Raspberries “Skazka” are presented by online publications as a standard variety with attractive agrotechnical characteristics. Unfortunately, there is a lot of unreliable and contradictory information about this raspberry. Let's find out the features of the "Fairy Tale", and does such a variety really exist?
raspberry variety "Fairy Tale"
non-repairing variety “Skazka”
fruits of the Skazka variety do not fall off the bush, are transportable, and resistant to rotting
Raspberry Skazka: description of an unusual variety, reviews from gardeners, photos, how to plant, care rules
Every year, new seedlings of berry crops appear on sale, which are distinguished by improved characteristics and large berry sizes. But completely new varieties of berry bushes that are already familiar to gardeners are also appearing, which, despite their novelty, are already gaining popularity among gardeners and summer residents.
One of these new products is the raspberry tree. And new varieties of this plant have already appeared, one of the best of which is Skazka
. The main characteristics of the variety, cultivation, further care, advantages and disadvantages of this raspberry tree will be discussed below.
The content of the article:
1. History of the creation of the variety 2. Description and characteristics of the variety 3. Skazka raspberry, remontant or regular 4. Frost resistance of the Skazka raspberry 5. Productivity of the variety 6. Growing and care 6.1 Planting the Skazka raspberry tree 6.2 Further care 6.3 Pruning the Skazka raspberry tree 6.4 Feeding the Skazka raspberry tree 7 Diseases and pests 8. Advantages and disadvantages of the variety 9. Reviews of the raspberry tree Fairy Tale
History of the variety's creation
Raspberry tree
appeared several decades ago.
However, there is no specific information about who developed the Skazka variety. But in some sources there was information that this standard variety was bred by Professor V.V. Kichina.
But in the works of this scientist there is no information about the development of the Skazka raspberry tree variety.
Photo of the appearance of raspberries
Therefore, gardeners who are planning to grow this berry bush in their garden need to know that this variety does not officially exist, since Skazka raspberries are
was not entered. Therefore, there is a great risk of purchasing raspberry varieties that are only similar in appearance to the Skazka raspberry tree, but in fact have nothing in common with this berry bush.
Raspberry tree Fairy Tale: description and characteristics of the variety
Since this variety is not listed in the State Register and there is no official standard for Skazka raspberries
The description and characteristics of this berry bush, presented below, are compiled according to the descriptions of the sellers and gardeners who grew these raspberries:
- The variety is high-yielding, the berries are large-fruited, with an average ripening period.
- The fruits
are bright red in color, shiny, elongated conical in shape, with dense drupes. - The harvested crop has a universal purpose - the berries are consumed fresh, compotes are boiled, jams and jams are prepared, and they are frozen.
Characteristics of the raspberry tree Fairy Tale - video
fruit Fairy Tale
They are quite dense and can withstand transportation well over long distances.
Taste qualities of ripe berries
- typical for raspberries, they have the aroma characteristic of this berry.
The bushes of the Skazka raspberry tree are quite tall, the shoots can reach 1.6-3.1 m in height, the shoots are strong, sufficiently thick, erect, and have practically no thorns. But replacement shoots are formed in small quantities. Gardeners confirm that the data on the appearance of the bushes is practically confirmed.
Photo of raspberry tree bushes Fairy Tale
The size of the Skazka shrub directly depends on the climate of the growing region and the quality of the soil. Powerful stems do not lie down even under the weight of the crop, so they do not need tying or support. No root shoots are formed, the rhizomes are compact, so there is no need to cut out excess shoots.
Interesting!
Judging by the description provided, the Skazka variety is very similar to Tarusa raspberries in terms of basic characteristics, nuances of cultivation and care.
Harvest and storage
Harvesting begins around August and lasts until mid-September. However, the timing of fruit ripening may vary depending on the region where the plant is grown.
It is recommended to store the resulting harvest in small baskets. The shelf life of fresh berries is approximately 7 days in a cool place, and from 3 to 5 days (approximately) in a warm place.
Raspberries of the Skazka variety are suitable for all types of processing. It makes delicious jams, preserves, pastilles, juice and even wine. It is added to baked goods, smoothies, ice cream and other desserts are made from it, so it can be safely called a universal berry in terms of culinary use.
