Hercules is one of the best remontant varieties of domestic breeding raspberries. It is popular among gardeners of the middle lane due to its unpretentiousness, productivity, late fruiting, immunity to diseases and pests. It also has many other advantages over summer varieties.
Content
Brief history and description of the variety
The raspberry of the Hercules variety was obtained by a famous breeder, the author of several dozen remontant varieties, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Ivan Vasilyevich Kazakov in 2000. The variety was included in the State Register in 2004 for the Central Region.
This remontant variety has a small shrub formed by two-year-old shoots of brown color, as well as annual shoots that have a purple color. They are straight, strongly studded. The height of the shoots depends on the fertility of the soil and reaches 1.5-2.0 meters. Moreover, the more fertile the soil has, the higher the shoots grow, the more berries are formed on them. The bushes have good strength and do not require a garter, which allows you to grow raspberries without trellises. They give a lot of shoots, which is a rare quality for remontant varieties.
Hercules raspberry bushes have good strength and do not require a garter, which allows you to grow raspberries without trellises
The author of the variety and the State Register recommend growing this raspberry in an annual culture. This means that in late autumn, before leaving for winter, all shoots are cut to ground level, and in spring new ones grow from the roots. By mid-summer, they reach their usual size, inflorescences are formed on them, and fruiting occurs in the first decade of August. It lasts until the onset of cold weather, and up to 20-40% (depending on the region) of the berries may not have time to ripen. Thanks to this technology, the issue of frost resistance and winter hardiness disappears. And also due to the fact that all the shoots were removed in autumn, possible spores of fungi are also removed with them. This fact explains the high immunity of the variety to diseases. Pests, whose development cycle does not coincide with the development cycle of remontant raspberries, also do not infect this variety. Consequently, there is no need for treatments with chemical means of protection, which determines the high environmental friendliness of berries.
Productivity, according to the State Register, is 92 kg / ha. The author of the variety himself reports on a yield of over three kilograms per bush. Some sources claim that each Hercules raspberry bush brings up to 4.5-5 kg of berries. The berries are large, with an average weight of 6.8 grams (according to the description of the author of the variety - 8-9 grams or more). The color is dark red or bright ruby. The pulp is dense, juicy. Taste - sweet and sour, refreshing, with a raspberry aroma. Tasting assessment of the taste of berries - 4 points. Berries can be eaten fresh, they are good for freezing and other types of processing. Collected in small containers, transport well.
Raspberry Hercules - large, juicy, dense
Table: advantages and disadvantages of the variety in comparison with similar
| Remaining raspberry variety | Advantages | disadvantages |
| Hercules |
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| Eurasia |
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| Brilliant |
|
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| Bryansk miracle |
|
|
Features of agricultural technology raspberry Hercules
The peculiarities of planting and growing Hercules raspberries are primarily associated with its remontability. Unlike regular summer raspberries, it can bear fruit on both biennial and annual shoots. But, as mentioned above, it is grown in an annual culture. This method has clear advantages:
- Increased winter hardiness and frost resistance of raspberries. Since there are no stems, there is nothing to freeze out. The root system can withstand temperatures down to -20 ° C - to such an extent the soil does not freeze even in the northern regions. Therefore, there is no need to cover the bushes for the winter.
- Even if a disease-resistant raspberry gets sick with something in the current season, the pathogens wintering in the bark of the shoots will be destroyed when the cut bushes are disposed of.
- No chemical treatments required.
- The entire volume of the harvest falls on late dates, when the usual varieties have already borne fruit.
Landing
This stage is the most important in the agrotechnics of remontant raspberries, since it lays the foundations for its further cultivation.
Place for planting raspberries Hercules
Raspberry Hercules does not tolerate even a small shadow. An exception is the southern regions, where a small partial shade is acceptable. The site must be well ventilated, but at the same time not blown by cold northerly winds. It is very good if it is protected from them by dense trees or shrubs, walls of buildings, or a fence. The occurrence of groundwater is allowed at a level not higher than 1-1.5 meters.
Raspberries should be planted in lighted areas protected from cold winds.
Repaired raspberries require twice as much nutrition as common ones. Therefore, she needs fertile soils with a loose structure. It can be loam, sandy loam, black soil. The acidity level of the soil should be in the range of pH 5.5-6.5, which is a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. It is advisable to prepare the soil in advance - a year before planting, sow green manure (phacelia, mustard, legumes, etc.) on it. In the fall, they are mowed and distributed over the site. Then you need to add organic matter - humus, compost, peat - in the amount of 2-3 buckets per square meter, superphosphate (40-60 g / m2) and wood ash (0.4-0.5 l / m2). After that, the soil is plowed deeply or dug up with the overturn of the earth layers.
When planting raspberries Hercules
The author of the variety recommends planting raspberries Hercules in the middle lane in the fall. You can start this in the second half of September, when the root system of the seedlings is already sufficiently formed.It is undesirable to delay planting - young plants should have time to take root and get stronger before the onset of cold weather. If you have to plant raspberries in the spring, then you need to do this before the buds swell while the sap flow has not yet begun.
How raspberries are planted Hercules
Common raspberries have fibrous roots that lie at a depth of forty centimeters. Raspberry Hercules has almost tap roots, growing deeper. To use this useful property, the planting hole must be made 0.6-0.7 meters deep (45 x 45 centimeters in size) and an additional bucket of humus must be poured onto the bottom of it. As a result, the roots will develop to a great depth in search of nutrients. This contributes to increased drought tolerance and yield.
If raspberries are planted in rows, then the distance between them is recommended to be kept within 1.5-2.0 meters. The interval between bushes in a row is chosen equal to 0.7-0.8 meters. With this planting scheme, optimal lighting and ventilation conditions for plants are created.
