Contents
Strawberries are the real queen of berries. It is difficult to find a person who would not like its taste and elegant aroma. Thanks to this recognition and popularity, scientists are developing more and more new varieties of strawberries to meet the demands and needs of consumers and gardeners. Below we will get acquainted with the modern remontant variety Albion, present a detailed description and talk about the features of care and planting.
Description
The Albion variety was bred by American scientists relatively recently, in 2006. The main feature of this subspecies is the ability of continuous and long-term fruiting. Under favorable conditions and sufficient care, the crop can be harvested from late May to late September. For the whole season, 1 bush can produce up to 1-2 kilograms of berries. The first strawberries can be tasted a year after planting seeds or seedlings.
This variety is drought tolerant, but tolerates excessive heat and frost much worse. There is a high resistance to diseases such as gray rot and anthracosis. Berries have the correct heart-like shape. The surface of the strawberry is glossy, even red. The seeds are quite large, yellow-green in color. The flesh has a pink tint. The Albion variety does not produce a large amount of shoots in the form of tendrils, so gardeners often propagate their plantings with seeds.
Albion bushes grow medium in size, but with a well-developed leaf system. The leaves have a rich dark green color. Peduncles – large, located
As for marketability, strawberries perfectly tolerate long-term transportation and retain their original appearance. In view of the fact that the Albion variety finishes fruiting in the fall, it is more suitable for the southern regions. In the middle lane, it is recommended to grow this crop indoors so that the strawberries have time to give up all the planned berries before the onset of cold weather.
Video “Albion Variety Review”
Care
You can plant a melon variety with seeds and ready-made seedlings. With the latter, everything is clear, but as for the seeds, there are several nuances. First of all, the seed material needs to be stratified for 2-3 months at low temperatures in a humid environment, so that the seeds are prepared for planting in the ground. Seeds of the Albion variety are recommended to be planted at the end of January or in February. Then your seedlings will have time to grow enough before spring. You will see the first leaves in about 20 days. It is necessary to transplant seedlings to the site in May, when the air temperature warms up enough.
From the moment of planting, Albion strawberries require careful care. The most important thing is watering. This culture loves moisture. The productivity of the bushes and the juiciness of the berries depend on this. It is especially necessary to carefully maintain a sufficient level of moisture in the first weeks after planting seedlings. But creating a swamp on the site is also not recommended, because then there is a risk of rotting of the stems and strawberries can grow tasteless.
Variety Albion loves top dressing. Already 1 month after planting under the bushes, organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers can be applied. Spraying against diseases is not necessary, since the variety is resistant to most diseases. Although if you know that fungal and bacterial diseases are walking on your site, treat strawberries with phytosporin or iodine solution for prevention.
One of the important steps in the care of this strawberry variety is mulching. This procedure will help you retain moisture at the roots longer and eliminate the need for constant loosening of the soil. Mulching also prevents the growth of weeds. Straw or sawdust can be used for row spacing. Such organic material will not need to be removed for the fall. It will be an excellent fertilizer for next year.
This variety of strawberries is liked not only by people. Birds are also not averse to eating this sweet berry, which from a height see red spots on a green background very well. To protect your crop from birds, install a scarecrow in the garden. You can also use a cheat method. While the strawberries are not yet ripe, scatter red decorative pebbles around the area, grabbing a few of these “berries”, there is a chance that the birds will not return here.
Application
Albion strawberries are widely used in cooking. As a rule, the berry is consumed fresh in order to get the maximum taste and nutrients. Vitamins and trace elements contained in strawberries increase immunity and protect the body from colds. The greatest amount of nutrients is found in the seeds. In addition, the berry is added to baking, although when cooked, it loses its original shape and appearance.
Also, fresh berries are used for the preparation of cosmetics. Fruit acids perfectly refresh and whiten the skin. Albion strawberries can be harvested for future use. It makes delicious compotes and jams. Some gardeners practice freezing fresh berries of this variety, but for such purposes a powerful freezer is needed so that the crop freezes quickly and does not have time to lose its beneficial properties.
Video “Strawberry Albion – growing features”
From the video you will learn what properties this strawberry variety has and how best to handle it.
