Strawberry Portola

Many gardeners, growing strawberries, have favorite varieties. But it is impossible to pass by novelties. One of these amazingly delicious beauties is the Portola strawberry.

The most important thing that gardeners need to know is the characteristics of the variety. “Portola” is a remontant strawberry of a neutral light day. What this means, novice gardeners can learn from the description of Portola strawberries, photos and reviews of those who grow this variety.

Description of characteristics

Strawberry “Portola” – the result of the work of Californian breeders. Seedlings of Cal 97.93-7 x Cal 97.209-1 served as parent varieties. Many call the Portola strawberry variety an improved version of the famous Albion, which it surpassed in its yield and taste. The fruits of “Portola” are formed on each inflorescence, so the yield of the variety is 35% higher than that of “Albion”.

The main characteristics of Portola, which make the strawberry novelty very popular:

• fruiting type – refurbishment. Ordinary varieties delight the harvest for a relatively short time, a maximum of 2-3 weeks. But this is not enough for strawberry lovers. Therefore, they often choose remontant varieties, which differ in the duration of fruiting. Strawberry remontant “Portola” lays fruit buds during daylight hours lasting 16-17 hours. This time is from the end of May to the middle of July. Gardeners receive the main harvest in the fall.
• Type of photoperiodic reaction – a neutral day strawberry variety. This characteristic indicates that Portola produces fruit buds every 6 weeks. The duration of daylight hours and temperature do not have a special effect on this process, so the variety gives the berry to frost. Fruiting is continuous, flowers, ripe and ripening berries are simultaneously located on one bush.
• large fruit. Remontant strawberries of this type indulge owners with chic fruits, but require more attention and care. It needs fertile soil, regular feeding and watering, as well as enough space for development.
• Berries – the most basic characteristic for which gardeners make many sacrifices of their time and effort.

  

  One Portola strawberry weighs about 35 g, has a surprisingly pleasant aroma and sweet harmonious taste. The core of the berries is homogeneous and elastic, so they are not afraid of transportation. The variety is transported and stored very well, which allows it to be grown for sale. When stored at t 0.. +3°C, it does not lose its qualities for three days.

• Productivity is 1-2 kg from one bush.
• It is necessary to mention one more advantage of Portola strawberries. Large-fruited elastic berries do not crunch while eating. Gardeners love this feature. The shape of the berries is a wide cone, the color is red.
• Maturation period. In the description of the variety, Portola strawberries are declared as a berry of medium late ripening. It begins to bear fruit in mid-June, in the middle lane a few days later.

Video report about the variety:

To make the description as complete as possible, we note some of the disadvantages of Portola strawberries, which gardeners share in their reviews:

1. Dependence of fruit sugar content on weather conditions. Decreases in cloudy weather.
2. Chopping berries without intensive feeding and exact compliance with the requirements of agricultural technology.
3. Deterioration of taste and decrease in juiciness of berries during a period of extreme heat.
4. Poor rooting of seedlings during elevated ambient temperatures.
5. Exposure to spotting, chlorosis, some viral and fungal infections.

Despite the decrease in the size of the fruit, the Portola remontant strawberry variety retains its decorative effect until late autumn. Many gardeners use this feature by immediately planting bushes in flower pots or flowerpots. It turns out a great decoration for a balcony or gazebo.

Planting a remontant variety

Landing begins with site preparation. For the Portola variety, you need to allocate a sunny place with fertile land.

According to the description, Portola strawberries prefer loam or sandy loam with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. If the site has peaty or sod-podzolic soil, then it is not suitable for a remontant variety. It is necessary either to look for another place, or to import suitable soil.

Seedlings can be purchased at a specialized nursery. Another option is to propagate the variety yourself by dividing the bush or using a mustache.

You can plant Portola strawberry seedlings in spring or late summer (mid-August – late September). But in their reviews, gardeners are more inclined towards the autumn planting of Portola strawberries. If the bushes are planted in the spring, then the crop can be harvested the next year. And seedlings that successfully overwinter without the invasion of pests and diseases will begin to bear fruit in the summer.

The bed is prepared in advance. For spring planting, site preparation is done in the fall, for autumn – in the spring. In any case, the soil is dug up with a pitchfork, plant residues and weeds are removed, and they are applied per 1 sq. m organic matter (1 bucket) and wood ash (5 kg). A month before the scheduled date, it is necessary to add 20 g of potassium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate per 1 square meter to the soil. m area. You can replace both substances with 1 tbsp. spoon “Kaliyfos” on the same area. The planting pattern for Portola strawberries is 80 cm x 40 cm, strawberries need enough space.

Planting strawberries on a cloudy day. The wells are first watered, then the seedling is placed and the roots are carefully laid. It is important to ensure that they do not bend up. After filling the hole with earth, the hearts should be above the surface of the soil. So that voids do not form between the roots, the ground around the bushes is compressed and the planted plants are watered and immediately mulched. Before winter, all the flowers that appear on the bush are cut off to ensure good fruiting for the next year.

Care

The main care measures do not differ from those performed for ordinary strawberry varieties.

But, according to the reviews and description of the variety, Portola strawberries require a lot of attention. If some points are ignored, then the berries will be small and not sweet. It is important to remember that the variety does not tolerate temperature differences. Actions for which gardeners need to prepare from the beginning of the season:

Watering. If strawberries are grown on an industrial scale, then without drip irrigation it will not be easy. Therefore, band irrigation is preferable.

Feeding. In early spring, the bushes are cleaned of old leaves and fed with ammonium nitrate. Reapply nitrogen feeding at the end of May. During the budding period, “Master” (balanced) or “Rostconcentrate” works well. When the fruit sets, potassium nutrition is necessary.

Gardeners’ recommendations for growing strawberries “Portola”:

1. Remove the peduncles of the first wave, then the second wave will be more powerful.
2. The variety demonstrates good mustache formation and fruiting only with intensive agricultural technology and favorable growing conditions.
3. The peak yield of the variety coincides with the time of decline in fruiting in species of medium early ripening. It will be optimal to combine such varieties on the site to ensure continuous fruiting.
4. Propagate “Portola” with a mustache, dividing the bush and seeds. The last method is the most laborious, but experienced gardeners often use it. Mustache this variety of strawberries gives a little.
5. Be sure to mulch the beds. The variety is demanding on watering, and this technique will help retain moisture longer.

In regions with a cool climate, “Portola” grows very successfully in protected ground, even in a greenhouse:

The first harvest is obtained earlier and the berry has time to prepare for winter.

In autumn, it is necessary to cover the ridges so that the strawberries do not freeze out. It is enough to lay a layer of straw or dry leaves.

Portola has good resistance to powdery mildew, crown rot, powdery mildew and wilt.. But from rotting fruits, spotting and burns of leaves, measures must be taken. In order to prevent a fungal infection (spotting), it is necessary to treat the area with Fitosporin in the spring. The treatment is carried out with copper oxychloride during the period of regrowth of leaves, again – before flowering and after harvesting. You can replace the drug with Bordeaux mixture. It is important to keep the ridges clean so that the bushes do not grow too much and become overgrown with weeds.

Reviews

The description of the Portola strawberry variety, supplemented by reviews and photos of the plant, gives a complete picture of the acquaintance.