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No one will argue that raspberries are not only tasty but also very healthy berries. A rare household plot in Russia does without raspberries, but mostly unknown varieties are grown, from which they collect one crop from a bush and rejoice at this. On the other hand, many gardeners who decide to make money on the cultivation and sale of this valuable berry are scrupulous about the task of selecting the right variety and often choose large-fruited and remontant raspberry varieties that have significant yields, but require careful and thoughtful constant care.
At the moment, the assortment of such varieties is so wide that the problem of choice seems to be really serious. But there are still old varieties of raspberries, which, to some extent yielding to novelties, have unpretentiousness, stability and at the same time a delicious taste, which is sometimes far from many and many modern large and fruitful varieties of raspberries.
A typical example of such a variety is Raspberry Reward, a description of which with photos and gardeners' reviews about it can be found in the article.
History of origin
Raspberry The award was received in the early 70s of the last century by a group of breeders working under the leadership of N.P. Grain in the Botanical Garden of Nizhny Novgorod State University. It arose as a result of crossing the varieties Lloyd George and Kolkhoznitsa, and at that time made such a splash among the farmers with its characteristics that the author was even awarded the silver medal of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, and his assistants - bronze medals and gifts. So the Raspberry Award received its name not by chance and quite deservedly.
Indeed, Raspberry Reward is able to withstand the harsh Russian winters with frosts and unexpected thaws practically without loss of yield. In the south, it also remains in demand, since it has increased drought resistance and is able to provide significant yields even in hot and dry climates. It is interesting that, at the same time, the Raspberry Award is no longer in the lists of the State Register of Russia in 2018 - the variety registration period may have expired.
Description of the variety
Raspberry Raspberry bushes are moderately spread out to the sides and are characterized by significant growth force - on average they grow about 1.8-2 m in height, but in favorable conditions with good care they can show better results. The shoots are very powerful and thick, grow straight, at the base they can reach 2 cm in diameter. With all their power, they are moderately flexible and bend down quite easily if there is a need to cover them for the winter. Annual shoots of raspberries also grow quite thick, characterized by long internodes. There is no pubescence on them, but there is a good waxy coating. Initially, they have a green tint, but by autumn they become reddish. There are very few thorns in the raspberry variety Nagrada and they are located mainly in the lower part of the stems. They are not sharp, although long, thick with a wide base, dark purple in color.
Leaves are medium to large in size, wrinkled, with medium curl.
Raspberry Reward does not tend to spread over the site, since it gives a fairly moderate number of root suckers.But for reproduction not on an industrial scale, as a rule, there are enough of them. At the same time, the seedlings take root well and are distinguished by their endurance during transplantation, storage and transportation.
On the timing of the ripening of raspberries, the Reward information is somewhat contradictory: in some sources, the variety is described as medium late, in others, as medium early. Of course, a lot depends on the growing region, but most gardeners in their reviews are inclined to believe that the Raspberry Reward can be called an average ripening time. In the southern regions, the harvest is harvested at the end of June, and in the middle lane, and even more so in the Urals or in Siberia closer to mid-July.
Opinions on the raspberry Reward yield can also differ to a fairly large extent. Many consider this variety to be some kind of a yield champion, at least among the older raspberry varieties. Others estimate the yield of Raspberry Raspberry as average, which, however, is not surprising when compared with modern varieties of the intensive type. In fact, the raspberry bushes of this variety are simply strewn with berries, and this despite the fact that it does not require particularly regular feeding and watering. From one bush, you can easily collect about 3 kg of delicious berries, which in industrial terms is about 100-120 c / ha.
Raspberry variety Nagrada is characterized by moderate resistance to most fungal and viral diseases, in particular to anthracnose, didimella, and overgrowth virus. It can be attacked by raspberry mites and shoot gall midges, but strong and healthy plants, as a rule, successfully resist most pests and pathogens.
It is especially worth mentioning about the winter hardiness of the variety. Shoots do not grow out in winters with little snow or during thaws. Raspberry Reward tolerates harsh freezing winters under cover, as the flexible shoots easily bend and stack for wintering.
Characteristics of berries
The bright, memorable, truly raspberry flavor of the Nagrada variety is known to gardeners in the Urals, in the Moscow Region, and in the Krasnodar Territory.
In addition to the delicious taste, the berries of this variety are characterized by the following characteristics:
- The size of the fruits is medium, one berry can weigh from 3.5 to 6 grams.
- The shape of the berries is round, slightly tapering.
- The color is bright, red-crimson, there is no glossy sheen, but even without it, the berries look very attractive.
- The pulp is of medium density, the drupes are moderately interconnected.
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The berries are aligned with each other in size.
- The taste is sweet and sour, the acid is subtle and goes well with the dessert sweetness of the berry. Tasting evaluation of raspberries. Reward 4.5 points.
- The aroma is quite intense, well felt at a short distance from the bushes.
- The transportability of the Reward berry is controversial among gardeners, some consider it high, while others - unsatisfactory.
- The use of raspberries is universal - it is very tasty fresh, and, of course, excellent quality preparations for the winter are obtained from it. It can also be dried and frozen.
Advantages and disadvantages
It is not in vain that the Raspberry Reward is loved, appreciated and grown by gardeners on their plots for more than forty years. Its advantages include:
- Wonderful taste and excellent quality of berries.
- Good winter hardiness and resistance to damping off.
- Few thorns for easy harvesting and bushes maintenance.
- General unpretentiousness in cultivation combined with decent yields.
The main disadvantage of Raspberry Reward in comparison with modern varieties can be called a slight responsiveness to intensive agricultural technology.
For summer residents and owners of small household plots, this feature is rather a plus - after all, constant intensive feeding and processing is not required to obtain good yields of raspberries.But for industrial cultivation, varieties are more suitable, which, with constant intensive care, are capable of producing figures that are incomparable with raspberries.
Gardeners reviews
For many gardeners, the Raspberry Reward variety is a lifesaver in many circumstances, and those who have been growing it for a long time are not going to give it up for the sake of new varieties.
Conclusion
Raspberry Reward is an old time-tested cultivar with an excellent reputation. Despite the fact that it cannot compete with modern varieties either in yield or in berry size, its unpretentiousness and stability, as well as excellent taste, allow it to find its fans among many gardeners and summer residents from different parts of Russia.
