During the ripening of the crop, raspberry bushes often bend from the load of fruits or strong winds, which makes picking difficult. For the convenience of work, when harvesting, one special agricultural technique is used - fixation of plants on supports, made in the form of a horizontal or vertical plane. For this purpose, it is best to use a special trellis, although some gardeners tie the bushes to separate stakes. How to correctly make a bed for a raspberry tree and a trellis with your own hands, you can find out below.
Purpose and benefits of trellis for growing raspberries
First, let's get acquainted with the purpose of the trellis. The fact is that most modern, high-yielding varieties of the described berry have a significant height, about 1.6-1.8 meters, so some plants cannot withstand the load of the harvest. All of them have rather developed lateral fruit branches, which, when the berries ripen, tilt down. You can't do without a garter of bushes planted in rows., for this purpose, a tapestry is used. When growing new varieties that are planted in small numbers in different parts of the garden, separate supports and supports are used.
The advantages of using a trellis in a raspberry plant are obvious:
- if you tie up the bushes, the lower branches will not touch the ground, therefore, the surface of berries and leaves will not be contaminated with soil;
- no traces of dirt remain on the fruits after a heavy rain;
- rows of raspberries are well blown by the windthat prevents the development of various diseases;
- raspberry bushes get enough sunlight, which will contribute to a more uniform ripening of the crop.
Using a trellis in the garden also makes it easier to care for the raspberry tree and serves as a fence. After tying up the bushes, it is much more convenient to carry out such agrotechnical measures as pruning crops, removing damaged shoots that have given fruit. It is easier here to water and mulch plants, pick ripe berries, and prepare bushes for wintering.
Trellis design options
The raspberry trellis is a special design, which is a row of posts. Several rows of metal wire or reinforced rope are stretched between them at a certain height; reinforcement can also be used. In practice, two main types of trellises are used: single-lane or double-lane... According to experienced gardeners, the first type of trellis is best used in small areas.
Single-strip trellis, methods of garter berries
The main purpose of the described support structure is considered to be the retention of raspberry shoots along a stretched wire or twine. In this case garter berries are carried out in the following ways:
- in the vertical direction;
- under a certain slope;
- fan;
- free placement of fruit branches.
All the described methods of tying are possible on one type of trellis, when the branches of the plant are fixed in a certain order between the rows of wire.
In addition to fixing the position of raspberry bushes during the growing season, the trellis also performs another function, preparing crops for wintering. In this situation, the plants are tilted to the ground and tied to the bottom row of wire.
In this case, during the installation of the trellis in early spring, the branches from last year are bent to the ground and fixed horizontally. During the growing season, fruit branches will begin to grow upward, but dormant buds will remain on the main shoot near the base. This method of forming a bush simplifies the work of sheltering a raspberry plantation for the winter.... The disadvantage of the described method is the need to fix and tie each bush. On a small raspberry tree, such work will not cause much trouble for the gardener, but in the presence of a large plantation, the need to tie each plant is considered a disadvantage.
Two-lane trellis
For large areas of plantations, it is recommended to use two-lane supports. Such designs can be divided into several types:
- in the shape of the letter T;
- hipped horizontal;
- in the form of a V;
- in the form of the letter Y.
Two-lane trellis not only support the berries in the desired position, the use of such a design makes it possible to form plants.
The considered supports are made in the form of two rows of wires parallel to each other. The height of the guides can be different. The bottom row is located at a distance of 50 centimeters from the ground. The upper tier of the wire can be installed at a 3 meter mark, it depends on the height of the bushes. This design prevents thickening of the plantings, makes it possible to orient fruit-bearing shoots in different directions, which accelerates the ripening of the crop.
Tapestry in the form of the letter T
As the name implies, the described structure is made in the form of T-shaped supports. The main material for the installation of racks of such a trellis is considered to be wooden beams, metal pipes, as well as trimming reinforcement. Typically, such elements in the upper part are fixed perpendicular to each other. Rows of wire must be secured along the protruding edges of the plank... During the formation of the bush, the shoots are placed on different sleeves of the trellis. In this case, young growth begins to form in the center of the plant, which is almost not shaded by the main fruiting plants.
V-shaped support
The design under consideration has two working planes inclined from the middle of the bushes to the sides. In this regard, such the trellis is often called two-lane inclined... Plants are formed according to the previous scheme, but the distance between the edges of the working planes should be no more than 2 meters.
Y-shaped trellis
This is the newest version of the trellis for tying and caring for raspberry bushes. A feature of this design is the use of hinges and blades., which helps to orient the working planes of the trellis in a convenient direction at a certain angle. In the summer, the blades are raised, for the winter or in the spring they are lowered, which makes it possible to build a shelter to protect the plants from the cold.
