Fertilizing Cumberland raspberries. The nuances of growing Cumberland black raspberries

We are always looking for something unusual in a series of familiar things and trying to diversify our lives, including in the garden. Here, for example, raspberries. Everyone knows this berry - an almost integral crop for our latitudes. It can be found in almost every gardener, and the absence of tall thorny bushes in the garden is more likely to cause a puzzled look than understanding. But so far, few people know the black variety of raspberries, its interesting and positive aspects, features of planting and care. But those who found out do not part with this plant and recommend it to others. And much of the credit for this goes to the Cumberland variety - one of the most common varieties of black raspberries, which is well known among knowledgeable gardeners.

Description of black raspberry

Black raspberries are a foreign invention; America is the birthplace of many varieties of this berry. Cumberland was no exception. Its history can already be called centuries-old, but despite this, it is still poorly distributed in Russia. By tradition, Russian gardeners are reluctant to accept anything new, but those who became acquainted with Cumberland accepted it as their own.

Cumberland is a simple variety that does not show signs of remontancy. This quality plays into the hands of those who do not want to bother with raspberries all season, but simply harvest on time and move on to other concerns.

This variety is a real giant, rapidly developing and growing. The bush reaches three and a half meters in height, but this is not the limit. If it is not stopped in growth, then the four-meter mark will not be the limit for this plant. A noble blue is added to the usual green color of the shoots, and in the fall the bush acquires a pale violet-red color. Shoots at this height reach 3 cm in diameter. Large leaves of a dark green color have some gloss, and their inner side is covered with a weak edge.

Black raspberry flowers are collected in inflorescences of 10–15 pieces, and one shoot can contain up to a dozen such inflorescences. The flowering time falls at the beginning of June, when the threat of return frosts has practically disappeared - and this is a big plus for the Cumberland variety. Black raspberries bloom for a month.

The berries are small, weighing about 2 grams, black in color with gloss and a waxy coating characteristic of black raspberries. Sweet, with a slight sourness and a faint raspberry-sweet aroma. The pulp is juicy, homogeneous, rich red in color. There are a large number of fairly hard bones.

Video: Cumberland black raspberry

Advantages and disadvantages

Cumberland is unusually resistant to winter frosts. It easily tolerates temperatures down to -40°C and is not afraid of changes. It blooms late, so there is no need to worry about flowers falling off due to frost.

The bush does not produce root shoots, which somewhat simplifies the process of pruning the plant. Easily propagated by apical layering.

Cumbrland bears fruit on average for 14 years, and every year the gardener can enjoy sweet berries for a month. The harvest volume can reach 10 kg from one bush. Ripe berries adhere well to the branches and do not fall off. They do not suffer or deteriorate during transportation.

However, the bush can grow so rapidly that it will have to be shortened periodically if you are not ready to have such powerful thickets on the site. The shoots are strewn with thorns, so picking berries is best done in special protective clothing. To prevent the bush from growing uncontrollably, making it difficult to care for and harvest, it is better to grow it on trellises.

For all its frost resistance, Cumberland does not tolerate drought very well, so pay special attention to watering.

Landing Features

Boarding time

Black raspberries are planted in the spring, when the snow melts and the temperature warms up to +12 °C, or in the fall in September or October, at least a month before the first frost. There are cases of successful planting in the middle of summer, but in this case the bush must be protected from direct sunlight and watered every day.

When planting in the spring, you should focus not only on the air temperature, but also on the condition of the soil - it should be loose so that it is easy to work with a shovel.

Looking for a place

For black raspberries of the Cumberland variety, a site with well-drained, loose soil and groundwater below 2 meters is suitable. The soil should be slightly acidic, and plants such as bindweed or clover will indicate that the chosen site meets the requirements.

Choose sunny conditions for planting. The choice of a point that is well lit in the afternoon is considered especially successful. It is advisable to protect the plantings from drafts and strong winds, so the presence of a fence or walls of any buildings nearby will only come in handy - they will serve not only as good protection, but also as support. But you shouldn’t leave black raspberries without any ventilation at all, otherwise the berries may begin to rot right on the bushes, and the ground may become soggy. By the way, single specimens grow much better than group plantings. A good solution is to plant Cumberland bushes in one row.

Bad predecessors for black raspberries are representatives of the nightshade family, and undesirable neighbors are close relatives - raspberries and blackberries, which share common diseases with Cumberland.

Remove weeds from the chosen location, and if you prepared the soil in advance, clean the area again before planting.

Choosing planting material

It is advisable to look at black raspberry seedlings in the fall, when the leaves have fallen from them - this will make it easier to find possible flaws. You can ask for a plant from neighbors who successfully grow them, or look into the nearest nursery.

Pay attention to the root system of the plant. If it is open, it definitely requires moisture. Do not let it dry out and do not purchase seedlings with dry roots. Wrap them with a damp cloth and place them in a plastic bag. Upon arrival at the site, unwind the roots and dig the bush in a slightly inclined position near the house before planting.

The best planting material is considered to be plants aged 1–2 years with a shoot height of no more than a meter. One seedling should not contain more than three light brown shoots. A developed root system is considered to be one tap root and 3 to 4 dozen small white roots extending from it in different directions. The root system should be moist and flexible.

How to plant black raspberries

It is convenient and advisable to plant black raspberries in one row, that is, with a ribbon. For this:

1. Dig a trench half a meter deep and pour in a nutrient mixture consisting of the following ingredients: wood ash (1 kg) and superphosphate (1 cup). You can use another recipe: superphosphate (15 g), urea and ammonium nitrate (in the same volume), peat-based compost (10 kg), manure left over from last year (5 kg) and wood ash (liter jar). These figures are indicated for one square meter.
2. The above mixture is mixed with soil taken out of the trench and spread along the bottom.
3. Black raspberry bushes are planted at intervals of 1.5 meters.
4. If you decide to plant plants in several rows, then leave 3 meters between them.
5. The seedlings are placed in their places, the roots are covered with a mixture of garden soil, black soil and sand, taken in equal proportions.
6. After planting, the bushes are watered, using a bucket of water for each and moistening as the water is absorbed into the soil.
7. Dry soil or sawdust is used as mulch for tree trunk circles. In autumn you can also apply dry grass or foliage.
8. Plants are pruned so that the shoots remain about 40 cm above the ground. They do this for better survival of raspberries, as well as good growth of side shoots.

Black raspberry propagation

Cumberland black raspberries can be successfully propagated by seeds or using apical shoots. First, let's look at the seed method.

You can choose to sow in spring or autumn. Depending on your choice, the landing rules will be slightly different:

• In the fall, immediately after harvesting, the seeds are sown to a depth of three centimeters, the ground is moistened, sprinkled with sawdust in a layer of 15 - 20 cm (humus can also be used). Usually, in the spring, a third of the total volume of planted seeds germinates, but the rest can make themselves known in a year.
• If you decide to plant seeds in the spring, then before that they must undergo six months (sometimes up to seven months) of cold hardening while in calcined sand. Planting material is mixed with this substrate in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4. Then the substrate is moistened, placed in a glass jar and placed in a cool place with a temperature of +1 to +5°C. Moistening will need to be done every two weeks, and in the spring the seeds will begin to hatch.