Skazka is a high-yielding raspberry variety that is suitable for home and industrial cultivation. It has excellent organoleptic qualities, is unpretentious in care and is resistant to phytopathologies and adverse weather and climatic conditions. The crop bears fruit consistently, and in order to get maximum yield, preference should be given to remontant varieties of the variety.
Raspberry Fairy tale remontant or ordinary?
Some traders claim that the Skazka raspberry variety is remontant
, while others say that there are two varieties of this berry:
regular and remontant.
But this statement is not true, since raspberry varieties with thick shoots are not remontant, because their fruits are set on last year’s shoots. Therefore, such statements from sellers are an advertising ploy, nothing more.
Most often, ordinary standard varieties of this berry are sold under the guise of Skazka raspberry trees.
This shrub cannot exist as a tree, as this contradicts the biological description of this berry plant.
Of course, it is possible to grow such standard shrubs, but this is not related to its qualities as a “raspberry tree” type variety. Thick berry bushes do not need tying, do not require supports, they are easier to prune, but in order to maintain the appropriate appearance of this standard bush, a wealth of experience in caring for other varieties of raspberries is required. Therefore, it is better to grow the Skazka variety only for experienced gardeners living in the southern regions of Russia.
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Where can I buy seedlings?
Skazka seedlings are offered by many specialized nurseries and online stores. Standard raspberry varieties are well advertised, so the demand for them is great. According to demand, the price is higher - standard raspberry seedlings cost higher than regular varieties. The cost of one seedling is 250-300 rubles.
How to choose the right healthy sample?
When buying seedlings, pay attention to their external signs:
- Branches and stems should be light brown or yellowish, but not black.
- There should be no spots on the leaves - gray, orange or brown, indicating that the plant is infected with blight or another disease.
- The roots are strong, powerful, fibrous. There should be no breaks or rotting.
Buying seedlings on the market is dangerous. If you buy seedlings from such places, ask for documents for the goods.
Frost resistance of raspberries Fairy Tale
Sellers claim that the Skazka raspberry variety is highly resistant to frost.
and does not require shelter even when the temperature drops to -28-30 degrees Celsius. However, in fact, Skazka raspberry bushes winter well only in the south of Russia. The problem is this: like all standard plants, the shoots of this variety become woody too quickly and become brittle. Therefore, it is difficult to guess the moment when the stems can be safely bent to the soil for further shelter for the winter. Therefore, most gardeners fail to carry out covering work and this raspberry tree remains uncovered for the winter. As a result, all parts of the Skazka shoots that are above the snow cover freeze out. Therefore, next season the yield of these berries drops sharply.
Preparing for winter
On the eve of winter, young branches are usually tied and bent to the ground to cover them with agrofibre. Fruit-bearing shoots are cut off, leaving no stumps. It would still be impossible to bend the woody shoots - they do not bend. In the spring, as soon as the first warm days arrive, the agrofibre is removed.
Gardeners often argue whether the branches of “Fairy Tales” bend down or not. There is an opinion that there are two types of this variety - regular and remontant. Where the winters are cold, it is recommended to grow a remontant version - all shoots are removed for the winter, only the roots are protected from frost. In temperate climates, shoots of non-repairing raspberries are bent down, covered with mats or non-woven material.
Planting a Raspberry Tree Fairy Tale
The soil should be sufficiently loose and fertile; stagnation of moisture in the soil can cause root rot in shrubs and other diseases. The pH of the soil should be slightly acidic or neutral.
Immediately before planting Skazka raspberry bushes, humus or compost and complex mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. The presence of fertilizers will have a positive effect on the yield of this berry bush. It is better to plant raspberries in trenches with good drainage at the bottom.
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Reproduction methods
Raspberry Fairy Tale is growing quite quickly. Thus, it is enough to dig up the necessary shoot and give it to the person who needs it.
But to get a strong plant you need to do the following:
- Dig up a bush.
- Examine him for the presence of various diseases.
- Devide into two parts.
