Everyone knows the forest blackberry. In the XIX century, its garden form was considered an ornamental plant and only a century later began to be cultivated as a fruit and berry culture. Today, more and more often you can see this berry in household plots, which by its vitamin and mineral composition is much richer than the usual raspberry. Among the variety of varieties and species, Ruben stands out - the world's first remont blackberry.
The history of growing blackberries Ruben
The authorship of the blackberry Ruben belongs to the American professor John Ruben Clark, the creator of a number of species of this culture. In 2005, from the University of Arkansas, blackberry seeds obtained from varieties A-2292T and APF-44 were shipped to the UK. In 2006, an English seed breeder selected a seedling under the code HPB3, which distinguished itself in the first season with a good harvest of large fruits. After field trials in 2009, the variety was named after the creator - Ruben, and in 2012 the invention was patented.
Ruben - a world-famous variety of repair blackberries
Grade description
The variety is known throughout the world. Attracted by gardeners excellent yield and large fruit size. The value of the variety is not only in the sweet taste of berries, but also in resistance to pathogens of common diseases of berry crops, which greatly facilitates the care of planting blackberries. But the main feature is maintainability, that is, the ability to harvest twice a season. Fruiting on two-year-old shoots begins in late June. From annual shoots, the crop is harvested from September to mid-November.
Grade characteristics
The plant is a medium-sized, powerful, but compact bush 1.6-2.5 m in height. Shoots are upright, young branches are light green in color, adults are light brown, and little shoots are formed. The variety is spiky, but there are no thorns in the fruiting zone, and this facilitates harvesting. After ripening, the thorns begin to crumble. The leaves look like raspberry or currant, with notches at the edges.
Blackberry Ruben grows in the form of an upright powerful bush of compact form
Ruben blackberries can be used to decorate garden corners: in mid-April, the bush is covered with delightful large white inflorescences.
The main advantage of the variety is its high yield: up to 6 kg of berries can be collected from the bush. The fruit size is also impressive: length - 4.5 cm, weight - 14.5 g. The berries are juicy, sweet, with a delicate aroma and slightly noticeable acidity. The pulp is dense, the separation is easy.
The frost resistance of the variety is moderate, it is necessary to cover the stems for the winter. However, when mowing the aerial parts, shelter is not required.
Juicy blackberry Ruben is very sweet with a slightly noticeable acidity
The disadvantages include pollination problems: intense heat leads to a decrease in the volume of the second crop. In addition, the second fruiting may be delayed, by November, frosts often occur, as a result of which the berries freeze.
Video: Blackberry Ruben
Landing Features
In one section, the blackberry will grow and produce a good harvest of 10-15 years, provided that the place is chosen correctly, the soil is carefully prepared and the planting is carried out correctly.
Where to plant
The place should be as light as possible, light partial shade is acceptable. Blackberries do not tolerate shade well: with a lack of light, the shoots stretch out, the leaves fall prematurely, and the number of fruit buds decreases.
You should not plant blackberries after berry crops and solanaceous. The best predecessors are cereal herbs, green manure (mustard, phacelia), vegetable plantings (cucumbers, squash, squash, pumpkin).
Berry plantings should be protected from cold northerly winds, so it is recommended to place them along farm buildings, fences, hedges.
The berry shrub should be placed in a well-lit place, in the shade the shoots are extended, the berries are smaller
Places with close groundwater flow are not suitable for blackberries. Although this is a moisture-loving culture, overmoistening leads to its weakening: susceptibility to weather and diseases increases.
The berry shrub prefers to grow on breathable sandy loamy or loamy soil with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. At high acidity lime is added (500 g per m2) The composition of clay soil can be improved by adding sand (1 bucket per m2), on sandy areas peat or humus must be added (1 bucket per m2).
It is interesting. In the days of paganism in Russia, blackberries were revered as a magical plant. It was planted around individual sites and even entire villages to protect against evil spirits.
Optimal landing times
Blackberry planting time is spring and autumn. In the central and northern regions, it is preferable to plant plants in the spring, before the start of the growing season, in order to eliminate the risk of freezing seedlings freezing in the winter. In the south, it is better to plant a blackberry in the fall, 2-3 weeks before the onset of cold weather. Plants from the container can be planted all season: they are planted with an earthen lump, while the root system is not damaged, which contributes to a quick survival.
Selection of seedlings
The success of future cultivation depends on the quality of the seedlings. Only strong and healthy plants are guaranteed to take root in the garden and endure the first wintering. A wide selection of interesting and productive blackberry varieties for growing in summer cottages and industrial plantations is presented in nurseries and garden centers. Random sellers should refrain from buying from their hands - there is no guarantee that the seedling is healthy and is exactly the variety that is needed.
Nurseries usually offer seedlings in packaging in nurseries - they take root better and actively grow.
At the end of the season, the choice of seedlings with a fresh root system is much greater, so the plants acquired in late autumn are instilled in the garden until spring. They dig a trench with one inclined side, put plants on it, sprinkle it with earth. A conifer is thrown on top so that the seedlings do not damage the rodents.
