Yellow raspberries: varieties and features of cultivation
There is an opinion among gardeners that one of the most interesting and unusual berries is yellow raspberries. This horticultural crop is rarely seen in household plots, since its “sister” is most often grown - red raspberries. However, the unusual color of this berry attracts an increasing number of summer residents.
What is this berry?
Yellow-fruited raspberry as a variety was bred a long time ago. However, over time, red-fruited raspberries almost completely took its place. One of the reasons for "forgetfulness" can be called the not so bright aroma of yellow berries and a shorter period of further storage. Perhaps the reason for the low popularity of this culture was the banal ignorance of gardeners about it.
The yellow raspberry is a perennial shrub. The root system of the plant is perennial, while the stems usually live one to two years. As with any other raspberry variety, the yellow-fruited one is characterized by a two-year period of growth and development. In the first year, new shoots sprout, and only by the second year they are overgrown with fruits. In the third year, the shoots die off, so it is necessary to thin out the raspberries by removing old stems.
Raspberries are usually divided into ordinary and remontant. The usual one ripens in the midst of summer: June - July, and the remontant one ripens twice a year.
The concept of remontant raspberries should be considered in more detail. Remontant is called raspberry, which bears fruit on the shoots of the current year. In late autumn, the raspberry is cut almost to the root. In the spring, new shoots appear, which begin to bear fruit by the end of summer.
Some varieties of plants withstand exposure to low temperatures, while others, on the contrary, do not tolerate cold. In winter, experts advise bending the shoots to the ground and covering them with snow.
The fruits of this plant are dessert. The aroma of yellow raspberries is not as pronounced as that of red raspberries, but the taste is no different - just as bright and honey-sweet.
Yellow raspberries belong to the Rubus genus of the Rose family. Raspberry rhizome is strong, very winding, lives for several years. Adventitious roots sprout on the rhizome, so the root system of the plant is strong and branched.
The stems of the plant are straight, grow on average up to 2.5 meters. In the first year, the shoots have a soft skin, grassy in appearance. On the shoot there are many small thin needles. The next year, the shoots become harder, "stiffen", the color becomes brown. After harvesting, the shoots dry up. By the next year, young shoots are again formed. The leaves of the plant are oval, inflorescences in the form of a brush.
The flowering period of yellow raspberries depends on the climate of the region where it grows. The shrub usually begins to bloom at the beginning of summer, and flowering ends at the end of July. The aroma of flowers is pleasant, slightly sweet. The fruits of the shrub are large, regular oval shape. The weight of one berry is from 4 to 6 grams.
One of the most popular varieties is the Orange Miracle. According to the breeders, the variety is unpretentious - it grows on almost any soil, unpretentious to the weather.The plant is resistant to various types of diseases and pests.
Consider the difference between red and yellow raspberries. The difference is actually not that big. The yellow pigment of the berry is due to the low content of anthocyanins in it. Anthocyanin is a coloring agent. Due to this property, yellow berries do not cause allergies, so they can be eaten by young children, pregnant women and people who suffer from allergies.
Pros and cons
Yellow raspberries have many benefits. First of all, this is the absence of an allergic reaction to the berry. The fruits contain a sufficient amount of folic acid and various vitamins (for example, B vitamins).
This variety is characterized by good yield, resistance to various diseases and a fairly long fruiting period. Ripening of berries occurs gradually. According to gardeners, with proper care of the plant from one bush, you can get up to 6 kilograms of berries per season.
Fragrant fruits of yellow raspberry are dessert. The taste of berries is rich, sweet.
For allergy sufferers, yellow raspberries will be just a salvation. Due to the small composition of anthocyanins in its composition, the berries are dietary. Therefore, those who cannot eat red raspberries can eat yellow ones without fear of an allergic reaction.
Of course, this plant is not without some drawbacks. The berries are too soft, their density is not very high, and therefore the fruits are unsuitable for transportation, unlike red raspberries.
On the stems of the shrub there are small prickly thorns. This is repulsive to many gardeners, as the process of picking berries becomes difficult and often painful. After all, carried away by the assembly of berries, you can easily not notice the small prickly spikes.
The plant has a developed, powerful and fast-growing root system. It is important to remember this fact, because if the extra root shoots are not removed in time, the shrub will quickly grow and fill the surrounding space. Overgrown unnecessary raspberry bushes will be very difficult to uproot in the future.
