Remontant raspberry varieties attract gardeners because they can produce 2 harvests per season. The Himbo Top raspberry variety is early ripening and high-yielding. Let's consider the description and characteristics of the variety, advantages and disadvantages, features of cultivation, planting and care during the season. What diseases can raspberries suffer from and how to protect them, when to pick berries and how to store them.
- Description and brief characteristics of the Himbo Top variety
- Positive and negative sides
- Specifics of growing raspberries
- Landing dates
- Choosing a suitable location
- Selection and preparation of seedlings
- Landing algorithm
- Subtleties of crop care
- Watering and fertilizers
- Pruning rules
- Preparing for winter
- Diseases and pests
- Collection and storage
Description and brief characteristics of the Himbo Top variety
Himbo Top is obtained from the Otm Bliss and Himbo Queen varieties, and is distinguished by its large berries (weighing, on average, 5-10 g), which do not become smaller by the end of fruiting. Raspberry bushes are strong (up to 150 cm), the stems are long. Raspberries bloom in June.
The color of ripe fruits is bright red. They are medium-dense in density, come off easily, and do not wrinkle. The berries have a good taste and are easy to transport. The fruits ripen in early August, fruiting lasts 6-8 weeks. If you grow raspberries in a greenhouse, which is also possible, the harvest can be extended until November. The average yield per bush was 3 kg for the Himbo Top variety.
Positive and negative sides
Advantages of Himbo Top raspberries:
- resistance to rot, in particular late blight;
- grows well on heavy soils;
- long fruiting;
- early ripening of berries, because of this the variety is suitable for growing early products for sale;
- fruits can be eaten fresh and processed, cooked into compotes, jam, syrup;
- good honey plant.
Disadvantages: demanding on nutrition and care.
Specifics of growing raspberries
In order for raspberries to develop well, it is necessary to plant the seedlings correctly and regularly care for them.
Landing dates
Varietal raspberry seedlings are planted in a permanent place in spring or autumn. In the spring, the buds on the seedlings should not yet bloom; in the fall they are planted after the leaves have fallen. This is necessary so that the plants take root better. If the raspberry is in a vegetative state, it will take root less well.
Choosing a suitable location
Raspberries grow and bear fruit best in sunny areas, so you need to choose them in the garden. In the shade, the crop reduces yield.It is recommended to choose a site for raspberry growing on level ground, not in a lowland where the soil is constantly wet. Raspberries do not like dampness, nor do they like high acidity of the soil. Clay soil, even though the Himbo Top variety can grow on such soils, needs to be improved - add sand so that it becomes looser and acidic.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
Raspberry seedlings for planting must be 1 or 2 years old, healthy, and well developed. There should be no signs of disease on the shoots and buds, the roots should be well developed. 2-3 shoots are left on each seedling. A day before planting, it is advisable to soak the roots in a solution of a root formation stimulator.
Landing algorithm
The distance between rows should be 1.5 m, in rows - from 50 cm. It is recommended to grow the Himbo Top variety on a trellis for ease of care and picking berries. Seedlings are planted one at a time in a hole: the roots are lowered, straightened and covered with earth. The soil is slightly compacted, and at the final stage the root zone is covered with mulch of straw, hay, and sawdust. Raspberries can be covered with agrofibre, which reduces moisture evaporation, prevents weeds from germinating and ensures good air exchange.
Subtleties of crop care
After planting, it is time to care for the plants. Himbo Top raspberries require watering, fertilizing, pruning and protection from diseases and pests.
Watering and fertilizers
The originator of the variety indicates that it is enough for raspberries if watering is moderate and infrequent, the soil should not dry out, but also not be too wet. If the summer is hot and dry, you should definitely water the plants so that the berries can fill.
Pruning rules
Every autumn, all shoots of remontant raspberries are removed at ground level if it is intended to receive 1 harvest of berries. If 2, then only old shoots are cut out and the stems of the current year are left to overwinter.
Preparing for winter
The root zone of the bushes is covered with mulching material to protect it from freezing. It should be thicker than the summer one. If the stems are not cut, then they need to be bent to the ground, tied in bunches and wrapped in lutrasil.
Diseases and pests
Among the pests on raspberries you can find bugs and weevils. They are destroyed with insecticides; you need to choose biological products or folk remedies, since often at this time the berries are already beginning to ripen.
Collection and storage
The berries are collected gradually, since they do not ripen together, and fruiting is extended. Red fruits are collected in light, small wicker baskets so that they do not wrinkle. Only clean, dry and selected berries should be stored. They keep in the refrigerator for more than a week. They tolerate transportation well. The rest are used to make homemade desserts.
Himbo Top raspberries bear fruit for the first time at the end of June, the second time in August-September. It produces large fruits, almost uniform in size, which does not decrease by the end of the growing season. Berries with classic raspberry taste, color and aroma.The variety is recommended for those who want to get an early harvest.