Propagation by apical shoots is the easiest way. To do this, select several strong annual shoots and bend them to the ground so that the tops are in contact with it. Very soon these tops will germinate, and by autumn you will have new young plants. All that remains is to separate the young bushes from the mother shoots and decide for yourself when to transplant them to a new place, and this depends on the degree of rooting of the shoots. If it has already developed a strong root system, then it’s time to move it to a permanent place. If the roots are not firmly in the ground (they are easily exposed when the bush is slightly pulled out), you should water the young raspberries (half a liter of water per plant) and insulate them for the winter with sawdust with a layer of 10–15 cm. In this case, replanting will be done next spring .

Video: propagation of Cumberland black raspberries

Plant care

Trimming

Cumberland bushes are very tall, and without pruning they can grow uncontrollably, which will entail a number of problems, from harvesting to the appearance of the site. But with proper care, plants of this variety can become a real pearl of your garden.

So what does pruning give us? First of all, this is a high yield; without care, there will be fewer berries, and they will be smaller, since the plant will devote more energy to growing shoots. In addition, you can make a real hedge from black raspberries, which will look impressive in your garden plot.

When flowering ends (and this time occurs at the end of June), shoots that have reached a height of two meters are selected and their tops (up to 30 cm) are pinched. this way the additional side branches can become stronger.

From mid-September until the end of the first ten days of October, the time comes to cut off the fruit-bearing two-year-old shoots to the very ground, leaving only annual ones (up to 50 cm are left from them). Also, underdeveloped shoots, which are usually located in the center of the bush, are completely cut out. As a rule, at the age of three years, a healthy black raspberry bush has a dozen strong, developed shoots.

Pruning requires sharpened and disinfected pruning shears, as well as very thick gardening gloves (preferably made of leather), since Cumberland shoots are armed with an impressive number of thorns. Gloves will help you bend shoots on a bush without any problems, as well as hold them when pruning.

Watering

The Cumberland variety requires frequent watering, especially towards the end of June, when the berries begin to form and ripen. At this time, each bush requires at least 5 liters of water daily. The usual rate of water absorption by plants is 3–5 liters per plant, twice a week. As an option, drip irrigation is suitable, which is carried out at the same intervals with the same volume of water.

Fertilizers

Fertilizing black raspberries is a must if you want to achieve a larger harvest. To do this, it is enough to carry out this procedure three times per season:

1. During the flowering period (early June).
2. At the beginning of the formation of ovaries (end of June).
3. After the first part of the harvest is harvested.

In all cases, the same recipe is used: manure taken in a ratio of 1:6 with water or chicken droppings in a ratio of 1:15 - 10 liters of this mixture are poured under one bush, after which 5 liters of ordinary water are used.

Garter

The trellis is an integral part of caring for black raspberries. This is a way to direct its growth in the right direction so that you have time to make your adjustments as needed. You can erect a trellis immediately after planting raspberries by digging wooden or metal posts from the edges of the bed. Wire or twine is pulled between them at three levels. The first is at a height of half a meter above the ground, the second is at a height of 1.3 meters, and the third is 1.6 meters above ground level. Already in the second year of growing black raspberries, the trellis will begin to fulfill its direct function.

You can, of course, do without a trellis, but then the plant will quickly grow shoots, which, under their own weight, will bend to the ground and give rise to the growth of new shoots, and so on. On a trellis, the bushes look neat, it’s easy to pick berries from them, and in general it’s not scary to walk nearby.

We monitor the row spacing

Black raspberries grow well on lateral roots, which lie almost at the very surface of the earth. For this reason, digging, as well as loosening the earth in the tree trunk circle, is excluded. But you need to regularly remove weeds and remove leaves in the fall.

Cumberland raspberries do not grow root shoots, which means you do not have to trim them periodically. In addition, you can plant bushes next to other fruit trees and shrubs, and grow various vegetable crops in the inter-rows.

Sheltering for the winter

The main positive feature of Cumberland, which helps in care, is its high degree of frost resistance, which allows it to survive the winter without shelter, even in northern latitudes. The only thing a gardener should do in the fall is to remove the shoots from the trellises and bend them to the ground.

There is a simple technique that allows you to strengthen the shoots: regular pruning of the shoots at a level of one and a half meters from the ground. Such strengthened shoots are tied into one bundle and left for the winter. This bunch is very powerful and will easily survive any winter storm. If the winter is snowy enough, you can hill up the shoots bent to the ground so that there is about a 20 cm layer of snow on top.

Diseases and pests

Cumberland black raspberries are quite resistant to many diseases, but have their weaknesses in the face of ailments such as anthracnose or, for example, gray rot. Therefore, information on measures to prevent these diseases, as well as on how to cure them, is necessary for any gardener.

Table of diseases and pests of the Cumberland variety and measures to combat them

Disease/pest	Signs of appearance	Prevention measures	Control measures
Anthracnose	Appear on shoots and leaves red-brown spots with dark bordering Bark on shoots cracks and unripe berries stop ripening and dry out.	Compliance with frequency and rules trimmings. Correct watering technique, excluding overflow and waterlogging.	Spraying bushes with Fitosporin preparations (2 - 3 tsp per 10 liters) or Topaz (1 ampoule per 10 liters). For 10 square meters 1.5 liters of mixture are consumed.
Brown spot	Brown spots on leaves like usually round or with corners.	In autumn, fallen leaves are raked into a pile and burn it.	Use Bordeaux mixture 1% (100 g copper sulfate, 150 g of lime per 10 liters water).
During the growing season on the leaves you can find gray spots, and on They are brown in berries. Later some time berries covered with a gray coating and rot right on the bush.	Planting bushes at intervals, providing good ventilation. Regular pruning/thinning of bushes. Proper watering. Affected leaves and berries found immediately removed and burned.	Bordeaux mixture 1% or Colloidal sulfur (100 g per 10 l). For 10 square meters it takes 1.5 liters of mixture.
Raspberry-strawberry weevil	Flower ovaries and leaves turn out to be damaged.	Burning fallen leaves.	Use the drug Iskra-M (1 tablet enough for 10 liters of water). Consumption rate liquid per 10 square meters is 1.5 liters.
Raspberry beetle	The berries are damaged by larvae and They begin to shrink and dry out.	Timely removal of weeds in tree trunk circle.	The drug Fosbecid (5 ml per 5 l) helps. On one plant requires 1.5 liters of mixture.
Leaf aphid	The ends of the shoots are bent, leaves turn yellow and curl, the number of ovaries is reduced.	Correctly chosen place when landing, providing good illumination the sun. Proper watering.	Spraying with drugs is required Karbofos or Nitrafen (300 g per 10 liters). Consumption rate per 10 square meters - 1.5 l mixtures.

