It is difficult today to find a person who would not try strawberries in his life.
The second name of this delicacy is garden strawberries. No matter how difficult it is to grow this or that kind of this berry, people each year either transplant existing bushes, or they drop new saplings.
The most popular are those varieties, the berries of which reach large sizes and have great taste. One of these strawberry varieties is the Albion variety.
To get good berries, you do not need to have a special education or years of experience in breeding this particular culture. Of course, there are special instructions for the care of this variety, but the yield will be high in almost any case.
The birthplace of the strawberry variety "Albion" is the University of California, a patent for this variety was registered in 2006.
"Albion" - remontant variety, that is, it does not react to the duration of the light day and bears fruit in several waves.
Plants are strong enough, powerful, vigorous shoots, and peduncles are formed in an upright position, so even the largest fruits do not fall on the ground. The leaves of this variety are also interesting - they have an oily sheen, which looks very nice against the background of a dark green color.
Fruits are large, on average gain 40 - 60 g, dark red and glossy on the outside, pink inside, with a stunning honey taste. The shape of the berries is strictly conical, slightly elongated.
The flesh is quite dense and hard in structure, has an amazing aroma. It is because of its characteristics that this variety is well transported, and the berries do not deteriorate or deform. If you properly care for plants, then from one bush can be collected almost 2 kg of ripe berries.
The advantages also include high drought tolerance. Unfortunately, the cold resistance is average, so when grown in areas with a climate that is far from tropical or subtropical, you need to cover the plants for the winter.
Most of all berries bushes "Albion" give 4 times per season - in late May, early July, late August and in mid-September. Also, this variety is not affected by anthracosis and gray mold.
About the features of planting varieties
To strawberries gave a good harvest, you need to choose the right place for the garden.
To do this, you need to allocate part of the territory, which is located in the south-west, and it would be better if the place is located on a small slope.
You can not dropping the seedlings in the place of a depression or valley, because there will be too high humidity and low temperature.
Before planting, the soil needs to be prepared, namely, it is necessary to dig, level and apply the whole complex of fertilizers, moreover, it is necessary to apply organic matter.
As for the time of planting, the seedlings can be transplanted in early September or in early spring after the frosts end. In a subtropical climate, this variety can be grown in open ground, but it is generally recommended to grow Albion in greenhouses.
Seedlings will not grow and develop in the ground, the temperature of which is below + 15 + 16 ̊С. Seedlings can grow their own hands, but you can buy.
Before planting on good seedlings there should appear 5-6 leaves and a well-developed root system, which will be presented in the form of a lobe.
The picking of strawberry seedlings occurs at the time when 1 to 2 leaves have already formed on each seedling.
Dripping in new pots should be spacious enough, at intervals of 5-7 cm, so that the young bushes are not crowded. Pre-preparation of strawberry seedlings includes reducing the number of leaves to 1 - 2, as well as pruning roots up to a length of 6 - 7 cm.
On the garden, adjacent bushes should be located at a distance of at least 15 cm, and neighboring garden beds should be more than 70 cm apart. It is better to choose an overcast day for planting so that the scorching sun could not harm the already weakened transplant of seedlings.
Post-plant watering of seedlings should reach a volume of 0.5 liters and more per plant. After 10-15 days, you need to check all seedlings for survival. If some of their bushes have died, then they will need to be cut at the root, and in their place a new one will be buried.
About the features of care for the variety
To get a good harvest of strawberries "Albion", you do not need to be a professional agronomist, but you have to constantly take care of these bushes.
Watering plays the most important role in the whole strawberry care procedure.
It is because of the strong moisture-loving nature of this berry that the plants will have to be watered very often. In conditions of high temperatures strawberries will have water daily, and watering should be drip, so that the plants have enough moisture.
You can make water-charging irrigation, that is, 3 times watering the beds in May, April and July 10 - 12 liters of water, and then there will be no need for drip irrigation. In the period of flowering or fruit formation, it will be necessary to water the bushes with even more water, since it is during these periods that strawberries will need moisture most of all.
The volume of liquid will have to be 20-25 liters per square meter. Water should be at room temperature, at least 20 ̊C. Cold water can injure the already delicate bushes and strawberry leaves. Variety "Albion" has a very low shade tolerance, so you will need to hide the bushes from the scorching summer sun.
If the air temperature exceeds the level of 30 ̊C, then the fruiting will stop altogether.
With a lack of moisture leaves will wither, and with an excess - the fruits are very watery and with a bad taste.
Be sure to cover the ground with mulch, so that fruits, especially mature ones, do not touch the ground.
The best material would be straw, sawdust or conifer needles. If the strawberry bed is high, then you can cover the slopes with black polyethylene, which will not only protect the fruits from contact with the soil, but will also accumulate heat in the soil.
As for fertilizer, everything is as usual. When preparing the soil for the new season, you need to bring everything - organic matter, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Potassium compounds are especially needed for strawberries during the formation of buds and fruits, so you should feed them with appropriate fertilizers at the right time.
Boric acid will increase the amount of the crop, so the beds can be treated with a solution of this compound.
Before you cover the strawberries, you will also need to make a whole list of fertilizers, so that the bushes did not die during the winter period.
Strawberry "Albion" will be a great decoration for your garden and your table.
Due to its qualities, the popularity of this variety is gaining momentum with each season.
Therefore, the sooner you plant several bushes of this strawberry on your plot, the sooner you will be able to enjoy these beautiful berries.
