Raspberry Vera: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Characteristics of a domestic variety
- 1.1 Pros and cons of a hybrid
2 Agrotechnical techniques
- 2.1 Landing conditions
- 2.2 Leaving tactics
3 Feedback
4 Conclusion

Despite the variety of modern varieties and hybrids, simple "Soviet" raspberries are still growing in most summer cottages. One of these old, but still popular, varieties is raspberry Vera. Vera's berries are not large in size, they do not have any particularly expressive taste - this is the most common raspberry with small fruits that have a sweet and sour taste and a pronounced aroma. But the variety is considered one of the most stable: in any summer, raspberries give a good harvest. Tasters do not assess Vera's taste very high (about 3.5 points), and it is recommended to use the harvest of this raspberry for technical purposes: for making preserves, jams, compotes and marmalade.

Information with a description of the Vera raspberry variety, with photos and reviews of those who planted it on their site, is collected in this article. It will also tell you how to grow raspberries to get the maximum yield, and how to propagate them.

Characteristics of a domestic variety

Scientists from the Siberian Research Institute worked on the selection of a new variety. Raspberry Vera was registered almost thirty years ago and recommended for cultivation in the Central and Southern regions of the country. The "parents" of the new hybrid were the most popular varieties at that time: Kaliningradskaya, Barnaulskaya and Novost Kuzmina. Vera's developers focused on yield and frost resistance.

Attention! As for the yield, we can say that the breeders succeeded, and to this day Vera is successfully grown on an industrial scale. But the frost resistance of the hybrid is weak: even in the central regions, raspberries often freeze out, so a shelter for the winter is recommended for it.

Description of the Vera variety:

raspberry with short vegetation periods, belongs to the early maturing varieties;
Vera's bushes begin to bloom in mid-June, and already in the first ten days of July, the first wave of the harvest can be harvested;
bushes are considered medium-sized, semi-spreading - the height ranges from 150 to 180 cm;
the full formation of the bush occurs by the end of the third year after planting;
annual shoots are green, flexible, their tops are slightly curved;
two-year-old shoots turn brown, elastic, but bend well at the same time;
all the shoots of Vera are erect, covered with small soft thorns;
shoots are medium (Vera can be easily propagated, but there will be no abundant growth around the bushes);
all shoots on raspberries are quite flexible, unbreakable, they can be easily bent to the ground if you need shelter;
there are a lot of leaves on raspberry bushes, they are of medium size, wrinkled, of a dark green hue;
berries of medium and small size;
the shape of raspberries is blunt-conical;
average fruit weight - 1.8-2.7 grams;
raspberries are painted in a purple uniform shade;
drupes are loosely interconnected, which is why the transportability and keeping quality of the Vera variety are unsatisfactory;
the taste of the fruits is sweet and sour, not too pronounced, without any notes and undertones - ordinary garden raspberries;
ripening of berries is simultaneous;
the yield of Vera raspberries is high - up to three kilograms of berries can be harvested from a bush over the summer, on an industrial scale - about 13 centners per hectare;
the frost resistance of the variety is average - when the temperature drops below -25 degrees and snowless winters, raspberry shelter is required;
Vera does not tolerate drought well - the yield of raspberries in rainy years will be higher than in dry years;
the variety is susceptible to infection with purple spot, but it is immune to shoot gall midge;
raspberries are unpretentious, they do not need special care.

Important! Despite some friability of the fruits, the berries of the Vera variety do not crumble, they break off "dry".

Pros and cons of a hybrid

An old raspberry variety with a thirty-year history should have indisputable advantages, so that over all these years it will not be supplanted by the newest hybrids. This is not to say that Vera raspberry has a lot of positive qualities - this species also has significant drawbacks. But the reviews of summer residents and gardeners of the country about this raspberry are mostly positive - it does not drop out of domestic suburban areas and farm fields.

So, the Vera raspberry has the following advantages:

high productivity;
slight dependence of productivity on climatic characteristics and external factors;
average frost resistance;
quite pleasant taste;
suitability for technical use and processing;
unpretentiousness and resistance to some diseases;
simultaneous ripening of berries and their disinclination to shedding.

Old raspberries also have drawbacks. The most important disadvantages of Vera raspberries are:

poor drought tolerance (in arid regions, regular watering is required);
insufficient frost resistance (farmers have to spend money and time to cover the raspberry tree);
lack of immunity to the main disease of raspberries - purple spot;
poor keeping quality of berries and unsuitability of the crop for transportation;
not very "elite" taste of Vera berries.

Attention! Summing up all of the above, we can conclude: the Vera raspberry variety is perfect for small and medium-sized farms, in the event that the berry is grown for the purpose of processing. Raspberries are also good in summer cottages, in private gardens - they make wonderful jams and compotes, but little attention will be required from the farmer.