Selected plants should be carefully considered:
- Seedlings should have 1-2 flexible stems. If you gently pry the bark, under it you can see the green fabric.
- The bark should be smooth, without spots. A wrinkled bark is a sign that the seedling has already dried up and is unlikely to take root.
- The root system should be well developed, consist of 2-3 wet roots more than 10 cm long.
Blackberry seedlings should have a developed root system, without damage and rot
- Usually seedlings are delivered in pots. In this case, you should ask to remove the plant from the package: the earthen lump should maintain integrity, not crumble and be densely braided by roots.
Before planting, you should lower the roots for 2 hours in a solution with Kornevin or Heteroauxin, which stimulate root formation.
Landing Nuances
Shrub or trench bushings are usually used. In the bush method, plants are planted in holes at a distance of 1-1.3 m, forming separate bushes. With a trench, ridges 1.5 m wide are cut, leaving 2 m between rows. For spring planting, the site is prepared in the fall, for autumn - in 2-3 weeks. The earth is dug up, leveled, weeds are removed. Dressed with humus (1.5 kg per m2), superphosphate (100 g), potassium sulfate (30 g) or ash (100 g).
Under a separate bush, dig a hole with a depth and width of 45 cm. When growing several blackberry plants, it is better to use the trench method, in which they are better illuminated by the sun, well ventilated, it is easier to care for them. The depth of the trench is 45 cm, the width is 50 cm. The rows should be arranged from north to south. Supports should also be installed before planting: after all, the blackberry grows rapidly, the overgrown shoots are best laid on the supporting structure.
Step-by-step landing process:
- Fertile soil is poured into the landing hole.
- In the center place a seedling with well-spread roots.
The roots of the seedling must be carefully straightened, the root bud is buried by 2 cm
- They fill it with soil, compact it so that voids do not form.
- The root bud should be 2 cm deep. If the depth is not deep enough, the seedling may be weathered and dry.
- Make 4 liters of water under the bush.
After planting, the seedling is well watered, introducing 4 liters of water under each bush
- Allow moisture to absorb, then mulch the soil with straw.
- During spring planting, shoots are cut by 20 cm, stimulating the growth of lateral processes.
Blackberry Care
To get a rich harvest of delicious berries, you need to consider some of the features of agricultural technology.
We increase soil fertility
On filled soil, for the first 2 years in the spring, blackberries are fed only with nitrogen fertilizers (10 g of urea per 5 l). Then in the spring, ammonium nitrate (40 g per 10 l) is introduced under the bush. During fruiting, fertilize with nitrophos (70 g per 10 l). In the fall, they are fed with superphosphate (100 g), potassium salt (30 g).
For fertilizing watering and spraying use a solution of complex fertilizer Agricola
Before and after flowering, to increase yield, it is recommended to spray the bushes with a solution of boric acid (5 g per 10 l).
The use of organic matter has a beneficial effect on soil fertility. At the time of flowering, it is useful to feed blackberries with an ash solution (100 g per 10 l). Mullein diluted 1:10, bird droppings (1:20) are introduced under the plant before flowering and after harvest.
Do not do without watering
The variety is drought tolerant, but without timely watering, you can’t count on a rich harvest. During extreme heat, pollination worsens and fruits are not tied. Watering at the time of flowering, during ripening of fruits and after harvesting is especially important. Bushes are watered once a week, bringing in 6 liters of water under each. With prolonged rains, watering is reduced so as not to cause root rot.
Only with regular watering can you get a rich blackberry crop
To protect the bushes, especially young ones, from the scorching rays of the sun, you can cover them with a shading net or agrofiber.
In the scorching heat, the grid does not allow direct sunlight to plant blackberries
There are several types of watering. It is better to use drip irrigation, in which water through droppers from irrigation tapes is delivered directly to the roots of plants. Using a hose, they carry out sprinkling, moistening not only the soil, but also the foliage. However, such an irrigation system is not used during fruiting. When irrigating through grooves, water is added to the grooves made along the row at a distance of 40 cm from the bush using a watering can or bucket. Before the onset of frost, water-loading irrigation is mandatory.
Loosen and mulch the soil
During the season, the soil under the bushes and in the aisles must be loosened and weed. Weed plants significantly limit the development of shoots and productivity, and wheat grass generally reduces the life of berry plantings.
Between the rows, loosening is carried out to a depth of 12 cm, near the bushes - in the surface layer, not deeper than 8 cm, so as not to damage the roots. Such an agricultural method allows not only to improve the air exchange of the soil and fight weeds, but also to destroy the location of pests.
After watering and loosening, the earth is mulched with straw, sawdust. The mulching layer prevents the evaporation of moisture, inhibits the growth of weeds. At the end of the season, the soil under the bush is mulched with humus - it will not only protect the roots from freezing, but also provide the plant with nutrition.
