Content
Blackberry Guy (Rubus Gaj) is a promising crop variety, bred relatively recently. It has many advantages and benefits, but judging by the reviews of gardeners, it requires the fulfillment of certain conditions during cultivation. Before you start breeding a culture, you should familiarize yourself with all the rules and nuances, and also try to comply with them during planting and subsequent care.
Origin story
The Gai blackberry variety appeared 14 years ago thanks to the work of the Polish breeder Jan Dainek. The result was obtained in the course of thirty years of work carried out at the experimental station in Brzezina at the Institute of Floriculture and Fruit Growing. Despite the fact that the variety appeared on the market in 2006, its mass implementation began in 2008.
The variety is used indoors and outdoors, where, due to poor UV resistance in the field, it has shown the best results. Suitable for fresh use, commercial cultivation, suitable for processing.
The high-yielding blackberry variety Guy has an early ripening period
Description of the bush and berries of the blackberry variety Guy
This type of culture has a number of advantages. Guy's bushes are not prickly, berries of a sweet and delicate taste, large in size, rich in vitamin and mineral composition and tolerate winter well.
The plant is a straight-growing semi-shrub (belongs to the bush) with branched, thornless, rigid shoots that can grow up to 350 cm in height. The laterals are of several orders. The foliage of powerful bushes is medium, the leaves are dark green in color. The variety propagates by cuttings, practically does not give root shoots. Berries are oval in shape, glossy black color, average weight of one fruit is 6-7 g, maximum - 16 g. Blackberry Gai tastes sweet, similar to mulberry, almost without acid. It contains a large amount of useful elements, especially iron and magnesium. It has a regenerative and choleretic effect, helps to cleanse the body of toxins. The density of the fruit is moderately firm, the berry is suitable for transportation.
Characteristics of the Blackberry Guy
Berries of this variety can be eaten fresh, frozen or dried. Blackberry Guy is suitable for making jam, jam and compote. Perfect as a filling for baked goods. The variety has a good yield, if favorable growing conditions are created for the plant and proper care is provided, then about 17 kg of ripe berries can be harvested from one adult bush. Most of them are found in the middle and bottom of the bush, in the upper part of the ovary are almost absent. Thanks to the firmness of the berries, the variety tolerates transportation well. The branches are dense and massive, which is why they require garters to stakes or trellises.
Ripening period and yield
Blackberry Guy has an early ripening period. Flowering begins in May, the berries ripen depending on the growing region, usually from mid-summer to late September.In the northern latitudes, the fruiting period is in August; when grown in the middle lane, the harvest begins at the end of July, in the Urals in autumn. The berry quickly acquires a sweet taste, ready to harvest when its color turns black. They are removed as they mature. In the refrigerator, they are perfectly stored for up to three weeks.
In the fifth year of life, a bush of the Guy variety is capable of producing up to 20 kg of harvest
Frost resistance
Blackberry Guy has an average resistance to drought and a very high winter hardiness, according to the originator of the variety, up to -30 degrees. But judging by the numerous reviews of gardeners, with the arrival of frost, it will not be superfluous to cover the plant, for which it is better to use agrofibre.
Disease and pest resistance
The plant's resistance to pests and diseases is moderate, in climatic conditions similar to Poland, and when grown in open ground - above average. Problems usually arise with high humidity, unfavorable conditions or improper care.
From diseases, bushes can be subjected to:
- anthracnose;
- rust;
- septoria;
- powdery mildew;
- gray rot;
- purple and white spot.
To get rid of diseases, it is recommended to spray the plant with Bordeaux mixture
Insects that can attack Blackberry Guy include:
- aphid;
- glass case;
- weevil;
- spider mite;
- moth;
- nutcracker;
- kidney moth;
- gall midge.
For parasites, agronomists recommend using the "Actellik"
Pros and cons of Blackberry Guy
Like any plant, in nature, Blackberry Guy has its own advantages and disadvantages. When growing a crop, you can face some difficulties.
During frequent precipitation, the variety is quickly exposed to diseases.
The virtues of culture:
- high frost resistance;
- good productivity;
- suitability for transportation;
- keeping quality;
- taste qualities.
Disadvantages:
- poor drought tolerance;
- average resistance to disease;
- the need for support;
- ripening only in warm weather.
How to Plant Blackberry Guy
The peculiarities of growing blackberry Guy are in choosing the right place for seedlings, as well as in observing the planting algorithm. It is advisable to carry out the procedure in the spring, from the end of April to the second week of May. Since Gaia is moderately drought tolerant, brightly lit areas are not suitable. It is better to allocate a plot for culture in a slightly shaded corner of the garden. As for the soil, blackberries are undemanding to it, but they feel better and yield a better yield in drained loams, where pH is 6. It is worth noting that the quality of the planting material also affects the development of culture. It is better to give preference to annual seedlings with a developed rhizome and a formed root bud. There should be two shoots, 4-5 mm thick.
During planting, the seedlings should be placed in holes dug at an interval of 1-1.5 m, the distance between the rows should be at least 250 cm. It is advisable to add potassium fertilizers, manure and superphosphates to the holes before the procedure.
Blackberry Care Guy
Without proper regular care, a stable berry harvest is unlikely to be obtained. Blackberry bushes Guy need mandatory watering, top dressing, weeding and pruning. For a month and a half after planting, the plant is watered daily, when the cuttings take root, the frequency of moisture is reduced. After the procedure, weeds are removed.
To keep moisture in the soil longer, it is advisable to mulch the near-stem circle of the culture, for which sawdust, straw and leaves are suitable.
Fertilizers are applied three times a year:
- At the initial stage of the growing season - 20 g of urea per square meter of land.
- At the time of the formation of berries - 60 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water.
- After fruiting - potash fertilizers.
As for pruning, it is carried out every year in the spring before the start of sap flow. Branches at the age of one year are shortened to 200 cm, broken, diseased, frozen, and also fruiting stems are removed completely.
With the arrival of autumn, the near-stem circle of the blackberry Guy is covered with straw or organic matter. If the winter in the growing region is harsh, then the bushes are insulated with spunbond.
In the case when the culture grows in southern regions with mild winters, pinching is an additional step in caring for it. After shortening the growth point, the side branches of the blackberry begin to stretch upward, which prevents them from laying before winter. Therefore, it is rational to do a second, less hard pinching, for the next branching order.
Blackberry Scourge Guy is tied to supports as he grows
Reproduction methods
Blackberry of the Guy variety forms little root growth, which is why it is customary to propagate it by cuttings. Most often, the material for planting is cut after the end of the fruiting stage, in the fall, from lignified stems that are a year old or more. Cuttings 400 cm long are cut, after which they are dropped 20 cm deep. When the snow melts, the seedlings are dug up and planted in a permanent place. For early rooting, the planting is regularly watered.
Some gardeners propagate this variety by dividing the root, using their segments.
Conclusion
Blackberry Guy is a noteworthy berry variety that is considered very unpretentious and undemanding to care for. With proper cultivation, the plant gives a good harvest, the fruits are very sweet and tasty. Reviews about the variety are contradictory, not all summer residents praise the blackberry Guy. Some do not succeed in breeding it.
Gardeners' reviews about Blackberry Guy
