Strawberry Divnaya

Strawberries with large oblong berries have been grown in home gardens of the country for about thirty years. This strawberry is called Divnaya, and besides the shape, it also has a wonderful taste of berries. Summer residents and gardeners love the Divnaya variety for its excellent sweet-sour taste and well-defined strawberry aroma. Let the productivity of this strawberry lag behind industrial varieties, but its “homemade” strawberry taste cannot be compared with fruitful and beautiful, but such tasteless Anglo-Dutch hybrids. The fruits of the Divnaya variety are very tasty fresh, the pulp of this strawberry has a dense texture, so the variety is suitable for freezing and preserving whole berries.

Reviews about the strawberry variety Divnaya, with descriptions and photos can be found in this article. Here we will talk about the strengths and weaknesses of garden strawberries and how best to grow them.

Characteristics

The strawberry variety Divnaya was bred by breeders in the late 80s of the last century. The author was G.A. Alexandrova, she crossed the varieties Festivalnaya and Holiday. Since 2008, Divnaya has been included in the updated State Register and is recommended for cultivation in private and small farms.

A detailed description of the strawberry variety Divnaya:

• ripening dates for garden strawberries are super-early (in the temperate climate of the Central region of Our Country, berries ripen in the first days of June, in more southern regions, full ripening occurs in the third decade of May);
• Divnoy bushes are erect, tall, powerful, but compact;
• there are many leaves on strawberries, they are large, slightly wrinkled, glossy, without pubescence;
• there are many peduncles, they are slightly curved, located at the level of the leaves (the fruits do not touch the ground, which is a big plus);
• inflorescences are many-flowered, the flowers themselves are large, hermaphroditic (other varieties are not needed for pollination of Divnaya strawberries);
• mustache formation is strong, during the mustache season Divnaya gives a lot, they are large, red-brown;
• the shape of the berry is unique – a blunt-conical fruit with a rounded tip, the neck is absent (connoisseurs of the variety call the shape of the berries Divnaya finger);
• it cannot be said that the shape of the fruit is constant – it can vary greatly depending on external factors (weather, climate, soil composition, strawberry care) and varies from a cone to an oval shape;
• the first berries are flatter, strongly elongated, there are many folds on their surface, this strawberry is the largest;
• the average fruit weight is 25 grams, Divnaya is a rather large strawberry;
• the berries of Divnaya are painted in a rich red color, after overripening, the strawberries acquire a cherry hue;
• achenes are yellow, shallowly recessed, their number on the fruit is average;
• sizes of garden strawberries are from medium to large – berries can weigh 15-35 grams;
• the pulp is juicy, but dense, without emptiness and coarse internal fibers;
• the skin of Divnaya is dense, for which merchants love the variety – the berries remain dry for a long time and do not lose their presentation;
• the taste of strawberries is good, very sweet, with a slight sourness and a pronounced aroma of wild strawberries;
• high sugar content – 5,9%, acids – 1,7%, a lot of ascorbic acid (about 44 mg /%);
• the ripening of the crop is not very friendly, but it cannot be called too extended;
• the yield of the Divnaya variety is very high – in the private sector about 1-1,2 kg per bush, on an industrial scale it is possible to collect up to 150 centners per hectare of fields;
• the frost resistance of strawberries is good – the culture withstands -20-25 degrees without shelter;
• returnable spring frosts are dangerous for Divnaya (residents from the northern regions should be wary of freezing flowers);
• the variety is resistant to verticillosis, gray rot, has an average immunity to various fungal spots;
• there will be no problems with the reproduction of the variety, since there are a lot of mustaches on the bushes and they take root well;
• the variety is not afraid of drought, therefore it performs well in the southern regions;
• the good transportability of the harvested strawberry crop and its suitability for long-term storage are highly valued.

The main purpose of the fruits of Divnaya is table, because this garden strawberry is incomparable fresh. The variety is excellent for growing for sale, as the crop retains its presentation for a long time, the berries attract buyers with their size and aroma. This strawberry makes excellent jams, preserves and compotes, dense berries are also suitable for freezing.

Advantages and disadvantages

Strawberries of the Divnaya variety are especially valued by collectors of original species and hybrids of the sweet berry. But even in an ordinary dacha, culture will show itself only from the best side, because it has a number of advantages:

• true strawberry taste of fruits (“strawberries from childhood” – this is how tasters and ordinary summer residents call Divnaya);
• unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil and weather conditions;
• excellent winter hardiness;
• ability to endure drought and heat;
• large sizes of fruits and their presentation;
• ease of reproduction;
• suitability of berries for transportation and storage;
• immunity to certain dangerous diseases;
• high yield.

Sweet strawberries also have disadvantages:

• in the northern regions, in rainy and cloudy summers, Divnaya berries can become fresh and watery (however, there is no more acid in strawberries);
• from collection to collection, the berry becomes smaller, so it is impossible to talk about uniformity in the size of strawberries;
• the shape of the berries is also heterogeneous, which spoils the overall impression as a commercial variety.

Disadvantages of Divnaya are very conditional – this strawberry can be forgiven for any feature only for its excellent taste.

Planting garden strawberries

Variety Divnaya is grown in the same way as any other strawberry in the garden. For planting this crop, you should choose a spacious area that will be well lit by the sun and protected from the north wind. The soil in the area for strawberries should be loose, nutritious and moisture-intensive.

The planting pattern is standard for garden strawberries – 4 bushes per square meter. When planting seedlings in a row between plants, an interval of 30-35 cm is observed. When planting Divnaya, it is recommended to follow these instructions:

1. Inspect the root system of all seedlings. If the roots are longer than the aerial part of the strawberry, they should be trimmed to the desired length.
2. Immediately before planting, it is advisable to soak the roots of Divnaya strawberries in Kornevin’s solution or in any growth stimulator.
3. Planting seedlings should be deep, the roots should not protrude above the ground.
4. After the earth is compacted around the seedling, the strawberries are watered. For irrigation, it is better to use a solution of ammonium nitrate – a matchbox of fertilizer (about 20 grams) per bucket of water (10 liters).
5. It is recommended to continue watering Divnaya with the same solution for another couple of weeks after planting.

Care instructions

As beautiful as in the photo, Divnaya will be only if she is properly looked after. This strawberry is not capricious, it needs the most common, but regular, care.

During the warm season, the gardener needs to do the following:

1. Strawberry Divnaya responds well to watering sprinkling and drip irrigation. In principle, this crop normally tolerates drought, and the yield of strawberries during such periods does not suffer much. But regular watering will significantly improve the size and quality of the fruit.
2. In order not to have to constantly loosen the ground and fight weeds, you can use mulch or grow Divnaya on agrofiber.

   

3. During the period of return frosts in the northern regions, it is recommended cover the strawberry patches white agrofibre or use film tunnels for plant protection.
4. Every year, strawberry bushes need thin out, remove dry and diseased leaves, cut off excess whiskers.
5. Fertilize Marvelous according to the usual scheme: in early spring – with nitrogen, at the flowering stage, complex mineral preparations with potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron are used for top dressing. In autumn, you can fill the bushes with a thick layer of humus or compost.

   

6. During the rainy season it is necessary handle garden strawberries with bactericidal and fungicidal preparations, use phytosporin for spraying.

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Conclusion

Today there are many varieties and hybrids that are superior to the old variety both in yield and in size of berries, their evenness, and keeping quality. But Divnaya strawberries are not going to give up their positions, the variety is still popular with summer residents, as it was twenty years ago. The wonderful taste of garden strawberries, their productivity and unpretentiousness will appeal to both beginners and experienced gardeners and, of course, farmers.