Old varieties of berries were perishable, completely unsuitable for storage. By their structure, the berries were watery, almost immediately fell off the bush.
But science does not stand still. Breeders breed all new varieties of shrubs that do not have these shortcomings. New varieties ("Amber", "Golden Autumn") withstand transportation and are suitable for longer storage.
It is worth noting that growing yellow raspberries is a profitable business. The shrub will begin to bear fruit in the second year after it was planted, and in warm climates you will be able to feast on berries in the first year after planting.
Varieties
The abundance of yellow raspberry varieties delights not only professional gardeners, but also simple amateur gardeners. Agronomists and breeders over the years have brought out the best yellow-fruited specimens of shrubs. These are both early summer varieties of garden yellow-fruited raspberries, which ripen already in mid-July, and later remontant species that bear fruit throughout September.
Let us consider in more detail the description of each of the popular varieties of yellow raspberries.
"Orange Miracle"
It is called the variety of the future. The characteristics of this variety make it an elite among yellow-fruited raspberry bushes. Here is some of them:
- this species takes root in almost any soil;
- unpretentious to weather conditions;
- has resistance to diseases and pests;
- ripe berries do not fall off the bush for a long time;
- ripen in the second half of August and ripen until late autumn, until the first snow.
Raspberries are large-fruited. The mass of one berry reaches 6 grams. Their taste is delicate, fragrant-sweet.
But the most valuable quality of this variety is the possibility of its transportation. It is such a property as the transportability of berries that helps to grow raspberries for sale.
"Yellow Giant"
This variety is also popular in horticultural culture. It is classified as a remontant variety. But here lies a small catch. In colder regions, such raspberries will behave like a regular variety, not a remontant.
And in the southern regions, the variety can be classified as remontant. In the first year, raspberries will bloom around mid-July, and the berries will appear in late summer - early autumn. In the future, the upper part of the stem is cut off so that the lower part of the shoot will bloom the following year. In autumn, after harvesting, the remainder of the stem is cut closer to the root. The variety is winter hardy.
The height of the raspberry bush is more than 2 meters. The stems of the plant are strong, powerful. Up to 25 berries grow on each shoot. The weight of each fruit is from 7 to 10 grams.
The berries are in the form of a slightly elongated oval, covered with a small fluff, apricot or pale yellow. Seeds of berries are small, white. The taste of berries is pleasant, slightly sour.
From one bush per season, you can collect up to 7 kilograms of berries, subject to proper care of the plant.
"Runaway"
Can be grown in northern areas. It is a remontant raspberry, tolerates winter well. Fruiting begins in July.
The mass of the fetus is on average from 3 to 6 grams. It has a rounded shape and a paler color than the Yellow Giant. Sour in taste. Raspberry stems are powerful, reaching a height of up to two meters.During the season, about 2-3 kilograms of berries can be removed from the bush.
The disadvantages of the variety include low transportability and poor tolerance of drought and high temperature.
"Apricot"
The variety of yellow raspberries got its name because of the similarity of berries with apricots - in color and in taste. Yellowish fruits taste sour. The weight of the berry is from 3 to 4 grams. During the season, summer residents remove up to 3.5 kg of berries from one bush.
The height of the bush is small, about one and a half meters. The thorns grow closer to the bottom of the stems, which makes harvesting much easier. Variety "Apricot" resistant to diseases.
The ripening period of the variety is early August - late autumn. Sometimes it bears fruit until the onset of cold weather.
"Morning dew"
Agronomists also refer this variety to remontant raspberry varieties. Raspberries have a long fruiting period - from late summer (August) to the first frost.
It has tall stems on average from one and a half to two meters. Shoots are straight, strong, have many small thorns.
The berries of the plant are dense, rounded, amber in color. Tastes sweet and juicy. Weight ranges from 5 to 7 grams. During the fruiting period, you can remove up to 3 kg of berries. The variety is suitable for transportation.
Of the minuses, one can distinguish poor tolerance of diseases (fungal, rot).
"Gold autumn"
Yellow raspberries of this variety take root well in the northern regions. Remontant raspberry has long shoots, about 2 meters. It bears fruit from August to October, less often until November. Up to 2.5 kg of berries can be removed per season.
The mass of the berry is from 5 to 7 grams, there are also larger specimens. The fruits are cone-shaped, bright amber. The taste is sweetish, with a slight sourness.
Cumberland
The yellow raspberry of this variety is a subspecies of its black counterpart of the same variety.The variety is unknown. It was bred in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. It bears fruit from about the beginning of June and tolerates frost well.