Photo gallery of diseases and pests of Cumberland black raspberries

Brown spot manifests itself most clearly on the leaves. Aphids have many flowers, but their clusters are very easy to recognize Gray rot appears with prolonged air humidity and waterlogged soil.

Harvest and storage

At the beginning of the second ten days of July, the first berries ripen. With proper and timely care, up to 150 ovaries can form on one shoot, which is an excellent indicator for black raspberries. And if literally a couple of weeks before picking, the berries are just beginning to turn pink, then by the time of picking they acquire their famous glossy black color. Fruiting in Cumberland is long, lasts for a month, and during this period up to 10 kg of berries can be removed from the bush, and in the southern regions sometimes up to 25 kg. On average, 2–4 kg of harvest is obtained from one plant per week. You will see such pleasant results already in the fourth year of cultivation. But that’s not all: for almost a decade and a half, Cumberland will surprise with the stability of fruiting at high rates, which will please any gardener.

The pulp of the berries is dense and dry, which helps transport it to various distances without damaging the crop. Since the berries do not release juice during transportation, they can be collected in containers made of any material. Also, due to their structure, Cumberland berries can last a week in the refrigerator in good condition. They are good in compotes, which have a pleasant bright red color, and make excellent jellies and jams.

Most often, Cumberland black raspberries are dried or frozen. Now popular electric dryers at a temperature of +50°C leave a tenth of the moisture in the berries in four hours, which after drying are allowed to cool and placed in a glass container with an airtight lid, and then placed in a dark and dry place. A kilogram of fresh Cumberland berries yields over 100 grams of dried stock.

Berries can be frozen with sugar (in 3-4 layers) or without (in 5-6 layers) in plastic containers. In such conditions, they are stored for up to six months, without losing their beneficial and tasteful qualities, and also maintaining their shape even after defrosting. This is a huge plus of Cumberland berries, since they can be used to decorate confectionery products and as a filling for various types of baked goods, as well as for light snacks and sweet dishes.

Most gardeners strive to grow something unusual that will be the envy of their neighbors. Exotic black raspberries on the site immediately attract attention. No more than a dozen varieties are known suitable for cultivation in Russia.

Cumberland confidently holds the lead. The enduring love of gardeners is due to the excellent taste of the berries, high yields and the ability of the shrub to adapt to a wide range of climatic conditions. You will learn more about this amazing variety, planting rules and caring for it by reading our article.

What are the benefits of Cumberland black raspberries?

The Cumberland black raspberry variety will soon celebrate its 130th anniversary. American breeder D. Miller crossed classic red raspberries and blackberries back in 1888. From the first the bush inherited the shape and geometry of growth, from the second - the color and aroma of the fruit. The taste turned out to be something average, but very successful and memorable.

Russia (then the USSR) became acquainted with a unique achievement almost a century later. The unusual crop immediately became an object of desire for domestic gardeners. And after those who were lucky enough to get seedlings appreciated the unpretentiousness of the culture and the amazing taste of the berries, interest awoke with renewed vigor.

Video: description of Cumberland raspberries

Cumberland berries, when ripe, change color from crimson-pink to dark burgundy, and then to blue-black. There is a slight gray-gray coating. Some gardeners believe that 1.7–2 g is not a large enough size, but even if you agree with them, the “disadvantage” is more than offset by the taste of the berries. Cumberland children have all the competition, and, as you know, the truth speaks through the mouth of a baby. Although, more picky tasters and gourmets complain about the excessive “bonyness” of the berries.

Remontant Cumberland raspberries still look unusual in domestic gardens

In addition to its excellent taste, Cumberland is a real storehouse of vitamins, micro- and macroelements, as well as antioxidants. Research by scientists from the USA suggests that berries significantly strengthen the immune system and are a good prevention of the appearance of malignant tumors. Anthocyanins and vitamin P in increased concentrations “clean” blood vessels and restore elasticity to their walls, preventing the development of atherosclerosis. Ellagic acid is a unique natural antioxidant.

The advantage of any black raspberry over red one is that it is not noticed by birds, who are always ready to deprive you of a significant part (and sometimes the entire) of the harvest. Probably the fact is that domestic magpies, blackbirds, and so on are suspicious of foreign exotics, not perceiving them as edible. Natural protection in the form of thorns also plays a role.

The variety has no industrial value. However, the berries are quite dense, tolerate transportation well and can be stored in the cold for quite a long time without turning into mush. Productivity is also high. On average, each bush brings 8.5–10 kg of berries, if you devote time and effort to it. True, harvesting requires sacrifice. Be mentally prepared to receive some scratches and abrasions. The shoots have sharp, frequently spaced thorns.

Another undoubted advantage is frost resistance. Cumberland winters without special shelter where cold temperatures below -30ºС are common. The crop also tolerates long-term drought well.

The plantings look very neat. Unlike classic red raspberries, the described variety does not produce shoots at the roots. By tying the bushes to a trellis, you can form a compact bed and not have to worry about pruning.

Cumberland is an excellent honey plant that attracts bees to the garden. In any weather, the bushes are literally covered with insects. This is useful for other fruit and berry crops on your site.

The bush is quite tall (about 3 m), but not spreading. The shoots hang down, forming something resembling arches. As they mature, they change color from olive-gray to brownish-purple. In autumn they take on an interesting bluish-gray hue. Such bushes not only bear fruit abundantly, but also decorate the garden. For example, a hedge looks beautiful. The lifespan of the plant is 12–15 years. Then the yield decreases noticeably, the berries lose their sweetness.

Video: advantages and disadvantages of Cumberland black raspberries

How to plant raspberries?

When choosing a seedling, pay attention to the root system. Experienced gardeners note that Cumberland with fibrous roots takes root faster and grows better in moist soil, while a plant with a tap root system feels good even in dry soil. Consider which option is best for your site.

Site selection

Black Cumberland raspberries love warmth and sunlight. An open area is suitable for planting crops. A hillside that is not too steep, running from north to south or from northwest to southeast, is ideal. This arrangement will help protect the plantings from sharp cold drafts.

The culture is quite demanding on soil quality. Cumberland grows best in forest gray soil, loam or sandy loam soil. Heavy silty, clayey, peat substrate is extremely undesirable.

Choose a place as far as possible from the classic raspberry plantings. Crops suffer from the same diseases and are quite capable of infecting each other, depriving you of your harvest. Moreover, fungus, bacteria, and viruses spread like an avalanche, depriving you of even the minimum time to take action.

Also undesirable are any nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants), apple trees and garden strawberries nearby. Solanaceae themselves are not affected by verticillium blight, but they transmit it. Apple trees and strawberries themselves get sick and spread the disease.

The listed crops are also undesirable as predecessors. But the beds on which carrots, onions, aromatic herbs, and any green manure grew, on the contrary, are very suitable. Another unwanted neighbor is the classic blackberry. “Parent” and “child” do not like each other. Both types of bushes grow and bear fruit worse.