- Treat the cut area with activated carbon.
Important. A sharp knife must be used. Otherwise, you may cause unnecessary injury to the plant.
Further care
This standard crop requires special care, without which you may not get a good harvest. In the spring, the soil around the bushes is loosened with a pitchfork, and after digging, a layer of mulch at least 8-9 cm thick is laid in the tree trunk circles. Peat, humus or straw can be used as a mulching element.
Raspberries of the Skazka variety, although they do not like stagnant moisture in the soil, are extremely necessary for watering. Therefore, every 5-7 days, add at least 10 liters of water at room temperature to each bush. It is especially important to monitor soil moisture during flowering and fruiting.
Pruning a raspberry tree Fairy Tale
The pruning procedure is carried out in order to remove old, diseased and damaged shoots. Some gardeners leave no more than one replacement shoot during the pruning process.
Pruning raspberries - video
In the last ten days of May or the first ten days of June, shoots more than a meter high are cut to 12-14 cm and by the end of summer, several side shoots are formed on each bush, which remain in the winter.
Useful article:
Rules for pruning raspberries in spring, summer, autumn, double pruning
Features of cultivation
“Skazki”, like any standard variety, can be planted in spring or autumn. In cold regions, preference is given to spring (April), in warm regions - autumn (September-October).
Site requirements:
- The standard variety requires a lot of light and space, so choose a sunny place protected from the winds for the berry garden. This is most likely to be found at higher elevations.
- The best soils for raspberries are loose and nutritious.
- It is advisable to place the raspberry plant near the fence - so that there is less damage from the winds.
- You cannot create a berry garden in lowlands - this will lead to rotting of the roots. The best place is slopes with neutral or slightly acidic soils.
- Raspberries should not be planted immediately after potatoes and tomatoes.
Fertilizing raspberries Fairy Tale
After the end of fruiting, rotted manure (about 30-40 kg for each bush) should be added under these standard raspberry bushes. Instead of manure, you can use a mixture of urea and peat.
Important!
You should not get carried away with applying large amounts of fertilizers with nitrogen - such fertilizing only increases the number of side shoots on which berries do not grow.
Also, these bushes require a large amount of nutrients during the period of active fruit ripening, so in the last ten days of June - the first ten days of July, raspberries are fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers, which are applied alternately.
Pruning and planting raspberries
Tree varieties need to be pruned at least twice. The first time after planting, the top is pinched to 5-10 centimeters in May, when the shoot reaches a height of 60 cm. The second pruning is done the following spring, shortening the side shoots to the same length. With the help of such manipulations, a shoot shape resembling a tree is formed.
Spring and autumn cutting of fruit-bearing two-year-old shoots is done in the same way as with ordinary raspberries, they are simply cut off at the root.
Standard raspberries form a rather limited number of replacement shoots. This is good because the plantings do not spread across the site. But it will also not be possible to quickly obtain a large number of seedlings. Reproduction of the “fairy tale” is possible:
- green cuttings;
- root cuttings;
- root suckers.
You can stimulate the appearance of green shoots by completely cutting off the bush.
Read! How to propagate raspberries.
Diseases and pests
Since there is no exact information about the resistance of this raspberry to diseases and attacks by pests, therefore in the spring after the snow melts, raspberry bushes should be treated with fungicidal preparations. These products prevent the occurrence of various types of rot, rust and many other diseases. You can also treat the shoots with Bordeaux mixture. This preventive procedure is repeated in mid-autumn, after the leaves of the bush have fallen.
Photos of pruning and processing raspberries
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Traders and gardeners include the main advantages of the Skazka raspberry tree:
- strong, powerful shoots that do not require garter or strong supports;
- good yield;
- large fruits with good taste;
- good transportability of the harvested crop;
- excellent presentation of ripe fruits;
- versatility of using ripe berries.
The main disadvantages of the Skazka variety include low resistance to frost.
, therefore it is not recommended to grow it in regions with cold winters.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of Raspberry Fairy Tale:
- high productivity;
- resistance to adverse weather conditions;
- absence of thorns on the stems;
- strong shoots that are difficult to break;
- high organoleptic characteristics (taste, smell, fruit structure);
- the possibility of growing in a summer cottage or on an industrial scale;
- long shelf life;
- resistance to many phytopathologies.
