Raspberry Hercules: Description And Characteristics Of The Variety, Advantages And Disadvantages, Planting And Care Features + Photos And Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Raspberry Hercules: growing a high-yielding giant in the garden

Raspberry Hercules is an early ripe variety that is successfully grown by gardeners in our area. The culture is recommended for the Central Black Earth, Central Region and the Middle Belt. The berries of this variety are large in size and have a pleasant taste.

Content

• 1 Description of the remontant variety Hercules

  • 1.1 Video: fruiting raspberries of the Hercules variety
  • 1.2 Table: advantages and disadvantages of raspberry Hercules
• 2 How is the correct planting of the bush carried out?
• 3 Video: the process of planting raspberries

• 4 Plant care

  • 4.1 Fertilizing raspberries
  • 4.2 Features of watering raspberries of the Hercules variety
  • 4.3 Loosening and mulching the soil
  • 4.4 Pruning bushes
  • 4.5 Video: practical tips for pruning remontant raspberries

• 5 Diseases and pests

  • 5.1 Table: Cultural Diseases
  • 5.2 Photo gallery: typical diseases of the Hercules variety
  • 5.3 Table: raspberry pests
  • 5.4 Photo gallery: common pests of the Hercules variety
• 6 Features of harvesting
• 7 Reviews of gardeners

Description of the remontant variety Hercules

Raspberry Hercules - remontant fruitful variety

Hercules belongs to remontant varieties, that is, the culture gives two harvests in one season. The first time the fruits are formed in July on last year's shoots, and then the berries ripen in August on young stems. The raspberry bush Hercules is slightly spreading, reaches a height of 1.5–2 m. The shoots are straight, powerful, do not bend under the weight of the fruit, therefore they do not need a garter. Young branches are colored green, by autumn they become reddish and acquire a waxy coating.

Raspberry shoots are weak, the bush forms only 3-4 replacement shoots. But this does not affect the yield, which reaches 2.5–4 kg per bush. It is this criterion that attracts many gardeners. The stems are completely covered with thorns. The leaves are wrinkled, bright green, of medium size, with denticles along the edges.

Raspberry berries are cone-shaped, have a rich ruby color and are quite large in size. Average weight is 6-10 g, and some fruits can reach 15 g. The pulp is juicy, the taste is sweet and sour. The aroma is well expressed. The palatability of the fruit was rated at 4 points out of 5.

Video: fruiting raspberries of the Hercules variety

Table: advantages and disadvantages of raspberry Hercules

Advantages	disadvantages
Abundant fruiting	Sour berry flavor
Good transportability	The presence of thorns on the shoots
Large berry size	Elongated fruiting, due to which the berries do not have time to ripen before frost
Resistant to gray mold and raspberry mite
Unpretentiousness to soil

The Hercules variety got its name from its giant-sized berries.

How is the correct planting of the bush made?

Raspberry Hercules will grow well in any soil. But the most preferable for it is loamy or sandy loam soil with a low level of acidity. The site is chosen in a well-lit place with 1–1.5 m of groundwater. Raspberries can be planted in April-May or during September-October, that is, before bud break and after the end of the growing season.

The Hercules variety is planted in slightly acidic soil

It is advisable to purchase seedlings in nurseries. A healthy plant has a strong root system without damage, 2–4 shoots 1 cm or more thick. The presence of dry patches or signs of mold on the seedling should alert. You should not use such raspberries. This also applies to plants with shoots thinner than 1 cm.

The disembarkation process itself is carried out in this order:

1. 3 weeks before planting, holes 50 cm in width and depth are dug in the selected area. The optimum distance between bushes is 80 cm, from row to row - 1.5 m.
2. The pits are filled by a third with a nutrient mixture from the soil, 200 g of superphosphate, 80 g of potassium sulfate and 10 kg of humus.
3. After the specified time, they start planting a seedling. A mound is formed at the bottom, a seedling is placed on it. The roots are gently straightened.
4. After that, the pit is filled with soil. But you need to fill in the earth gradually, in 3-4 steps.
5. Each time the soil is watered a little so that it adheres more tightly to the roots. In total, up to 10 liters of water is poured under the seedling.
6. The root collar is left 3–5 cm above the surface.
7. Finally, the soil around the plant is mulched with compost or peat in a layer of 5 cm.

