Thorns have always irritated summer residents and gardeners. The thorns mercilessly scratched my hands and clung to my clothes, protecting the raspberries from uninvited lovers of delicious berries. When the bushes were very dense, fruit picking turned, without exaggeration, into a “battle for the harvest.” And when thornless varieties appeared on our market not so long ago, this immediately aroused genuine interest in them among gardeners. And the first domestic variety with completely “bald” shoots was Maroseyka. Moreover, she was born more than 30 years ago. But what else makes our heroine stand out in the berry world, besides the lack of thorns, is in our article below.
Description of Maroseyka raspberries
Raspberry Maroseyka is a non-repairing type of early ripening crop. The large-fruited Maroseyka raspberry is suitable for non-professional cultivation and for replenishing the range of small farms.
Due to the shallow location of the root system, raspberries are unable to withstand frost and the dry season. Growing crops on an industrial scale in central Russia is very difficult. Due to this feature of the root system, caring for raspberries in large volumes is problematic, while caring for several plantings is not difficult.
Early raspberries of the Maroseyka variety have a strong spreading bush, reaching 160-170 cm in height. During a season, the crop can form 6-7 shoots and 8-12 branches of young shoots. The branches of the Maroseyka raspberry variety are straight, covered with a protective felt coating. The bush has no thorns. Dense elastic fruit branches that can support up to 15-20 berries.
The photo shows that the Maroseyka raspberry has large and soft foliage. In spring, the leaves are bright green in color, and gradually darken in autumn. The berry of this variety is large, conical in shape, light red in color, 4.5-5 cm in size, and 10-15 grams in weight. An undoubted advantage is that raspberries do not crumble after ripening and do not fade.
Raspberries have a bright aroma reminiscent of wild berries. The pulp of the berries is juicy and fleshy, contains a lot of sweetness, light raspberry sourness and a minimum of seeds.
Raspberries bear fruit every year, which makes the variety promising for cultivation in the Moscow region. The crop can also be grown in harsher climates. For example, when planting Maroseyka raspberries in Siberia, you need to remember the importance of covering the plantings for the winter.
What is the best way to reproduce?
Maroseyka actively forms new shoots already at the age of four. An adult bush produces 10-12 basal shoots per year. They are well suited for propagation of the variety.
The deposition procedure is carried out as follows:
- Select the thickest, well-developed shoots and dig them out along with the roots.
- The crown is cut off, leaving a height of 30-40 cm. This technique is necessary so that the seedling uses all its strength to form a powerful root system.
- The shoot is planted in a separate hole.
Important! In the first year, all formed inflorescences are removed from a young seedling in order to direct energy to the growth of shoots and roots.
The variety can also be propagated by rooting semi-lignified cuttings. The best time for the procedure is mid-July. The shoot is cut into cuttings 10-12 cm long and placed in a peat-sand mixture. By autumn, roots will form on the blanks, and the seedlings can be planted in a permanent growing location.
Characteristics of the Maroseyka raspberry variety
Studying the description of the Maroseyka raspberry variety and gardeners’ reviews of it, we can highlight the key characteristics of the crop:
- Resistance to diseases and pests - even damaged branches are able to produce a harvest identical in shape and quality to that of a healthy plant.
- Maroseyka raspberry is considered an unpretentious plant - for a high-quality harvest, it is enough to follow simple rules of agricultural technology.
- The variety is characterized by increased productivity, excellent taste characteristics and large berries.
- Raspberries develop well in the middle climate. In areas with a more severe climate, additional shelter for plantings for the winter is required.
Interesting fact! The waxy coating present on the stems helps protect the plant from attack by pests, low temperatures and fungal diseases.
Features of fruiting
According to reviews from gardeners, Maroseyka raspberries begin to ripen as early as July. Fruiting is extended and lasts until the second half of August. The berries are collected in 4-5 steps. On average, up to 4-6 kg of berries can be collected from one bush per season.
Weak sides
- Quite spreading shoots; installation of a trellis or supports is required. Plus, the bush grows widely, this must be taken into account when choosing a planting scheme.
- Maroseyka produces quite a lot of shoots per season, and the laterals have up to 4 orders of branching. Therefore, regular cutting of excess stems and branches that thicken the bush is required.
- There is no uniformity of fruits, a large percentage of double, slightly deformed and twisted berries.
- Average (up to -25°C) frost resistance.
- Transportability and shelf life are at an average level, especially for large fruits. It is advisable to tear it off together with the stalk. Transportation over long distances is problematic.
- When overripe, the berries are only suitable for processing and making wine.
The final conclusion is, of course, up to you. It’s even better to draw all the conclusions by planting the variety and observing it for 2-3 years. But I want to make a reservation right away - I’m sure that Maroseyka will definitely not disappoint. This is indeed a very worthy raspberry, but mainly for amateur cultivation in the country or garden.
Author: Maxim Zarechny.
Planting Maroseyka raspberries
Planting seedlings of the crop is carried out in spring or autumn. Raspberries require fertile soil. If the soil does not meet this parameter, then before planting, the site must be dug up, humus and mineral fertilizers applied. The acidity of the soil is also important - Maroseyka raspberries require a neutral pH level.
Raspberries should be planted in a well-lit place with protection from sudden gusts of wind. The depth of groundwater is extremely important. If the waters are located at a distance of less than 100 cm, it is necessary to construct a drainage horizon.
A separate hole is prepared for each seedling, at the bottom of which fertilizers (organic matter or nitrogen-mineral complexes) are poured. Raspberries must be planted in rows, maintaining a distance of 40-50 cm between bushes and at least 90-100 cm between rows.
Shoots over 100 cm high need support and tying. It is recommended to carry out planting work in cloudy, windless weather. Each seedling is watered abundantly, and the soil around is mulched.
