Raspberry “Vera” - description, planting and caring for a moisture-loving variety

Characteristics of the raspberry variety Vera

The high-yielding crop was registered in 1989. As you can see, it appeared 30 years ago. This is the result of selection of varieties, and thanks to scientists from the Siberian Research Institute named after. M.A. Lisavenko. Three types of raspberries were used for selection.

These are the “parents”:

1. Kaliningradskaya,
2. Barnaulskaya,
3. Kuzmin's news.

It was recommended to grow it as frost-resistant. The location has also been determined. These are the Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth, and West Siberian regions.

The yield has been achieved. Therefore, farmers are now happy to grow it for sale. As for frost resistance, they have doubts. Hybrids, even in the center of the country, often freeze to death. Therefore, it is impossible to do without solid shelters.

• The crop has a short growing season. This is an early ripening variety.
• Flowering shoots begin in mid-June. The first ten days of July is harvest time.
• Vera has medium-sized, semi-spreading stems with a height of 150-180 cm.
• The bushes are fully formed almost after three years after they are planted.
• Annual shoots are green in color, with slightly curved, flexible tips.
• In biennials, the stems are brown, elastic and flexible.
• Raspberry Vera with erect shoots, soft small thorns, with medium shoot formation. It reproduces easily, but without abundant growth near bushes.
• Thanks to its flexibility, when covered, the crop calmly bends to the ground.
• Plants with medium-sized, wrinkled, dark green leaves.
• Vera produces berries with a medium and small size of 1.8 -2. g, blunt-conical shape, uniform purple color, sweet and sour taste.
• Due to the fact that the drupes have poor adhesion to each other, the berries are difficult to transport and keep well.
• Simultaneous fruit ripening is observed.
• During the summer season, about 3 kg of berries are harvested from one plant. From one hectare - up to 13 centners.
• If the temperature is less than 25 degrees in a snowless winter, you definitely need to cover the raspberry tree.
• The culture does not like drought. She prefers rainy weather.
• Raspberries can get purple spot, but can withstand the attacks of the shoot gall midge.
• When picked, the berries are dry and do not fall off.

More on the topic: Super-yielding remontant raspberry Oksana

Description and characteristics

Raspberry Vera has become popular for cultivation due to its excellent yield and good taste. This garden crop has many other features for which it is highly valued, which is why it is important to read its description.

Raspberry Vera is a low spreading plant that looks like a bush. The height does not exceed 1.5 m. Full formation of an adult plant occurs in 3 years.

Raspberries have flexible and green shoots, which turn brown 12–14 months after planting. They are densely covered with soft and thin thorns and leaves. At the top the shoot is slightly curved.

Raspberries are round and blunt-pointed . They have a rich dark crimson hue. On average, the weight of one fruit is about 2.5 g (individual berries can weigh 4 g). One bush can have berries of different sizes: large and slightly smaller. The taste of Vera fruits is sweet and sour, they have a characteristic raspberry aroma.

The variety has oblong, wrinkled leaves with jagged edges. They are dark green in color, and on the reverse side they are gray or whitish. The leaves have a velvety surface with a light fluff.

The crop begins to bloom in early June, and the first harvest should be expected by mid-July. The variety is very productive. During the season it is possible to collect about 3 kg of berries.

Did you know? Dried raspberry leaves can be an excellent alternative to the usual black or green tea.

Vera was bred more than 30 years ago. But it is still considered one of the most popular among gardeners.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the main characteristics to understand whether the crop is worth growing:

1. Drought resistance . She is not tall. Raspberries need regular watering, especially when grown in southern regions with hot summers. When maintaining temperatures above +30°C, the yield drops by 2 times. However, raspberries bear fruit poorly even in too rainy summers.
2. Frost resistance . The variety is not resistant to frost. The stems freeze slightly at a temperature of -10°C and the shoots die at -25°C. That is why it is important to carefully cover the bush for the winter. Both adult plants and young plants need to be insulated.
3. Productivity . She is very tall. On average, each bush produces 2–2.5 kg of berries per season. With proper care, you can collect even 3 kg. Moreover, the shedding of the fruit is very weak: the small drupes of the berries are poorly adhered, so the raspberries hold on very tightly. The berries ripen at the same time, turning red evenly, which makes them easy to pick.
4. Lightweight and transportable . The variety is unsuitable for transportation, the reason is weak drupes, which leads to the berries falling apart almost immediately after picking. For the same reason, the fruits do not last long; they need to be processed immediately.
5. Area of ​​use. Vera is not a dessert berry, but an ordinary garden berry. The taste of the variety is average (3.5 points out of 5 possible).