Agrotechnical techniques

As already mentioned in the article, growing the Vera variety is quite simple - you do not need to be a professional gardener for this. The most important thing that determines the performance of raspberries is high-quality planting material. Therefore, first of all, the summer resident needs to purchase good seedlings.

Here are some tips for inexperienced farmers:

raspberry seedlings, like other horticultural crops, are recommended to be purchased in nurseries;
high-quality planting material is not wrapped in polyethylene - the roots quickly grow out in such conditions;
the height of the shoots should be small - the younger the raspberry seedling, the better it will take root after planting;
the root system should be well developed, free from traces of insects and infections;
each bush should have two to four shoots.

Good raspberry seedlings are shown in the photo below.

Advice! You should not buy raspberry seedlings in the markets or from your hands - there is a high probability of getting low-quality or off-grade material.

Landing conditions

Even before purchasing Vera's seedlings, it is necessary to find a suitable place for the raspberry plant on the site and calculate how many bushes will fit there. Vera raspberries love areas that are well lit by the sun, therefore, in the shade of buildings or trees, its bushes are not grown - this will have a bad effect on the survival rate, development of raspberries and their productivity.

It is good if the place is located on a small hill, but a flat area is also suitable. The most important thing is that water does not accumulate in the soil near the roots of Vera, from this the raspberries die.

The soil is preferable loose, nutritious, air and moisture permeable. The optimal conditions are neutral soil acidity, but a slight acidification of the soil is also acceptable.

Attention! If the acidity of the soil on the site is too high, it is necessary to add dolomite flour to the hole.

It is recommended to plant Vera raspberries in the fall - at the end of September or in the first decade of October.A site for planting is preliminarily prepared: they dig up the earth, sprinkle humus, compost or rotted manure (potash fertilizers can be used).

Then the holes are prepared, making them at a distance of 60-70 cm from each other. You can make trenches, then their depth should be about 30 cm, and their width should be 50-60 cm.The row spacing for Vera raspberries should be 100-120 cm.

A good handful of wood ash is added to each hole or trench before planting. Now the seedling is placed in the middle of the hole, its roots are carefully straightened and the raspberries are sprinkled with earth. It remains only to water the seedlings and wait until they take root.

Leaving tactics

Thorough care of the Vera variety is necessary in the post-planting period. Immediately after planting the seedlings, it is recommended to do the following:

Monitor the subsidence of the soil and fill up the soil in a timely manner, making sure that the root buds are not exposed (they should be 2-3 cm underground).
Mulch the raspberry tree with straw, peat or humus, protecting it from weedsdrying out the soil.
Before the onset of severe frosts, cover young raspberries using coniferous spruce branches, straw or sawdust.

Important! Spring planting of the Vera variety is quite acceptable, in this case it is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the soil during the summer and shade the bushes in intense heat.

An adult raspberry tree needs minimal care at all:

regular watering during dry periods (it is better to use drip irrigation systems);
weeding and loosening the soil near the bushes, which can be replaced with a layer of mulch;
preventive treatment of bushes at the initial stage of flowering (you can use Bordeaux liquid, karbofos or chemicals);
dressing with phosphorus and potash fertilizers at least 2-3 times over the summer;
installation of supports so that the shoots are better ventilated and do not lie on the ground;
spring and autumn pruning, involving the removal of two-year shoots and sanitary cleaning of the raspberry tree;
shelters for the winter in regions with frosty and snowless winters.

Important! It has been proven that competent agricultural technology significantly affects the quality and quantity of the Vera raspberry harvest.

Feedback

Igor Ivanovich

At my summer cottage, I grew more than 15 types of raspberries: there were large-fruited varieties, and blackberry hybrids, and raspberries with yellow berries. But the permanent "inhabitants" of my garden are only 3-4 varieties of raspberries, and among them is the old proven Vera. What I like most about Vera is that in any year you can expect a good harvest from her: a lot of ovaries are always formed. For the winter, I cover only the roots of raspberries, spreading spruce branches or sawdust around the bushes (we live in the Moscow region). In the spring, I don't remove the shelter, I just tamp it slightly - until next winter the litter will rot and turn into good fertilizer.

Conclusion

Raspberry Vera is an old domestic variety, one of the few that has been able to maintain its popularity for 30 years. It is not difficult to grow this raspberry, it does not require special care.

Faith's shortcomings should be taken into account: to protect it from the heat, water it, cover it for the winter and spray the bushes for preventive purposes. This is not to say that the berries of this variety will delight with an unusual or excellent taste, this is the most common garden raspberry, from which aromatic jams and healthy compotes will be obtained.