Preparatory work

The only possible time for planting in temperate regions is early spring. It is highly advisable to arrive before mid-April. If the bush was purchased in a pot or tub, planting is possible throughout the summer. Handling the earthen clod completely reduces stress for the plant; before winter it will have time to adapt to the new habitat. In warm southern regions, the procedure can be postponed to the beginning of September.

The selected area is dug to a depth of one shovel length, removing weeds, stones, rhizomes, and other debris and adding 20 liters of rotted manure or humus per m² to the soil.

Then they dig holes, keeping an interval of about 1.5 m between them, and 2–2.5 m between rows. For spring planting, it is prepared in the fall, for autumn, 10–15 days before planting the seedling in the ground. The depth and width of the hole is 40–45 cm. The top 10–15 cm of soil is laid separately, mixed with 15–20 liters of humus and a liter jar of wood ash. If you do not trust folk remedies, replace the ash with 120–150 g of simple superphosphate and 50–70 g of potassium nitrate. The soil is then poured back into a mound. The remaining soil will be needed to fix the seedling in the hole.

It is very advisable, when marking the bed, to provide a place for a trellis. Cumberland is a tall variety: it will be needed next year. The simplest option is to dig in several pillars and stretch 3-4 rows of wire between them at intervals of about half a meter. The lowest one is at a height of 50–60 cm, the top one is 2.5–2.8 m. However, the garter procedure can be avoided by proper pruning.

Boarding procedure

Before planting, 10–12 liters of warm water are poured into the bottom of the hole. After waiting until it is absorbed, the seedling is placed on the mound, straightening the roots down. The hole is carefully filled with soil, periodically compacting it with your palms to avoid the appearance of cavities filled with air.

Having reached the upper edge, they compact the soil again (you can’t trample it, the roots are very fragile), form a low circular border and water the plant, spending 3–4 liters of water on each seedling. After 20–30 minutes, the ground in the tree trunk circle is mulched with freshly cut grass, dry peat, fallen leaves, sawdust, and wood shavings. It is necessary to create a layer 5–8 cm thick. This will help minimize the efforts aimed at loosening, watering and weeding.

There is nothing difficult in planting Cumberland black raspberries, the main thing is to choose the right place

How do Cumberland raspberries propagate?

Since the described crop basically has no root shoots, propagation is carried out with the active participation of the gardener. The two most popular methods are obtaining seedlings from the tips of shoots and rooting horizontal layering. Some enthusiasts and amateur breeders grow Cumberland from seeds or green cuttings, but this is a very labor-intensive procedure that does not guarantee success. And a new bush obtained from a seed may not retain the varietal characteristics of the parent.

Apical seedlings

Planting material is very easy to obtain. Some of the healthiest and most abundantly fruiting shoots are bent to the ground and fixed on it at a distance of 2–3 cm from the top with a wire bent in the shape of the letter U or a regular pin. The soil underneath is well loosened to facilitate rooting, and a small mound of earth is poured on top. Once every 4–5 days, future seedlings are watered moderately.

For the winter, the cuttings are insulated by covering them with spruce branches, pine needles, fallen leaves, peat or humus. Next spring, as soon as the ground warms up enough that it can be dug up, seedlings with a well-formed root system are carefully separated from the parent plant and planted in the planned location. However, some gardeners recommend waiting another season and letting them get stronger, so that the stress during transplantation is not so significant.

Horizontal layering

Horizontal layering of Cumberland raspberries is obtained by cutting off all healthy shoots to a height of 12–15 cm above the soil level in early April. Sick and dried ones are cut off at the root. During the summer, the bush grows, forming 6–10 new strong branches. By mid-September, they are bent to the ground and pinned to the ground, as described above. Shelter for the winter. After the first adventitious roots appear, they are covered with soil.

When forming a mound of soil, it is important to leave the top of the shoot open. Therefore, it is attached to the substrate at a distance of 15–20 cm from it. Next fall you will receive strong, healthy seedlings that can be transplanted to a permanent location.

This method is good for everyone, but it is not recommended to practice such reproduction often. You can significantly weaken the parent plant. Such “exploitation” exhausts him and sometimes even leads to death.

Black Cumberland raspberries can only be propagated with the help of a gardener - this is an opportunity to shape the bed the way you need

Video: propagation of black raspberries

Necessary care

Cumberland black raspberries are fairly low maintenance. But competent agricultural technology will significantly increase productivity indicators.

Watering

Water Cumberland sparingly. It is undesirable to turn a garden bed into a swamp, but a long drought will not have the best effect on the yield and taste of the fruit. In hot, dry summers, one watering every 3-4 days is sufficient. The norm for an adult plant is 7–8 liters.

Especially raspberries (any one, not just the described variety) need moisture from the moment the ovaries form until the final ripening of the crop. This is quite a long period.

For those who do not have the opportunity to visit the garden plot regularly or live there, it is recommended to mulch the beds to retain moisture in the soil.

Top dressing

The high yield of Cumberland requires feeding the bushes. Otherwise, the root system will not be able to provide all formed ovaries with sufficient nutrients for the ripening of berries.

Compared to ordinary raspberries, there are actually a lot of ovaries formed. This is due to the fact that Cumberland blooms later and is less likely to suffer from returning spring frosts. Red raspberry flowers, caught by frost, regularly fall off.

Cumberland black raspberries respond gratefully to both organic fertilizers and mineral fertilizers

As a rule, three feedings per season are enough.

• When the bushes fade, they are watered with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. To do this, dissolve 35–40 g of urea or ammonium sulfate, 25–30 g of simple superphosphate and 10–15 g of potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water. Those who prefer natural organics prepare an infusion of fresh cow manure. The raw materials are poured with twice as much warm water, the container is tightly closed and left in a warm place for 3-4 days. When a characteristic smell appears, stir the contents vigorously, add a glass of wood ash to each liter of infusion, and stir well again. For irrigation, the product is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:7. 4–5 liters of fertilizer are used for each bush. After 30–45 minutes, planting is watered abundantly. Bird droppings are used in the same way, but they are diluted with twice as much water.
• The second feeding is 12–15 days after the first. Use complex liquid fertilizer for raspberries or nettle infusion prepared as described above. The chemical solution is prepared strictly following the manufacturer's instructions in the instructions.
• The third feeding is after collecting the first portion of fully ripened berries. 30–40 g of simple superphosphate and 10–15 g of potassium sulfate per m² are scattered over the bed. Then they loosen the soil well and wait for the next rain. Or fertilizers are simply diluted in 10 liters of water. You can also use complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer (Diammophos, AVA, Autumn). It is strongly recommended to avoid nitrogen at this time - it stimulates the bushes to intensively form green mass. Raspberries will not be able to properly prepare for winter. A natural alternative to chemicals is an infusion of wood ash. Fill a liter jar with 5 liters of boiling water and leave for 2-3 days. Strain before use.

Trimming

Cumberland raspberries have a high shoot growth rate. Thickened bushes look untidy, bear less fruit, and are more susceptible to diseases and pests. To keep the plantings in near-ideal condition, two prunings will be required during the season.

