Raspberry bushes are grown in every household plot. Since childhood, the unique raspberry smell and sweet taste are associated with the gentle summer sun and a wonderful time of outdoor recreation. And if, in addition to ordinary raspberries, planting remontant species in the garden is also possible, you can enjoy berries until the snow! The Polka variety is especially popular; it is not without reason that it is called the favorite of gardeners.
Growing history
Repairing Raspberry Polka - an achievement of Polish selection. The variety was obtained by Jan Danek in 1993 at the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture in Brzezn by pollination of Otm Bliss and line P89141. After testing, it was presented in 2003 at the Fruit Focus international exhibition in Berlin. Since then, Polka has been a leader among repairing varieties for industrial plantations in Poland, the UK and many other countries.
Raspberry Polka bred by Polish breeders and for a quarter of a century occupies a leading position in the berry market
Grade description
The mid-ripening variety ripens in late July - early August. The fruiting period is long, about 3 months. Summer residents, leaving part of the shoots for the next year, due to the double harvest have the opportunity to feast on fragrant raspberries from early summer to late fall. On an industrial scale, in order not to overload the plants, all the bushes are cut and harvested only the main crop. The berry arrives on the market when many varieties have already bred. This allows not only to provide consumers with fresh vitamin products, but also to bring good profit to the farmer.
A long fruiting period allows you to harvest a record amount of yield
Unlike ordinary species, remont raspberry begins to bear fruit in the first year of planting. Harvest can be harvested twice a season, because not only biennial, but also annual shoots are fruitful.
A feature of remont raspberries is the ability to ripen even with the onset of frost. After all, this is really a miracle: the berries of Polka, even if they fall under a small frost of -1-2 ° C, ripen, despite the low frost resistance of the variety. Farmers are also attracted by high productivity, compared to Hercules, Polana Polka is a clear favorite. The average yield is 3.5 kg m2, but the indicators can be significantly higher: in England, 12 tons of berries, large, beautiful, were collected from 1 hectare. But the main advantage is the magnificent taste of raspberry Polka, which causes a real boom.
Polka berries are beautiful, with dense juicy pulp and dessert flavor
Another advantage of this repairing variety is that there are no berries with a wormhole on the bushes. Fruit ripening occurs in the late summer, when the flight of harmful insects ends, and the raspberry beetle leaves the soil before spring.
Characteristics of Raspberry Polka
This is a medium-sized shrub that does not exceed 2 m in height. The stems are straight-growing, strong, with weakly pronounced spines. A stable bush with a powerful root system does not lie even under the weight of ripened berries, which allows you to do without additional support. The shoot formation is average, one seedling forms up to 10 root offspring, which can be used for breeding varieties. A big plus of remontant raspberries is a limited amount of overgrowth, due to the fibrous structure of the root, so that the plants do not fill the entire area.
Raspberry Polka grows in the form of a strong shrub 1.5-1.8 m high
Bright red shiny fruits with a slight pubescence are collected in brushes of 7-10 pieces. The berries are conical in shape, beautiful, large, up to 3 cm long, with an average weight of 10-12 g, and a maximum weight of 15 g. They are very tasty due to the balanced content of sugar and acid. Unobtrusive, light, pleasant sourness and pronounced raspberry aroma emphasize the unique taste of the variety. The drupe is small, the pulp is juicy, dense, not watery, does not become sour for a long time, which allows preserving the presentation of the berries after collection and transportation.
Berries are collected in a brush of 7-10 pieces, which is quite a lot
Raspberries grow well both in open and in closed ground. At the beginning of the season, shoots grow from the rhizome, on which fruit formations begin to form. Polka is one of the first to ripen on annual branches - fruiting occurs 2 weeks earlier than Heritage cv.
Polka grows well and bears fruit both in open ground and under film shelter
Frost resistance is low, it is necessary to cover the stems for the winter. However, when mowing the aerial parts, shelter is not required. Polka is immune to gray rot - a common disease of raspberries, and the spider mite is not afraid of it either.
Large polka berries ripen faster than other repair varieties
Among the weaknesses, the poor tolerance of extreme heat should be noted. In the sun, when the air warms up above 35 ° C, the shrub begins to dry out, the berries are baked.
