Contents
A gardener who decides to take up garden strawberries tries to choose a variety that is distinguished by an early and plentiful harvest, good immunity and unpretentiousness. Of course, choosing a plant is not so easy, you need to know the description, characteristics and see photos with strawberries. Equally important are the reviews of gardeners who are seriously involved in culture.
The article will present Lambada strawberries in all its glory. This is a variety of Italian selection, which was discovered in 1982. s grow strawberries or garden strawberries not only in the open field, but also in greenhouses. Having learned the characteristics of bushes and berries, gardeners will be able to make a choice.
Variety description
Strawberry Lambada is a representative of the very early varieties of garden berries. Fruiting, depending on the region of cultivation, begins in the middle or last days of May. The plant is unpretentious in care, does not require everyday attention.
Bushes of garden strawberries are tall, sprawling. Unlike other varieties of strawberries, there are few leaves. They are bright green. Strawberry peduncles are powerful, tall. The flowering is plentiful, which often surprises gardeners who grow the Lambada garden strawberry variety for the first time. Just look at the photo, what large snow-white flowers with yellow centers. They attract bees.
The berries are large, the average weight of each is about 40 grams. The shape of the fruit is round-conical, not always the same. Ripe strawberries turn bright red.
Exactly the same color and strawberry pulp. On the cut, there are no voids and white inclusions. The taste of the berries is sweet, almost without sourness. The aroma of the fruits of the Lambada variety is truly strawberry.
Characterization
According to the description, reviews of gardeners and photos presented in the article, the Lambada strawberry variety has a lot of advantages.
Pros
- Early maturity. The fruits ripen early, they are all almost the same size, flowering and fruiting are extended.
- Versatility of application. Delicious fruits of the variety are not only fresh. Compotes, jams, jams are prepared from strawberries. Frozen strawberries are stored well, while useful and taste properties are not lost.
- Frost resistance. Plants can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees without complete shelter. When grown in more severe conditions, strawberries need to be “wrapped up”.
- Disease resistance. The garden strawberry variety with the sonorous name Lambada has good immunity. In particular, it practically does not suffer from verticillium wilt, heart rot, brown rot and white spot.
- Productivity. This figure is not so high, but strawberries are still valued by gardeners for their excellent taste and large fruits, which significantly reduces labor costs during harvesting.
- Reproduction. It is not difficult to get new strawberry bushes to fill the plantation, since a lot of mustaches form.
Cons
There are drawbacks, albeit minor, which is why gardeners are not going to refuse from Italian selection of strawberries for such many years of cultivation, even in defiance of newfangled varieties and hybrids.
What can be attributed to the minuses:
- The Lambada variety is poorly stored, and it is difficult to transport the berries: the presentation is lost. That is why the berries must be processed as quickly as possible.
- The presence of a large number of mustaches complicates care a little, since they have to be constantly cut off during the vegetative period. Although for reproduction, such an increase is valuable.
Features of reproduction
Strawberry variety Lambada is propagated by seeds and mustaches. According to the reviews of gardeners and the recommendations of experts, rejuvenation is required after 2-3 years. It is seed reproduction that makes it possible to obtain planting material that is distinguished by strength and health.
seed method
Seeds of the variety can be purchased at specialized companies, for example: Garden and Garden, Becker, Gardens of Siberia.
Propagation of strawberries by seeds has its own difficulties: the seed sprouts for a long time. If stratification is not carried out, then the Lambada strawberry variety, according to gardeners, may not sprout at all. Seeds are prepared for planting within a month. They are mixed with sand and placed in a refrigerator.
Strawberry seeds are sown in late January or early February. Burying the seed is not recommended: the seeds are simply laid out on the surface of moist soil. The box is covered with glass and placed in a warm, up to 25 degrees, room.
After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is not removed, but only slightly opened. When 2-3 true leaves appear, Lambada strawberry seedlings swoop down. Work must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the filamentous root system.
Experienced gardeners advise growing seedlings in peat tablets, then garden strawberries will not experience stress during transplantation.
Strawberries are transplanted to a permanent place in the spring, when the air warms up enough. Landing care is traditional.
Mustache breeding
Variety Lambada, judging by the description, reviews of gardeners and the photo above, is famous for its own planting material. Whiskers are formed during the growing season in large numbers, so the excess must be removed.
Rosettes formed on the bushes can take root themselves. You need to choose those that are closer to the uterine bush. Soil is poured under them or transferred to a nursery to build up the root mass. Mustaches are planted in the fall.
Planting strawberries
The process of planting strawberries is an important moment in the formation of a berry plantation. Success depends on following certain rules.
Place and soil
According to the description and reviews of gardeners who have been dealing with the Italian variety for several years, the plant grows well in an openwork shade. But in this case, it is not necessary to count on a decent harvest. Therefore, for the beds choose a sunny place, protected from the wind.
Good returns for Lambada strawberries on loamy soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Although other soils are also suitable, the main thing is that they have enough nutrients. The strawberry variety is demanding on light, breathable soils.
Preparation of seedlings
When using home planting material, sockets do not require special preparation. If the seedlings were purchased from hand or came by mail (most often they are with an open root system), they are soaked for disinfection in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes, then washed with clean water.
When planting, the heart of the seedlings is not buried, it should be above the surface of the earth. Be sure to compress the soil to remove air pockets from under the roots. The distance between the strawberry bushes of the Lambada variety is at least 35-40 cm, since they do not grow much.
Watering should be plentiful and only under the root. It is not recommended to water strawberries of any variety, including Lambada, over the leaves. Immediately, the soil is mulched with any material at hand: peat chips, humus, straw or rotted sawdust.
The first version of the mulch oxidizes the soil, and the second one works to build up green mass and stops the formation of flower stalks.
Propagation of strawberries, secrets:
Features of care
To obtain a good harvest, the plant does not present any special requirements for care. Activities in the cultivation of the Lambada strawberry variety are traditional:
- Weeding, loosening the soil is carried out regularly.
- Watering the bushes should be moderate, but overdrying of the topsoil should not be allowed. When garden strawberries begin to bloom, you need to water less often so as not to provoke fungal diseases. For irrigation use only warm water.
- Top dressing is carried out several times per season, but at the time of ripening, mineral fertilizers are not used. The plant responds well to organics: infusions of mullein, chicken manure, green grass and nettle. Top dressing with a solution of wood ash is also a good option. Not only root, but also foliar top dressings are welcome, since the Lambada strawberry variety absorbs some of the microelements well through leaf blades.
- With regards to diseases, according to the reviews of gardeners and the description given by the originators of the variety, garden strawberries are resistant to many of them, due to their high immunity. But preventive measures should still not be neglected. Of the pests, birds and slugs deliver problems.
- When the crop is harvested, the leaves are cut from the bushes, trying not to touch the growth point, the plantings are fed, and the strawberries are prepared for wintering. During this period, it is desirable to treat the ridges with Bordeaux liquid (2%).
- If the temperature in the growing region is below -30 degrees, planting strawberries is covered with spruce branches.
