Unpretentious strawberry of the Festivalnaya variety in the country garden
It is impossible to imagine summer without strawberries. The aroma of these berries cannot be confused with anything. One of the most popular is the Festivalnaya strawberry variety. This stable and productive species was appreciated by the owners of summer cottages.
Festivalnaya strawberry: description of the plant
The main advantages of Festivalnaya strawberries:
- Large berries: in the first year they can even reach 40 g, with subsequent fruiting, their weight is 20 g.
- Pleasant sweet and sour taste.
- High yield: if all growing conditions are met, 0.5 kg of fruit can be harvested from 1 bush.
- Berries are very high in vitamin C compared to other varieties.
- Fruits are suitable for fresh consumption, for making compotes, preserves, they tolerate freezing well.
- The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
- Winters well.
- Forms a lot of whiskers, which provides a large amount of planting material.
This variety was bred in 1954, but has not lost its popularity, since it is able to compete even with new varieties. It was bred on the basis of the varieties "Premier" and "Abundant". The main fruiting period falls in July, the variety is mid-season, but the berries ripen in small quantities until autumn. During this period, they are smaller.
Preparatory work
First you need to choose a site suitable for strawberries. It should be well lit and protected from drafts and wind. Groundwater should be at a depth of at least 0.8 m. Soil with a slightly acidic reaction is favorable.
On loamy and sandy loam lands, this variety of berries gives high yields.
Soil preparation is carried out in the fall. For this, the garden bed is dug at least 20-25 cm in depth, the rhizomes of the weeds are removed. For abundant fruiting of strawberries, it is important to fertilize the garden.
Mixing preparation (per 1 square meter):
- peat or manure 5-6 kg;
- potash fertilizers 20 g;
- superphosphate 50 g.
After every 4 years, the strawberries must be transplanted to a new location. She will gladly grow on an area where carrots, beets, legumes or greens were previously grown.
Planting
Seedlings of berries can be planted in the beds at the very beginning of autumn, it takes root well and will harvest the next summer. Still, a more favorable period for planting is spring, provided that stable warm weather is established.
It is better to plant plants after rain, otherwise the garden needs to be watered well.
Landing is carried out, adhering to the 30x30 scheme, the pits are not made too deep. Almost all the foliage is removed on the planting material, leaving 3-4 healthy and strong leaves. The rhizome is pinched a little. During planting, the root should be placed vertically, the neck of the plant should not be buried - it should remain flush with the ground. After planting strawberries watered, if necessary, cover with a film at night.
Plant care
This is an unpretentious variety that requires minimal maintenance. In the first year after planting, all antennae and inflorescences are removed so that the plant spends all its energy on building up the root system.
Pest control
To protect against pests and diseases, the berry crop is treated twice. With the arrival of spring, strawberry beds are cleaned of plant debris and mulch (insects and larvae can hibernate in them). The soil is loosened by 6-7 cm, the area is sprayed with solutions of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. The second treatment is carried out at the very end of September. To do this, prepare a mixture of 2 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, 1 tbsp. l. vinegar, 1 tbsp. l. liquid soap and ash. All this is stirred in 5 liters of water, the bushes of the plant and the soil in the garden are treated. After 10 days or 2 weeks, the bed is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid. From diseases, the variety is susceptible to powdery mildew.
Irrigation of strawberries
From mid-spring, the plant is watered every 10 days, during the hottest period - every 3 days. From 10 to 12 liters of water per square meter of the garden bed, it should not be cold. It is better to water the bed of berries in the morning, trying not to fall on the inflorescences and fruits. If the autumn is rather dry, strawberries are irrigated every 2 weeks until the end of October.
Watering Festivalnaya strawberries is a key point of care, since the variety is weakly resistant to heat and drought. If the plant does not have enough moisture, then it stops growing, gives a weak harvest in the current year and even the next year.
Top dressing and loosening of the soil
During the growing season of berry bushes, the soil is loosened 7-8 times. This is necessary so that moisture evaporates less, the soil is not covered with a crust, and the roots receive enough oxygen. Weeds are removed along with loosening. It is beneficial to mulch the space between the rows with peat or chopped straw.
Fertilizer
For a high yield of Festivalnaya strawberries, a sufficient amount of nutrients is needed.
Top dressing is done several times a season:
- At the very beginning of spring, as soon as all the snow melts, the beds are treated with complex fertilizer from minerals. For each adult bush, add from 3 to 5 liters of the mixture.
- With abundant flowering of the culture, 3-4 liters of a solution of bird droppings are applied to each bush. It is prepared at the rate of 1 part of manure to 20 parts of water. This feeding can be done several times.
- At the end of the summer season, to take care of the next harvest, the berry bushes are fed with superphosphate: 50 g of fertilizer are poured into 10 liters of water.
Another big plus of the Festivalnaya variety is that the beds do not need to be covered for wintering. The variety is frost-resistant.
Due to its unpretentiousness, resistance to frost and pests, the Festivalnaya strawberry variety is in great demand. In addition, it is a high-yielding species, the berries of which are distinguished by pleasant taste properties. They can be consumed raw or used for processing.