The variety is also predisposed to root rot, root cancer and verticillium wilt. Timely preventive measures and compliance with agricultural technology will help to avoid diseases.
Amazing variety
Landing Features
Having created comfortable conditions for Polka taking into account its features, it is possible to significantly increase productivity.
The best place for raspberry
Repair raspberries should be placed in well-lit places. Lack of light can significantly delay ripening, reduce productivity and impair the taste of fruits.
The raspberry should be located on the site, most of the day is lit by the sun
In the central and northern regions, shrubs are planted on the southern side of the site, protected from the cold wind by a fence, hedge or farm buildings. In such places, snow lingers in the winter, reliably covering the rhizomes of raspberries, and with the advent of spring it melts faster and the soil warms up earlier.
Knowing Polka's susceptibility to diseases of the root system, one should avoid swampy lowlands or areas where groundwater comes close. The optimal depth of the water layers is 1.5 m. Planting of the berry and on the hills is undesirable: in the winter cold, the snow blows off and the land is exposed, and in the summer the plants suffer from drought.
Raspberries are planted in a place protected from the wind: along the fence or near the sheds
Raspberry can grow on any land, but prefers loams or sandy loam soil with a low level of acidity. Bushes take root on clay soil, however, there will be significantly fewer berries. To make the soil more loose and light, just add sand (10 kg m2). To increase the fertility of sandy soil, it is necessary to introduce increased doses of fertilizers and carry out abundant watering. You can reduce acidity using lime (500 g m2), which is made for digging in advance.
Berries will be much more if you grow Polka on fertile loose soil.
The author of these lines necessarily observes crop rotation and tries not to plant raspberries after potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries. I usually place the berry on the site where last season I grew cereal grass, peas, beans or pumpkin with zucchini. Raspberries return to their original place no earlier than after 4-5 years.
Raspberry grows well next to bushes of red currant, blackberry, fruit trees (cherries, apple trees), vegetable crops (carrots, cucumbers) and does not tolerate neighborhood with sea buckthorn and grapes, which act on it depressingly.
Get along well on a raspberry and blackberry plot
Landing time
Shrubs with an open root system take root well in early spring, until the buds bloom. But at the same time, the harvest will not be so generous, because all the forces of the plant are spent on building up the root system and shoot formation. Therefore, an autumn landing is still preferable. But it should be carried out 2-3 weeks before the freezing of the soil, so that the seedlings have time to take root, get used to the new habitat and harden before wintering.
Container plants planted by transshipment with a large lump of earth adapt much easier and faster to a new place, so their planting is possible in spring, summer and autumn.
Container raspberry seedlings can be planted all season
Selection of planting material
It is advisable to purchase seedlings in nurseries with a good reputation or garden centers. Each plant has a tag with the name of the variety, age and a brief memo on the rules of planting and care. When choosing seedlings, attention should be paid to their appearance. The shoots should be flexible, about 1 cm thick, with a smooth, spotless bark. The fibrous root system should be moist, well developed and consist of 2-3 roots about 10 cm long. Plants with dry or broken roots should not be taken - they are unlikely to take root.
Raspberry seedlings should have a developed fibrous root system with whitish roots
The best option is to buy two-year-old container seedlings. They have a well-formed powerful root system and they will easily transfer the transplant.
Usually a large selection of seedlings happens at the end of the season, when frost is about to come. It is too late to plant plants and, in order to preserve them until spring, they are placed in the prikop. They dig a trench 15 cm deep in the garden, making one side inclined. Seedlings are placed on it, sprinkled with earth and compacted so that icy air does not penetrate the roots. Top covered with spruce branches to protect against rodents.
Plants are well preserved until spring in the prikop
Landing Nuances
2-3 weeks before planting, prepare a section under the raspberry. They dig the earth, select weeds and, to increase fertility, fill with humus (2 buckets / m2) with the addition of Kemir universal fertilizer (70 g / m2) or superphosphate (50 g) and potassium salt (30 g m2), which can be replaced with ash (300 g). Lime (500 g / m2) must be added to acidic soil.