How to make a trellis with your own hands, the dimensions of the props
As we described above, all types of trellises are made of wooden or metal supports of various shapes between which a wire is stretched at a certain height. Moreover tiers of wire can be single or paired, it depends on the type of trellis.
To make a trellis in the form of a vertical plane, wooden pegs are driven in in a certain direction on the site and the cord is pulled. After that, every two or three meters, they dig holes with a shovel or a special garden drill. Wooden posts are installed in the pits to a depth of 0.7 meters, and then several rows of wire (usually three) are pulled and fixed on the supports. The first row of guides is fixed at a distance of 40-50 centimeters from the ground, the second in the central part of the shoots of the bush, the last row of wire should be located 20 centimeters below the tops of the raspberries.
The disadvantage of the described method is the need to tie each bush separately to the rows of wire. When using a two-lane trellis, fruit shoots are simply thrown onto the upper rows.
When constructing a T-shaped trellis, individual trellises are made in the form of the letter T. In this case, the main rack of wooden bars or metal should have a height of about 1.2-1.3 meters. The cross member is attached to the base using nails (for wood products) or welding (for metal pipes). On the main post of the trellis, two rows of wire are installed and two more on the sides of the top. In this way during the ripening of the berries, the fruit branches will lie on the wire, but the middle part of the bushes will not sag from the severity, because the stems of the plants will be fixed on the lower rows of wire.
The main material for the manufacture of trellis stands can be wood, metal pipes (thick reinforcement) or plastic, here it all depends on the yield (load) from the crop. Instead of wire, you can use thin reinforcement, thin wooden slats or reinforced twine.
Scheme of planting raspberries on a trellis, preparation of the garden
To obtain good harvests of raspberries on a trellis, it is necessary to prepare the land in time before planting crops. In this case raspberries are planted in one row, which will simplify the care of the culture. First, they dig a shallow trench, about a shovel bayonet up to 50 centimeters wide. At the planting site, the soil is loosened with a garden pitchfork. In this place, water is poured at the rate of 10 liters of liquid for each meter of the row, the earth thrown out of the groove is thoroughly mixed with complex mineral fertilizers and wood ash (for each linear meter of the row, you need to take a liter can of ash and 200 grams of nitroammophoska).
Prepared raspberry seedlings are laid out at a distance of 25 centimeters from each other, after which the root system of the plants is straightened and sprinkled with nutritious soil. To improve the contact of the roots with the soil, the earth is compacted and then irrigated... When planting plants in early spring, the bushes are cut in such a way that the upper part of the shoot protrudes about 20-30 centimeters above the ground level, followed by mulching the soil using sawdust or chopped straw.
The distance between adult plants should correspond to 40 centimeters, so the next year bushes are transplanted.
During the growing season, as they grow, raspberry shoots are tied to rows of trellis wire... As we have already said, individual trellis posts are installed at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other (when using powerful supports, the distance can be increased to 4-5 meters). To increase the service life of wooden supports, their base, which will be in the ground, is covered with hot resin or burned. Note that the diameter of the pillars must be at least 15 centimeters, and the height is about 2 meters. To install the posts, a shovel is usually used, less often a special drill. Rows of wire or reinforcement are installed between the posts every 50 centimeters.
Raspberry care: feeding, watering and pest control
The main care for raspberries begins during the appearance of the first fruits. In this period it is necessary to periodically water the soil, loosen the aisles, destroy weeds... A layer of mulch will help keep moisture in the ground during the growing season.
The first feeding of raspberries carried out using a complex mineral fertilizer in early spring. In this situation, the water that is released after the melting of the snow will dissolve the nutrient granules and promote their burial into the soil to the root system of the plants.
The second feeding of berries carried out during the formation and ripening of the crop. The third enrichment of the soil with useful substances is carried out in the autumn. When preparing raspberries for winter, it is important not to fertilize them with nitrogen, because this element stimulates the development of plants. Concerning for the winter, raspberries are fed with a mixture of potassium and phosphorus... There is no need to increase the amount of fertilizer during the growing season. More nutrients in the soil will promote the development of green mass, but will not increase yields.
They begin to fight pests and diseases from spring... To begin with, cultures are inspected for damage. Leaves spoiled by a drop are cut and burned. The rest of the plantings are treated with a Bordeaux mixture of 4% concentration. This drug is used to prevent fungal diseases. Insecticides are used to destroy insecticides on raspberry plantations.
Another measure of caring for the berry in question is timely pruning... During these operations, the most developed stems are left on the site, the rest are cut out. Proper care of the described crop, timely watering, feeding and pruning, tying shoots to a wire will allow you to collect a rich harvest. In our article, we have learned how to make a trellis for raspberries and take care of this crop. hope that the information provided will be useful, good luck and good yields.