You need to trim black raspberries according to the following scheme

The first is carried out in the summer in order to increase productivity. The best time is the last ten days of June. Young non-fruiting shoots are cut off at the growing point. In their place next summer, not just one branch, but a whole “fan” will grow. Practice shows that one bush can ripen a harvest of 10–12 adult fruiting shoots without compromising the size and taste of the berry.

Branches at least 2 m in height are shortened by about 10%. You cannot delay the procedure, otherwise the newly formed side shoots will not have enough time for full development and, most likely, will not survive the winter.

Cumberland raspberries need sanitary pruning after the bushes finally bear fruit and the plant begins its dormant period. Depending on the climate, this ranges from mid-October to early November. All dried, broken branches damaged by diseases and pests are cut off to the growth point. They also completely get rid of thin, weak shoots growing down and deep into the bush. Very long shoots that extend beyond the trellis in height are trimmed to its size (no more than a third of the branch length is removed).

Some gardeners are afraid to prune black raspberries, leaving only stumps, but this is completely normal for them

The side shoots that formed last year are cut off by 20–30 cm. It is on them that the berries will appear next year. The branches that bear fruit this year (2–3 years ago) are cut off as close to the roots as possible. The 10–12 strongest and healthiest are left.

Proceed with pruning only after being properly equipped. You will need a thick leather glove for the non-working hand and a simple knitted glove for the working hand. This way you can minimize damage from thorns. All instruments must be sharpened and disinfected. Soak the blades of scissors and pruning shears in a deep purple solution of potassium permanganate.

Only shoots that have reached a length of at least 0.5 m should be trimmed for the first time. 7–10 cm (3–5 buds) are cut from them.

Black Cumberland raspberries need to be pruned twice a year to maintain the planting in good shape.

Cumberland is a tall bush. The trellis greatly facilitates the process of harvesting and caring for the plant. The fan-shaped method of fastening ensures that the berries ripen along the periphery, and not in the depths of the bush.

The trellis supports the Cumbeland raspberry bushes, making planting care and harvesting much easier for you

For the winter, the branches are carefully unhooked from the trellis and bent onto the garden bed, secured with metal brackets. There is no need to try to lay out the branches on the ground - you can simply break them. In the spring, the shoots are inspected, all frozen, dried, and broken shoots are cut off. The rest are tied up in their original place.

You can play it safe and cover the young plants with spruce branches, peat, and sawdust. But most gardeners agree that this procedure is unnecessary. Cumberland will winter well just like that.

Another option is not to remove the branches from the trellis, but attach them to it with several turns of strong, wide synthetic tape. But in this case there is a danger that the shoots will break under the weight of snowdrifts if the winter is snowy.

In winter, Cumberland raspberries are bent to the ground so that the long shoots do not break under the weight of snow, but there is no need to try to lay them out on the garden bed.

Diseases and pests

Black Cumberland raspberries suffer significantly less from pests compared to classic red raspberries, but are extremely susceptible to viral and fungal diseases. Most often gardeners encounter the following problems.

Verticillium wilt

With verticillium, the leaves turn yellow much earlier than expected - starting in mid-June. Then they dry and fall off (only the lower ones). The berries, if they ripen at all, turn out to be very small, dry and unsweetened. The shoots acquire an uncharacteristic reddish or purple tint, grow poorly or stop growing altogether.

There is currently no effective treatment. Therefore, the emphasis is on prevention. Cumberland is planted as far as possible from potential carriers of the disease and crops that are also susceptible to it.

Help to keep plants healthy is the purchase of seedlings adapted to the climatic conditions of the area, the correct watering regime, regular removal of fallen leaves and sanitary pruning. The right soil is important - light, in which moisture does not stagnate.

About once a month, to prevent planting, it is useful to spray with any fungicide - Bordeaux mixture, HOM (copper oxychloride), copper sulfate, Cuprozan. For 10 liters of water you will need 25–30 ml of the drug.

Verticillium wilt is a common problem in the garden, affecting not only raspberries.

Anthracnose and purple spot

The entire bush suffers from the first disease. It affects shoots, leaves, and berries. Small, rapidly growing, rounded spots of inky purple color appear on them. Then they turn gray, with a clear purple border appearing along the edge. These areas are covered with frequent cracks. Leaves and berries fall off, shoots dry out and die.

Anthracnose inevitably leads to the death of raspberry shoots

Purple (or purple) spot is in many ways similar to anthracnose, but the spots have a brown tint and appear only on young shoots at the attachment points of leaf petioles. They often also invade the axillary buds. Branches covered with spots become brittle and brittle, gray-brown in color at the break.

Preventive spraying with preparations containing copper is important against purple spotting.

Disease prevention and control measures are almost identical. Keep your garden bed looking neat. Every autumn, remove fallen leaves, dry berries, broken and dried shoots. Do not store waste on the site, but burn it as quickly as possible.

In the spring, before the leaves bloom, the bushes are sprayed with a urea solution (700 g per 10 liters of water). Spray leaf buds and buds that are ready to open two more times, reducing the concentration of the drug to 50 g for the same 10 liters.

If the described problems were observed with raspberries last year, you will need two more sprayings with Bordeaux mixture, HOM or Azofos (10 ml per liter of water) - immediately after flowering and 7-10 days after collecting the last berries. There are other copper-containing drugs used according to the manufacturer's instructions - Abiga-Pik, Ordan, Oksihom, Ridomil Gold.

Sometimes the disease occurs under the name “stem cancer.” Depressed, elliptical, vertically elongated reddish-brown spots appear on the shoots. They slowly increase in size, changing color to gray. The edges rise, forming something similar to a crater, the surface inside is covered with many small cracks. If you look closely, you can see barely visible black balls in them - containers for spores.

Most often, gardeners themselves bring the problem to the site by purchasing low-quality planting material and not maintaining the distance between plantings. High humidity combined with heat stimulates fungal spores to become active.

Shoots with the slightest damage that causes suspicion are immediately cut out and burned. The bushes are immediately sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (100 ml per 10 liters of water). After 12–15 days, the treatment is repeated using copper-containing preparations - Skor, Acrobat, Ordan, Profit Gold. The last spraying is after harvesting.

Next spring, when the young shoots reach a height of 10–15 cm, the treatment is repeated. Next, the bushes are sprayed immediately before flowering.

Immediately cut off and destroy all shoots with the slightest traces of canker spot.

The virus sharply reduces yields (almost by half). If no measures are taken, the plantings will completely die in 3–4 years. The shoots of the affected bushes become thicker and shorter, the leaves at the top do not bloom completely, but immediately turn yellow. Their edges are heavily corrugated. The berries, if they ripen at all, are dry, deformed, sour and small.

There are no effective treatments. Pay more attention to prevention. Carefully select planting material and place it in “quarantine”. Control sucking insects (especially aphids). Often they are the carriers of the virus.

Interestingly, there are sometimes cases of “miraculous healing” of raspberry plantings. But you shouldn't hope for it too much.

The only thing you can do against viral curling is prevention.

To say that Cumberland black raspberries do not suffer from pests at all is to be disingenuous. Insects, indeed, often avoid plantings, but this does not apply to some “omnivorous” pests.