The only downsides include the impossibility of growing the crop in cold regions, where the air temperature in winter drops to -30 °C or lower, as well as the difficulty of propagation.
Raspberry tree Fairy Tale: reviews from those who planted
There are quite a large number of reviews from gardeners about the “raspberry tree” Fairy Tale
, some of which are listed below.
Natalya, 40 years old, Ryazan:
“A seller at the seedling market persuaded me to buy a “raspberry tree” of the Skazka variety; he said that it was a frost-resistant, high-yielding variety that could be grown in our region. I believed it and purchased several seedlings (by the way, quite expensive ones). The variety turned out to be non-remontant, as the seller said, the fruits were formed on the shoots of the second season. The taste of the fruit is excellent, you can’t complain about it. But covering it for the winter is quite difficult, since I tried to bend the shoots to the ground, but they turned out to be lignified and very brittle. As a result, these bushes have to spend the winter without shelter; as a result, the upper parts of the shoots with flower buds freeze out over the winter, so the yield of my Skazka raspberries is very poor. We had to later abandon this variety and replace it with other more unpretentious and high-yielding raspberry varieties.”
Elena, 39 years old, Labinsk:
“In my garden, this standard variety grows well, bears fruit and overwinters without shelter, without freezing. I think this is because winters in our region are warm and mild. But the yield is slightly lower than what is stated by the seller. And so I am satisfied with the large-fruited variety, the taste of the berries and their versatility.”
We can say that the Skazka raspberry
quite ambiguous, its characteristics are also questioned by gardeners. But in the southern regions of Russia, the Skazka raspberry shows good results in terms of yield and does not freeze, so in these areas you can find this berry standard shrub in many garden plots.
Recently searched:
A fabulous standard tree that has never been seen
But no one saw raspberries on the trunk. Experienced gardeners chuckle at the word “standard” in relation to raspberries: who would expose the shoot, leaving the top, reducing the fruiting zone?
However, this is an epithet once used in the description of highly branching remontant forms. Later, all branching varieties with powerful shoots began to be called “standard,” and even later, the definition of “raspberry-tree” grew from the definition of “standard.”
What is this introduction for? Moreover, none of the owners of the raspberry variety saw anything extraordinary, “standard,” contrary to expectations: an ordinary bush of a compact type, an ordinary raspberry.
But not quite ordinary - the fairy tale is just beginning.
A Tale of Harvest
The problem with all advertising descriptions is ignorance of the limits of eloquence: even novice gardeners no longer believe in the mythical yield of 12 kg from a raspberry bush.
If you think about it, the stems will not withstand such a load, they will die! But no - many, many people are claiming unprecedented harvests.
For reference: the average raspberry yield per bush is 3 kg, the maximum is up to 4-5 kg.
Yes, and a “bush” can be considered both the entire root shoot and the replacement shoot - one stem. Farmers calculate either the harvest per linear meter of a row, or per hundred square meters, or per hectare. In addition, with the best intentions regarding productivity, a “bush” can consist of either 5-6 shoots or 12 pieces - with completely different yields.
And also, the talented breeder V.I. Kichina left not only a collection of excellent varieties, but also many publications where many, many varieties are described - by the way, there are no Fairy Tales there.
And the size of large-fruited varieties was very modest by today’s standards - 5-8 g, maximum 7-9 g.
Today's characteristics of its varieties sound somewhat different - they do not become smaller over time, but grow in size every year.
In conclusion. Not fabulous real reviews
They don’t talk too much about Skazka raspberries, there are few reviews - more questions. Many things confuse gardeners: lack of information, inconsistency of characteristics in various sources - few are sure that they are growing a real Fairy Tale. And also – issues of care, the definition of “standard tree” and other epithets. From the positive reviews - I like the size of the fruits, there are no complaints about the yield: not 12 kg - at the level of garden varieties. Farmers are in no hurry to acquire a variety.
