Contents
Strawberries are the earliest berry and probably one of the most beloved ones. Breeders are constantly working to improve its commercial and nutritional qualities. In recent years, Cardinal strawberries have become widespread, a description of the variety, a photo, reviews of which testify to its undeniable advantages.
The Cardinal variety is an excellent result of many years of work by American scientists, which has the best characteristics for cultivation.
Description of bushes
Strawberry Cardinal is easily recognizable by tall bushes with many rosettes and original leaf shape. Plant height can reach 0,5 m. Strawberry leaves with red scales are shaped like a boat. The upper part of the leaf has a rich dark green color, and below it casts blue. The long tendrils of strawberries produce many rosettes that bear fruit already in autumn, and more abundantly than in spring.
Due to the fact that unrooted rosettes can bear fruit, strawberries can also be grown on vertical trellises. The Cardinal variety is characterized by high yields even in the first year after spring planting – each bush can produce up to 1 kg of fragrant berries. Strawberry Cardinal tolerates frosty winters well, so it can be cultivated beyond the Urals. With good care, the variety is resistant to most diseases.
Characteristics of berries
Strawberry variety Cardinal gives large juicy berries, the weight of which reaches, on average, 60 g. Before their final ripening, the sepals are very close to the base of the fruit. The berries of the Cardinal variety stand out:
- oval-conical shape and a glossy dark red surface, strewn with shiny golden seeds;
- pleasant sweet and sour taste and wonderful strawberry aroma;
- dense crispy texture with small voids;
- excellent keeping quality, thanks to which the berries can be stored for a long time;
- high transportability, which allows them to be transported over long distances.
The autumn harvest of strawberries is noticeably higher than the summer one and can reach 1 kg per bush, and the berries are larger in size. But if you remove the extra tendrils, the bushes will direct their forces to the already formed ovaries, and the Cardinal strawberries will become larger.
It should also be noted some weak characteristics of the Cardinal variety, which do not reduce its advantages:
- the need to combat powdery mildew, to which the variety does not have resistance;
- inability to take root of fruit-bearing rosettes – the following ones should be selected for seedlings.
If these features are taken into account when growing, caring for Cardinal strawberries will not cause any difficulties.
Landing sockets
Strawberries Cardinal is propagated in various ways. Usually use:
- rooting of the antennae;
- division of bushes;
- sowing seeds.
According to gardeners, the tendrils coming from the mother bush will be an excellent planting material. After spring planting, they must first be covered with newspapers for insulation.
Description of strawberries Cardinal advises when choosing seedlings to take a closer look at the leaves – they should have red scales. Each bush should have well-developed roots and at least three full-fledged leaves. It is necessary to check the bushes and for the absence of traces of powdery mildew. If high-quality sockets are selected, then there will be no problems with their survival.
It is important to prepare fertile soil for planting bushes. Strawberries love slightly acidic sandstones or loams. You can plant seedlings both in spring and at the end of summer – already from the second half of August. The advantage of autumn plantings is that the Cardinal strawberry variety will have time to adapt to the characteristics of the new place and take root even before frost.
There are two main schemes for planting strawberry seedlings. In the autumn-spring planting of the Cardinal variety, they prefer to use a single-row method: 15-20 cm are left between the bushes; between rows – 65-70 cm.
With a two-row method, Cardinal strawberries are planted in two-line rows located at a distance of 0,7 m. 0,3 m is left between the rows, and 0,4 m between rosettes in a row. Description of the Cardinal strawberry variety and gardeners’ reviews recommend compacting plantings. In the future, this will help to reject poor-quality material without harming the crop. However, it must be remembered that too much thickening can cause powdery mildew damage to strawberries.
Care for strawberries
Reviews for the Cardinal strawberry variety indicate high yields with timely implementation of the rules of agricultural technology.
Watering rules
First of all, it is necessary to provide strawberries with abundant watering. The lack of moisture is reflected in the size of the berries and their number. When watering, it is recommended to follow some rules:
- the water temperature must be at least 20 degrees;
- it must first be defended;
- carry out the procedure early in the morning, before sunrise;
- before strawberries bloom, sprinkling of beds can be done;
- during flowering and fruiting, water the soil around the bushes – you can use grooves or flexible tubes;
- after watering the strawberries, loosen the soil under the sockets.
Mulching will help reduce the evaporation of moisture from the beds. It is made using various materials:
- dark films;
- straw or sawdust.
When mulching berries:
- stay clean;
- will not rot due to excess moisture during rains.
Feeding
The features of Cardinal strawberries, as evidenced by the description of the variety, photos and reviews, include the need for periodic feeding of bushes with organic and mineral substances throughout the season. In early spring, for the development of the root system, along with loosening, ammonium nitrate is introduced into the soil. Do not forget that an excess of nitrogen will contribute to the intensive growth of shoots and rosettes, having a negative impact on fruit set and variety yield.
Complex top dressing is necessary during the formation of berries. They are also useful in terms of disease prevention. After harvesting, in the fall, Strawberry bushes are fed with phosphorus and potassium salts, as well as rotted compost. They are necessary for the formation of buds for next year’s harvest.
Agrotechnical measures depending on the growing season
At different times, Cardinal strawberries require certain measures. For convenience, they are differentiated by months.
In April, strawberry care consists of the following procedures:
- trimming dried leaves and mustaches with sanitary scissors;
- removing non-viable outlets and planting new ones in their place;
- preventive spraying of bushes from pests with Bordeaux liquid.
May is characterized by such measures as:
- weeding strawberry beds with simultaneous loosening of the soil;
- slight hilling of rosettes to stimulate new root processes;
- the second treatment of strawberries with Bordeaux liquid;
- soil mulching.
In June you need:
- removal of peduncles and mustaches to increase productivity;
- irrigation of beds after sunset and picking berries;
- top dressing with complex fertilizers;
- treatment of bushes from pests and diseases.
Works for July and August are typical:
- for planting and rooting rosettes;
- for fertilizing strawberry bushes with mineral and organic compounds;
- on protective treatments of bushes, if necessary.
Disease control
Despite the high resistance, with insufficient care, the Cardinal strawberry variety can affect a fungal disease – anthracnose. Of the factors favoring the development of fungal microorganisms, the main one is excessive moisture. In the initial stage, the disease manifests itself as gray spots covering the stem and leaves. In the future, they merge, and the shoots and berries dry up. At this stage, the disease is incurable. If it is detected at the initial stage, plants can be saved by treatment with antifungal drugs. 16
Powdery mildew is manifested by a fluffy white bloom covering all parts of the plant. This disease usually affects strawberry plantations growing in greenhouses where high humidity and temperature are observed. The plant stops growing, the leaves begin to curl into tubules, and the fruits acquire an unpleasant taste.
Under the influence of adverse factors, strawberries can also be affected by other diseases, such as gray mold, various types of rot and spotting. Therefore, timely preventive treatment of strawberries is very important.
Reviews of summer residents and gardeners
Strawberry Cardinal has numerous reviews from gardeners and summer residents who are satisfied with the purchase of this variety.
Conclusion
Strawberry variety Cardinal is today considered the best for planting on the site and is very popular among gardeners. If the necessary care measures are carried out in time, the harvest of sweet, juicy berries is guaranteed.