Female pests lay eggs in cracks in shoots. The larvae that hatch from them gnaw tunnels in the branches, secreting specific substances that cause the formation of swellings similar to bubbles. Often the appearance of pests is facilitated by excessive use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

Cut off and burn all affected branches immediately. To destroy the larvae, use complex insecticides Fufanon, Karbofos, Ridomid in combination with fungicides. Sprayings are carried out one after another, with an interval of 2–3 days. The first treatment is before the leaves bloom, the second is at the end of the harvest.

Characteristic swellings are easy to identify, but getting rid of stem gall midges is problematic

Aphids are insects that settle in entire colonies on plants, feeding on their sap. Most often, pests can be seen under young leaves, on buds, and on the tops of shoots. The parts of the plant favored by aphids curl into a shapeless lump.

The color of aphids can be very different - from delicate yellow-green to dark brown and black. Not only do insects inhibit plant growth and cause leaves to dry out and fall off, but they also carry many infections, to which Cumberland has no immunity.

In early spring, for prevention, spray the bushes with Nitrafen or Karbofos (130–150 g per 5 liters of water). If aphids appear during the summer season and you notice them on time, use folk remedies. The pest does not like strong pungent odors. Prepare infusions of chamomile, homemade tobacco, tomato tops, marigolds, wormwood, tansy, and citrus peels. Grind the raw materials, pour about two handfuls with a liter of warm water and leave in a warm place under a closed lid for at least a day. Before use, strain and add a little shaved laundry soap.

In severe cases, cut off all visible affected parts of the plant, spray it with Aktara, Inta-Vir, Actellik, Kinmiks. The effect lasts for 2-3 weeks, depending on how intense the rains are.

Aphids are surprisingly omnivorous

The pest lays eggs in leaf and flower buds and cracks on young shoots. The hatched larvae gnaw them out from the inside, as a result the buds turn black, dry out and fall off. Young shoots affected by the pest lose their tone and wither. Their tops slope almost to the ground.

For prevention, spray raspberries with Agravertin or Actellik before flowering. It is also useful to treat the bed. Repeat the procedure in the fall.

During the summer, carefully inspect the bushes. If you find suspicious signs, cut off the affected shoots and another 8–10 cm that seem healthy to you. Most likely, eggs have already been laid there.

The main damage to raspberry plantings comes from raspberry fly larvae

The pest settles on the underside of the leaf blade, which is covered with small whitish dots. Then thin, almost transparent threads appear, similar to a spider's web, holding together several adjacent leaves, which then dry out and fall off.

The damage from spider mites, if timely measures are not taken, is quite significant. You may lose 60–70% of your harvest. For prevention, every spring spray the budding leaves with a urea solution (500 g per 10 liters of water). If you find traces of pests, use Fufanon, Akrex, Actellik. The last treatment is 15–20 days before harvest.

Spider mites weave raspberry leaves with the finest threads, and this is not the biggest problem

How to collect and where to store the crop?

If the summer was warm and sunny, the first berries from the Cumberland bushes are picked in mid-July. When the weather fails, the ripening period moves forward by 10–15 days. Then the procedure is repeated after 2-3 days. The bushes bear fruit within 2.5–3 weeks, and each time the number of collected berries increases, and they do not become smaller.

If you couldn't pick the raspberries right away, don't worry. The berries hold tightly to the receptacle and even those that are fully ripe do not fall off.

Cumberland is a universal variety. The berries are equally suitable for fresh consumption, baking and all kinds of winter preparations. Special mention is made of the amazing taste and aroma of homemade wines and liqueurs. To make it more pronounced and original, add classic raspberries and/or blackberries.

Unfortunately, Cumberland, like any other raspberry, does not differ in keeping quality. At room temperature, the berries will last for a maximum of 2-3 days without turning into an unappetizing porridge.

Therefore, it is best to freeze the crop immediately. Select healthy berries of approximately the same size that have no signs of deformation, arrange them on wooden boards or baking sheets so that they do not touch each other, and place them in the freezer. Turn on fast freeze mode. After the time specified in the instructions has passed, place the berries in small portions in plastic bags or plastic containers and put them back in the freezer. This way, the harvest can be preserved for 2-3 months if you do not defrost the raspberries and freeze them back.

The Cumberland raspberry harvest is the dream of many gardeners; by the way, if you put in some effort, it’s not so far-fetched

American Cumberland raspberries cannot be called widespread and popular in our country, although the variety is already a hundred years old. However, some features of the unusual raspberry are worthy of attention. For example, black berries, which resemble blackberries in color and taste, are very rich in vitamins and nutrients. In addition, you can get an excellent harvest if you provide Cumberland raspberries with the necessary care and adhere to certain rules when planting.

Cumberland is an American raspberry variety.

Cumberland is a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries. Because of this, there is another name for dark berry varieties - ezhemalina.

The plant is a perennial subshrub with arched long shoots up to 4 m long, with thorns. The leaves are dark green, 5-leafed, slightly rough. White small flowers are collected in thyroid racemes. Blooms in early June.

Cumberland raspberries are almost black in color when fully ripe.

The fruits are round, medium-sized, weighing about 2 g, unripe - red, and ripe - shiny, dark purple, with a white coating between the drupes. The taste is pleasant, moderately sweet, with a slight sourness, with a characteristic blackberry flavor. They contain less acid than red raspberries.

In addition to the color and taste of the berries, Cumberland differs from red raspberries in that it does not produce root shoots and has thicker and longer shoots.

Table: advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Video: first impressions of Cumberland raspberries

Landing Features

When buying a seedling, you should pay attention to the roots. They must be healthy, without stains or growths. The leaves are clean and smooth. The height of the seedling is about 1 m, with 2–3 mature shoots.

When transporting a seedling, the raspberry roots should be covered with a wet cloth.

Exposing the bare root system to the sun is unacceptable, as this threatens its death.

When purchasing seedlings, you should carefully examine all parts of the plant: roots, shoots, leaves

A place for Cumberland raspberries should be chosen that is sunny and protected from the winds. The shade can contribute to the fact that the harvest will be smaller, the berries will be small and unsweetened. In addition, rot can develop in such conditions. You cannot plant raspberries in a damp area - the roots will freeze in winter. Suitable soil is medium and light loamy, chernozem.

Raspberries will feel good if onions or carrots grew in the area before them. Cumberland should not be planted after tomatoes and potatoes, and another variety of raspberry and blackberry should not be placed next to it.

If you decide to plant raspberries in 2 rows, then the row spacing should be at least 2 m. For ease of picking berries, it is better to plant the bushes in 1 row, maintaining 1.5–2 m between plants.

Raspberries can grow in one place for up to 20 years, but by 10–12 years the harvest becomes significantly smaller.

Reproduction

Cumberland raspberries are propagated by apical shoots and seeds.

