Cranberry Stevens (Stevens)) – a cranberry cultivar of American origin. Obtained in South Carver (Massachusetts) in 1967. Ripening period is mid-season, in late September - early October.
Fruits are rounded-conical in shape, weighing 0,6-1,9 г. Color dark red, almost black, with a glossy skin. Taste pleasant, sweet-tart with a light berry aroma. Flesh relatively firm. Tasting score - 4,62-4,69 points. Transportability is moderate – from 2 to 4 weeks. Fruiting is regular, already in the 2nd-4th year after planting.
Hardiness zone: 10b (-1.1 °C)
Location: prefers full light, but is not demanding in terms of mineral nutrition. The plot for cranberry should be level and located in a well-lit place. It is recommended to avoid enclosed depressions and hollows where cold air can accumulate and water can stagnate during snowmelt or heavy rains.
Soil: prefers acidic, water- and air-permeable soil (peat, sand, sandy loam) with pH 3.5-4.5 and moderate soil moisture, but by no means excessive, despite growing on bogs. The topsoil layer should be moist.
Planting: for planting it is recommended to make beds based on high peat. To do this, remove the top layer of soil (to a depth of 20-25 см) and fill the resulting depression with high peat. Pure high peat can be replaced by a mixture consisting of any type of peat, sawdust, fallen conifer needles and well-rotted forest litter in any proportions. A little sand can be added to this mixture. The surface of the bed is sprinkled with sulfur (40-60 г per 1 м² area), the substrate is mixed, compacted and mulched with sand (layer 4-5 см). To acidify the soil, water the prepared bed with acidified water (10 л water per 1 м²). For acidification use citric or oxalic acid (1 teaspoon per 3 л water), acetic or apple (9%) vinegar 100 g per 10 л water. Seedlings are best used with a closed root system. They are planted with a clod of earth into holes up to 10 см deep and 8-10 см in diameter at a distance of 20-30 см from each other. After planting, the area should be well watered and sprinkled with sand (layer 1,0-1,5 см). For a week monitor that the top layer of soil does not dry out.
Care: Requires watering in hot weather. Water used for irrigation should also have a very acidic reaction (pH 4), otherwise plants will first show signs of chlorosis on the leaves, then growth will stop and plants may die. When cultivated, cranberry responds actively to relatively small amounts of fertilizer, and only mineral fertilizers should be used (the complex fertilizer «Universal» is suitable). In the first year of cultivation the feeding schedule is as follows: the first feeding is carried out 3 weeks after planting. On 1 м² of area add half a tablespoon of fertilizer. Then continue to apply the same fertilizer in the same amount every 2 weeks until the end of July. In mid-August apply about a third of a tablespoon of the «Autumn» fertilizer per 1 м². The last feeding is applied in October (as in August). In the second and third years of cultivation, from late April to the end of July, every 2 weeks apply half a tablespoon per 1 м² of «Universal» fertilizer. In mid-August and in October apply a third of a tablespoon of «Autumn» fertilizer. Starting from the fourth year and subsequent years of cultivation, the amount of fertilizer applied to large-fruited cranberry is sharply reduced. During the growing season 6 feedings are carried out. In mid-April, May, June and July on 1 м². apply a third of a tablespoon of «Universal» fertilizer. In mid-August and mid-October a third of a tablespoon of «Autumn» fertilizer is applied per 1 м². Cranberry plantings are periodically mulched with sand, which provides favorable conditions for the growth and development of the root system and the plant as a whole. Sanding is carried out once every two to three years, early in spring, before the start of cranberry growth, spreading sand in a layer of 2-3 см over the entire surface of the area. In winter cranberry needs protection from freezing. The simplest and most convenient means is a snow cover, which has good thermal insulation properties. But snow cover is not a sufficiently reliable means (it can melt during a thaw, and in a blizzard it can be blown off the bed). Therefore, in late autumn, cover plantings with any available material: spunbond, burlap, fir branches, etc. In spring, after the soil thaws, remove the cover. Protection is necessary not only from freezing. In winter, in dry windy weather, unprotected cranberry shoots die, even though the temperature remains well above the critical point. The reason is that in frozen soil the root system does not function and water does not reach the above-ground parts of the plant. As a result, shoots die from desiccation, even though in mid-winter they can withstand short-term drops to -28º - -30º. For covering, under no circumstances use straw or fallen leaves. Mice may settle in them and for nesting they will gladly use not only the scattered straw but also the cranberry shoots under it. In spring and autumn care should be taken to protect plantings from frosts. The most reliable method of protection in this case is sprinkling irrigation. At night when the temperature drops to 0º switch on irrigation. If this is not possible, in the evening before the frost, generously water the cranberry beds, or cover them with spunbond, burlap, foam rubber, polyethylene film or any other available material (even straw).
Pruning: In early spring (before the start of vegetation) or in autumn (after berry harvest) cut back trailing shoots that protrude above the tips of the upright shoots. Shoots are cut with secateurs, scissors or a knife. Pruning frequency is determined visually, by the density of the cranberry layer and the development degree of the trailing shoots. Shoots can be cut in strips 2-3 см wide, leaving an adjacent strip of uncut shoots of the same width.
Diseases: affected by phomopsis, gray and snow mold, red leaf spot, monilial blight, gibberella spotting, pestalotia, ascochytosis, botrytis, and shoot overgrowth.
Pests: black-headed cranberry leafroller, heather geometrid, gypsy moth, cabbage cutworm and apple-like spot scale insect
Propagation: propagated by seed and cuttings. Cuttings are cut and planted into mulched wet soil with a layer of sand. To maintain sufficient humidity of the medium, the planting is covered with film and regularly watered. After 20-25 days cuttings will root and produce lateral shoots.
Usage: fruits are consumed fresh, used to make beverages, juices, kvass, extracts, jellies, and are a good source of vitamins. Leaves can be used as tea.
