Raspberry Meteor: description of the variety, photos, pros, cons and cultivation rules, reviews

Raspberry Meteor is quite common in our latitudes. In order for it to produce a high yield, you need to know how to care for it and fight pests and diseases.

Raspberry variety "Meteor"

raspberries "Meteor" will not disappoint gardeners with its fruitfulness

The “Meteor” raspberry variety is quite unpretentious and caring for it does not require much effort

Description of the raspberry variety Meteor

In the 20th century, several varieties of raspberries appeared. One of them is Meteor. Its history dates back to 1987, when two varieties were crossed - one Russian, and the second was Bulgarian. The author of the selection was agronomist Kazakov.

This variety has the following characteristics:

the berry is very frost-resistant and can be grown in cold regions;
raspberries have a hard time surviving the thaw, you need to keep an eye on the berries during this period;
even a small raspberry garden will bring its owners a lot of juicy and tasty berries;
"Meteor" is very easy to care for and can reproduce on its own;
tall bushes must be tied up so that they do not break;
The berry is very rarely exposed to diseases.

Fruit characteristics

All berries of the Meteor variety have the following characteristics:

The weight of the fruit in good climatic conditions can reach 5 g. But even without a favorable climate, the weight of the berries is good, about 3 g.
The raspberry pulp is dense, so it can be easily transported and will not leak.
Raspberries are usually a bright red, almost beautiful ruby color.
The shape resembles a ball flattened on top.
The taste of the berries is very memorable due to its slight sourness.
Raspberry "Meteor" smells very nice.
A slight waxy coating does not affect the taste at all.
The sugar content does not exceed 9%, and the acid content is 2%.
Raspberries also contain vitamin C. Every 100 g of berries contains approximately 30 mg of vitamin.

Productivity and fruiting time

“Meteor” ripens very quickly; up to 2 kg of crop can be harvested from each bush. Therefore, this variety can be grown not only in personal garden plots, but also on agricultural farms. After all, about 70 centners per hectare come out in one summer.

Raspberries of this variety are also distinguished by their early ripening. In good climatic conditions, the first harvests can be harvested around the twentieth of June. In poor climates, the first berries will appear in July. To maintain high yields, it is necessary to weed the ground around the bushes and loosen them a little.

When this variety was created, it was very important to obtain winter-hardy raspberries so that they could survive winters not only in central Russia.

Winter hardiness

Bushes of the Meteor variety are able to withstand low temperatures, which are very common in the Asian part of Russia. Winter temperatures there range from -30 to -50 °C. The plant is able to withstand difficult climatic conditions and survive winter. Thanks to this, raspberries are grown and eaten in the north in the summer.

Application of fruits

When you are satisfied with eating fresh raspberries in the summer, try storing the rest for the winter. Freezing berries has become increasingly popular lately. The Meteor variety is almost ideal for this procedure.

These raspberries are also suitable for more traditional preparations for the winter; you can make jam from them, grind them with sugar, or preserve jam.

Housewives often use berries as a filling for cakes and pies, in compotes, mousses, cocktails and jellies. Moreover, both fresh and frozen (canned) raspberries are suitable for use.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Meteor has both its pros and cons. The advantages include the following:

brings a very early and abundant harvest;
the berries are very tasty and easily tolerate transportation, so such raspberries can be easily sold and transported over various distances;
the bushes are absolutely easy to care for - they can be fertilized several times with minerals and that will be enough;
raspberries can reproduce almost independently - by cuttings and self-pollinate;
This variety has very few thorns, so the fruits are easy to pick;
The main advantage of Meteor is its frost resistance.

All of the above advantages have been time-tested, but over its more than thirty-year history, raspberries have also had disadvantages:

if the bush is very tall (more than 2 m), it must be tied, otherwise it will fall and break;
during the thaw period, the root system can be very damaged, the berry can even die;
in the last 10 years, new varieties have appeared that are superior to Meteor in some respects;
Sometimes this variety of raspberries contains a lot of sugar, which can affect the development of diabetes.