Apical processes

Cumberland does not produce root shoots, but does an excellent job of rooting the tops of shoots. For this:

1. In summer, you need to pour mulch along the row, bend the top of the raspberry shoot to it and dig it down to 10 cm.
2. Water 1-2 times a week. The roots will grow from the axils of the leaves, and within a month a fairly strong root system will form.
3. For the winter, hill up the seedling and cover it with humus, and in the spring dig it up, separate it from the mother bush, and plant it in a permanent place.

To get a new plant, you need to root the top

Seeds

1. Immediately after harvesting, plant the seeds in the garden bed to a depth of 2 cm.
2. Mulch with peat or humus and water moderately.
3. In the spring, about 50% of the seeds germinate; more shoots may appear during the summer.
4. 2-year-old seedlings can be planted for permanent residence.

Plant care

Support

Support is a necessary condition in growing Cumberland raspberries. If you do not provide the bushes with a trellis, then the long shoots will lie on the ground and take root wherever necessary.

Fan trellis for raspberries

There are a lot of trellis options, but a fan-shaped one will be convenient for picking berries. To do this, you need to install 2-meter posts on opposite sides of the ridge, and stretch wire in 2 or 3 rows between them.

Due to their length and flexibility, raspberry shoots can be used in garden decoration, for example, to form an arch.

Watering

Lack of water will lead to the formation of small and unsweetened berries, as well as the development of weak young shoots. Therefore, due attention should be paid to soil moisture. Raspberries should be watered generously, once every 2 weeks, and even more often in hot weather and during the ripening period of the berries. During rains, you need to loosen the ground under the bushes, removing the mulch. This will protect the roots from stagnant moisture.

Top dressing

Raspberries will benefit from organic and mineral fertilizing after flowering, during the ripening of the berries and after the first harvest. You can use an infusion of mullein (1 part to 7 parts water) or chicken manure (1:18). To this should be added superphosphate (50 g per 10 liters of infusion) and ash (1 liter per 10 liters of infusion). When applying fertilizers, you need to water the bushes well.

Also, do not forget about foliar feeding. A solution of urea (10 g per 10 liters of water) or boric acid (same proportions) is suitable for this. It must be applied with a spray on the leaves and always in the evening in dry weather. Frequency - once every 2 weeks (while changing solutions). In spring or autumn, when digging the soil, add 5 kg of organic matter per 1 m2.

Video: features of growing remontant Cumberland raspberries

Trimming

At the end of June, when the length of the shoots reaches about 2 m, they are cut to a height of 1.2–1.5 m. The growth of side shoots begins - each bush produces 4–10 pieces, the plant becomes more magnificent, but lower.

Without pruning, raspberry shoots can grow up to 4 m

In mid-autumn, new shoots are pruned to approximately 30–50 cm.

In autumn, raspberries are untied from the trellis and cut at the root, leaving 4–5 of the strongest annual shoots on the bush. Then they are bent to the ground using special brackets. Since the variety is quite frost-resistant, no additional shelter is required. Snow cover will provide good protection.

For the winter, raspberry shoots are bent to the ground

In the spring, the raspberries are raised again, branches damaged by rodents and broken are cut off and tied back to the trellis.

Disease and pest control

Gardeners note that Cumberland is more resistant to diseases and pests than red raspberry varieties.

Table: how to deal with diseases and pests

Diseases and pests	Signs	Prevention measures	How to fight
Raspberry beetle	The larvae damage the berries.	Timely pruning of bushes to prevent overcrowding. Correct watering regime that does not allow excess moisture. Cleaning up fallen leaves in the fall. Weeding.	Spraying with a solution of the drug Fosbecid (5 ml per 5 liters of water).
Aphid	It feeds on leaf juices.		Spraying with a solution of Nitrafen (300 g per 10 liters of water).
Weevil	Damages ovaries and leaves.		Use of the drug Iskra-M (1 tablet per 10 liters of water).
Gray rot	Gray spots appear on the leaves, brown spots on the fruits.		Removing damaged shoots, leaves and fruits. Spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Anthracnose	Brown spots with a red border form on the leaves. The shoots dry out and the ripening of the berries stops.		Use of drugs Topaz, Fitosporin (according to instructions).

Perhaps the most exotic variety obtained by crossing blackberries and raspberries is Cumberland. The birthplace of this variety is America. It is more than a hundred years old, but black Cumberland raspberries are practically not common in Russia. A distinctive feature is the color of the berry - bright black. The yellow variety is also no less interesting. Cumberland raspberries have a specific taste, a little like blackberries: sweet with sourness, quite aromatic.

Description of the variety

During the ripening period, the fruits gradually turn from bright red to dense dark purple, then to black berries. The bush is strewn with clusters of dark berries, the fruits are round, of medium size, the average berry weight is 2 g. This variety reaches its maximum degree of fruiting by three years; from one bush you can get 4-6 kg of berries per season.

The properties of raspberries include the fact that this variety tolerates transportation well over long distances - even overripe berries remain quite hard and do not spread. Productivity is high.

In addition, tall bushes of this variety can serve as a garden decoration; the plant has the peculiarity of growing up to 2.5 meters and bending, forming an interesting bright green arch. The shoots of young plants are green with a touch of purple or bluish tints.

The characteristic is that the Cumberland variety is quite frost-resistant and hardy, and is not afraid of the first frosts and low temperatures. It thrives in cold climates and can withstand dry weather. It has been noted that this raspberry variety prefers loamy soils. Resistant to various types of diseases, the berries are rarely wormy. Cumberland black raspberries are harvested in July-August, flowering begins in June and continues throughout the month once the threat of frost has passed.

Yellow Cumberland Raspberry

A special feature of yellow-fruited raspberries is their specific taste: it is much sweeter than red or black varieties. Therefore, this variety can rightfully be considered a favorite dessert for children; it will also appeal to lovers of raspberry jam. The yellow raspberry variety is suitable for allergy sufferers, as it does not contain anthocyte substances that can cause allergic reactions; it will also be useful for pregnant women. Yellow raspberries are rich in vitamin B9 and folic acid, which takes part in hematopoiesis and helps improve metabolism.

Raspberry propagation

Let's look at what black Cumberland raspberries are: description, planting, care.

There are several ways to propagate this raspberry variety:

• propagation by cuttings;
• rooting of tops;
• rooting with horizontal shoots;
• propagation by seeds;

To obtain a large number of seedlings, the method of rooting shoots is used. In spring, the shoots on the bush are cut to a height of 10-20 cm. Over the summer, the bushes strengthen, grow and turn into full-fledged young shoots, which are subsequently pressed to the ground and covered with a layer of soil, leaving a few upper buds on the surface. By the beginning of the next summer season, the shoots will produce full-fledged young raspberry bushes, which can then be transplanted to the chosen location.

Propagation by rooting the crown is used less frequently, but is no less effective for this variety. To do this, a 10-15 cm layer of humus or peat is poured under the bush, the raspberry bush is bent to the ground and sprinkled, and soon adventitious roots appear from the top. It has been noted that this procedure is best carried out closer to autumn.

