Raspberry Meteor is a product of the painstaking work of breeders. An early variety with excellent characteristics, opening the “raspberry” season in the country. Berry of universal purpose.
Very good fresh and prepared. In order for the Meteor raspberry variety to meet all your expectations, you must first familiarize yourself with its biological features, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. This analysis will help you grow a good crop of Meteor raspberries without much hassle. After all, if the plant is comfortable in the soil on your site and the climatic conditions are satisfactory, then the result will be excellent. In this article, we will focus on various issues. For example, the external signs that the Meteor raspberry has, a description of the variety, photos, reviews and an informative video.
Description and characteristics of an early variety
Raspberry meteor, the description of the variety of which is important for gardeners, was bred by crossing representatives of medium ripening periods. But the berry itself is early and gives a start to the raspberry season.
The bushes of the popular variety Meteor are medium-sized, upright and powerful. The height of one plant reaches 2 meters. During the season, each Meteor raspberry bush forms 20-25 meter-long shoots. The plant can be grown without a garter.
Tops on the shoots of raspberry Meteor are drooping and with a slight wax coating. The spikes are few and not dangerous, because they are thin and short.
The main attraction of the Meteor raspberry is the berries.
Although their weight is average (2-3 g), their shape is original, blunt-conical. Good care and a favorable climate allow the berries to reach a weight of 5-6 g. The color of the fruit is bright, red, the taste is pleasant dessert. Having tried raspberry berries at least once, you will immediately want to plant this variety.
The main valuable characteristic of Meteor raspberry for gardeners is its unpretentiousness. After all, summer residents like to plant crops that do not require special growing conditions and too careful care.
What other benefits does Meteor raspberry have?
Of course, winter hardiness and resistance to the usual diseases of raspberries. The plant winters well even without shelter. Of course, in regions with a harsh climate, it is better not to take risks.
Among the shortcomings of the variety, susceptibility to attacks by spider mites and gall midges is noted. And of the diseases, the raspberry variety Meteor is unstable to growth and purple spotting.
Separately, it should be noted the characteristics of productivity. Raspberries, the variety of which belongs to the early ripe ones, are distinguished by the friendly ripening of berries. Therefore, many farmers grow Meteor for sale.
The first ripe raspberries can be tasted already in mid-June, and if you are lucky with the weather, then at the beginning of the month. The pulp is dense, so raspberries tolerate transportation well.
Planting and cultivation nuances
Raspberry Meteor belongs to varieties with a good degree of self-fertility, but gardeners use a reliable way to increase the number of ovaries. They simply plant raspberries of other varieties of the same maturity side by side to ensure pollination. Along with the amount of harvest, the quality indicators of berries also increase. Meteor is a raspberry variety that tolerates winter well. Therefore, seedlings are equally successfully planted both in spring and autumn. But according to gardeners, spring planting is more successful. Plants planted in the spring will grow faster than those planted in the fall.
Raspberries Meteor are planted in pre-prepared pits. Some prefer to plant in trenches, the depth and width of which is 35 cm. The size of the planting pits is 30×30 cm. Gardeners grow the Meteor variety in a bush way or in rows, depending on the area of u1,5bu2.2bthe site and personal preferences. The dimensions of the row spacing can withstand at least 0,75 – 0,5 meters, and between plants when planting in clusters – XNUMX cm, when planting in rows – XNUMX cm.
As soon as the planting of raspberries is completed, the plants are watered immediately. With an ordinary planting method, 10 liters of water are consumed per 1 running meter. For a single plant, 6 liters is enough.
After watering, the earth is mulched. For raspberries, it is good to use peat chips, compost, mowed grass or rotted manure. The thickness of the mulch layer is at least 5 cm. The final step will be cutting the seedling to a height of 25-30 cm.
Now young raspberry bushes require attention. Watering is necessary especially in the absence of natural precipitation. For 1 sq. m raspberries need 3 buckets of water. If the irrigation norms are not maintained, then the berry becomes smaller, the yield and sweetness of the fruit decreases. In subsequent years, for raspberry Meteor, it is mandatory to water at the beginning of flowering bushes, during the period of active growth of shoots.
For the good development and fruiting of the Meteor raspberry variety, nutrition is needed.
Organic matter is added to the soil once every three years. Proportions – 5 kg of substance per 1 sq. m area. But mineral fertilizers for raspberries Meteor are used as follows:
- ammonium nitrate is applied in early spring in the amount of 20 g;
- foliar spraying with karbofos (10%) at the time of raspberry flowering and budding with a solution of 10 g of the substance per 75 liters of water;
- phosphorus-potassium compounds are necessary at the time of pre-winter preparation.
Raspberry variety Meteor responds well to organic infusions of chicken manure or slurry. After infusion, the compositions are diluted with water. In the first version 1:10, in the second 1:5. Any feeding is combined with watering for better dissolution and assimilation of the elements.
Preparation for winter consists of bending the shoots to the ground and shelter.
Care for raspberry bushes in subsequent years is:
- timely watering;
- feeding;
- preventive treatments for diseases and pests;
- preparation for winter.
Be sure to loosen the aisles, as well as get rid of weeds.
The Meteor variety also has some minor disadvantages that should be noted:
- With a height of shoots over 2 meters, you will need trellises for tying.
- The variety does not like return frosts, in which the root system of the plant can be seriously affected.
Otherwise, raspberries completely suit gardeners in terms of their parameters.