A brief overview of the Meteor variety can be seen in the video below:

Meteor has its own growing characteristics that every gardener must observe.

Features of cultivation

At first glance, all fruit and berry bushes are the same. They grow and yield equally. But in fact, each shrub has its own characteristics associated with cultivation. Meteor was no exception.

Landing Features

The first feature of the Meteor is its landing pattern. While other raspberry varieties can be planted in any season, Meteor can only be planted in the spring. If you plant raspberries in the fall, there is a high probability that they will not survive the thaw.

Read our article about how to plant raspberries in the spring.

It is also important to choose the right planting location and prepare the ground. All other planting criteria are the same as for other varieties of this berry:

Make a hole 30x30 cm. The trench should have the same parameters if the gardener has chosen the trench planting method. The distance between bushes should not be more than 80 cm.
When raspberries sink into the ground, fertilize them with organic matter.
Pay attention to the root collar. It should not be covered with soil and should not be on the surface.
After planting, water the bushes. The amount of water is calculated by the number of linear meters.
After watering, form a covering material from mineral fertilizers around the bush.
Finally, trim the shoots of the seedling so that they are no higher than 30 cm from the ground.

Features of watering

If there is little rain in the area where raspberries grow, then the berries must be watered constantly. This should be done both at the beginning of flowering and at the moment when shoots appear. The standard consumption for a raspberry garden is three buckets per square meter. m.

Trimming Features

It is recommended to prune raspberries according to a schedule - after harvest (autumn pruning) or before buds appear (spring pruning). Make yourself a schedule for sanitary pruning and follow it. Cut out weak, thin and diseased branches. Then the defects will not spread to the entire raspberry plant.

Raspberries should be trimmed after each harvest by about 15 cm. After winter, frozen tops should be removed and trimmed by about 10 cm.

Features of feeding

Three times a year, in order for raspberries to grow and develop well, it is necessary to apply organic fertilizers at approximately 5 kg per square meter. m. Be sure to feed raspberries in the spring. In this case, ammonium nitrate will act as fertilizer. At the end of summer, when the berries are prepared for winter, other fertilizers are applied; it is important that they contain phosphorus and potassium.

Manure and chicken droppings diluted with water approximately 1:5 and 1:10 can also be applied as fertilizers.

Features of reproduction

Reproduction of "Meteor" occurs either in late autumn or early spring. For this, it is recommended to use “adult” bushes aged 4-5 years. It is important to ensure that diseased bushes are not used. This berry variety can be propagated in several ways:

Root shoots. In this case, separate the shoots from the rhizome and replant. Then cut them so that they are about 30cm long.
Root cuttings. In the fall, dig up and select the strongest roots. They will survive the winter in containers in a cool place. They can be planted in the spring.
Through dividing the bush. Dig up the bush and divide it into several parts. Transplant each part to a new place. This can be done in any season.

Features of preparation for winter

In order for a frost-resistant shrub to survive winter and spring frosts, it needs to be prepared. Tie the shoots and bend them to the ground. But this must be done before the first frost, otherwise the stems will break and the berries will die.

An equally important feature of this raspberry variety is that it is quite resistant to all diseases and does not die from exposure to pests.

Reproduction methods

The main methods of propagation of raspberries of the Meteor variety:

Root shoots. The described variety grows quickly and produces many root shoots in 3-4 years. They are carefully separated from the mother bush and planted in a permanent place. The procedure is carried out in warm weather (spring, summer, autumn).
Dividing the bush. In this case, the bush is dug up and divided into several parts. We need to make sure that the young shoot and last year’s shoot are together. Then each part is planted as an independent unit in a permanent place. After planting, prune to 3-4 buds.
Root cuttings. In autumn, raspberry root is dug up and divided into several pieces - 7-11 cm in length. Then they are planted in a trench and moistened. When shoots grow from the roots, they are transplanted to the prepared area.
Horizontal layering. To do this, select shoots from the bush that are located closer to the ground. Such a shoot is pressed to the soil and dug in, but 2-3 buds are left above ground level. In spring, such cuttings already have roots. They are separated from the bush and planted in a permanent place.

