Blackberry Jumbo (Jumbo) - variety description

Description and characteristics of the variety

Jumbo is a modern high-yielding hybrid, bred in France very recently, so there is no extensive data on its testing yet. The first harvest of this blackberry was grown in Ukraine, and, judging by the reviews, the description and characteristics of the berry are quite consistent with the declared varietal indicators.

The Jumbo variety is mid-season - in warm regions, its ripening occurs in the second half of July, in the northern regions - in early or mid-August. The fruiting period is long, stretching for 5-6 weeks, which allows you to feast on delicious berries from mid to late summer, and even in September.

The Jumbo blackberry bush is powerful, with great vigor, but neat and compact at the same time. Shoots are thornless, semi-creeping type - erect at the base, at a height of 1.2–1.5 m they begin to bend to the ground, therefore, it is necessary to install supports. Among all garden hybrids, Jumbo, perhaps, can be considered the largest-fruited - the berries from those few harvests that we managed to get reached a weight of 25-30 g, which can be considered a kind of record.

In addition to their outstanding size, Jumbo berries also have an amazing sweet taste (10-12% sugar), with a subtle sourness in the aftertaste. The surface of the drupes is glossy, black in color. The pulp is dense, very juicy, with small, not hard bones. The berries of this blackberry are resistant to damage (they do not wrinkle, do not flow), they can be stored in a cool place for more than 7 days, they tolerate transportation well over long distances.

The yield of the variety is stable and high - with proper care, 20-25 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush. A positive feature of blackberries is that they easily tolerate high temperatures, and are resistant to droughts. The winter hardiness of the culture is average - even in temperate climates, the bushes must be covered for the winter. In general, the Jumbo blackberry is unpretentious, resistant to many diseases, and is capable of bearing fruit in any conditions.

Care basics

Caring for Jumbo blackberries does not differ much from caring for other garden varieties. The standard activities necessary for a crop for normal growth and fruiting include watering, loosening and weeding (in the absence of mulch), forming and pre-winter pruning, periodic feeding and shelter for the winter.

Blackberries of this variety love warmth and sun, so the area where the bushes grow should be open to sunlight and protected from the winds. It is better to plant Jumbo blackberries on a small elevation, since it tolerates drought much easier than excessive moisture.

Despite the fact that the variety is drought tolerant, plants need regular watering for maximum productivity, especially during flowering and fruiting.

It is recommended to cover almost all garden blackberries for the winter with organic mulch, which serves not only as protection from frost, but is also an excellent top dressing during the long winter period.In this regard, additional fertilizers are rarely used for blackberries - only when the soil is extremely depleted and the plants cannot develop normally.

If you notice that the bushes have begun to give few new shoots, and the yield has decreased, or the berries have become small and not juicy enough, then additional top dressing is recommended: in the spring, a nitrogen mixture (20-25 g) or humus (1-2 buckets for each bush), and in the summer, during the period of entry into fruiting - potash fertilizers (40-50 g / bush).

For the winter, Jumbo blackberries must be cut and covered. After the end of fruiting (middle or end of September), all old, fruiting shoots in the current year are cut out at the root, leaving no stumps. If the bush was initially formed correctly on the trellis - young shoots were directed in one direction, and fruiting in the other, then this procedure will not take you much time. If the bush grew chaotically, then it must be removed from the trellis, separate the young and stiff shoots, and then cut the last.

Next, you need to remove the extra (weak, thin) young shoots, leaving only 7-8 of the most powerful and strong branches - they will form a crop next year. The rest should also be cut without regret at the root, as they will create an additional load on the bush, which will lead to a decrease in the size of the berries and the yield in general. The remaining young branches should be shortened by a quarter (approximately 20–40 cm), depending on the height.

When the bush is ready for shelter, the shoots are removed from the trellis, bent to the ground and covered with thick scraps of mulch (peat, sawdust, foliage of barren trees, needles), as well as denser material: film, roofing material, agrofibre.

Advantages and disadvantages

Describing the positive qualities of the Jumbo variety, it is necessary, first of all, to note the outstanding (up to 30 g) weight and size of the fruits. It is this indicator that distinguishes the hybrid among many other garden varieties, and for him the berry is so loved by farmers and gardeners who grow it for sale.

Also, the advantages of blackberries include a number of qualities that put it on the level of the best varieties for horticultural and industrial cultivation:

• excellent taste;
• excellent presentation;
• good transportability and safety of berries;
• drought and disease resistance;
• compactness of bushes - plants can be planted in a compact area, which saves usable area;
• ease of care - due to the same compactness, the bushes are easily formed on the trellis, they are easier to cut;
• the absence of thorns - for blackberries this quality is a big plus, since it greatly facilitates care and harvesting;
• high productivity - due to the large size of the berries, as well as the fact that they are collected in multi-berry clusters, a high yield can be harvested from one small bush (up to 25 kg);
• extended period of fruiting (up to 6 weeks).

The disadvantages of the variety include, perhaps, low winter hardiness. Otherwise, all the technical and taste characteristics of the berry are highly appreciated, and perhaps soon it will be able to replace some well-known, but less productive varieties of soda blackberries.

Video "Jumbo Blackberry Variety"

This video will introduce you to the Jumbo blackberry variety and tell you how this garden crop is grown in Belarus.