Video: the process of planting raspberries

Plant care

Caring for raspberries of the Hercules variety is reduced to watering, feeding, weeding and loosening the soil, pruning bushes.

Fertilizing raspberries

For the Hercules variety, both mineral and organic fertilizers are used.

Three times per season, Hercules raspberries need to be fed. Fertilizers are applied:

• in May (when forming the crop);
• in July (in the process of fruiting);
• in August or the first half of September, when the buds are laid for the next year.

The key features of fertilization are reduced to the following aspects:

1. The first top dressing is prepared on the basis of a mullein (0.5 liters per 10 liters of water). 5 liters of solution are consumed per bush. Ammonium sulfate can also be used instead of mullein, which is applied dry. Fertilizer is scattered over the soil at the rate of 15 g per 1 m ².
2. In summer, raspberries are fed with a mixture of 50 g of urea, 250 g of superphosphate, 70 g of potassium sulfate, 10 g of boric acid and 10 liters of water. The prepared composition is used for spraying the bushes in the evening.
3. In August or September, minerals or organic matter are added under the raspberries. In the first case, 40 g of potassium salt, 60 g of superphosphate per 1 m ² are added to the loosened soil, then the fertilizers are sprinkled with earth.
4. As an organic matter, 5 kg of humus per 1 m ² are introduced into the soil.

Features of watering raspberries varieties Hercules

Timely watering of raspberries improves the yield of bushes

Raspberry bushes are watered in the last decade of May, twice in June and July, in early August and in October. The best way to moisturize is the use of furrows. They are dug on both sides of the row at a distance of 40 cm and to a depth of 10 cm. Then water is supplied to them at the rate of 3-4 buckets per plant. But the usual sprinkling of bushes is also quite effective. Only in this case, it is important to water in the early morning or in the evening so that the raspberry leaves do not get burned.

Loosening and mulching the soil

To ensure unhindered access of air to the raspberry root system, it is necessary to carry out regular loosening. During the season, the procedure is performed 5-6 times. The first time the soil is loosened in the spring until the buds open. In the future, the procedure is repeated with the formation of a crust and the appearance of weeds. The loosening depth between rows should be 10-15 cm, and in rows 5-7 cm.

Mulching the soil will help reduce the need for weeding. For this purpose, compost, peat, sawdust or humus are suitable. Mulch is placed under the base of the bush with a layer of 5 cm. During the season, biological material rotted. The next year it is updated.

Pruning bushes

By pruning raspberries with a remontant, you can adjust the number of fruiting

In October-November, two-year-old shoots of raspberries are cut off at the root. This helps protect the crop from frost and pests. In young shoots, only the top is removed. This pruning option for a remontant variety will allow two crops to be harvested next season.

In autumn, you can also remove all shoots completely. In this case, only one crop will be formed next year, but, as gardeners note, it will have the best quality indicators. In the spring in April, the stems are pruned to the level of the first healthy bud. Dry shoots are removed completely.

If the raspberry was cut in the fall to soil level, it is covered with a layer of sawdust or leaves. When removing only the fruiting stems, the plant must be bent. To do this, two bushes are tilted to one another and tied. When the snow falls, it should be sketched over the raspberries.

Video: practical tips for pruning remontant raspberries

Diseases and pests

The Hercules variety is resistant to some diseases and pests, but at the same time it can be affected by viruses.