The soil before planting is fertilized with humus, sand is added to heavy soil for looseness
Usually used linear or bush types of planting raspberries. With the linear method, they dig trenches of 50x45 cm and plant plants in them at a distance of 70 cm from each other, leaving 1.5-2 m between the rows. Such planting contributes to good lighting and airing of raspberries, it is easier to care for and harvest. Forming a berry from separate bushes, dig holes 60 cm wide to a depth of 45 cm and plant 2 seedlings in each. Leave at least 70 cm between the pits, because over time the bushes will grow significantly.
With a linear method of growing raspberries in the area, they dig a trench 45 cm deep
Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped for 2 hours in a solution of a biostimulant (Kornevina, Heteroauxin). Fundazole fungicide (1 g 1 l) can be added to the liquid for the prevention of root rot. Plants with a closed root system are kept in solution until the earthen coma softens.
Step-by-step process
- At the bottom of the trench or pit, part of the fertile land is poured in the form of a knoll.
- A seedling is placed on it, evenly distributing the roots in different directions. The container plant is transshipped along with a soil lump.
Fathoms are lowered into the landing pit and the roots are straightened
- They fall asleep with soil, leaving the root neck open.
The planted seedling is sprinkled with earth, leaving the root neck open
- It is compacted so that the earth is well adjacent to the roots.
- A groove is formed around the bush and half a bucket of water is introduced into it.
After planting in a hole made around a seedling, 5 liters of water
- Cover the root zone with straw or other mulching material.
- Cut shoots at a height of 40 cm from the ground.
In early spring, when the snow still lies on the site, I cover the raspberry with black plastic wrap. The black color attracts the sun's rays, under such shelter the snow melts quickly, the earth warms up well and the plant vegetation process begins much earlier.
Video: raspberry fall planting
Caring for raspberries
The repairing grade Polka is more demanding than ordinary raspberries for growing conditions.
Watering and loosening
The culture needs regular watering. Severe heat and drought adversely affect the shape of the fetus and overall productivity. In the sunshine, the berries are baked, deformed, the bushes wither. The optimum soil moisture for raspberry growth at a depth of 20-30 cm is about 80%. When the soil moisture content is reduced to 65%, the bushes must be watered once a week, spending a bucket of water on the bush. After the end of the season, if there is no rain, it is necessary to carry out water-charging irrigation, while spending 2 buckets per bush.
With regular watering, the foliage will be bright green, and the berries are juicy
However, excess moisture is detrimental to Polka. Stagnation of water in the soil can cause insufficient oxygen supply to the roots, yellowing of the tops of plants. In this case, stop watering and loosen the earth around the bush.
There are several ways to moisturize the berry: sprinkling, irrigation along grooves and drip irrigation. Spraying water in the form of drops is carried out using a hose with a spray or rain plants. This method is best used in dry, hot weather: it allows you to not only saturate leaves, shoots, soil with moisture, but also increase air humidity. But sprinkling is not used during the ripening of berries, so that they do not become sour. When watering through the grooves, water is poured into the recesses made in the aisles or around the bush, and after absorbing moisture, they must be filled up.
By spraying water over raspberry bushes, you can not only wet the leaves and soil, but also increase air humidity
The most effective way to moisturize the berry is drip irrigation. Water under pressure is supplied through pipes laid along the rows of raspberries, and through dispensers it is delivered directly to the roots of plants. As a result, the necessary moisture is constantly maintained in the soil layer and productivity increases by 30%. In addition, drip irrigation is fully automated and greatly facilitates the work of farmers growing raspberries in large areas.
Drip irrigation of raspberries is carried out using pipes laid along the rows of plants
Moistened soil must be loosened so that the soil crust does not form. Loosening should be shallow (7 cm), being careful not to touch the fibrous roots that lie close to the surface. Then you need to cover the root zone with mulch. Mulching helps keep the soil moist, which is especially important in areas with insufficient rainfall or with occasional watering. As mulching material, straw, bark, crushed corn stalks, onion husks, humus are used.
A layer of mulch improves the structure of the soil, increases its fertility and retains moisture, and in winter protects the roots from hypothermia. In addition, mulch prevents the reproduction of harmful insects. Raspberry roots are often damaged by females of the beetle, but after mulching they are not able to penetrate through a layer of straw or bark into the soil to lay larvae there.
