Description of the remontant raspberry variety Polka, yield, planting and care

Among all varieties of raspberries, the Polka remontant variety is in high demand. The popularity of this plant is due to its abundant yield. Unlike Polka, other raspberry varieties bear fruit only in mid-summer. This type of crop is capable of bearing berries before the onset of the first cold weather. Moreover, as the official description of the plant states, raspberries are resistant to most diseases and are unpretentious in terms of care.

Description and characteristics of Polka raspberries

Raspberries of the Polka variety bear their first fruits by the end of July. However, the berries remain on the bushes for the next three months. Moreover, the first fruits appear already in annual plants. Raspberries harvest up to twice a year. This is explained by the fact that both old and new shoots bear fruit..

Another feature of the culture is that the berries are able to ripen even at temperatures down to minus 2 degrees. The average yield per bush is 3.5 kilograms. Moreover, this indicator largely depends on the region of growth. In warm regions, the plant produces more berries.

Polka raspberries have the following characteristics:

• medium-sized variety, the height of which does not exceed two meters;
• stems are straight and strong;
• the spines on the stems are weakly expressed;
• the presence of a powerful root system makes it possible to do without installed support;
• each seedling produces up to 10 offspring, which can be used for planting;
• fibrous root structure, which is why the plant produces little growth.

Raspberries of this variety are collected in bunches, 10 pieces in each. The conical fruits reach a length of three centimeters. The weight of the berries does not exceed 12 grams. Raspberry Polka has a pleasant taste, which provides a balanced combination of acid and sugar.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Raspberries of the Polka variety have the following advantages:

• the taste of the berries is recognized as a standard;
• raspberries are transportable and suitable for industrial-scale cultivation;
• high productivity;
• the fruits do not fall from the bush;
• increased resistance to common diseases and pests.

The culture does not tolerate frost and drought well. Therefore, the plant must be covered before winter and watered abundantly in summer. If planting is carried out in depleted soil, in order to obtain a sufficient harvest, you will need to constantly feed the raspberries.

How to grow the variety correctly?

The yield of the crop largely depends on compliance with the rules for planting raspberries.

Time and place of landing

Polka raspberries are usually planted at the end of September or early October. A month before the onset of cold weather, the plant has time to take root. It can also be planted in spring, before the first leaves appear.

Sunny areas are suitable for raspberries. The crop produces a bountiful harvest with sufficient watering. But in waterlogged soils the plant gets sick. Therefore, it is recommended to plant bushes in areas where groundwater lies at a depth of at least one meter.

Light or slightly acidic loams are considered the optimal soil for the plant.

Preparation of seedlings

Seedlings with the following characteristics are suitable for planting:

• the length of the root system is more than 20 centimeters;
• there are no woody growths;
• trunk thickness - more than 5 centimeters;
• the number of buds is more than two.

A day before planting, the seedlings must be dipped into a solution of clay (earth) and water, mixed until creamy. Additionally, it is recommended to add mullein to this composition, root growth stimulator or diluted chicken manure.

Planting scheme and process

Raspberry seedlings are planted at a distance of 70 centimeters. Rows of plants should be 1.5 or 2 meters apart from each other. Before planting, the soil is pre-mixed with 50 grams of potassium sulfate, 70 grams of superphosphate and 20 kilograms of humus (proportions are calculated per 1 square meter).

The seedlings must first be placed in the prepared holes, straightening the root system. After this, you need to fall asleep and lightly compact the soil. The root collar should remain at ground level. At the end of planting, the plant is watered abundantly. After the moisture is absorbed, mulch the soil around the seedling using straw, grass or compost.

Subtleties of plant care

Raspberries do not have any serious care requirements. It is important for the plant to provide sufficient watering. You will also need to regularly fertilize and tie the stems.

Watering and loosening

To prevent infection, it is necessary to remove weeds around the bushes. Due to the fact that Polka bears fruit within three months, the plant must be watered from spring to late autumn. In dry weather, it is recommended to add one bucket of water to each bush weekly. Shortly before the onset of cold weather, the watering order changes. During this period, it is necessary to add 2-3 buckets of water under each bush.

Fertilizer application

In the spring, before the snow melts, 30 grams of urea should be added for every 1 square meter of planting area. Shortly before bud formation, it is recommended to fertilize the plant with a mixture of:

• three grams of nitrogen fertilizing;
• two grams of phosphorus;
• three grams of potassium salt or wood ash;
• 1.5 kilograms of humus.

During the flowering period, as well as every month of fruiting, the plant should be fed with an infusion of mullein or chicken droppings (in a ratio of 1:5/1:10, respectively). With the onset of autumn, after pruning, add manure or humus, one bucket per meter.

Mulching

Polka raspberries are mulched mainly after planting.To do this, use straw, chopped corn stalks, humus or onion peels. If the summer is dry, it is recommended to carry out mulching more often, since after this procedure the soil remains moist longer.

Plant garter

There are several ways of tying. Most often, the fan method is used for Polka raspberries. The latter involves installing wire mesh on poles near the bushes, to which branches are attached at an acute angle of 15-18 degrees. This option will ensure better preservation of the fruit, both in dry and sunny and rainy summers.

Raspberry pruning

Polka raspberries are pruned in different ways. If the owner of the plot plans to get only one harvest per season, then after picking the berries, all the stems are removed at the root. The second option allows you to get ripe fruits twice a season. To do this, it is necessary in the first year after planting, in the fall, to cut off the upper part of the stems above a viable bud. As a result, next summer it will be possible to first harvest on the side branches, and closer to autumn - on the main one.

Preparing for winter

The procedure for preparing for winter depends on the chosen pruning option. Polka does not tolerate frost well. Therefore, before the onset of cold weather, it is recommended to cut off the branches at the root. If the second option is chosen, then before winter it is necessary to press the Polka shoots to the ground using trellises and cover them with a double layer of agrofibre.

Treatment of crops against diseases and insects

To prevent the appearance of pests on raspberries, it is necessary to remove foliage and grass from the bushes after winter and periodically weed the ground during the warm season. It is also recommended to treat the soil with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate solution in the spring.Good for fighting insects Actofit preparations, Alatar and Aktara.

Bordeaux mixture helps cope with the fungal disease anthracnose. To prevent infection of the bushes, it is necessary to transplant the raspberries to a new place every 1-2 years, and add manure every season.

Raspberry breeding Polka

Malina Polka is getting divorced:

1. Offspring. To do this, young shoots with roots are dug up, they can then be immediately moved to a new place, leaving 2-3 leaves.
2. Offsprings with leaves. In this case, you will first need to keep the shoots in an earthen mash (a mixture of clay and water), and then transplant them into open ground.
3. Root cuttings. To do this, it is necessary to cut cuttings from the bush more than two millimeters thick with 2-3 buds. Then the planting material is grown in pots and transplanted into the ground.

Also, gardeners often divide the bush into parts in the spring or autumn, which are then transplanted to a new location.

Harvest and storage

Ripe berries begin to be picked in the second half of August and finish shortly before the onset of cold weather. Raspberry fruits should be stored in a container, spread in a layer of up to 15 centimeters. The berries are stored in the refrigerator after picking for 7-10 days.