Raspberries are usually used for processing, as well as for creating preserves, liqueurs, jams, and wine.
Raspberry Vera is a hybrid that has both pros and cons. Gardeners have no plans to abandon the crop anytime soon. They continue to be actively cultivated, largely due to their abundant yields and high resistance to diseases.

• The main advantages are as follows:
• low fruit shedding;
• large fruit;
• high productivity;
• early maturation;
• unpretentiousness of care;
• uniform ripening of berries.

• Culture has no shortcomings as such. But it is still worth noting the following:
• Low frost resistance. But when growing plants in northern regions, the problem is solved by insulating them for the winter.
• Low drought resistance. During hot weather, raspberries produce less yield. If you want to grow a crop in the southern regions, the problem can be solved by planting plants in the shade and frequent watering.
• Unexpressed taste. However, this quality is not for everyone.
• Impossibility of transportation and long-term storage. The product needs immediate processing immediately after collection.

It is best to grow Vera in central Russia. It is there that the climate conditions are the most comfortable for her, which means she can count on an excellent harvest.

Pros and cons of the Vera raspberry variety

Advantages of the variety:

1. With high yield.
2. Slightly dependent on climate.
3. With average frost resistance.
4. With a pleasant taste.
5. Raspberries can be processed for cooking.
6. Plants with immunity to diseases.
7. The berries are not prone to crumbling.
8. The fruits ripen at the same time.

The most important disadvantages of Vera:

• plants love moisture;
• the culture is not frost-resistant;
• prone to disease, she is attacked by purple spotting;
• regular raspberry flavor;
• poor keeping quality and non-transportability.

Usually, in addition to summer residents, small and medium-sized farms are engaged in its cultivation. And then it is processed.

Landing technology

It is advisable to plant raspberries of the “Vera” variety in the first ten days of autumn. For planting, a flat, slightly elevated area should be allocated, without flooding with melt water. The soil in the raspberry garden area should be fertile, light and breathable. Planting on slightly acidic soil is allowed. In case of strong acidification, liming with dolomite flour must be carried out in advance. Adding ordinary wood ash to planting is considered very useful.

When planting, you must strictly adhere to the distance between rows and plants. The standard scheme assumes an inter-row space of 1.2 or 1.5 m. The distance between plants in a row should be at least 0.6-0.7 m. Such indicators allow you to easily maintain plants in a raspberry garden. If the soil fertility is insufficient, local application of fertilizers should be carried out in planting holes or trenches.

Immediately after planting, plants need abundant watering, as well as mulching the top layer of soil with organic components such as sawdust, dry leaves, peat or dry humus. When planting in autumn, it is necessary to prepare the plants for winter when the first hard frost occurs.

Agricultural technology of raspberry variety Vera

The plants are quite easy to grow. The main thing is to purchase high-quality planting material.

After acquisition, seedlings cannot be kept in polyethylene, because the roots will swell. Buy low seedlings so that they can quickly take root.

note

, when purchasing, on the rhizomes, there should be no traces of insects or infections. Buy bushes with shoots from 2 to 4.

Pay attention to the photo. These are the seedlings you need to purchase.

Be very careful if you are going to purchase a plant at the market. But it’s better not to take goods from such places. In order not to fall for low-grade and low-quality material.

Growing and care

In order for raspberry bushes to bear fruit well, they require appropriate care. Let's look at the most important questions.

Watering

Regardless of the variety, any raspberry needs sufficient soil moisture. If it is not always possible to regularly visit the dacha in the summer, then you can use a special hydrogel. Approximately one glass of this substance should be added to one well. Under this condition, 2-3 waterings per month will be sufficient. In order for the moisture to evaporate more slowly, mulching should be done around each bush.

When Vera raspberries are in a period of intensive growth, they need to be watered abundantly. Also, do not forget about timely loosening the soil and removing weeds.

Trimming

The Vera variety is not remontant, so fruiting occurs only on shoots of the second year of life. After fruiting, the fruiting stem is cut off at the root. Instead, a young shoot grows, which next year will produce juicy, large berries. Proper pruning can significantly increase the volume of the harvest. When a young bush reaches a height of 1 meter, you need to trim the crown by about 3 cm. After some time, side branches will begin to grow. When they grow 30 cm, you need to perform the same manipulation with them.