Raspberry Hercules is great for growing not only for the purpose of harvesting, but also as an element of ornamental gardening. For this, small groups of three bushes with a distance of 0.5-0.7 meters between them are created on the site. Several of these triangles will decorate the landscape against the background of a lawn or beautiful elements of buildings and gazebos.
Growing and care
Caring for Hercules raspberries is not difficult and hassle. Even without leaving, it will bear fruit and, under favorable weather conditions, will give a good harvest. But of course we do not recommend doing this. With proper care, raspberries will be larger, tastier and more abundant and regular.
How and when raspberries are watered Hercules
Raspberry Hercules is a drought-resistant plant, but moisture-loving. If the soil is too dry, it will affect the condition of the surface absorbent roots - they can dry out and die off. At the same time, if the soil is excessively and often flooded with water, then these roots can also die. Such stresses for the plant delay its development and negatively affect the quality and quantity of berries. Based on this, it follows that it is better to water raspberries more often (about once a week), but not too abundantly, preventing stagnation of water in the upper layers of the soil. During the ripening period, the number of watering is reduced. At this time, it is better to create a slight moisture deficit than an excess.
Watering raspberries more often, but not too much
After watering, loosening is required, which must be carried out carefully, without damaging the roots. The best option would be to mulch the root zone with a layer of humus (you can also use compost, rotted sawdust, etc.) 5-7 centimeters thick. Such mulch will retain moisture without creating swampiness, prevent the soil from drying out and form a crust, and prevent the growth of weeds.
Mulching raspberries allows for longer watering intervals
What and when to feed raspberries Hercules
According to the research results of the author of the variety, most of all, this raspberry takes nitrogen out of the soil. Therefore, it is nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers, as well as organic matter, that should be applied regularly and in significant quantities. The following feeding scheme is recommended:
- In the spring, water raspberries with a solution of urea (carbamide) or ammonium nitrate. They take 30-50 grams of fertilizer per bucket of water - this amount is enough for two square meters of soil.
Sprinkle raspberries with urea solution in spring
- In the summer, 2-3 fertilizing with an interval of 1-2 weeks with liquid organic fertilizers is carried out. To do this, for a week, 2 liters of mullein or 1 liter of bird droppings are insisted in one bucket of water. Then the resulting infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and watered with raspberries, spending one bucket per square meter of soil.
Mullein is infused in warm water for one week
- An additional source of nitrogen is humus or compost mulch.
- In the first half of summer, potash fertilizers should also be applied.When watering, potassium monophosphate is added to the water at the rate of 10-20 g / m2... This top dressing is done after flowering and another one after 2-3 weeks.
In the first half of summer, potash fertilizers need to be applied
- In autumn, superphosphate is introduced under the digging in an amount of 30-40 g / m2.
In autumn, superphosphate is added under the digging in the amount of 30-40 g / m2
Trimming
As mentioned above, in the fall, all shoots are cut at soil level (you can leave small signal stumps that need to be cut in the spring). Pruning is carried out as late as possible - it's not scary if this happens after the onset of frost. The longer the shoots stand, the more nutrients the root system will receive from them for its development. And also if pruning too early, there is a risk that in a warm autumn, the roots can give rise to shoots that will have to be removed. In the summer, it is important to promptly remove root shoots, as well as excess shoots, leaving 2-3 per bush. If you leave more shoots, then the bush will thicken and shade, which will negatively affect the size of the berries and the overall yield.
In the fall, the raspberry stems are cut completely
Video: raspberry Hercules - overview and agricultural technology
Reviews
I planted Hercules 2 years ago, in the fall we constantly cut at 0 - I don't like summer fruiting, we start collecting in July and before frost, but when it's hot, watering is desirable, since the berry is greatly reduced. Mom says - raspberries are for diabetics - because they are not sweet. I send most of the harvest to wine. The wine is great!
Watched Hercules for 4 seasons. Everything is good except for the taste. Bushes are undersized, easy to care for. The growth is very good, the fruiting is extended - from August to frost. The berry, in my conditions for my taste, is sour. I tried to grow it like a summer one, that is, I left the shoots for the winter, there is no difference - the berry is sour. Since raspberries are a verdict for themselves: they uprooted them and gave them to their friends (they tried, for lack of another, they liked it).
Message from sergei-vasilyevich
There are no problems, but there is no taste, productivity and ends fruiting at the end of August. In addition to it, plant Kalashnik, Br. Divo, Himbo-top, Zlata Yessennyu - twice as productive, longer berries, much tastier. Do you have these varieties of Br.divo, Himbo-top?
I have yes, but we will not give up Hercules, for a simple reason he bears fruit earlier than the varieties you have listed, namely July, the month when there are practically no raspberries on the market, and Hercules is very suitable for a continuous cycle (June - October) and the price for the berry is as tall as ever.
Message from sergei-vasilyevich
Hercules is a market variety for me, we don't eat its berries.
It seems to me that this proposal perfectly describes the advantages and disadvantages of this variety. Personally, I uprooted it after the first fruiting once and for all. Its taste cannot be called raspberry, it has no right. But this is my personal opinion, perhaps somewhere, someone, in other conditions, Hercules is a wonderful variety.
Hercules can be grown without a trellis, but it is better to make a simple one, put two wires on the sides. Of course, it does not shine with taste, but it cannot be called tasteless either ... Especially in good weather, the taste is very pleasant! And despite the fact that I have many tastier varieties, I still keep 3 Hercules bushes. And sometimes I can pass by sweet varieties and go to "Hercules", because sometimes, especially in the heat, I want something simpler with a predominance of sourness!
Hercules is an excellent remontant raspberry that does not require much attention when growing and caring for. Some criticize it for its sour taste, but it is inherent in most remontant varieties, which does not affect their popularity. The variety is attractive for both amateur and commercial growers.