Mulch spread around the bushes helps retain moisture and improves soil structure
Balanced diet
Repair raspberries need a lot of nutrients. Lack of trace elements can be determined by the changed appearance of plants. Lag in development, yellowing of leaves indicate a lack of nitrogen; the dull dark green color of the foliage and weak shoots are a sign of phosphorus deficiency, a curly leaf plate and the appearance of a dark rim along the edge are symptoms of potassium deficiency.
Nitrogen deficiency can cause raspberry chlorosis
Young bushes at the beginning of the growing season need nitrogen fertilizing. In the spring, urea (30 g / m2) is scattered in the root zone.If the shoot growth is not intense enough, after 2 weeks they feed again. Instead of mineral fertilizers, you can use organic matter: dilute mullein or chicken droppings with water at a ratio of 1:10 and 1:20 and add 200 ml of nutrient solution to the bush. Nitrogen-containing top dressing causes an increase in soil acidity, which raspberries do not like. Therefore, after applying such fertilizers, it is useful to sprinkle soil near the root with 200 g of ash.
Overripe manure is an excellent fertilizer for raspberries
The root system of remont raspberries is very sensitive to chlorine, the presence of this element in potash fertilizers can cause shrub chlorosis. Therefore, only Chlorine-free formulations should be used for feeding Polka.
As soon as the berries begin to appear, it is necessary to fertilize with a solution of Nitrofoski (60 g 10 l), Kemira (50 g 10 l) or dry fertilizer Berry (50 g m2) in the soil. After the end of the season, raspberries are fed with a phosphorus-potassium composition (90 g m2) to restore strength. Organic fertilizer Biohumus heals and improves soil fertility, a solution of which (60 ml 10 l) is applied once a month under the root or sprayed with a bush.
Organic fertilizer Biohumus accelerates flowering and fruiting, improves the taste of berries
I use infusions of nettle and onion peel as an organic supplement. I pour water into a barrel with chopped nettles, close the lid and stand for a week. I filter the liquid, dilute it with water 1:10 and fertilize raspberries, spending a half-liter jar on the bush. I insist onion peel (500 g 10 l) for 10 days and then dilute it with water as well. Such infusions not only make up for the deficiency of trace elements in the soil, but also repel harmful insects.
Nettles are placed in a barrel and filled with water, a nutritious infusion will be ready in a week
Trellis cultivation
Strong straight-growing bushes of Polka do not need additional support. But to reveal the full potential of raspberries, it is advisable to grow it on a trellis. Without fixing shoots under the weight of the crop or in strong winds, I can lie down on the ground, the penetration of light to the berry branches worsens, and access to the plantations becomes difficult.
You can simply tie a single bush to a peg driven into the ground. If raspberries are planted in a linear manner, pull the wire at a height of 50 cm and 1 m on the poles dug along the row every 3 m and fix the shoots.
When raspberries are grown on a trellis, the bushes are better lit and ventilated.
Or on both sides of the bushes, pegs are installed and at different heights, some of the branches of one plant and part of the neighboring are tied to them. The advantage of the fan-shaped method is to improve the access of air and sunlight to young, vertically growing stems. However, in gardens such a garter is used extremely rarely.
Video: Raspberry Shelf
Winter preparations
The variety, having low frost resistance, can freeze in severe frosts, especially in snowless winters. Therefore, at the end of the season, the berry must be prepared for wintering. All stems are completely mowed and, after wetting, they cover the root zone with mulch: humus, peat, and straw.
If in the next season they plan to get the crop twice, only two-year-old shoots are removed, and annuals are bent to the ground, pressed with boards or tied to arcs near the bushes, covered with agrofibre from above.
Before freezing, annual shoots are bent to the ground and covered with non-woven material
Bush formation
Pruning remontant raspberries is a crucial step in leaving. After fruiting at the end of October, all shoots are cut, leaving three centimeter stumps. Autumn pruning not only has a beneficial effect on future crops, but also protects the crop from diseases and pests that can winter on stems.
Repair raspberries completely cut in autumn
Only old shoots can be removed, leaving young ones. In this case, fruit ovaries for the next season will form first on two-year, and then on one-year branches, but the yield will be lower and the berries will be smaller than with the main late summer fruiting.
