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Remontant raspberry varieties are only gaining popularity; every year there are more and more such types of garden berries. The main advantage of remontant crops is continuous or repeated fruiting – a gardener can harvest several crops in one season. Just nine years ago, a new variety of remontant raspberries was bred in Scotland, which was called Joan J. The advantages of the Joan Jay variety have been appreciated by gardeners all over the world; in recent years, this raspberry has already been actively grown in Our Country.
A description of the Joan Ji raspberry variety, photos and reviews about it can be found in this article. Here all the advantages of the remontant species will be listed, a detailed description will be given, as well as the rules of agricultural technology.
Characteristics of remontant raspberries
As you know, remontant varieties have a small drawback – the taste of fruits and berries in such crops is somewhat inferior to the usual ones. Jenning Derek, who developed the Joan G raspberry variety, managed the impossible – the berries taste very good and deserve 4,7 points (out of five possible) in any tasting.
Raspberry Joan G has the following characteristics:
- early ripening of berries – fruiting begins in July;
- long fruiting period – berries appear on the bushes until autumn frosts (usually until mid-October);
- the bushes are not too large, mostly, their height does not exceed a meter;
- shoots are thick, elastic, without thorns (which greatly simplifies harvesting);
- on each shoot it is formed from five fruit branches, their length can reach 50 cm;
- about 60-80 berries are formed on one branch already in the first year after planting;
- Joan Jay raspberries are deep red;
- large raspberries – the average weight of berries is 6-8 grams;
- the taste of raspberry Joan Gee is excellent – sweet-sour, dessert, the aroma is well pronounced;
- unripe raspberries are easy to distinguish by their white tip, ripe berries are evenly colored;
- Raspberry Joan Jay is resistant to drought and high summer temperatures;
- the frost resistance of the variety is average – the bushes will withstand a decrease in temperature without shelter, to a maximum of -16 degrees;
- the variety is unpretentious, but, like any remontant raspberry, it needs plentiful nutrition;
- vigorous shoots with a large number of berries must be tied up, otherwise the branches will break off or bend.
Harvested raspberries are usually consumed fresh, the berries are great for processing and freezing. It is not recommended to grow the Joan Gee variety on an industrial scale, as raspberries do not tolerate transportation well and cannot be stored for a long time. But for private and small farms, this repair raspberry is what you need.
Pros and cons of the variety
Almost all reviews of domestic gardeners about Joan G raspberries are positive – the variety is indeed one of the best. Raspberries have many strengths:
- ripe berries are easily separated from the stalks, while practically do not crumble from the bush;
- the skin on raspberries is dense, which allows you to maintain the integrity of the crop during harvesting and transportation;
- very good taste;
- the ability of the plant to tolerate drought and intense heat;
- easy reproduction, due to the large number of shoots.
Among the shortcomings, gardeners note the not very good winter hardiness of the Joan Gee variety. These raspberries need to be covered or grown only in the southern regions of the country. Another nuance – you need to provide the bushes with abundant top dressing, because the taste and size of the fruit greatly depends on the fertility of the soil.
With proper care, remontant raspberry Joan Gee allows you to collect about six kilograms from each bush. On an industrial scale, yields are, on average, 18 tons of berries per hectare of land.
How to plant a raspberry
In order for the raspberry to be as beautiful as in the photo from the article, the gardener must work hard. First you need to plant repair raspberries, providing the bushes with everything you need.
Any time during the entire growing season is suitable for planting remontant raspberries. If you plant bushes from mid-spring to late autumn, while using seedlings with a closed root system, their survival rate will be 99%. But such indicators will be only in the south of the country.
A place for planting raspberries is chosen sunny, protected from wind and strong drafts. The soil for planting should be loose, nutritious, well-drained.
A pit for a raspberry bush is prepared in advance – about a month before planting. It is advisable to enrich the soil with organic fertilizers, dig up the ground with humus or rotted manure.
Repair raspberries are planted both in single pits and in group trenches. Immediately after planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly – up to 30 liters for each bush. Raspberry Joan G will begin to bear fruit next season, and if planting was carried out in the spring, the first harvest can already be expected this year.
How to care for raspberries
Joan Gee is very fond of sunlight – this is the first thing a gardener should take care of. In addition to the right place for planting, it is necessary to constantly monitor the thickening of the bushes, thin them out, cut out old and extra shoots.
The rest care is as follows:
- In summer, especially during periods of drought, you need water raspberries Joan Gee, otherwise the berries will start to shrink, they will be too sour and tasteless. Water consumption is calculated by the formula: 25 liters per meter of land in the raspberry bush. Watering Joan Gee along the grooves, which are previously performed with a chopper, is very effective. Raspberry responds no worse to sprinkling. You need to irrigate the bushes in the evening or early morning.
- The soil between the bushes is constantly loosened, weeded, weeds are removed. You can mulch the soil using any organic raw material – this will greatly facilitate the work of the gardener.
- Joan Jay raspberries need to be fed abundantly and often. The first portion of fertilizers is applied immediately after the snow melts. It can be both organic matter scattered on the ground, and mineral components. In the active growth phase, the bushes will “like” liquid fertilizer from mullein or chicken manure dissolved in water. Remontant raspberries need a lot of mineral fertilizers, usually carbamide and ammonium nitrate are used. In the second half of summer, it is better to use foliar top dressing, irrigating the bushes with mineral complexes.
- Four times a season raspberry Joan Gee processed to prevent infections and to protect against pests. It is better not to neglect preventive measures, since it will be much more difficult to cure the affected bush.
- Since Joan’s branches are strewn with berries, they will have to tie up. The long shoots simply can’t handle a bountiful harvest and will end up on the ground unless supports or wire are used.
- You need to cut remontant raspberries twice: in spring and autumn. At the end of autumn, when all the berries have already been removed from the bush, the main pruning is carried out. At this stage, all annual shoots are cut out so that only three-centimeter stumps remain from them. In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out: shoots are removed, diseased and dried shoots are cut out, the rest are cut to the first healthy bud. The buds swell, somewhere in mid-April – at this time, you need to cut the remontant raspberries.
- It is better to cover the bushes for the winterusing any covering material, coniferous spruce branches, straw or sawdust. After the first winter precipitation, the snow is raked and formed over the raspberry mound – this is the best shelter for any crop.
You need to harvest remontant raspberries regularly, as they ripen very quickly. The variety Joan G is prone to overripe, so the berry picking is carried out every week.
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Conclusion
The remontant raspberry variety Joan Gee is deservedly considered one of the best. This crop is characterized by high yield, early ripening and excellent taste of large berries. To collect a lot of beautiful raspberries, you need to properly fertilize the soil, do not forget about watering and correctly prune the bushes. In the central and northern regions of Our Country, Joan must be covered for the winter, since the frost resistance of the variety is not very good.
You can learn more about the Scottish remontant variety from the video:
