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gardeners learned about Kupchikha strawberries not so long ago, but it has already become popular. This is a product of breeders. Kokinsky strong point VSTISP. The author of the hybrid variety is the scientist S. D. Aitdzhanova. The merchant’s wife absorbed the best indicators of her “parents”, in some she even surpassed them.
What a beauty:
Strawberries Kupchikha have practically no varietal defects. It is similar partly to strawberries, partly to wild strawberries. Many gardeners who first purchased or dream of acquiring strawberry seedlings are interested in the characteristic features of the variety itself, the rules for growing strawberries. Let’s talk about this now.
Variety description
For crossing, breeders took European Muscat strawberries and large-fruited garden strawberries. Strawberry Kupchikha, judging by the description of the variety, photos and reviews of gardeners, fully corresponds to the qualities declared by the breeders.
Let’s consider this question in more detail:
- The unpretentious and productive earthworm has a powerful and tall bush. The leaves are wide, trifoliate, juicy green, grow up to 25 cm.
- The merchant throws out over 15 peduncles, each of which has about 10 white flowers with bright yellow centers. When the Merchant’s strawberry blooms, the leaves, as gardeners note in the reviews, and judging by the photo below, are practically invisible. The flower stalks of the strawberries are strong, thick, able to withstand a rich harvest of berries.
- The berries are large, up to 6 cm long, weighing 20-25 grams. There are among them champions up to 35 grams. The fruits of strawberry Merchant are oblong, ruby-burgundy in color with a purple tint. The first berries on the peduncle are the largest, the rest are slightly smaller. It is interesting, but true: in the Merchant’s hybrid, the berries themselves do not fall off, but it is easy to remove the fruits without sepals. The shape of the berries is unusual, which attracts gardeners: there are fruits with three or two horns, as well as oblong ones. Look at the photo, isn’t it a miracle!?
- The taste of the fruit has absorbed the properties of the parents – nutmeg with a hint of wild strawberries. There is no acid in the berries of the Kupchikha variety, they are very sweet.
Characteristic of the variety
Consider the characteristic features of the variety, its differences from other varieties:
- Strawberry Kupchikha belongs to varieties of medium ripening. The first largest berries can be picked in mid-June, when flower stalks begin to be thrown out on other beds with ordinary strawberries.
- Zemklunika variety Merchant is fruitful. One plant gives 300-400 grams of delicious berries with an indescribable aroma. Weather conditions have almost no effect on productivity. If you plant Kupchikha strawberries in large flowerpots or grow them in a greenhouse, you can collect even more fragrant, sweet fruits.
The set of fruits in the strawberry Merchant is 100%. You can verify the yield of the earthworm variety by watching the video:
Berry from a fairy tale. Zemklunika Merchant.
- Merchant’s housekeeping is average, you can always get a sufficient amount of planting material. Seed breeding of Zemklunika Merchant, as it is a hybrid, is not recommended. Varietal properties are extremely rare.
- Judging by the characteristics and reviews of gardeners, the plant is winter-hardy, calmly, with virtually no loss, endures temperatures of -24 degrees under a small shelter. When grown in a zone of risky farming, it will be necessary to cover the Kupchikha strawberries thoroughly. Many gardeners write in reviews that they have to play it safe, plant some of the outlets in pots and grow them at home until spring.
- The genes of earthworms contain high resistance to strawberry diseases, it is practically not affected by powdery mildew and gray rot, which also makes the variety popular.
- Merchant belongs to varieties with a universal purpose. Berries are good in compotes, jams, preserves. Can be frozen. Just imagine what aroma will spill over the apartment when you take the berries out of the chamber!
- The variety especially attracts gardeners involved in the cultivation of Kupchikha strawberries for sale. Dense and juicy berries can be transported over long distances. They do not crumple and do not expire with juice.
- Agrotechnics for growing and caring for a Merchant is simple. In addition, unlike many varieties of garden strawberries, it does not require frequent transplantation: in one place it can bear fruit for up to five years.
Ordinary garden strawberries can serve as a pollinator.
Often, gardeners complain that they cannot ennoble some part of the garden due to the rampant growth of perennial weeds. The issue can be easily resolved if you plant the bushes of the Merchant’s earthworm and do not remove the mustache during the season. Of course, the yield will decrease somewhat. But ground cover strawberries will help to cope with weeds by covering the entire area with rooted rosettes.
Zemklunika is a cover plant:
Features of landing
The hybrid strawberry variety Kupchikha, like all other relatives, is demanding when planting on fertile soil. The bed before digging should be filled with humus or compost (up to 5-6 kg), add ammonium nitrate (up to 20 g), superphosphate (about 20 g) and charcoal (1 cup). This is the norm for one square meter. Instead of mineral fertilizers, you can use nitrophoska or nitroammofoska, adding 65 grams each.
As already noted in the description and characteristics, it is undesirable to propagate the Kupchikha strawberry variety by seeds due to the negligible preservation of maternal qualities. It is better to use the vegetative method: root the mustache or divide the bush.
When planting strawberries Merchant, if the seedlings do not have a closed root system, you should carefully consider its deepening. The growth point must be at ground level. Below in the photo you can see how to plant strawberries without error. This is necessary primarily for beginner gardeners, as experienced gardeners know how to do the job correctly.
When planting strawberries, you need to take into account the distance between the bushes. It should be at least 30 cm, as the plant grows rapidly. In addition, thickened plantings of the Kupchikha variety will not receive proper nutrition and lighting, which will affect the yield. Row spacing should be within 50 cm.
Features of care
The description states that it is not difficult to care for Merchant’s strawberries. The variety yields well with drip irrigation, the main thing is not to overmoisten the soil. It tolerates a slight drought with firmness, without reducing fruiting.
It is enough for strawberries to be in the sun for several hours, so they can be planted between bushes and trees. He loves loose soil, so from time to time you need to loosen, weed out, feed strawberry plantings.
From rooted outlets you can get good planting material. Mustaches must be removed from fruit-bearing bushes so as not to deplete the bushes. Replace the planting of the Kupchikha variety after 4 years.
As you can see, planting and caring for earthworms does not cause much trouble, just like preparing for winter. Leaves, shoots are cut off on the bushes, covered with straw and non-woven material.