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Those strawberry lovers who choose a new variety for planting in their beds should pay attention to the Kama variety. It has many wonderful qualities that are valued in this culture. In this article, you can read a description of the Kama strawberry variety, about its characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, gardeners’ reviews about it and see how it looks in the photo.
Description
Strawberry Kama is a variety of Polish selection. The well-known varieties Zenga Zengana and Cavalier served as parental forms for it. As a result of this crossing, plants were obtained that are capable of producing a berry with the following qualities:
- sweetness and rich aroma;
- suitability for transportation;
- versatility of use (fresh and canned).
This quality allows it to be transported, for example, for sale, which is valuable for those gardeners who grow berries for sale. If it is planted for actual consumption, then it is better to wait until the strawberries are fully ripe.
Description of Kama strawberries and its photo:
- the bush is low, compact;
- the root system is powerful;
- leaf dark green, pubescent on the underside;
- peduncle drooping, powerful, below the level of leaves;
- berries of a classical conical shape and round-rhombic with a noticeable neck, slightly ribbed, shiny;
- strawberries of medium size and weight (20-30 g), the first berries can be much larger;
- color – from bright red to dark red, burgundy;
- the pulp is sweet, rather dense;
- strawberry-strawberry aroma, pronounced;
- seeds of yellow color, sit shallow;
- whiskers are few, but they are large.
The bushes of this variety begin to bloom early, the fruiting period takes 4-5 weeks (late May – early June). At the same time, the yield is decent and amounts to 1 kg per bush. True, it has been noticed that after the first wave of large berries, the next ones become somewhat smaller. The purpose of the berries is for fresh eating, processing into juice and dessert preparations, for preservation and freezing.
Advantages and disadvantages
Kama strawberries have their positive and negative qualities that gardeners who want to plant in their beds need to know about. Among the advantages of this variety are:
- early ripening of berries (in May-early June);
- long fruiting period;
- drought resistance, provided that the beds are mulched;
- a small amount of mustache;
- large berry of harmonious shape;
- concentrated strawberry flavor and aroma;
- excellent yield.
But the special popularity of strawberries of the Kama variety is associated not only with its high yield, but also with the fact that it can be grown not only in ordinary beds, but also in a greenhouse, and, accordingly, get an ultra-early harvest.
For example, in greenhouse conditions, berries from strawberry bushes can be harvested as early as mid-April. This quality should be paid attention to those gardeners who are aimed at growing crops in order to sell berries. This choice is also supported by the fact that in Europe Kama strawberries are grown on an industrial scale. And another advantage of the variety is remontance: strawberry bushes are able to bear fruit 1 or 2 more times per season.
Disadvantages of the variety:
- sprawling bush, overdeveloped leaf mass;
- plants need a large feeding area;
- flower stalks are located below the leaves;
- resistant to white and brown spots;
- requires sheltering bushes with agrofiber in case of a threat of spring frosts (flowers do not tolerate temperatures below 0 ° C).
All this must be taken into account when planting and caring for Kama strawberries so that the features characteristic of it do not come as a surprise to the gardener.
Landing
According to practicing gardeners, the most difficult moment in growing Kama strawberries is to wait until it is fully ripe, picking up a rich taste and aroma, and not picking it ahead of time. Otherwise, many speak of this variety as non-capricious and hassle-free. According to them, the Kama variety requires the same care as other unpretentious varieties of strawberries. Therefore, it is quite popular and it is not difficult to get seedlings, the main thing is to purchase it from trusted manufacturers – in this case there is a guarantee that it will turn out to be varietal.
Under the strawberries, they choose a place in the garden, which is well lit by the sun; it is undesirable to plant plants in the shade. Another condition is that the predecessors should be any cruciferous, legumes and green crops, onions, garlic. It is possible to plant strawberries for tomatoes and cucumbers, but it is undesirable. And you should not plant it at all after large plants that greatly deplete the soil – sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke.
The soil on the future strawberry plantation should be light, nutritious, loose, breathable and moisture-intensive, slightly acidic. Before planting seedlings, you need to dig it up, apply fertilizers (humus, ash) and mix them with the soil.
On the day of planting, the roots of the seedlings should be dipped in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and then planted in the holes. Planting pattern: 40-50 cm in a row and 60-80 cm between rows. It is not recommended to plant it thicker, so that strawberries show their full potential, they need just such an area of nutrition.
Care
Young bushes need to be watered every day or every other day, while rooting is in progress. After the strawberries take root, you need to water less often. However, strawberries of the Kama variety are quite drought-resistant and with regular watering and mulch in the beds, adult bushes do not burn out even in extreme heat. If there is no mulch, then you will have to water frequently, and after each such watering, the earth will need to be loosened to prevent the formation of a crust.
Plants of the Kama variety are large and powerful, so they will not be able to do without top dressing. As fertilizers, you need to use humus and wood ash as a source of potassium, which plants need for fruiting, or ready-made complex fertilizers. The first feeding should be carried out before flowering. Fertilization must be combined with irrigation. Also, before flowering, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment with insecticides against weevil and strawberry mites, as well as fungicides against spotting.
You need to harvest Kama strawberries as the berries ripen. As already mentioned, the acquisition of a dark red color by them does not mean that they are fully ripe, so it is better to wait a couple of days, and only then break the crop. Since Kama’s flower stalks are drooping, to prevent the berries from rotting, planks, pieces of slate and similar material should be placed under them. If there are slugs and grape snails on the site that are not averse to spoiling the berries, you can sprinkle needles around the bushes to combat them.
For the winter, Kama strawberry bushes should be covered with hay, straw, leaves falling from trees, spruce branches or synthetic covering material. In the spring, when it gets warm enough, it must be removed.
Reproduction
It is necessary to replace the old, fertile strawberries with a new one no later than in 4-5 years. It is unprofitable to keep it longer – the berries become very small, their number decreases, and the yield drops sharply. For breeding, you can take a mustache from your bushes. Mother plants should be young, 1-year-old or, in extreme cases, 2-year-old, whiskers – the largest. Strawberries can be returned to the old place after 3-4 years.
Testimonials and videos
Conclusion
Strawberries Kama deservedly won the love of gardeners due to their sweet taste and strong persistent aroma. If this wonderful berry does not yet grow on your site, plant it without hesitation.