Sobolev Alexander Georgievich is a genius who has worked hard for many years on such methods of growing raspberries that would give the maximum yield from each bush. Many gardeners use his experience and put his methods into practice. Now every persistent and patient summer resident or gardener will be able to try to grow this tasty and healthy berry according to the Sobolev method.
Experienced summer residents say that having at least six raspberry bushes on the site, you can feed an average family of four with berries, and even prepare raspberries for the winter.
Basic rules for the care and cultivation of raspberries
Preparing the garden and planting raspberries
Very often, raspberry bushes are planted along the fence or somewhere in the far corner of the garden, since it is considered an unpretentious plant and can grow anywhere. This is true, there will be berries on such bushes. But you need not just a few berries, but you need to achieve the maximum yield. Therefore, you need to take care of the correct bed.
The soil in the future bed should not be prone to water stagnation and waterlogging. The site should be well lit and warm. On the southern wall of any building, raspberry bushes will feel good. The bed should be located clearly in the direction from north to south or from east to west.
The raspberry bed should be slightly raised above the ground (about 15 centimeters). This can be done using pieces of slate or ordinary wooden planks, with which you need to fence the future garden. With their help, the bed will appear as if in a box, the sides of which will keep moisture in the soil for a longer time, which is very important for the nutrition of the root system.
The yield of raspberries will largely depend on the distance between the planted bushes, it should not be less than one meter. Therefore, when determining the size of the beds, this circumstance must be taken into account. The width of the bed and the distance between the seedlings is 1 meter. And its length will depend on the number of raspberry bushes prepared for planting. Crops planted in this way will receive a sufficient amount of sunlight, excellent air permeability. This method reduces the likelihood of pests and diseases, and also significantly increases yields.
A favorable time for planting raspberry bushes is the beginning of September. For each bush, you need to dig a small hole, about 40 centimeters deep.
In no case should you plant two or more seedlings together at once. They will become "competitors" to each other at the stage of survival. They will lack nutrients, and the development of one will interfere with the growth of the other. One cannot expect a large harvest from such seedlings. It will not be advisable to transplant them again later, as the plants will begin to deplete or even hurt. And with proper care and individual planting, the bush can bear fruit generously in one place for more than twenty years.
Double pruning raspberries
Raspberry bushes planted in the fall should be pruned in the coming spring (in the last days of May).The first pruning will help to correctly form the shape of the bush, will contribute to the growth of side shoots. The bush should not stretch in height, so the tops are cut off, leaving the main stem about 1 meter high. After such pruning, it will be more convenient to reach the berries, and the load on the plant will be distributed correctly.
To help the plant and yourself even more (when harvesting), you can build special supports. To do this, you will need wooden posts (four pieces of one and a half meters in length) and material for creating a "railing" (for example, thin wooden planks along the length of the entire bed or strong twine). The posts must be dug in at the corners of the beds, and the "railings" must be built, leaning on these posts, half a meter up from the surface of the earth. Growing raspberry shoots with fruits can be tied to such a support.
The next pruning is carried out in the second year, also in the spring. If in the first year the bush consisted of only one main stem, now many lateral shoots have appeared. Now the tops are cut off from them, reducing the length by about 10 centimeters. This pruning will promote the formation of more peduncles and the formation of a large ovary.
Among the emerging new young shoots, it is recommended to keep no more than three or four of the strongest and most reliable. They are also partially pruned, and all other new branches are removed completely.
If a strong young shoot has grown near the main fruiting bush, which can also bear fruit well in the future, then it just needs to be planted in a separate area. All other small shoots are not needed, you can get rid of them.
If the beds with young raspberry bushes and fruiting ones are located separately, then this dramatically increases productivity, increases the fruiting period by almost 2 months and reduces the likelihood of pests. The most common raspberry variety becomes more like a remontant variety.
Watering, feeding and mulching raspberries
On an individual raspberry bed, seasonal digging and loosening of the soil is not needed. The root system of this crop is located very close to the surface of the earth. But without proper watering, mulching soil and top dressing cannot be dispensed with.
Raspberries need constant and timely watering. The soil should always be slightly moist, it should not be allowed to dry out. If it is not possible to keep this issue under control, then a positively proven method will come to the rescue - mulching. With its help, the moisture necessary for the plant will be retained in the soil for a long time and the top layer will not dry out.
For a mulch layer on a raspberry bed, everything unnecessary that is at hand is suitable. These are herbaceous waste and tops of plants, sawdust and shavings, weeds and vegetable peelings, husks from onions and seeds, peat and compost, waste paper. It is important that the mulch layer does not exceed 5 centimeters.
Organic fertilizing is used a couple of times a season if there are negative external indicators. For example, the leaves on raspberry bushes become pale or begin to curl and dry out. In case of stains on the leaves or in the presence of weak and poorly developing stems.
To prepare top dressing you will need: water, bird droppings and wood ash. 6 liters of water are poured into a bucket and 3 liters of droppings are added, mixed and allowed to brew for two days. After that, ten liters of water, 1 liter of the prepared infusion and 1 glass of ash are poured into the container - the fertilizer is ready for use.
You can grow raspberry bushes without dividing them into young and mature. You just need to use a garter that will help young and adult shoots not interfere with growth and development.
Raspberry shelter for the winter
At the end of the collection of fruits, mature shoots are cut out at the root, and young branches are gently tilted to the ground, fixed with wire brackets and insulated.As a covering, you can use thin branches of bushes and trees, spruce branches, pieces of tarpaulin, any material that will help keep warm. If such a cover is covered with a thick layer of snow, then this will definitely save the raspberry bushes from freezing.