How to plant

You must decide in advance on the location of the raspberry patch. Calculate the number of shoots. These bushes love the sun, so shaded areas immediately disappear. Raspberries simply won’t take root.

It is advisable to choose a place with a slight elevation. Or a completely flat area. Make sure that groundwater does not come into contact with the roots of the crop. She will die. Select soil that is loose and nutritious. Air and moisture permeable. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic.

Important!

For soil with high acidity, dolomite flour is added to the holes before planting.

Plant Vera in late September or early October. Prepare the area in advance.

More on the topic: Raspberry variety Nugget

Dig together:

• with humus;
• compost;
• rotted manure;
• potash fertilizers.

Prepare holes 60-70 cm apart from each other. If you make trenches, make them 30 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. Leave a distance of 100-120 cm between the rows.

Don't forget about wood ash when planting. Try to place the seedlings carefully in the holes, straightening the rhizomes. Sprinkle everything with soil afterwards. Water it. The shoots must take root.

Landing

To obtain high yields, it is not enough to choose a good variety. It is necessary to take a responsible approach to choosing the place where the bushes will grow. Raspberries love well-lit and ventilated areas.

The Vera variety is planted at a distance of 60–70 cm in a row, with 1.5 m between rows. With this scheme, it is convenient to care for the seedlings. Experts recommend planting 2 plants in one hole. The purchased planting material must be shortened to a height of 25-30 cm, otherwise moisture will evaporate intensely through the leaves, which will lead to drying out of the stem. The transplanted bush has damaged small roots through which moisture is absorbed; it will take some time to restore them. If you are replanting bushes from your site, carrying them with a ball of earth, you also need to trim the stem for better survival.

The planting hole should be filled with fertilizers so that the plant has enough strength to begin to grow and develop. Organic matter is preferable - last year's manure or chicken droppings, but you can use superphosphate or other complex fertilizer.

If you are unable to visit your summer cottage at least once a week during the summer, you should use a magic wand for gardeners - hydrogel. At least one glass is placed into the hole. This will allow you to water the plantings 2-3 times a month, and only in extreme heat. To reduce moisture evaporation, the surface of the soil around the bushes is mulched.

When to replant?

The age-old question: when to plant raspberries, in spring or autumn? Opinions were divided. Many experienced gardeners believe that the optimal time is mid-September. There is a completely reasonable explanation for this. Summer is over, and the plant, instead of fighting for survival in unfavorable conditions, will direct all its strength to rooting. There is enough time for this before the onset of stable frosts.

If planting is done in the spring, in the event of a sudden onset of heat, and then heat, the bushes will not have time to take root and will suffer for a long time or die. Considering the high cost of high-quality planting material, this is an extra expense and a spoiled mood.

How to care for the Vera raspberry variety

Raspberry Vera requires standard care. The post-planting period is very important for the crop.

Having planted the shoots, then carry out the following procedures

When the soil subsides, add it so that the root buds are covered by 2-3 cm.

Apply mulch to the raspberries. Using straw, peat or humus, cover the raspberries with such a blanket.

Then:

• weeds will not attack plants;
• the soil will not dry out;
• the crop will reward you with good yields.

Feeling colder and expecting severe frosts? In this case, wrap the shoots. To help you: coniferous spruce branches, straw or sawdust.

Important

! If you are planning a spring planting of Vera, then keep the soil moist throughout the summer and shade the plants during extreme heat.

Adult shoots are very easy to care for.

Raspberry Vera loves drip irrigation.

It is possible not to weed or loosen the soil, but to cover the plants with mulch.

For prevention, treat before flowering:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• karbofos;
• or chemical means.

In the summer season, feed the berry. To do this, use phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. This procedure can be carried out up to 3 times.

Be sure to install supports. Then the bushes will not bend to the bottom. And they will have better ventilation.

During spring and autumn pruning, remove two-year-old growth. Carry out sanitary cleaning in the raspberry field.

Be sure to cover Vera if you have frosty and snowless winters.

Attention!

If competent agrotechnical practices are followed, you will get a high-quality and large harvest.

Care

Fruiting occurs on the woody shoots of the previous year, after which the branch is cut out at the root. Instead, young, green shoots grow from the root rosette, which will bear bright, juicy berries next year.

Every year at the beginning of spring, in order for the bushes to start growing, they must be fed with a solution of ammonium nitrate, urea or Superagro. Raspberries do not need spring watering; the moisture received after the snow melts is enough for them.