Resistance to pests and diseases

Raspberry Meteor is quite resistant to many types of diseases and pests. But there are problems that Meteor raspberries cannot cope with.

Purple spot

Purple spot destroys up to 80% of all raspberries. Appears on the stems in the form of purple blurry spots. If a bush becomes infected with this disease, it must be dug up and burned.

For prevention, treat the bush with the following means:

Bordeaux mixture;
copper oxychloride;
pharmaceutical iodine in proportions of 1 tsp. for 10 liters of water.

An effective way is to grow raspberries on a trellis - the bush is ventilated and nothing gets on it from other plants.

Shoot gall midge

Shoot gall midge is caused by insects, the larvae of which form growths on the stems, the shoot is destroyed from the inside, and easily breaks from the outside. The growths interfere with the movement of juices and therefore the plant dies.

Using a magnifying glass, inspect each stem for affected shoots, cut them off and burn them. In the fall, dig up the soil, this will also affect the further “life” of the larvae. You cannot get rid of the pest using chemicals.

Spider mite

It appears on the lower surface of the leaves and sucks the juice from them. White spots appear on the leaves, and subsequently there is less chlorophyll and the yield decreases.

To prevent spider mites from appearing on raspberries, remove weeds regularly and do not plant bushes too close. If we talk about fertilizers, a 6-7% urea solution will help. Spray the raspberries with this product in the spring, before the first buds and in August. They are taken in a proportion of approximately 15-20 g of product per 10 liters of water.

Raspberry growth

The disease is viral, it is also called dwarfism and witch's broom. Distributors: cicadas. Overgrowth cannot be treated. The plant is dug up and burned.

If a bush is affected by this disease, then instead of several healthy stems, short shoots with many leaves will grow on it. As a result, bunches of shoots appear on the bush and there are no berries at all.

As a preventative measure, raspberry bushes are treated against cicadas (Aktellika, Atorina, Fitoferma, etc.).

Landing algorithm

After culling damaged and diseased cuttings, they are transferred to the soil.

A store-bought seedling with an open root system should have swollen buds. This material can be planted with existing foliage.
The finished seedling is buried to the level of the root collar. Cuttings over 30-40 cm should be shortened.
When placing a seedling in a planting hole, you must ensure that the roots are not positioned upward.
After leveling the soil level, it is necessary to water the plantings at the rate of 10 liters per 1 bush and sprinkle with peat or dry grass mulch, at least 5 cm thick.

Reviews from gardeners

★★★★★
Anna, 40 years old, summer resident, Krasnodar. I’ve been planting this particular variety of raspberries for a long time now and I don’t know any grief.
He is surprisingly resistant to all the vicissitudes of fate. I am very pleased with the unpretentiousness of the bush. Sometimes I don’t even have time to make compote and jam; all the berries are eaten right on the bush, before reaching the house. ★★★★★
Vladimir, 35 years old, gardener, Moscow. The first harvest after planting was too small, I thought about digging it up and replacing it with another variety, but my wife stopped me.
As a result, we have been enjoying this berry for the third year. From the second year, large and juicy raspberries began to grow. We are amazingly lucky, during all this time there has not been a single serious disease on the bush. Even on our land there is always a lot of harvest. ★★★★★
Victoria, 60 years old, summer resident, Chelyabinsk. My neighbor at the dacha praised her berries so much that I decided to take the shoot from her.
I just planted it this year, so there are no berries yet. But I like how the bush grows. Hide

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Raspberries Meteor need to provide quality care to get a high yield. Keep an eye out for possible raspberry diseases and pests, remembering to carry out timely treatment.

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