Strawberry Galya Chiv

There are a lot of large-fruited dessert varieties of strawberries today – gardeners, indeed, have plenty to choose from. However, looking closer, you can see that the vast majority of these varieties have early or medium ripening. But I would like to enjoy the fragrant berry longer! One of the latest varieties of garden strawberries is the Italian hybrid Galya Chiv. This strawberry made a lot of noise and caused thousands of disputes, gardeners from all over the country will not come to a common opinion: this variety is good or it has no right to exist. The inconsistency of Gali Chiv lies in approximately the same number of advantages and disadvantages of this variety.

To figure out whether the Galya Chiv variety is worthy of the attention of domestic gardeners, below will be a full description of strawberries with photos and reviews of summer residents. All the pros and cons of this garden strawberry will be listed here, as well as an alternative way to grow a sweet berry.

Characteristics from the copyright holder

Large producers have one opinion about Galya Chiv strawberries, small farms think about it in a completely different way, owners of household plots and cottages evaluate the variety according to completely different criteria. In order to better understand the situation, it is necessary first of all to hear the copyright holder – what he says about his own offspring.

The late variety has the original name Galia CIV, its originator is the Italian nursery consortium CIV Strawberry is positioned as a mid-late or late ripening crop suitable for growing in continental climates (including Eastern Europe and central Our Country).

Description of strawberry variety Galya Chiv Italian consortium offers the following:

• a culture with late ripening and extended fruiting (the first berries are ripe in early July, you can harvest throughout the month);
• bushes vigorous, powerful, sprawling;
• peduncles are thick and long, multi-berry – up to 20 ovaries on one peduncle;
• flower stalks are located on the same level as the leaves (which can be called a plus);
• the flowers of Gali Chiv are large, there is a lot of pollen in them – there are no problems with the pollination of strawberries;
• mustache formation is average – whiskers are quite enough for propagation of strawberries, but there are not so many of them that this becomes a problem;
• there are few leaves on the bushes – about 7-8 pieces;
• the berries are large, painted in a red-orange hue, have a glossy surface;
• the average weight of Gali Chiv fruits can vary from 20 to 70 grams (depending on the age of the strawberries, weather conditions, soil composition);
• the shape of the berries resembles a truncated cone with a rounded tip, the neck is absent;
• it cannot be said that strawberries are homogeneous – both their shape and size can differ greatly (which sellers of garden strawberries will definitely not like);
• the fruits of the first harvest are the heaviest, they may have a slightly flattened shape and a ribbed surface;
• the adhesion of the berry to the sepal is strong, so the dry separation of strawberries does not work;
• the pulp is whitish, dense, very juicy;
• taste rating by tasters is 4,6 points;
• strawberry Galya Chiv is very sweet, has a pleasant strawberry aroma;
• the amount of precipitation practically does not affect the level of sugar content of berries;
• the root system of a horticultural crop is well developed, the roots are powerful and long, go deep into the ground;
• the winter hardiness of the Galya Chiv variety is good – strawberries can withstand frosts down to -30 degrees without shelter;
• deep roots allow the variety to cope well with drought;
• resistance to diseases, according to Italian breeders, is average;
• domestic farmers note that Galya rarely suffers from powdery mildew and gray mold, has an average immunity to fungal spots;
• the yield of Italian strawberries is highly dependent on the age of the bushes and their growing conditions, therefore it ranges from 300 to 800 grams per bush;
• on an industrial scale, farmers manage to harvest about 5 tons of berries per hectare of fields in the first year after planting, about 24 tons in the second year of fruiting and 15 tons in the third season (these figures well demonstrate the decline in the yield of older bushes);
• the variety is only able to fully bear fruit for two or three seasons, after which the berries become smaller, their number decreases;
• fruits do not withstand transportation and storage, since strawberries are rather soft and come off badly from the peduncle (the harvested crop quickly “drains”).

Appointment of the table variety: Gali Chiv berries are most suitable for fresh consumption.

Which is more: pros or cons

It is not for nothing that the reviews about Galya Chiv strawberries are so contradictory: this culture is very ambiguous. Agrarians who are thinking about buying seedlings of this strawberry can be advised one thing: immediately decide for what purpose this variety will be grown. As the practice and experience of gardeners shows, Italian strawberries perform best in private farms and on small farm plots.

There are advantages to Italian strawberries, and it’s hard not to notice them. These are qualities such as:

• good yield;
• large size and attractive appearance of berries;
• pleasant taste of fruits;
• normal disease resistance;
• frost resistance sufficient for the climate;
• the ability of strawberries to tolerate short-term drought;
• strong and fast growth of the bush, easy reproduction.