With the beginning of flowering comes the time for organic feeding. A bucket of mash from one kilogram of fresh manure per 10 liters of water is poured under each bush, and the damp soil is mulched. It is clear that no one will weigh the fertilizer; a layer of 2–3 cm at the bottom of the bucket can serve as a guide. After harvesting, another organic feeding follows. Why is it important? After the plant has rested a little, next year's fruit buds begin to form. The bushes, depleted by a bountiful harvest, will be faced with a choice - to throw all their strength into survival or the future harvest. A well-fed plant will delight the summer resident with a large number of berries.

There is one simple trick that allows you to increase the yield by 2 - 3 times. The gardener does not require significant financial expenditure or physical effort. The secret is to increase the number of fruiting branches on the Vera raspberry bush. When a young, green shoot reaches a height of one meter, you need to pinch its growth point and trim the crown by 3 - 4 cm. After some time, side shoots will appear. With the sides grown by 25 - 30 cm, perform the same operation. Thus, by September, instead of 3–4 side shoots, each bush will have 10–12.

During the period of intensive growth, raspberries need increased watering. Careful loosening of the soil and timely removal of weeds is an indispensable condition for the development of healthy, strong plants.

How to prepare a crop for wintering

To prepare raspberries for winter, experts suggest carrying out the following activities:

1. Perform moisture-discharge irrigation with a double portion of water. Except in rainy autumn.
2. Trim off fruit-bearing, dry, damaged, weak shoots.
3. Apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
4. Cover the shoots because the raspberries may freeze. After bending down to the ground, the bushes need to be pinned and then covered. The material must be non-woven and breathable. You can use agrofibre with wooden or metal frames.

More on the topic: Features of Earlie Cumberland black raspberries

It is recommended to bend Vera raspberry bushes at the end of September. Because if you bend them before frost, they can break. Don't forget to remove any remaining leaves from the plants.

Here are tips on how to tie and secure them:

1. Take the shoots in a bunch.
2. Tie them together and attach some weight to them, weighing 1 kg.
3. You can do pinning. They use hooks for it. Or they also tie the tops to the bases of neighboring shoots

If you are growing plants on trellises, then they can be tied to the lower floors of wire.

So that the height of the bent stems does not exceed 25 cm.

Aftercare

In order for raspberries to bear fruit well, they need to be watered, pruned and fed regularly. The plant needs especially careful care after planting.

Trimming

Raspberries are pruned in early spring before the buds open and in the fall before the onset of cold weather. Remove 2-year-old dried and weak shoots. The bushes are also thinned out to increase productivity.

Important! The maximum number of shoots on a raspberry bush is 7. The remaining unnecessary and diseased shoots should be removed.

If signs of a fungal disease appear on the raspberry leaves, the bush is cut off to the very root and the affected shoots are burned.

Watering

Raspberries of the Vera variety do not tolerate drought well, so watering is carried out regularly in the summer. Drip irrigation is suitable for these purposes. But stagnation of moisture in the soil should not be allowed. Therefore, the root area is covered with a layer of mulch. After rain or heavy watering, the soil in the root area must be loosened.

Top dressing

In spring and autumn, organic fertilizers are added to the soil. Manure or compost works well for these purposes. Raspberries are also fed with mineral fertilizers: superphosphate or potassium salt. They can be replaced with wood ash. 150 g per 1 m2 of such fertilizers is enough.

For spring feeding of raspberries, complex mineral fertilizers are used. They are dissolved in a bucket of water according to the instructions and added to the bushes.

Important! If the raspberry grows well, develops and bears fruit, it has enough all the necessary substances.

In this case, you should not additionally feed or increase the dose of fertilizers.

Garter

Tying raspberry bushes prevents them from breaking and increases productivity. Attach the bush to a trellis, peg or rail. Raspberries of the Vera variety are tied in early spring or late autumn. The garter is carried out during the period when the shoots of the plant are still flexible. Closer to summer or winter, they may become woody. The wire for the garter is pulled 20 cm from the ground. This will prevent the shoots from freezing. Their upper part will quickly become covered with snow. This will protect the plant from frost, and strong winds will not damage the shoots.

Rodent protection

To prevent the appearance of rodents in the garden beds, the garden is cleaned in the fall. All weeds are removed, old dry branches are trimmed, fallen leaves are raked into heaps. All waste must be burned or filled into a compost bin. It is impossible to leave drooping plants in the beds; rodents breed in them and spend the winter. If pests do appear, baits and traps for them are installed in the garden, and the bushes are wrapped in protective fabric or nylon.

