How to plant and care for white raspberries

Hearing the name “white raspberry”, many gardeners will think that breeders have succeeded in breeding some unusual variety of raspberry. Not at all. White raspberry is a cross between a blackberry and a common raspberry. I would like to say that unlike the red raspberry that we are accustomed to, the white (aka – yellow) is not adapted to harsh winters.

Botanical description and features

With its bushes and berries, yellow raspberries are similar to the usual, red. Through crossing blackberries with raspberries breeders got a new variety with unusual for us color of berries, which varies from gently apricot to rich orange. Compared to ordinary raspberries, the white varieties contain more fructose, glucose, and dry matter.

For your information!The creeping rhizome branches off, producing young shoots and propagating the crop. Although the young plants strongly deplete the mother bushes.

Fruiting branches are formed at the ends of two annual shoots or in the axils of leaf laminae. If fruits appear from axils, the raspberry bears fruit only once a season, then the shoots wither.

If fruit buds are laid on the ends of shoots, the culture bears fruit 2 times a year. These varieties are called remontant varieties.

Biological differences between yellow raspberry and red raspberry:

1. Growth strength of bushes and their spreading (there are strong, weak and strongly spreading varieties);

2. Bark color of the two annual shoots (can be gray, brown or light brown);

3. arrangement of thorns (the thorns are simple and curved, can be located throughout the shoot, or concentrated only at the bottom);

4. The type of foliage (with and without pubescence, wrinkled and smooth, twisted and straight);

5. shape of berries and flavour (rounded, cone-shaped, obtuse-conical with a strong or weak aroma)

6. Type of fruiting (single, remontant).

Many gardeners prefer the remontant varieties because the harvest can be harvested 2 times a season.

Common varieties of white raspberry

The State Register includes such varieties as Amber, Yellow Giant, Golden Dome, Apricot, Golden Autumn, Belyanka, Orange Wonder. Gardeners give preference to older varieties: Spirina white, Honey, Altai dessert, Pineapple, Golden Everest.

Apricot

Remontant white raspberry suitable for regionalization in the Central region. Bushes are not powerful, grow medium-sized, slightly sprawling. Downward-curved spines on the lower part of the shrub. Golden apricot berries covered with light pubescence, weighing 3 g. In one season 2 kg of berries can be collected from a shrub.

Runaway

The remontant variety grows well in the Central region. Starts bearing fruit early. The second wave of harvest occurs in early August. Medium sized, slightly sprawling bushes. Small thorns are located in the lower part of the shoots. Golden berries weigh 2.5 g. Max 3 kg of fruit per plant. Well tolerant to frost.

Golden Everest

Foreign selection. Very frost hardy. It does not tolerate temperatures of -30°C. Taller shrubs with a strong spreading outline and upright shoots. At the stage of technical maturity the berries turn orange. Weight of a berry – 4 gr. Harvesting takes place in early autumn. Many gardeners find persimmon notes in the sour-sweet taste of the fruit. All-purpose variety.

Yellow giant

Fruits once a season, intended for zoning in the North-Western region. You can start harvesting in the last days of June. Highly grown shrubs with many shoots, but little spreading. Weight of berries is 3 g. Yield per bush – 1,5 kg. Spikes are located along the entire length of the shoots. Yellow giant has high resistance to diseases, but low resistance to cold.

Golden Domes

The remontant variety for the Central region. Medium height and spreading. Few thorns scattered along the entire length of the shoots. Leaves slightly twisted. Bright yellow berries with rounded shape, weighing 4 g. Berries up to 3 kg per season per plant. The variety is resistant to pests and diseases.

Golden Autumn

The remontant variety can be grown in any region. Medium-sized bushes, soft thorns occupy a place at the bottom of the shoots. Leaf blades strongly wrinkled. Berries are large, weighing 5 g. During the season you can collect up to 5 kg of berries from a shrub, taking into account that the bush bears fruit 2 times. Due to its weak resistance to diseases and pests, recommends increased attention.

Orange wonder

The remontant variety does well in any region, regardless of weather conditions. Powerful stature. Medium spreading. The thorns are dispersed along the length of the shoots. Wrinkled, strongly curled foliage. Brilliant elongated orange berries with a color of 10 gr. Contains high levels of vitamin C. Record-breaker by useful properties among all varieties! With a bush, the yield is 5 kg.

Amber

The remontant variety is suitable for widespread cultivation. The lower part of the shoots has downward-curved thorns. The leaves are slightly crimped. The amber variety is drought tolerant.