Unfortunately, The Italian strawberries Galya Chiv also have a lot of shortcomings. Here is their list:

• tight separation leading to damage to the berry;
• short life expectancy – already in the third year of fruiting, the berry becomes very small;
• the need to normalize the ovaries (too many fruits will lead to a decrease in the size of strawberries, the appearance of unripe berries);
• severe depletion of the soil by a powerful and fast-growing plant;
• fear of a damp climate – during the period of prolonged rains, Galya Chiv often suffers from fungal infections;
• poor survival of seedlings in a hot period – a large number of attacks are possible;
• unsuitability for transportation over long distances;
• very different sizes and shapes of fruits depending on the time of collection and the age of the bush.

Many agrarians complain about the too simple, insipid and not multifaceted taste of Gali Chiv. However, supporters of this variety refute such information and prove that the taste qualities of Italian strawberries are highly dependent on the nutritional value of the soil, climatic features and the gardener’s forces put on the strawberries.

If you start to find fault, you can find a couple more flaws. For example, fresh fruit sellers are not very fond of the Galya Chiv variety for the too light color of the berries and their whitish pulp. The domestic buyer prefers varieties with a darker color and rich red flesh. Although in Europe, on the contrary, light strawberries are valued more. So, you can argue endlessly.

Alternative growing method

Strawberry variety Galya Chiv is universal – it can be grown by any method (from the usual planting to growing in greenhouses and greenhouses). In central Our Country, planting bushes on high beds is considered the most effective way to grow strawberries. This method will be discussed in more detail.

The advantages of high beds are many, but the main ones are considered to be a lower risk of infection and damage to strawberries by pests, as well as cleaner and drier fruits that do not come into contact with the ground. No less advantage can be called the fact that on high beds it is not necessary to loosen the soil, weeds practically do not grow there and moisture never stagnates.

The optimal time for planting the Galya Chiv variety is autumn, then the culture will have more time to acclimatize, and strawberries will bear fruit next year. If, nevertheless, you had to plant Galya in the spring, you should do it as early as possible – the bushes are badly damaged by the sun and can completely disappear.

The soil for high beds is prepared in advance. A few weeks before planting the Galya Chiv variety, loose soil should be mixed with fertilizers: humus, compost, mineral complexes, wood ash.

It is not difficult to build high beds for strawberries:

1. The selected area must be marked and dug up, while removing weeds and roots.
2. Form a comb about 15 cm high from the ground
3. Plant young strawberries at the top of the ridge, observing an interval between bushes of 20-25 cm.
4. The remaining ridges are poured parallel to the first, the distance between them should be about 30 cm.
5. The holes for the Galya Chiv variety should be large and deep, as this strawberry has long and powerful roots.
6. When planting a seedling, its roots must be straightened, preventing them from bending upwards.
7. Raised beds with strawberries must be mulched. The soil around the Galya Chiv strawberry bushes can be covered with straw or sawdust, but the best option is to plant plants on agrospand.
8. Planted strawberries need to be well watered. You can add fertilizer to the water for irrigation (for example, superphosphate).

Care instructions

Caring for Galya Chiv is easy – this strawberry is unpretentious and will not cause much trouble to the gardener. But there are in the cultivation of a late large-fruited variety and its own characteristics:

1. After planting, the bushes are watered almost every day, constantly monitoring the degree of soil moisture.
2. Adult strawberries are best watered by sprinkling or using a drip irrigation system for irrigation.
3. If you mulch the soil with straw and lay agrospand on top, garden strawberries will never get sick with fungal infections.
4. Every 2-3 weeks it is recommended to feed strawberries with mineral complexes or organic matter dissolved in water (bird droppings, cow dung).
5. Carry out preventive treatment of Gali Chiv from pests and infections, spraying the bushes with special preparations several times per season.
6. Cut off excess ovaries and inflorescences to prevent overloading the bushes and adjust the size of the berries.
7. Dig in the mustache of garden strawberries to propagate the variety. Or trim the mustache if reproduction is not required, as they pull a lot of strength from the plant.
8. In autumn, clean the bushes from dry leaves, diseased shoots and other debris.

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Conclusion

The Italian strawberry Galya Chiv as a whole has proven itself well among gardeners in the country. This variety cannot be called industrial, but it is perfect for growing in private households and in summer cottages. The agrarian must be prepared for the fact that the beds with Galya will have to be regularly fertilized, and the harvested crops must be quickly sold. You should not expect other “surprises” from the variety – it is time-tested and repeatedly tested in the climate.