Disadvantages of the variety
In addition to its advantages, the variety also has disadvantages:
- Due to the power of the bushes, the plant needs to be given a lot of space on the site, taking into account that there should be from 80 to 100 cm between plants, and up to one and a half meters between rows.
- At a height above 1.8 meters, the raspberries will have to be tied to trellises, with each shoot in three places. This will help the plants withstand the winds and not lose berries.
- Winter-hardy raspberries Gusar easily cope with frosts because they are covered. And in the spring, when warmth gives way to frost, plants may die due to icing of the roots. Most often, as gardeners write in reviews, Gusar raspberry bushes planted in the fall do not survive in the spring.
But despite some shortcomings, gardeners prefer the young variety of remontant red raspberries Gussar.
Rules for growing Maroseyka raspberries
Caring for Maroseyka raspberries after planting in the ground is quite simple. The soil around the seedlings must be loosened regularly to ensure sufficient air supply to the root system. Weeds can be removed manually or weeded.
Watering is carried out as the soil dries. During the flowering period, raspberries are fed with mineral complexes containing phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
When leaving reviews about the peculiarities of growing the Maroseyka raspberry variety, experienced gardeners indicate the need to prune the bushes in spring or autumn. Dry and diseased shoots must be removed. Also in the spring it is necessary to thin out the young shoots, leaving no more than 8 shoots on the bush. However, it is worth noting that this procedure is mandatory for almost all varieties.
Preparing for winter
In autumn, Maroseyka raspberries need care. And it is important that all preparations for winter are carried out on time, since its yield in the next season depends on this:
- Plantings are fed with complex mineral compounds. You can use organic matter (humus);
- The soil under the raspberries is mulched with a dense layer of spruce branches, dry sawdust, straw or spruce branches;
- Young and weak shoots are removed - they are unable to withstand winter frosts;
Preparing for winter and wintering
Maroseyka tolerates winter cold and slight cooling well, but frosts exceeding -30 C are destructive for the plant. Therefore, the northern regions are taking measures to cover the bushes before the winter cold. The bush should be covered no later than the first days of September. This is due to the fact that at a later time, when the first frosts begin, the branches will become brittle and it will be problematic to cover them.
Initially, the branches are pruned, and the basal shoots are also removed.
Afterwards, the entire bush is tied up and bunched up and bent down to the soil as much as possible. It is recommended to cover the raspberry bunches with spunbond, sawdust, straw or pine branches on top. You can also use any other material.
If the region is characterized by an abundance of snow, then the bent branches to the ground should simply be covered with snow after it falls. It will protect the plant from sub-zero temperatures and freezing of rhizomes.
Diseases and pests
Raspberry Maroseyka has good immunity to diseases. However, violation of the rules of care can provoke an outbreak of diseases such as powdery mildew, rust, purple spot, anthracnose and chlorosis. In case of damage, the bushes are treated with a solution of copper oxychloride, 1% Bordeaux mixture, Hom or Abiga-Pik.
In addition to diseases, raspberries can also be affected by insect pests. The most common of them are aphids, stem gall midges, weevils and gall midges. To combat insects, the drugs Fufanon, Alatar, Inta-Vir, Actellik or Iskra-M are used.
Maroseyka will tell you more about raspberries in a video
The main mistakes made when growing this variety
When growing, it is important to adhere to the necessary rules of agricultural technology. Common mistakes when cultivating raspberries:
- Failure to maintain the distance between bushes. The planting becomes overgrown, shaded, the bushes lack nutrients, the berries become sour, and the yield drops.
- Not pruning bushes. The crop thickens, in addition to yield, the plant is susceptible to diseases.
- The plant is not covered for the winter. The raspberries may freeze or the yield will decrease.
If you follow simple rules of agricultural technology, the plant will delight you with a bountiful harvest.
Reviews from gardeners about Maroseyka raspberries
Svetlana, 34 years old, Moscow Maroseyka raspberries were planted at the dacha last year. The berry is large, sweet, does not crumble and attracts with the aroma of wild raspberries. The variety is not demanding in terms of care; we water it as needed, as soon as the soil underneath dries out.
Irina, 41 years old, Aramil Raspberry Maroseyka has been growing in the garden for the 5th year. The seedlings were brought from the south; this variety was not found in the Urals. All the efforts were more than justified. Its berries are large, with a special aroma, and ripen all summer. Growing is not labor intensive. I feed it with Baikal-M fertilizer and mulch the soil with humus. Our winters are snowy, so the bushes winter well without shelter.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Each variety has its own positive and negative sides, which gardeners take into account when planting. Raspberries surprise with a list of positive qualities:
- large fruits;
- increased productivity;
- excellent taste and excellent aroma;
- excellent resistance to painful manifestations.
But with all the positive qualities, it is worth considering the negative sides of the plant. The disadvantages of the variety include:
- raspberries are not remontant;
- not winter-hardy, requires covering for the winter;
- with long-term (more than 10 years) cultivation, the berries become smaller, this is attributed to genetic instability.
Reproduction methods
Raspberries produce abundant shoots, so growing them is not difficult.
There are several options for propagating raspberries:
- offspring growing next to the mother bush, when they reach a height of 15 cm, can be dug up from an adult plant along with the root. This can be done at any time, but the optimal rise occurs in June or July;
- From the old bush with a shovel, you can separate the younger part with the roots along with the stems up to 1 cm in diameter (they are shortened to 25 cm) and transplant it to a new place. It is better to hold such an event in the spring;
- a more complex method is cuttings. In June, cuttings (10–12 cm) are cut from 2-3 year old offspring and soaked for several hours in a root formation stimulator. Next, they are placed in containers with a peat-sand mixture and covered with film. In the fall they are planted in a permanent place.
