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Raspberry Black Jewel is a valuable variety of berry culture, which is of particular interest to gardeners. Before planting a shrub on the site, you need to study its main features and care requirements.
Inference history
Black Jewel is a young hybrid chokeberry bred by American breeders at Cornell University in the State of New York. The initial varieties were Dundee and NY 29773. The hybrid combines the best commercial and gustatory qualities of the progenitors, has a minimum of shortcomings and is popular not only in the West, but also in Our Country.
Description of raspberry variety Black Jewel
Before planting Black Jewel raspberries in a summer cottage, it is necessary to study the description of the shrub and berries. This will allow you to understand whether the plant is suitable for specific conditions and whether it will meet the requirements for productivity.
Berries
Raspberry Black Jewel bears fruit with rounded black berries with a slight whitish bloom up to 2,5 g by weight. The pulp is dense and elastic, but tender, the aroma is rich, with fruity notes, the taste is sweet without sourness. The berries are united in brushes of 12-15 pieces; during the harvest period, raspberries are literally covered with clusters of fruits from all sides.
The ripening of the variety begins from the end of June or in the first days of July, continues until the beginning of September. At first, raspberries are red, but then darken and become black by the time they are fully ripe. The fruits are easily separated from the bushes when harvested, but at the same time they do not fall on their own and remain on the branches for a long time.
Black Jewel raspberries do not bake in the sun
Bush
Raspberry Black Jewel belongs to tall varieties and reaches 2-2,5 m above ground level. The shoots of the shrub are straight, strong, with numerous lateral branches, which appear from the second year and carry the main crop. Young branches are elastic and flexible, covered with a greenish thin bark with a whitish bloom. In the second year they become woody and light brown. The Black Jewel variety has medium-sized spikes that curve down, but lacks root shoots, like most hybrids. Raspberry leaves are bright green, large, collected in shamrocks, with a slight pubescence on the lower surface.
The flowering of the Black Jewel variety begins in early May. Raspberry buds are white or cream, medium in size. On each meter of shoots, 20-25 inflorescences can be counted, consisting of 12-15 flowers. Raspberries do not require pollinators and form ovaries on their own, fruiting continues in general for ten years.
Characterization
Raspberry Black Jewel attracts gardeners with the unusual appearance of drupes. However, the variety is valued not for decorative qualities, but primarily for abundant fruiting.
Ripening time and yield
Hybrid Black Jewel belongs to the mid-season category. The first berries reach maturity at the end of July and continue to ripen until the beginning of autumn. The yield of a non-repairable variety is quite high – an average of about 1,1 kg of fruit can be harvested from an adult bush.
Frost resistance
The advantage of Black Jewel raspberry is its increased winter hardiness. The variety tolerates cold snaps down to -35 ° C even without shelter. At the same time, in the northern regions, it is still recommended to warm raspberries, especially if the winter turned out to be cold, but with little snow.
Resistance to diseases
Raspberry Black Jewel has an average immunity. The plant is resistant to most pests and anthracnose, but often suffers from verticillium and powdery mildew. Usually, ailments develop on acidic soil, therefore, when caring for a variety, nitrogen fertilizers should be used with caution.
Advantages and disadvantages
Raspberry Black Jewel is recommended for growing in the middle lane and in regions with more severe conditions. The variety tolerates adverse climate well and calmly reacts to single mistakes made during care.
Raspberry Black Jewel is versatile and suitable for dessert use and preparations.
Pros
- high yield;
- dessert taste of berries;
- good keeping quality and transportability of fruits;
- high frost resistance;
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions;
- good immunity to pests;
- attractive appearance of the bushes;
- drought resistance;
- self-pollination;
- lack of root growth.
Cons
- numerous thorns on shoots;
- affected by powdery mildew and verticillium;
- seedlings are expensive.
Features of growing raspberries Black Jewel
The requirements for growing the variety are simple. Shrub care is quite standard, almost the same as for ordinary red raspberries.
Rules of landing
Black Jewel raspberry planting at their summer cottage is carried out in early spring with the onset of heat or in autumn 2-3 weeks before cold weather. A place for a shrub is chosen well-lit, but with protection from strong winds, with sandy or loamy soil.
About a month before planting, the area for raspberries is dug up and holes are prepared about 45 cm deep. A third of the pits are filled with a mixture of humus, compost and garden soil, and complex minerals and wood ash are added.
The planting algorithm looks like this:
- The roots of the seedling are briefly soaked in water.
- The plant is lowered into the prepared hole.
- The feeding processes are straightened on the sides of the earthen mound.
- Fill the hole with soil to the end and water the raspberries abundantly.
Immediately after planting, the plant is recommended to be mulched so that moisture from the soil evaporates more slowly.
Before planting, Black Jewel raspberry roots are recommended to be treated in water with the addition of a fungicide.
How to care
Black Jewel raspberry care is quite simple and comes down to several activities:
- Watering. The plant needs additional moisture in the first year of life and during dry summer periods, especially during the ripening period. In the absence of rain, raspberries should be watered twice a week, 30-40 liters under a bush.
- Top dressing. It is necessary to fertilize the crop three times per season – after thawing the soil, at the end of flowering and immediately after harvesting. In the spring, nitrogen-containing top dressing is introduced into the soil, and potassium and phosphorus are added in summer and autumn.
- Loosening. In order for the raspberry roots to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen, after each watering, it is necessary to carefully turn the soil to a shallow depth. At the same time, it is necessary to remove weeds that take away moisture and nutrients from the shrub.
- Pruning. In order for raspberries to bear fruit well and not suffer from fungi, it is necessary to cut the plant from time to time. From the second year, shoots are pruned from the shrub to stimulate the development of side branches. The latter are cut in the fall to 1 m.
Although Black Jewel raspberries are frost-resistant, for the winter it is recommended to lay their shoots on the ground and cover them with spruce branches or non-woven material. First, you should carefully inspect the shrub and remove weak, dry and diseased branches.
Reproduction
There are two ways to propagate Black Jewel raspberries on the site:
- The division of the bush. An adult plant over four years old is carefully dug out of the ground and cut along the rhizome with a sharp shovel. On each delenka leave several healthy shoots. The resulting seedlings are immediately transferred to prepared holes, added dropwise and watered.
- layering. The lower shoot of the raspberry is bent to the ground, the top is cut off by 3-5 cm, it is cleaned of leaf plates and the branch is sprinkled with soil. To prevent it from straightening, it is fixed with a bracket or wire. Throughout the summer, the layering is regularly watered, and the following spring, a new plant is separated from the mother bush.
Prevention of diseases and pests
Raspberry Black Jewel can suffer from some fungal diseases, but preventive measures help reduce the likelihood of infection. When growing shrubs, you must:
- from early spring to autumn, spray with Bordeaux liquid every 2-3 weeks;
- prevent waterlogging or excessive drying of the soil;
- control soil acidity and do not overfeed raspberries with nitrogen;
- thin out the bush regularly to avoid thickening.
With the onset of autumn, it is important to remove all plant debris from the site. It is in fallen leaves that fungal spores and pest larvae usually hibernate.
To strengthen the immunity of raspberries, you can feed it with wood ash three times a season.
Conclusion
Raspberry Black Jewel is distinguished by good taste and unpretentiousness in cultivation. The bush does not impose special requirements for care, it is enough to ensure regular watering and top dressing.