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For most gardeners, the word “strawberry” is associated with bright red berries. However, there are varieties that produce fruits of a different color, such as white. The berry is not inferior in sweetness and aroma, it just differs in color. The Pineberry variety is a prominent representative of an unusual culture. Thanks to breeders, any gardener has the opportunity to grow an outlandish culture.
Inference history
Pineberry, by its origin, is a remontant garden strawberry. The hybrid was obtained by a Dutch breeder named Hans de Jong. For crossing they took Chilean and Virginian strawberries.
Description
The main difference between Pineberry garden strawberries is their white color. The shape of the berry resembles an ordinary strawberry. Unusual fruit taste. When chewed, the pulp gives off a distinct pineapple flavor. From here came the second name, consisting of two words: pineapple, which means pineapple and berry – berry.
Despite the remontant variety, Pineberry strawberries are small. The diameter of the fruit does not exceed 2,5 cm. Ripe berries change from green to white. Only grains in achenes turn red. It is by the color of the seeds that one can guess the maturity of the fruit and that they can already be plucked. Outwardly, the berry is very beautiful. The flesh of the fruit is white, sometimes it can acquire an orange tint.
Pineberry strawberries ripen from May to July. The yield of the variety per season reaches 1 kg per 1 m2 when grown in a greenhouse. Plant height varies from 20 to 30 cm. Strawberries love the sun and partial shade. In winter, the bushes withstand frosts down to -25оC.
The fruits of the remontant Pineberry variety are considered dessert. Berries are eaten fresh. Excellent fruits are suitable for decorating cakes and pastries. Berries are added to ice cream, cocktails, yogurts.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Advantages | Disadvantages |
The hybrid is resistant to diseases that often affect common strawberry varieties. | Delicate fruits cannot be transported and stored |
Strawberries can be grown next to other strawberry varieties, as the culture is not pollinated | Low yield, especially when grown in an open way in the middle lane |
White berries are not pecked by birds | In a rainy summer, berries quickly rot |
You can learn more about large-fruited white strawberries from the video below:
Methods of reproduction
At home, propagating remontant Pineberry garden strawberries with seeds will not work. This is a hybrid. Gardeners tried to collect grains from berries. The next year, bushes grew from the seeds, bringing small berries of pink, orange or light red color with degraded taste.
Dividing the bush is suitable for remontant Pineberry, but gardeners rarely resort to this method.
Mustaches are the best way to propagate garden strawberries. The bush throws out a huge amount of layering, so there will be no problems with planting material. However, if you have to buy mustache seedlings, you will have to pay a decent amount for them. Sellers speculate on an outlandish variety, unreasonably inflating the price.
In order to propagate Pineberry garden strawberries with a mustache at home, after harvesting, the soil is loosened between the rows. The layers are spread over the soil, slightly dropping the lower part of the sockets. By autumn, the seedlings will take root. The mustache is cut off from the mother bush, transplanting each plant to the garden.
Landing
To plant Pineberry garden strawberry seedlings, holes are dug up to a depth of 10 cm. Each hole is watered with about 0,5 liters of warm water. A seedling is lowered into the hole, the roots are straightened and sprinkled with loose soil. If the plant was bought in cups, it is planted together with a clod of earth without destroying it.
How to choose seedlings
When buying seedlings of remontant Pineberry strawberries, pay attention to the foliage. It should be bright green in color, juicy, without spots and damage. In a good seedling, the thickness of the horn exceeds 7 cm.
The root system of the plant must be developed, at least 7 cm long. The open roots are fluffy in the form of a lump. If the seedling is sold in a cup, it must be removed for inspection. Good roots should braid the whole clod of earth.
Site selection and preparation of soil
The remontant Pineberry variety is very fond of warmth. In Holland, this strawberry is grown indoors. For the middle lane, open cultivation is not preferable, but you can choose a sunny open area on the south side. However, this choice can lead to a small problem. Under direct sunlight, the white berries of remontant strawberries turn pink. To get white fruits, it is optimal to choose a slightly shaded area, but well warmed by the sun. You can simply build shading from agrofibre over the garden bed.
Pineberry garden strawberries have no special soil requirements. Seedlings take root on soil with an acidity index of 5,0 to 6,5. Before planting strawberries, the plot is dug up to a depth of 30 cm, adding 5 kg of humus and 40 g of mineral fertilizer per 1 m2.
Landing scheme
The remontant variety of Pineberry throws out a lot of whiskers. Bushes need more space to grow. For planting, a scheme is suitable where a gap of 30 cm is observed between plants. The row spacing is made about 45 cm.
Many sources and dishonest sellers claim that the variety is self-fertile. In fact, Pineberry requires cross-pollination, since the flowers of the plant are only female. A bed with strawberries must be located close to another variety of strawberries.
Care
The procedure for caring for outlandish white strawberries is the same as for ordinary red strawberries.
Care in the spring
In the spring, a bed with remontant Pineberry strawberries is cleared of winter shelter. Cut off damaged leaves, the remaining old flower stalks. The soil between the rows is loosened with a depth of 3-5 cm, so as not to damage the roots. The bushes are watered with warm water, dissolving 1 g of copper sulfate or 1 g of potassium permanganate per 1 bucket.
With the advent of the ovary, garden strawberry plantations are watered with a solution of boric acid at the rate of 10 g of powder per 20 liters of water. From dressings, a solution of mullein or bird droppings is used, as well as mineral complexes. During flowering, potash-phosphorus fertilizer is applied or watered with a solution of wood ash at the rate of 2 cups per 1 bucket of water.
Watering and mulching
Remontant Pineberry strawberry loves watering. The intensity is determined by weather conditions. The frequency of watering is increased with the appearance of buds and during the pouring of berries. A couple of days before harvesting, it is advisable not to pour water under strawberries. The berries are already very tender, and from the abundance of moisture they will become watery.
To preserve moisture, as well as reduce the intensity of weed growth, soil mulching is performed. Wood chips, peat or small straw will do. Thanks to the mulch, the berries will not be smeared with earth during rain or watering.
Feeding by month
Garden strawberries, like ordinary strawberries, love to be fed with organic matter and mineral complexes. A minimum of three top dressings for Pineberry per season should be made: in early spring, before flowering, during the ovary. In order for the bushes to gain strength for the winter, strawberries are fertilized after harvesting.
Preparation for winter
Bushes withstand frosts down to -25оC, but still a remontant variety in its homeland is considered a greenhouse destination. For the winter, the Pineberry plantation will have to be covered with straw mats or spruce branches.
Diseases and methods of struggle
Of the common diseases, Pineberry is rarely damaged by verticillium wilt, but often by gray mold, especially during rainy summers.
Pests and ways to deal with them
For the remontant variety of garden strawberries, only birds are not pests. Birds are not attracted to the white color of the berries. However, ants, slugs, snails, mites, leaf beetles and other insects damage the crop.
Features of growing in pots
Remontant strawberries are not self-fertile. There is no point in growing Pineberry in pots when it comes to a room. On the street, you can plant strawberries in flower pots and build a high bed out of them. Only you need to place it near a plantation of another variety of strawberries for cross-pollination.
Conclusion
Pineberry’s high yields can only be optimally achieved under greenhouse conditions. In an open area, it is wise to plant a small plantation for a change.