When planning to harvest twice, only two-year-old shoots are removed in the fall, and annuals are sheltered for the winter
In early spring, before budding, carefully examine the overwintered bush and remove frozen or broken branches. It is also necessary to normalize the shoot, which takes a lot of nutrients, and leave no more than 7-9 branches on the bush.
In May, before flowering begins, the tops of the stems are shortened by 15 cm, which has a positive effect on productivity. Pinching the shoots at a later date can delay the ripening of the berries.
Pruning and preparing for winter
Culture propagation
You can propagate the Polka variety by seed and vegetative methods. However, the process of growing from seeds is long and time-consuming, therefore, it is used mainly for breeding selection.
Raspberries are propagated much easier with green cuttings. In early summer, young shoots with a height of not more than 5 cm are cut off and planted at a 45-degree angle on a seedbed in a greenhouse. In a humid warm environment, cuttings will take root in 2 weeks. They should be fed with complex fertilizer and planted in unprotected soil for growing in a week. And only at the end of the season, matured and grown seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.
Raspberries are well propagated by green and lignified cuttings
Raised raspberries and root cuttings. In the autumn, dig up the roots, cut them into 10-centimeter pieces and plant them in the garden. Moisturize, cover with a layer of mulch, and spread the spruce branches on top. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, spruce branches are removed. The site is covered with a film until green shoots appear. During the season, watering and top dressing of growing shoots is carried out, and in the fall they are planted in raspberries.
Raspberry easily propagates by root cuttings: their survival rate is 80%
It is easy to propagate the variety and dividing the bush. The dug shrub along with the root is divided into parts and planted in separate holes. After watering, the tops of the branches are cut to form lateral shoots.
Video: reproduction of remont raspberry roots
Disease and Pest Prevention
Pests rarely infect remont raspberries, as by the period of late summer fruiting the active life of many insects is already ending. The variety is resistant to gray rot - a dangerous fungal disease that often affects raspberry plantings and leads to the loss of most of the crop. However, under adverse conditions, the Shelf can develop diseases of the root system. Disinfection of planting material and processing during the growing season will help prevent the development of diseases.
Table: Raspberry Disease
| Disease | Signs | Prevention | Treatment |
| Root cancer | Pathogenic bacteria, being in the soil or on planting material, quickly spread in dry weather. The disease affects the roots and root sections of the stem. Tumors form on the roots, plants grow weak, grow poorly, yield decreases, berries become less sweet. |
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| Verticillus wilting | Symptoms occur in mid-summer: leaves turn yellow, dry and fall, berries become smaller, dry and tasteless. The bark on the stems is cracking, the tops of the shoots are drooping. In this case, the root remains viable. |
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| Root rot | In conditions of high humidity, the shoots wither, at the base they become covered with dark spots, bend, the leaves become reddish. The wood beneath the bark turns brown-black. Raspberry roots turn brown and rot. |
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Photo gallery: crop disease symptoms
- A sign of root cancer is the formation of a tumor on the roots
- Verticillin wilt causes yellowing and wilting of leaves
- Roots affected by root rot darken and rot
Table: The main raspberry pests
| Pests | Manifestations | Prevention | Measures |
| Chafer | Adult individuals during the mass flight, which coincides with the flowering period, damage the buds and eat leaves. Larvae gnaw at the roots of raspberries, which leads to the death of the berry. |
| In the spring, spray the bushes with a solution of Confidor Maxi (1 g 10 l), Antichrush (20 ml 10 l). |
| Raspberry moth | Moth caterpillars attack the raspberry tree in early spring, damaging the swollen buds. The development of plants slows down, and productivity decreases. The pest hibernates under plant debris and on old stems. |
| To treat the bushes until the kidneys swell with lime solutions (1 kg 10 l), Detoil (100 g 10 l), 1% DDT emulsion. |
| Aphid | In spring, in dry warm weather, the aphid settles on the shoots, the underside of the leaves and sucks the juice of young greenery. Affected leaves curl, dry, buds do not open, fruit ovaries do not form. |
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Photo Gallery: Raspberry Damaging Insects
- Cockchafer eats juicy greens
- Raspberry Moth likes to settle in groomed and uncultivated landings
- Aphids spread quickly in hot, dry weather and literally stick to leaves and shoots
Protecting raspberries from the aphid invasion, next to the berry, I plant sage, oregano, lavender, mint. Spicy plants scare insects with their pungent odors. But I grow nasturtium, mallow and cosmea in another corner of the garden - these flowers are very fond of small parasites.
