Tibetan (strawberry) raspberries are a species of plants belonging to the Rosaceae family. The Latin name is Rubus illecebrosus. Many people mistake it for a hybrid obtained from crossing with blackberries or strawberries. It is actually a type of raspberry.
The plant is with a sprawling rhizome. The bush is formed into a spherical shape. It rarely exceeds 70 cm in height. The stems are flexible, covered with thorns. The leaves are lanceolate, with teeth along the edges, associated with mountain ash. Due to their roughness, they often cling to clothing. The flowers are white or cream, 5-petalled, about 4 cm in diameter. The fruits are large hairy drupes, tightly fused on the receptacle.
The bright red berries are comparable in size to a medium-sized strawberry and shaped like a blackberry. Raspberry Tibetan blooms, usually in July, begins to bear fruit in August. Flowering and fruiting last until frost. Raspberry, strawberry and pineapple notes are felt in the taste of berries, but in sweetness it is inferior to its usual relative. A big harvest should not be expected from her, but the decorativeness of bushes with fruits towering above the leaves is very high.
Tibetan raspberry notcapricious, it grows well on any soil. Prefers sunny places. It is advisable to immediately dig in the fence, as the root system tends to spread over the site. Special care and shaping bushes
not required. In dry times, they require watering, as their root system is superficial. In spring, the soil of the entire raspberry tree can be covered with rotted manure or compost, a layer of about 2 cm, and a little later with mowed grass with a layer of 10 cm. This nutrition should be enough for her for the whole season.
Tibetan raspberry bears fruit on the shoots of the current year. Reddened berries should be given a couple of days before picking to increase in size and improve taste. In regions with cold winters, it is preferable to cut off the entire above-ground part. The root system should be insulated, since its frost resistance is low. The following year, new shoots will grow from the renewal buds on the rhizome.
Tibetan raspberry propagates by root offspring or division of bushes. In the first variant, the procedure is carried out in the spring when the sprouts reach a height of 10 cm. They are dug up with a part of the rhizome and transferred to a new place. At first, they will need regular watering. The bushes are divided in autumn, after planting, the stems are almost completely cut off, watered abundantly.
Unfortunately, due to non-transportability, Tibetan raspberries are rarely found on sale. Reviews growing this miracle are enthusiastic. People who first saw flowering or fruit-bearing bushes do not pass indifferently,asking to sell or share planting material.
It is worth noting that the use of berries does not cause allergic reactions, they can be consumed even by children suffering from diathesis. Interestingly, in China, these fruits are considered a vegetable. They are used in salads and seasonings.
Tibetan raspberries are rarely found in home gardens today. It should be planted at least in order to have something to surprise your guests and please your family with original and he althy berries.
