The "Pride of Russia" raspberry was developed in 1992 thanks to the efforts of Professor V.V. Kichin. The variety's description received widespread praise and became a source of pride for Russian breeders, hence its simple name.
Description of the raspberry variety "Pride of Russia"
The "Pride of Russia" raspberry variety produces dark red berries with a subtle sheen and velvety texture. The berries grow quite large—each berry weighing up to 12 grams—and are uniform in shape, resembling a blunt cone. The berries have a sweet, tart flavor and a light raspberry aroma, rich in juice and a minimum of small seeds. Occasionally, you'll notice double berries on a "Pride of Russia" raspberry bush.
Even when fully ripe, the "Pride of Russia" raspberry variety remains firmly planted on the vine without falling off. Furthermore, when harvesting, the berries can be easily plucked from the stem. However, reviews of the "Pride of Russia" raspberry variety note the average shelf life of the harvested fruit. Raspberries are best eaten as soon as they are picked from the bush.
Characteristics of the raspberry variety "Pride of Russia"
The "Pride of Russia" raspberry ripens mid-early, is early maturing, and self-fertile. It can be harvested 5 to 6 times per season, yielding up to 5 kilograms of ripe, juicy berries per harvest.
Raspberry bushes are compact yet vigorous, producing numerous shoots and root suckers over the course of a season, allowing the plant to spread throughout the plot. The stems are tall, thick, and thornless, turning a gray-brown color in winter. A single medium-sized branch can hold 20 to 30 berries.
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A distinctive feature of the raspberry variety "Pride of Russia" is that it tolerates both cold and heat well, and also has a high immunity to diseases caused by fungal infections.
Gardeners' reviews
The "Pride of Russia" raspberry variety has received numerous, conflicting reviews. After reading several reviews, it's possible to identify its main pros and cons.
Elena: "For me, the 'Pride of Russia' variety is the most ordinary. It's certainly productive, but somehow unreasonably expensive, and I'd say its flavor is tart with sweet notes, not the other way around. It's good for jam, but you can't eat much of it fresh."
Anna: "I've been growing the 'Pride of Russia' raspberry variety for several years now. Its advantage is that it's never had any illnesses, but it's constantly attacked by aphids. I don't even know why, as aphids aren't usually attracted to raspberry bushes. But this variety produces such a bountiful harvest that sometimes we don't even know what to do with it."
Nina: "All my raspberry bushes are the 'Pride of Russia' variety. It's easy to care for and produces a large harvest if you take care to feed it. I use a mineral fertilizer complex containing magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. The berries ripen large and plump, and I've noticed that their flavor varies greatly depending on weather conditions."
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Olga
I have this variety at my dacha. Of course, if you take constant care of the raspberries, you might be able to harvest them five or six times a season, but I'm only at the dacha on weekends, so I only harvest three or four times. The first few times, the raspberries are quite small, so I have to use them for jam. The other times, they're larger and you can eat them to your heart's content, and we also sell some. Many people find them rather tart, but they're raspberries, so they should always have a tartness. I don't like them too sweet, for example. But as they say, there's no accounting for taste.