Shelter for the winter

After pruning, the row spacing of raspberry bushes is sprinkled with mulch: peat, sawdust, bark. Before this, the soil must be loosened well. The root collar is hilled up and covered with a layer of soil. The shoots of neighboring bushes are tilted towards each other and tied together. This way they will be covered with snow faster, and the natural insulation will not fall off. You can also cover the tied bushes with a special film and tie them.

Reviews

Vsevolod Vasilyevich, he lives in Reutovo, writes that he has more than 6 areas with raspberries in his dacha. Large-fruited berries, blackberry crops, yellow berries, etc. But he gives preference to old, proven plants.

It receives good harvests every year, with a large number of inflorescences. For the winter, the roots are wrapped in spruce branches or sawdust. And in the spring, the blanket of sawdust or spruce branches is not removed, but only compacted. It turns out to be a kind of fertilizer after rotting.

Valentina. Saratov.

Vera has been at the site for more than 10 years. During this time, she has never shown capriciousness or poor harvest. I like the berries for their taste and sweetness. Lots of side growth. We are not chasing large berry sizes; the main thing for us is to collect a good harvest, which the Vera raspberry variety gives us.

Brief description (pros, cons)

The Vera raspberry bush is semi-spreading, low (120-150 cm). Abundant flowering occurs in mid-June, mass ripening of berries occurs in the first or second half of July. Despite the dry picking of the berries, they are difficult to transport, so the variety is rarely used commercially for sale.

Raspberries of the Vera variety bear fruit consistently, showing particular productivity with timely watering. By receiving the required amount of moisture from the soil, raspberries are less susceptible to high temperatures, and the number of fruits and their size increases.

On average, up to 3 kg can be collected from one bush per season. berries

Diseases and pests

The description of the variety does not indicate the degree of its resistance to diseases and pests. Therefore, most likely, there is a risk of Vera raspberry being affected by the most common diseases and pests.

Prevention of purple spotting and other lesions

The variety is characterized by susceptibility to purple spot, so it is worth considering this disease in more detail. Purple spot is a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Didymella applanata Sacc., so the disease has a second name - Didymella. Signs of the disease appear on annual shoots at the places where leaves are attached in the form of lilac-brown spots, which subsequently grow and ring the entire stem. Necrosis appears on the leaves, petioles and fruit branches, which leads to drying out of the affected organs.

When raspberries are infected with purple spot (didimella), purple-brown spots appear on annual shoots

Agrotechnical control measures boil down to the destruction of infected plant residues, timely thinning of plantings, and optimal watering without waterlogging. Among chemical preparations, spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture in early spring is effective. After the shoots reach 20 cm, before flowering and immediately after it, copper oxychloride (3–4 g/l) or Bordeaux mixture is used for treatment.

To prevent infection with other diseases, timely implementation of the following measures will be sufficient:

• Protecting the root system from mechanical damage (you cannot dig deeply and loosen the soil under the bushes).
• Growing raspberries in one place for no more than 7 years. Return to old sites no earlier than 3–4 years.
• Timely cutting and destruction of fruit-bearing, damaged and infected shoots.
• Weed control.
• Use only healthy planting material for propagation.
• Timely control of aphids that transmit viral diseases.
• Do not allow moisture to stagnate in the raspberry plant.
• Spraying plants with one of the chemicals (1% Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride, Khom, Abiga-Pik) in early spring, before flowering and after harvesting.

Video: how to deal with purple spotting

The description of the variety indicates its resistance only to shoot gall midges. Most likely, plants can be affected by other pests under unfavorable conditions. Therefore, it is better to get acquainted with their most common representatives in advance.

Table: possible pests of Vera raspberries

Photo gallery: the most common raspberry pests

Raspberry Vera is not discussed on gardening forums, and no reviews are left about it. The variety is far from the standard and, perhaps for this reason, is not popular. Currently, many new varieties have been developed that have improved characteristics. Probably, the Vera raspberry cannot withstand competition with them and is gradually being forced out of Russian raspberry fields. Vera is an ordinary garden raspberry. The variety is productive, but in the conditions of the regions where it is zoned, it does not have sufficient hardiness, requires quite a lot of effort when growing and is not distinguished by high quality products. Therefore, most likely, the Vera raspberry is already a history of domestic selection.