Contents
Blackberry “Kiowa” or “Kiowa”, as the Arkansas breeders named their new variety after the Indian tribe, is just a gift to those who love a large tasty berry and want to enjoy it longer from the bush. It is also suitable for processing and conservation, the declared yield will allow you to eat fresh berries and stock up on delicious jams or preserves for the winter.
Description and characteristics of Kiowa
Just 20 years ago, an American variety came out of the laboratories «Kiova”, the description of which focuses on the size of the berries, each of them weighs from 12 to 14 g, and individual berries – 20 g. The creators promise a yield to match the berries, with industrial cultivation from 1 hectare you can harvest from 4 to 6 tons. Excellent the characterization was given to this variety in test growing in several states.
Description: it belongs to the kumaniks, that is, its shoots grow straight, do not creep, differ in power not only at the base, but along the entire length, along the entire length, sharp spikes also grow. Shoots grow up to 1,5 meters tall or a little more, they do not have to be fixed on a trellis, but under the weight of fruits they can be injured, and the wind is quite capable of damaging or confusing them. The bright green leaves also have thorns, the flowers are usually white, rarely turn pink, and the berries become glossy black when fully ripe.
Large rounded, somewhat elongated, berries are 2,5 cm in diameter, they have a pleasant sweet with some sour taste and aroma of wild blackberries. The berries are juicy, at the same time they are dense enough to keep well for several days and not be afraid of transportation. The creators seemed to be specifically trying to create a variety for commercial cultivation, and they succeeded, judging by the reviews.
Fruiting begins in the second half of July and lasts up to a month and a half. But in the middle lane, it can begin a little later, then there will be a danger of losing the remnants of the crop due to early cold weather. The variety is declared as frost-resistant, the creators promise that temperatures down to -23 degrees will not harm him. In our conditions, it is better to cover the aerial part, as is usually done with a vine.
Breeders tried to ensure that the seedlings of the Kiova blackberry received resistance to fungal diseases, so that rust, anthracnose, white and gray rot, and powdery mildew should not disturb the plantings.
Care Basics
The Kiowa (or Kiowa) blackberry is planted, like any other, in the spring after the soil thaws or in the fall so that it has time to take root before frost. In our conditions, the spring version is still preferable. The place needs to be found bright with enough sun, it is good if it is protected from strong winds.
In large farms, bushes are planted at a distance of 1,2 m in a row, but if this is a private farm, in which accelerated agricultural technology is not expected, then compacted plantings are useless. It is advisable to plant one or more bushes on their plots so that there is 1,5 or 2 m between them.
Before planting, it is advisable to fertilize the soil well or simply add a couple of buckets of compost or humus to the planting pit, add complex mineral fertilizer. The earth should be light and nutritious, if necessary, peat or sand is added to it to reduce density. If the soil is acidic, then you need to add lime or dolomite flour, you can pour wood ash into the pit. When planting a seedling, make sure that its roots do not come into contact with fertilizer, this can cause a serious burn.
The planted plant is watered well, it is checked that after compaction of the earth and watering, the root collar is located approximately 1 cm above the ground level. The earth around it is mulched with peat, compost or straw, and the shoots are cut over a live bud, leaving no more than 30 cm.
A bush with straight-growing shoots is still better to be strengthened on a trellis – this way it is easier to care for it, it is easier to harvest and prune. He’s also prickly. In the first year, the shoots will only grow, they can be sent immediately or, as they grow in summer, they can be tied to a support with an open fan so that each branch is clearly visible, all leaves have access to air and sun. In autumn, they must be carefully removed from the trellis until they are stiff, shortened by a quarter, rolled up and laid under cover. Although the variety promises frost resistance, our winters are disastrous for such plants – it’s better not to risk it. When covering the shoots, it is important to find the right degree of insulation, otherwise a lot of heat will do a disservice – the kidneys can get wet.
In the spring, the insulation is removed, the shoots are examined, the frozen ones are cut out, if any, and fixed on the trellis. Now it is better to direct all the shoots in one direction, and in the opposite direction, as the replacement shoots grow, they will grow this year. In autumn, the last year’s fruiting shoots must be completely cut off, and the young ones removed, shortened and hidden from the cold. This cycle of pruning, tying and covering will need to be repeated annually.
Some gardeners shorten the shoots in the summer, seeking the development of lateral branches, in order to increase the yield. Sometimes it helps, but not in the first couple of years, while the bush is not yet strong.
It is believed that if you fertilize the bush well when planting, then you can then apply the same powerful fertilizer every 3-4 years. But different soils require a different approach. If the plant needs to be fed, it will become noticeable by its foliage and shoot growth rate. In this case, nitrogen-mineral fertilizers are applied in the spring, and potassium-mineral fertilizers are applied during the formation of ovaries. Some simply water very heavily diluted slurry or bird droppings (even more diluted) in spring and early summer. If you mulch the ground under a bush with compost or humus, then each watering will carry a portion of top dressing to the roots.
Watering should be sufficient, but not excessive. Blackberries do not like drought, but new varieties tolerate excess moisture worse. Water stagnation must not be allowed.
Advantages and disadvantages
The undoubted advantages of the variety can be considered excellent large fruits, high yields, frost resistance (albeit relative in our conditions) and immunity to fungal diseases. A long fruiting period can also be considered a virtue if people want to enjoy fresh berries for a long time, improving their health, or supply them to the market, increasing their well-being. Harvesting can be done every 3 or 4 days.
But the fruiting of a late-ripening variety, stretched for a month and a half, in our conditions can turn into a small drawback – the last berries will not have time to ripen before the cold weather. They will have to be sacrificed in order to cut and remove shoots for the winter in time. They say that for this reason up to 10 percent of the crop is lost in areas with an early arrival of cold weather.
The large-fruited blackberry variety of which has so recently entered the markets of the world has one significant drawback – sharp thorns, not only along the entire length of the shoot, but also on the leaves. Today, there are many thornless varieties that are much easier and more pleasant to care for, but they do not give such tasty black berries with a glossy sheen in 20 g, which the Kiova variety can boast of.
Video “Blackberry variety Kiev”
The author of this video talks about the Kiova blackberry variety and the features of its cultivation.