It is characterized by good resistance to pests, endures various diseases. The berries do not crumble, they are well removed from the bush. They taste sweet, without sourness.
Yellow Sugana
Another remontant variety. Breeders bred the variety in Switzerland.
The variety has a good yield. Cone-shaped berries are large, with a high density. The weight of the fetus reaches 10 grams. The taste of the berries is richly sweet, with a delicate aroma.
The plant is resistant to drought, frosty weather and heat. In winter, it does not require additional care.
The berries of this variety are transportable, they tolerate storage in the refrigerator without losing their taste.
Golden Everest
The yellow raspberry of the Golden Everest variety has low bushes, the height of which rarely reaches one and a half meters. But the small size of the shrub is offset by a large number of fruit-bearing shoots. From one root grows up to 10 fruiting stems. Raspberry berries of a bright orange hue, largeish. There is no sour taste.
"Sweet"
The variety also has low bushes (up to one and a half meters), shoots without thorns and high yields. It is characterized by disease resistance. Up to 4 kg of ripe juicy berries can be removed from a bush in a season. The fruits are soft, well kept on the branches. Berries do not crumble during ripening, but after harvest they are unsuitable for transportation.
Valentina
This raspberry, like the Fallgold variety, has an apricot color of berries. It is characterized by good productivity, high frost resistance. The branches of the plant are erect.
Landing
The rules for planting yellow raspberries are in many ways similar to planting red ones.First of all, seedlings should be planted in a well-lit place. If possible, darkening should be avoided - the plant loves sunlight very much.
The soil should be moist, if possible enriched with manure and sand. This will help the young and fragile plant to take root. At the same time, too much moisture should be avoided, since excessive moisture will lead to rotting of the root system.
The plant will take root well near the fence, which will support it.
If raspberries are planted in a place where other crops used to grow, then it is important to take into account several features. The plant will take root well in the place where it previously grew:
- beans;
- carrot;
- cucumbers;
- squash;
- zucchini.
You can not place raspberries in the garden, where peppers and tomatoes, strawberries and potatoes used to live. The problem is that these crops have common pests and many diseases with raspberries.
The most favorable time for planting a plant will be autumn and spring. In summer, you can plant raspberries by dropping green cuttings.
A separate hole with a diameter of up to 50 cm is prepared for each seedling. The soil is mixed with pre-prepared manure and fertilizers.
Before planting, it is advisable to pour the roots of the plant with a solution of mullein. The root collars of the plant when planting should be a couple of centimeters higher than the soil surface. The roots must be well covered with earth so that they are not visible.
After planting, it will be useful to mulch the soil. You can use peat, last year's humus or dry land for this. After planting the seedlings, they must be carefully watered so as not to wash away the ground covering the raspberry roots.
Care Tips
Raspberry cultivation and further care for it do not require special knowledge from gardeners. Properly selected care will help to grow a healthy and strong plant.
It is very important to water yellow raspberries, as they are moisture-loving. But it is important not to overdo it with watering - strong humidity will lead to rotting of the rhizome.
After the end of the fruiting of the shrub, old shoots and excess root processes should be removed. By pruning old shoots, young shoots will receive more nutrients and trace elements. This will not only rejuvenate raspberry bushes, but will also help increase the yield of berries for next year.
Pruning shoots should begin with branches affected by pests or diseases - this way you will save the rest of the healthy bush. One of the positive aspects of pruning can be called providing raspberries with additional ventilation and lighting (this will protect against excess moisture).
Careful loosening of the soil will also benefit raspberries. During the period of active growth, top dressing should be done. In June, nitrogen fertilizers are used, from the end of July to August - complex ones.
Weeding is the key to good growth of shrub shoots. Weeded plants can be stacked directly under the raspberry bush - weeds will create mulch, thereby preventing the growth of new weeds. When the weeds rot, the raspberries will receive additional organic fertilizers.
In preparation for a long winter period, you need to cut the upper part of the stems of the shrub, loosen the soil, but not deep. From the ground it is necessary to collect fallen leaves and berries. Then it is worth making the mulching of the earth.
Remontant varieties of yellow raspberries should be covered for the winter. To do this, you can use crumbled foliage or just sawdust.
Growing any plant is hard work. The shrub lives, develops and bears fruit largely due to the care of it. If you take care of raspberries, then in the future it will definitely thank you with a generous and tasty harvest.