incorrect molding . Remontant varieties require annual pruning of 2 year-old shoots in the fall and sanitary pruning in the spring.
2. Acidic or poor soil . Raspberries grow well in neutral, fertile, loose soils. A lack of minerals, nitrogen and potassium supplements can lead to a lack of yield.
3. Irrigation violation. The crop can tolerate short-term drought, but in the complete absence of watering, the crop dries out and the plant is attacked by various diseases.