This variety is best propagated by cuttings during the period of active root formation of the plant. Before planting, prepare a greenhouse, the soil in which consists of a fertile layer of soil and river sand, is poured on top with a layer of 7-10 cm. After which the cuttings are planted in the greenhouse to a depth of 3-5 cm at a distance of 10 cm.

Propagation by seeds is carried out immediately after collecting the seeds; for this purpose, beds with nutritious loose soil are prepared. The seeds are buried at a distance of 1.5-2 cm and sprinkled with a layer of soil, then with sawdust and peat.

Favorable growing conditions

Loam, as well as open fertile soil in sunny areas, is considered a favorable soil for planting Cumberland raspberries. You should absolutely not plant this variety in wetlands, as well as on soils where the predecessors were nightshade crops.

For seedlings, pits are prepared, 0.5 meters deep; a layer of wood ash mixed with humus is poured onto the bottom of the pit. Seedlings must be planted at a distance of 60-70 cm from each other, the rows should not be less than 1.5-2 meters, this method ensures good air circulation, free access to the raspberry field, and penetration of sunlight for fruit ripening.

Note! When planting, the roots of the plant must be evenly distributed around the perimeter of the hole and watered abundantly; if all conditions are met, the seedlings usually quickly take root and grow.

A few days after planting, it is necessary to install supports for the seedlings - trellises. This device allows you not only to form a bush, giving it a “convenient” appearance for harvesting, but also to avoid various types of injuries that can be obtained from sharp thorns on the bushes.

Features of care

Caring for bushes of this variety involves feeding: two or three soil fertilizers are needed throughout the entire season. Fertilize for the first time during the swelling of the buds, then at the time of bud formation, then fertilize in late autumn, before frost. Basic care also consists of loosening the soil and abundant watering during the first year of planting.

Additional Information. You can water raspberries with weed infusion. The infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.

In the second year, pruning is required, which is carried out in several stages, starting in June. Long shoots are cut off, thereby allowing the plant to grow to the sides.

The second pruning consists of destroying last year's shoots that have already bear fruit. Young bushes are shortened by half a meter from the ground, leaving 10-15 shoots on each.

Preparing for winter

This variety easily tolerates frost, but in case of severe frost it will be useful to do some manipulations. So, the bushes are bent to the soil using metal brackets. You should not cover raspberries, but in case of a winter with little snow, you can sprinkle the bushes with an additional layer of snow. In spring, the staples are removed and dried branches are cut off.

Important! Also, the Cumberland raspberry variety requires autumn pruning, this will protect the plant stems from glaciation and freezing.

With these tips for caring for Cumberland raspberries, you can easily achieve a bountiful harvest.

Video

More blackberry than raspberry

Grade: 4

We have been growing Cumberland black raspberries for the 2nd year and have already received a harvest. It has taken root well in fairly clayey soil, so we support it. The bunches of berries are quite heavy, so it doesn’t hurt to lift and secure the branches. They themselves are prickly, this is a difference from blackberries. They were tied up with long gloves to protect their hands up to the elbows.
The berries are the size of a fairly large raspberry, but black in color. But it still tastes more like blackberry than raspberry. You need to eat black berries, and red berries for this variety are unripe berries. The variety overwinters well without shelter.

A real garden decoration

Grade: 5

I couldn’t be happier with my raspberries, I liked them so much. Care is minimal, immunity to many viral and fungal diseases is strong. I really like the shape of the bushes: at first the shoots grow straight up to 2 meters in height, and then, having gained another 40-50 centimeters, they begin to bend slightly, forming something like a living arch. Moreover, it is dotted with clusters of pinkish flowers or similar clusters of berries on long petioles. Beauty - you can't take your eyes off it. There are many thorns on the stems, but they are not too hard and sharp.
Of all the fertilizers, this variety prefers natural ones, so you have to buy manure. The berries change color as they ripen: at first they are pink, then they turn red, then they become burgundy, and only then they become ruby-gray, like a blackberry. Only overripe berries are completely black. And what’s interesting is that when it blooms, all the honey-collecting insects flock to it. But birds are not at all interested in ripe berries, even though they taste sweet and sweet, there is no sourness at all. It happens that sparrows and starlings spoil all the cherries, but the Cumberland is intact. The fruiting age of this variety is very long - officially up to 15 years. But I know summer residents whose bushes have been growing for 20-25 years and still produce a harvest.

Delicious black raspberries

Grade: 5

After Cumberland raspberries, this is my favorite berry. I love it fresh, frozen and in the form of compote. Thawed berries on a cake look very cool; they do not lose their appearance when frozen. It tastes sweet, looks black and purple, if the compote is cooked, it turns out red.
Unlike raspberries, the Cumberland bush requires pruning 2 times a year. Since the bush is frost-resistant, we do not insulate it for the winter. However, it does not like drought, so it has to be watered in the summer. If the temperature is not more than 25 degrees, then 1 time a day, and if more, then 2 times. In the 4 years that Cumberland has been growing in our garden, we have never treated it, only fertilized it a couple of times.

Good for variety

Grade: 4

We don’t have many of this raspberry variety – about 10 bushes. It is good because it does not sprout, but it still needs care. If you don't trim the bushes, they grow up to 3 meters in height. Because the stems are flexible, they sink to the ground and can then germinate. So we got several additional bushes of this variety. The berries are not pecked by starlings, they stay on the stalks for a long time and do not fall off, even when they are overripe.
We apply fertilizer not only to these bushes, but also to the entire raspberry field. We make a solution of mullein in advance or take rotted manure. We apply fertilizer before the bushes begin to flower. This raspberry variety blooms much later than traditional ones - in early June. Flowering is abundant. If there is no rain during this period, then be sure to fill the raspberry tree with water. Otherwise, the harvest will be meager. To make harvesting comfortable, our bushes are planted at a distance of 80 cm, with gaps of 1.5 meters between rows. These bushes have very developed thorns; harvesting cannot be called pleasant. The berry itself is dense and transports well. Surprisingly, it is in great demand on the market.

Exotic raspberry variety

Grade: 5

A couple of years ago we introduced this exotic raspberry variety. We bought it at the same time as other varieties at a local nursery. The site for the raspberry garden was chosen on the south side of the house. We first added humus to all 2 acres. They made trenches half a meter deep. First, the seedlings were laid out along the trench, and then each one was planted. Deep down, under the root, a little sand mixed with wood ash was added. Our soil is loam, we needed to give it some “airiness”. Each hole was then watered generously. The earth was regularly loosened until frost.
This variety is frost-resistant; all seedlings overwintered without loss. In the spring, raspberries began to grow sharply. Those stems that grew more than 2 meters had to be shortened with pruning shears. A wooden rod was dug into each bush and the bushes were tied. This way the branches remain clean; there is no need to wash the berries after picking.
The ovary of this variety is abundant. The berries are not always large. If you do not systematically apply fertilizers, you will only collect small things. We fertilize the raspberry fields with bird droppings. The variety is good for making compotes - it gives a rich taste and aroma. I don’t make jam - it’s a large stone.

Delicious berries with large seeds