Strawberry is one of the favorite berries of many gardeners, a frequent inhabitant of personal plots. Among the variety of varieties, special attention should be paid to strawberries "Festival", A brief description of this variety can be formulated as productive, winter-hardy, mid-season and disease resistant.
Strawberry bushes are large, powerful, half-sprawling, with many wrinkled dull-green leaves. The plant forms many reddish whiskers with bright green rosettes. Bisexual flowers samoplodnye, form small inflorescences that rise above the dense foliage of the bush. Oval berries are dense and juicy, may have a slightly oblate shape. The skin and pulp of the Festival strawberry is bright red with a small amount of seeds. Berries of the first harvest are large, weighing about 40 grams, later - about 20 g. The taste of this variety is sweet and sour. Strawberry "Festivalnaya" is characterized by a yield of up to 500 g of berries from one bush, which, along with other virtues, makes it very popular in gardens and in many summer cottages.
Did you know? Strawberry masks will help lighten freckles.
Best time to plant strawberry seedlings
The most favorable time for planting strawberry seedlings on the beds is in early spring, as soon as the weather is stable and warm. To do this, it is advisable to dig up seedlings in the fall and place them in a cool place for the winter. If for any reason the spring planting is not possible, you can plant strawberry seedlings in September. When planting seedlings at the beginning of autumn, chances of good rooting of saplings and their ability to give the first crop already next summer are great.
Preparatory work before landing
Strawberry "Festival" will grow well and give a generous harvest on sandy or loamy soils with a weak acid reaction. It is advisable to choose a place for planting strawberries that is sunny, protected from the wind and without close occurrence of groundwater; their level should be below 80 cm. Before planting strawberry seedlings should prepare a plot: dig up the ground in the fall to a depth of at least 25 cm, carefully select the rhizomes of weeds and fertilize the soil with a nutrient mixture at the rate of 5-6 kg of manure or peat, 50 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potash fertilizer per 1 m² of planting area. After this preparation, the soil will have enough nutrients for successful growth and fruiting.
Important! The best place for planting strawberries will be the area where legumes, carrots, beets, dill or parsley were grown before.
Planting young strawberry seedlings
Young strawberry seedlings are planted in wet soil after rain. during the dry period, it is necessary to produce a preliminary moisture. In the soil prepared in advance, not too deep planting holes are made according to a pattern of approximately 30 × 30 cm. Before planting, sow the root of the seedling and pinch the leaves, leaving 3-4 strong leaves, which will accelerate the survival rate of the bush. The seedling is placed in the well in such a way that the roots are arranged vertically, and the root collar is flush with the soil, and the planting hole is carefully covered with earth, compacted and watered abundantly. If there is a likelihood of a sudden freeze, it makes sense to cover the beds with young bushes with a film.
Important! At one site strawberries are grown for no more than four years, after which the planting can be resumed after two years - this will ensure the restoration of the nutrient balance in the soil.
Agricultural technology of growing strawberries "Festival"
An important point of agrotechnology young bush in the first year of life is obligatory removal of whiskers and flower stalks, which will allow the strawberry to form a powerful root system. Strawberry festival is quite simple in growing for the majority of gardeners, now we will introduce you to the basic principles of care.
Preventive treatment against insects and diseases
In order to avoid the invasion of insects and strawberry diseases, it is possible to prevent their appearance. For this, early spring should be removed from the beds of strawberry leaves along with old mulch and other plant residues, in which pests could spend the winter, loosen the soil around the bushes to a depth of about 7 cm and sprinkle the area with bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate solution.
Autumn prevention begins in late September with the treatment of strawberry bushes and the soil around them with a solution: 5 liters of warm water, 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, wood ash and vinegar. After 10-14 days the plot is treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Watering and weeding the soil
Watering strawberries start in April, at the rate of 11-12 liters of warm water per square meter of strawberry plantation. Strawberries are watered after 10–13 days in cool periods; during the heat, the frequency of watering increases to 2-3 days. Optimal watering in the morning, while it is undesirable for water to enter the flowering plant and during fruiting. Before the appearance of flowers, you can use the method of sprinkling, and after - drip or root watering. From late August to October, in dry autumn, it is recommended to water the beds with strawberries a couple of times in 7-10 days.
The gaps between the bushes and the aisle should be loosened after the earth dries out, in order to avoid the formation of a dense crust. Weeding is carried out at the first signs of the appearance of weeds. It is recommended that loosening and weeding the soil in the beds with strawberries in an amount of at least 7 times be carried out during the growing season, this will allow the roots of the bush to breathe and prevent weeds from appearing.
Did you know? It is believed that strawberries are preferred by cheerful and optimistic people, and those who do not like it are apathetic and closed-minded.
Fertilization
Strawberry bush care includes regular fertilization. After the snow has melted, the area with strawberries is fertilized with complex mineral fertilizers - 3-5 liters for each adult fruit-bearing plant. During flowering, organic fertilizers are applied several times - bird droppings are dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:20 and fertilized with 3-4 liters of this solution each strawberry bush. At the end of summer, strawberries form flower buds of the next harvest, and it should be fed with a solution of superphosphate - 50 g per bucket of water. Before feeding strawberries "Festival" is recommended to water the plants with warm water at the root, without moisture on the ground parts of the plant.
Mulching between rows
Mulching between strawberries between rows with straw, reed stalks or peat protects the soil from the rapid evaporation of moisture and the formation of a dry peel on it, as well as reducing weed growth in the area.
The strawberry variety "Festivalnaya" is deservedly one of the favorite plants of gardeners, to whom they allocate a good place on their plot. Besides, the variety in care is not capricious, it is able to withstand dry summer periods, the level of winter hardiness of strawberries is high, it does not require shelter for the winter period. Strawberry "Festival" will generously respond to the care of a gardener with a harvest, which ripens in June. Having planted several strawberry bushes on the plot, for several years you can feast on delicious and fragrant berries.