Sage planted next to the raspberry with its strong smell repels harmful insects from berry bushes
During budding, you can not use chemicals to prevent toxic substances from falling into the berries. It is safer to use infusions of herbs: nettles, chamomiles, which are diluted with water 1: 1 and sprayed with plants.
Reviews
This year, Polka showed one more advantage - her berries were one of the first to ripen on annual shoots. And while the size struck by its size. Apparently, the abundance of moisture affected the ripening period of the variety. Very beautiful berries look spectacular in the brush, as they have the correct shape and the seeds are well made. It is a pleasure to collect these large thimbles. Of the shortcomings, I note only that the shoots are not as strong as that of Brusvyany, and the huge harvest just tends to stalk high stems to the ground. Therefore, the trellis for Polka should be done without fail (unlike Polana), and it is also necessary to limit the number of shoots in the bushes, as they are spreading and will interfere with each other.
Nikolay//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1224
Shelf in the list of favorites. I totally agree. I also thought about planting Brusvyana and her relatives, but after trying the berry and comparing it with my Shelf, I decided to increase the shelves of the Shelf and completely refused to plant Brusvyana. But as they say: taste and color ... whoever likes it. The shelf, of course, is very different from summer raspberries, my favorite summer variety Kokinskaya, of my 11-year-old varieties it is the most delicious and at the same time beautiful in appearance and has good transportability. So here is the Shelf for taste, i.e. in terms of sweetness it is not inferior to Kokinskaya, although the aroma is not as strong as that of summer and Brusvyana. The shelf is a little different in consistency. I have an old variety of Zev, it also has a small drupe and is very similar in consistency, but if the taste is determined according to a five-point system, then Regiment 5, and Zev will pull by 3.
olechka070//forum.vinograd.info/archive/index.php?t-3754.html
The berry is large, the first 3 cm (I can’t say in grams), the remaining 2 cm, very tasty, is in great demand on the market, good transportability, saturated color berry with brilliance. With conventional agricultural technology, Polka drains the soil very much, after 3 years the berry begins to crumble, becomes shallow. If this bush is transplanted to a new place, again the berry is magnificent.
Dmitro//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1224
I also want to mention an excellent repairing variety from Poland - Polka. These berries are good both in taste and in appearance.
NIK-olay//forum.tvoysad.ru/yagodnye-kultury-f31/remontantnaya-malina-sorta-i-osobennosti-agrotehniki-t8011-165.html
Is the shelf dry? No, it’s rather not juicy, which means it doesn’t flow during transportation. Now about the taste. My Shelf tastes 5 points (although the site is cold and not very sunny). If to compare with the Phenomenon, then although it is summer, I would not put more than 4. It is difficult to compare with the Brusvyanovsky varieties, and that's why. I grow Brusvyana, Brusilovskaya B13, Yaroslavna, Brusilovsky standard. They all have some kind of taste, I would call it, a bit nutty, musky, such relish (sorry, well, I'm not a taster). I am sure that they have such a taste from some common parent. But since the origin of these varieties is sealed with seven seals, we are not given to know this. This relish is not for everyone. My farm has a program for VIP clients, when they freely walk around the site and try and collect the berries themselves too. A specialist came up with such a chip in order to find out the tastes and preferences of customers. Believe me, they finally make the choice according to the taste of the berry. So, the Regiment is in the list of favorites, and the Brusvian (all) are on the fad below. Although there are people who tear only Brusvyanovsky precisely because of their specific taste. Your varieties will give you the opportunity to create a berry conveyor in this order (in terms of fruiting): Phenomenon, Regiment, Brusilovskaya, Brusvyana.
Vesela dolina//forum.vinograd.info/archive/index.php?t-3754.html
Raspberry Polka is well known to gardeners. After all, she is a record holder for productivity among other repair varieties. Beautiful dense berries with dessert flavor are in great demand in the market. Due to the long period of fruiting, fragrant raspberries can be enjoyed until the frost, cook compotes and jams, freeze for the winter. But a generous crop, the maintenance look requires strict adherence to agricultural technology and needs good nutrition.