Planting and care of white raspberries in the garden

The white raspberry needs practically the same care as the ordinary raspberry. But it is necessary to take into account some nuances.

Choosing a place for planting

Unlike red raspberries, which can grow and yield even in the penumbra, the white variety needs enough sunlight for the berries to fill and ripen.

Also requires lots of space. The site should be protected from draughts.

Soil preparation

Efficient culture shows good yields if you choose a site with light loamy or sandy loam soil for its cultivation. Sandy soil requires a lot of attention, because it dries out quickly and needs constant moistening. Heavy soils with clay are not suitable for growing white raspberries.

Choice of planting dates

The best time for planting the yellow variety – the end of September and including the middle of October. In warmer regions, you can plant in spring.

Gardeners prefer trench planting method. Between the rows a distance of 1.2-1.5 m should be maintained for low-growing varieties, 2 m for high-growing ones. We recommend digging a trench 50 cm wide. The distance between the seedlings depends on the variety, starting from 40 cm.

Attention!When planting, it is important not to submerge the seedlings!

Watering

The culture needs constant moisture in the soil, but will not survive excessive overwatering. In the absence of natural rainfall, water abundantly. It is also necessary to water well during the growing season, as soon as active growth begins, after the harvest. With excessive moisture in the soil, the berries become saturated with moisture, become watery, and lose their sweet taste. To retain moisture in the soil longer, it is recommended to mulch with straw, mulch, grass clippings.

Fertilizing

The culture responds well to feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers. The best time to apply fertilizer is spring and autumn.

In early spring, even before the snow melts, you need to sprinkle nitrogen-containing fertilizers near the plant. When the snow melts, the nutrients will enter the soil. This procedure reduces the growth of shoots.

Nitrogen fertilizer is especially necessary for white raspberry bushes in the first 3 years after planting. Thanks to them there is a good formation of bushes, which contributes to an increase in yields. If the trench method is used for planting, mineral fertilizers are fertilized 1 time in 2 years.

Manure from horses and cows can be used as organic fertilizer. You can also cover the bushes with plant debris and eggshells.

Tying

High-growing varieties require tying to the support, which it is desirable to install immediately at planting. The poles on the sides of the trench can serve as supports. Between them you need to pull a wire in several rows. The first row should be at a distance of 1,2 m from the ground. Next, the rows with a spacing of 0.6 m. Tie the culture after bud blossoming.

Pruning

The shoots of remontant varieties need to be cut. The procedure should be carried out in autumn. This will contribute to abundant fruiting, though, once a year – in the fall. In biennial varieties, shoots, which fructified in the current year, should be cut.

Harvesting

When growing white raspberries, you should know that you can not leave ripe berries on the branches – they must be harvested. The fact is that one of the characteristic features of remontant varieties is the shattering of ripe berries. In addition, the fruits are not to be stored, so after the harvest they must be eaten or processed.

Preparation for winter

Raspberries are considered resistant to low temperatures, but there are varieties that can freeze over the winter. In this regard, it is recommended to prepare the bushes for wintering. Raspberry shoots should be removed from the support and bent to one side, so that they were located above the ground no higher than 40 cm. In low snow winters, it is recommended to cover the shoots with straw.

Breeding white raspberries

The fastest and most convenient way of propagation – cuttings. However, purchasing seedlings requires an investment. You can go the other way, buy the seeds. Seed propagation is not always successful because it is a complicated process.

The fact is that the seeds are not characterized by high germination, so you will have to make a lot of effort to grow healthy seedlings.

Seeds can be collected from the berries of their own harvest. To do this, you need to choose a well ripened fruit, wash the fruit and release the seeds from the pulp. After drying, the seed should be stored in paper bags.

Multiplication is started at the end of September. Seeds are placed in gauze or cotton material and soaked for 24 hours in room temperature water. Then place the seeds in sphagnum moss or sand. Keep the seed in this form until spring.

Transplanting into the open ground is carried out in April. In order not to perform picking, the seeds should be placed at least 5 cm from each other.

Care for seedlings in the summer period consists of watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds, making fertilizers. With the advent of autumn, the young plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

Attention!When transplanting to a permanent place, it is important to pay attention to the appearance of seedlings. If on their shoots there are spikes, colored in a dark color, such specimens will have to be discarded, since their berries will not be yellow.

The fruits of white raspberries are not only tasty, but also useful. In addition, they attract with their unusual coloring and their bright appearance. Among the huge variety of varieties, you can choose the one that will be suitable for all parameters. But you need to know that in order to get a high yield, it is necessary to take the right care.