Table: diseases specific to the culture

Diseases	Symptoms	Control methods	Prevention
Rust	Yellow-brown formations appear on the outside of the leaves. The stems are covered with gray ulcers. In autumn, a dark bloom appears on the back of the leaves.	Treatment of bushes with 1% Bordeaux liquid.	Loosening the soil. Mulching the soil under the bushes with compost or manure.
Mosaic	The leaves are deformed and change color. The middle of the affected plates becomes dark, and the edges are lighter. The stems become thinner, the berries lose their flavor.	There is no cure for mosaics. Affected plants are uprooted and burned.	Fight against aphids that carry the virus. Use healthy planting material.
Septoria	The leaves are covered with rounded spots, which are brown at first, then brighten and acquire a purple outline. Shoots and buds die off.	Spraying until bud break with 0.5% copper oxychloride solution.	Compliance with the norms when applying fertilizers, since the disease can provoke an excessive amount of nitrogen. Destruction of affected shoots and leaves.
Anthracnose	Purple spots are formed on the shoots and fruits. The bark turns gray. The berries dry out. Leaves die off.	Treatment of the plant with Oxychom (20 g per 10 l), 1% Bordeaux liquid.	Pruning stems in autumn, controlling aphids.
Overgrowth	The formation of a large number of shoots, the number of which can reach up to 200 pieces.	The overgrowth is not treatable. A sick bush must be burned to prevent the spread of the virus.	Disinfection of tools before pruning. Destruction of aphids and ticks.

Photo gallery: typical diseases of the Hercules variety

Raspberry anthracnose can deprive a larger share of the crop

Raspberry overgrowth cannot be treated

Mosaic is a dangerous disease that cannot be eliminated

Rust damages leaves and drains the bush

Septoria raspberry can destroy buds, depriving crops

Table: raspberry pests

Pests	Signs	Ways to fight	Prevention
Aphid	Raspberry leaves curl, stems curl. An accumulation of green parasites can be seen under the leaf plate and on the shoots.	Treatment before flowering and after picking berries with Actellik (15 ml per 10 l of water, consumption of 1.5 l per plant) or Fufanon (10 ml per 10 l, consumption of 2 l per bush).	Spraying with baking soda solution (1 pack per bucket of water). Regular pruning, loosening of the soil.
Weevil	Oviposition in buds. The formation of pinpoint punctures on the leaves in early spring. Falling buds.	Spraying before flowering with Iskra-M (10 ml per 10 l). After fruiting, the use of Karbofos 960g per 10 l).	Digging the soil in autumn, burning leaves. Spraying with wormwood decoction. Add 1 kg of grass to 4 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes, after which it is brought to 10 liters and kept on fire for another 5 minutes. Add 50 g of soap to the resulting composition and leave for 24 hours.
Kidney moth	The pest lays eggs in flowers. Caterpillars overwinter in the shoots, which leads to a stop in the development of the stems.	Before flowering and after harvesting the fruits, treatment with Inta-Vir (1 tablet per 10 l) or Fufanon. Destruction of the ground part of the affected bushes.	Using healthy seedlings when planting.
Stem fly	Females lay eggs on shoots, then the larvae gnaw holes in them, from which the stems wilt.	Treatment at the flowering stage with Aktellik (10 ml per 10 L) or Iskra (1 tablet per 10 L).	Loosening the soil before the winter period.

Photo gallery: common pests of the Hercules variety

Weevil damages flowers and buds

Kidney moth is found in foci, damages kidneys and partially berries

Stem fly can rob most of the crop

Aphids are a gluttonous parasite that drains the leaves and stems of the bush

Features of harvesting

The Hercules variety yields before the first cold weather.

Raspberry ripening Hercules begins in early July, then in the first half of August and continues until frost. It is recommended to pick berries in dry weather. At the same time, it is undesirable to separate the stalk in order to improve the preservation rates.

The productivity of one bush is from 2.5 to 4 kg. The crop is put into baskets or other containers with holes with a capacity of 2-3 kg. You should not use a large container, since the delicate and juicy fruits of raspberries will crumple under their own weight.

Fresh berries can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 days. Raspberries of the Hercules variety are used to make jams, jellies, juices, compotes. Also, the berries can be grated with sugar.

Gardeners reviews

Svetlana K

https://club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1103

Dumanka

https://club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1103

Luda

https://www.critman.ru/reviews/malinagerakl/otziv_ocheneffektniysort_451.html

the guest

https://sort-info.ru/malina/20-sort-maliny-gerakl

The Hercules variety is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the type of soil and care, but adherence to the rules of agricultural technology allows you to achieve higher yields. The berries of this raspberry contain a significant amount of acid, due to which it is more often used for harvesting.