Strawberry

Strawberry is a European old berry plant, cultivated in gardens. When the present large-berry varieties of strawberries in Europe were not yet in sight, the strawberry was already well-known. Often, large-berry garden strawberries are incorrectly called strawberries. Unlike large-fruited strawberries, strawberries belong to a different species and accordingly have a different set of chromosomes, although they are similar in many biological features. On the territory of our country there are usually two types: strawberry ordinary( Fr. elatior) and strawberry forest( Fr. collina).It grows in the woods between bushes, mostly in the shade, less often in open spaces.

Strawberry is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 40 cm high, densely bred, compact. Unlike strawberries, strawberries form less mustache. Mustache short. The main difference between strawberries and strawberries is the structure of the flower. If strawberries, as a rule, have bisexual flowers, then strawberries are usually same-sex. In some bushes, strawberries have only stamens with anthers( male flowers), on others only pistils with stigmas( female flowers).Such plants are called dioecious.

Not all gardeners know this strawberry feature. Sometimes they say that the strawberry "degenerated" - the bushes are strong, bloom annually, but the harvest is not given. The reason for this phenomenon is as follows: shrubs with male flowers are usually stronger in development. They, as well as bushes with female flowers, give mustaches and rosettes, but their rosettes are stronger than in bushes with female flowers. An inexperienced horticulturist, while thinning rows of strawberries, removes weaker bushes and rosettes, i.e. female, and leaves stronger ones - male. So, eventually all the bushes and rosettes with female flowers are gradually removed and remain with the male flowers. For proper pollination and fruiting strawberries, you must have on the plantation up to 15-20% of shrubs with male flowers.

On the leaves and bushes, male specimens are no different from female ones. Therefore, the cleaning should be done during flowering or shortly after it, until the flowers crumbled. Orient the strength of the development of bushes or mustaches when removing male bushes is impossible, because you can make mistakes and remove well-developed female bushes. There is only one kind of strawberry - Milanese, which has stamens and pistils in one flower.

Strawberry plants are higher than strawberry, their leaves are larger, light green, ribbed, strongly fluffed. Peduncles above the leaves, inflorescences multiflorous, with large flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter. The petals are white, almost round. Berries strawberries are much smaller than strawberry berries( an average of 3-5 g), oval or conical, often with a neck;their color is dark purple, lighter at the top and on the shady side, with a strong muscat flavor.

The period of ripening of strawberry berries is longer than that of strawberries, the berries have a delicate taste and a wonderful aroma, have dense flesh and are especially suitable for jam.

Strawberry grows in a wild place in a shady place or hidden from the sun by the leaves of any plants, therefore, in the ripe form the berries retain a whitish color, which, in other respects, does not worsen their taste.

Despite all the valuable qualities of strawberries in production conditions it is not grown because of low yield and small berries. However, amateur gardeners cultivate it for its excellent taste and specific flavor. For pollination of female flowers on a site for every 5 rows of female plants one must have one row of male plants. Mix male and female plants should not be, since male plants form a large number of mustaches and replace female plants, which leads to a significant decrease in yield due to the increase in male( fruitless) shrubs. Strawberry plants are more winter hardy and less drought-resistant in comparison with strawberry plants. In practice, the agrotechnics of cultivating strawberries does not differ from the agrotechnology of large-fruited strawberries.

Varieties of strawberries( in contrast to strawberries) are very few.

Shpanka( a synonym for Russian strawberries or Strawberry ordinary). Variety of unknown origin. Plants are powerful, bush high, compact, dioecious. Peduncles considerably exceed foliage. Fruits of medium size( 2-3 g), regular elongated-conical with neck, dark purple-red, on the shady side greenish. The pulp is very friable, light, the taste is good, the muscat flavor is strong.

Yields average, but much less than medium-yielding varieties of garden strawberries. To the growing conditions, the variety is not very demanding, but it does not tolerate drought. Shadow-tolerant. Very wintery. Berries are affected by gray rot.

Strawberry. A - brush with berries variety Shpanka, B - leaf, C - flower

Milanese. A variety of Italian origin. Compared with Shpank, the plants are somewhat lower, less leafy, compact. Leaves are light green. The leaf plates of the well-expressed elongated-rhombic form look folded in view of the clearly manifested ribbing. Peduncles considerably exceed the leaves. The flowers are white bisexual. Fruits of medium size( 2.5-4 g), ovate, dark purple-red, with the shady side - green, with a clearly expressed neck. The flesh is almost white, tender, loose. The fruits are extremely fragrant with a pleasant taste. From berries you get a wonderful jam that preserves the aroma of fresh berries. Ripening time is more early. The yield is average.

Widow ability is high.

Winter hardiness is high. It fructifies better on soils rich in nutrients. Poorly tolerates drought. The variety is resistant to gray rot.