A variety of materials can play the role of mulch: humus, last year's leaves, crushed bark, mowed grass
We form a bush
When the bush thickens, the berries grow smaller, ripen a little, plants become more sick. Therefore, immediately after planting, the formation of a bush begins: the shoots are shortened for the appearance of side branches. Thin and curved branches cut off as they grow. At the end of the season, all shoots are mowed. Such pruning makes it easier to care for the bramble, does not require warming for the winter and prevents the appearance of pests, because many of them hibernate on stems. If they plan to get 2 crops next year, only the fertilized shoots are removed, the annual leaves are left. In the early spring, frozen and broken branches are removed.
After the season is completed, the blackberry bush is trimmed, cutting off the frigid shoots at ground level.
We use trellis
When growing blackberries, experienced gardeners prefer to use trellises. The garter of the bushes allows you to protect part of the crop from contact with the ground, provides uniform sun exposure and the purge of the bush, without creating conditions for the appearance of the fungus.
Tapestry is easy to do on their own. Install support posts with an interval between them of 5 m and stretch 2-3 rows of wire at a distance of 50 cm from each other.
3-4 strong shoots located close to the soil are tied to the trellis for the lower wire at a height of 50 cm. Next spring, the lashes laid under warming are lifted and tied to the upper wire. New green shoots are tied to the lower tier.
It is better to grow blackberries on trellises: this way the bush is better illuminated, and it’s much easier to care for it
Breeding methods
Propagated blackberry Ruben layering, seeds and cuttings. In the first case, just shoot the shoot into a depression under the bush, having previously fertilized the soil, and fix it with staples or stalks from the branches. After rooting, the sprouts are separated from the mother bush and planted.
The seed method of reproduction is rarely used, since fruiting in this case occurs in the third year. When propagated by green cuttings in mid-summer, the shoots are cut into pieces 10 cm long, planted in small containers with a nutritious soil mixture, watered, covered with a film. The greenhouse is regularly ventilated and moistened. After a month, rooted cuttings are transplanted to a permanent place.
After the appearance of the roots, the cuttings are planted in a permanent place
Cooking for the winter
At a repairing blackberry, before the onset of cold weather, the stalks are cut, the soil is mulched. If they plan to get 2 crops in the next season and leave annual shoots, they should be insulated until frost. To do this, stretch the wire along a row at a height of 25 cm, bend the stalks of the blackberry in an arcuate manner and fix in this position. Sheathed with agrofibre from above, under the scourge they put poison from rodents. To avoid sprouting shoots, warming is carried out at lower temperatures, a week before the onset of frost.
Before the onset of frost, blackberry bushes are covered with non-woven material.
Video: growing blackberries
Disease prevention
Variety Ruben at the genetic level is immune to many common diseases of berry crops. Only occasionally in the wet summer on the lower branches, which have been in contact with the earth for a long time, you can notice berries with traces of gray rot. Treating the disease will help treat 1% Bordeaux mixture before and after flowering.
Dampness contributes to the development of gray rot; the disease can affect berries in contact with the ground
In dry summers, shrubs can be invaded by aphid colonies. The pest sucks the plant juices, depletes them, which leads to a decrease in productivity. The ants spread the aphids along the site, therefore, in the first place, treatment should be carried out against these insects by the Anteater, Cypermetrin. Branches covered with aphids are cut off. Spray the bush before and after flowering with Actara (2 g per 10 l), Actellic (2 ml per 2 l).
Blackberry shoots affected by aphids cut and burn
Harvesting
Ruben is an early ripening variety. The first crop ripens by the end of June, the second time the fruits are harvested in September - November. Berries are picked with the stalks, for better storage they are cut with scissors. At room temperature, blackberries should be stored for no more than 4 days.Shelf life can be extended up to 3 weeks if the berries are placed in the refrigerator.
Blackberries can not only be consumed fresh, but they can also be used to make jam, make wine and liquors, and decorate desserts. Fragrant and spicy blackberry honey is very much appreciated, although it is very expensive and is rare. Blackberries are not only tasty, but also healthy. Due to the presence of a multivitamin complex in it, it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract, strengthens memory, improves vision, and has an antipyretic property.
Grade Reviews
The variety is very productive! worth paying attention to it! I would also like to say that in addition to this repairing variety, it is worth having a couple more varieties of different ripening dates on your site. For example, Thornfrey, Karak black and the Triple Crown! Then a family of four will be able to consume fresh berries (by the way, very useful!) And make various preparations in the form of jam, jams and, of course, freeze!
Marina//forumsadovodov.com.ua/viewtopic.php?p=6524
And this is my third year in flight with Ruben. This year I tried berries for the first time (harvest on last year's shoots), I liked the taste. This year's shoots have not bloomed yet. Last year, bloomed in October, there was no ovary.
Shrew//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=2683
On Ruben we got the first colored berries. In past years, there was no black berry so early. Perhaps the matter is in the age of the bush and warm autumn.
Yakimov//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=2683
Blackberry Ruben is increasingly conquering the garden space. After all, this berry shrub is unpretentious in care, rarely sick, and most importantly - gives high yields twice a season. Sweet black berry will surely be enjoyed not only by children, but also by adults due to its rich vitamin composition.
