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Among the varieties of strawberries there are those that are loved by many gardeners. Choose your favorite varieties for their merits. For strawberries it is:
- taste;
- aroma;
- nutritional properties;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- resistance to adverse factors, during transportation, to the effects of parasites and diseases.
Which of these characteristics distinguishes the Tsaritsa strawberry variety? After all, it is not without reason that this variety of garden strawberries received such a name. A variety of garden strawberries “Tsaritsa” was bred in Our Country, more precisely, in the Bryansk region. The progenitors were two well-known varieties – Venta and Red Gauntlet, and the breeder Svetlana Aitzhanova was able to combine their qualities. The topic of our article will be the wonderful strawberry “Queen”, a description of the variety, photos, reviews of gardeners.
Characteristics of a variety
To understand the benefits of the Tsaritsa strawberry, it is advisable to grow the variety in the region in which it was bred. For gardeners – this is a real gift. Garden strawberry “Tsaritsa” tolerates cold winters so well that it has far surpassed its ancestors in this indicator. During a snowy winter, this variety is not afraid of frosts down to -40 ° C. If a snowless winter threatens, then you will have to cover the strawberry ridges with spruce branches, leaves or covering material.
The garden strawberry variety “Queen” refers to the average ripening period. This makes it possible to get berries of wonderful taste a little later than usual. Garden cocktail – this is the main advantage. After all, early varieties of strawberries bear fruit earlier than other crops. And the strawberry “Queen” gives a harvest when other berries ripen. Preparations, fresh fruit salads, fragrant juices – that’s what gardeners love this variety for.
What characteristics allowed the strawberries of the Tsaritsa variety to take a priority place among other names? Large-fruited, fairly stable harvest, berries with a dessert taste and aroma of wild strawberries are an incomplete list of the advantages of strawberries. The description of the plant should begin with the appearance:
- bushes. Medium size, medium degree of foliage, semi-spreading.
- Flowers. Bisexual, white, flower stalks are located at the level of foliage or below. Leaves. Smooth, without edging, soft green tint. The ends have blunt teeth.
- Berries. Very symmetrical, regular shape. The first fruits are much larger than the subsequent ones. Juicy and tasty.
The main advantages of strawberries “Queen” include good frost resistance. However, in the hot season, the variety also shows good endurance. It is important not to forget to water the beds abundantly, because the Tsaritsa garden strawberry is very demanding on watering. It is best to stick to a specific schedule that suits the climatic conditions of your area.
Resistance to diseases and pests. This indicator is very important for any variety of garden strawberries. “Queen” does not suffer from fungal diseases, copes well with ticks and slugs.
Strawberry “Queen” refers to a plant with a short daylight hours, so it will lay fruit buds for the next harvest at the end of summer. At this time, the exhausting heat will subside, the air will cool down a bit, and the evenings will become cooler.
The nuances of growing a variety in a garden plot
You need to start with the choice of high-quality planting material. Strawberry garden “Queen” breeds with a mustache, but the first seedlings are best purchased at a nursery or breeding point. In this case, you can be sure that strawberry seedlings correspond to the variety type and are grown taking into account all the requirements of agricultural technology. Choose seedlings in special containers with a closed root system. This will allow the strawberries of the Tsaritsa variety to easily endure transportation and transplantation.
A place for planting should be chosen in advance so that the purchased seedlings of the Tsaritsa strawberry variety have a place to place. What requirements does the variety impose on its place of residence? It should be:
- flat without elevations and lowlands;
- constantly illuminated by the sun;
- with good ventilation ridges;
- without the close proximity of tall buildings or plants, as well as nightshade crops.
For the successful cultivation of the Tsaritsa strawberry variety, light loamy soil, which is necessarily fertile, is best suited. If you are the owner of infertile soil, then take measures to improve it. Garden strawberries “Tsaritsa” need to provide drainage on heavy and clay soils and add sand for digging. And for sandy per 1 sq. meter area will need 2 buckets of mullein (humus), a tablespoon of wood ash and 50 grams of urea. Add all the components during the autumn digging of the area for strawberry ridges.
It is possible to plant seedlings of Tsaritsa strawberries both in spring (in April) and in autumn (end of September). Gardeners are more inclined towards spring planting. Seedlings quickly take root and develop. This is due to the length of daylight hours and soil processes. In autumn, daylight hours are shorter, microorganisms in the soil reduce their activity, so it is more difficult for seedlings to take root. Autumn planting of garden strawberries “Queen” is not welcome in any region. In a favorable warm climate, seedlings immediately grow, without even having time to take root normally. Winter temperatures will kill weak roots. In cooler climates, the first early frost will damage the roots.
As soon as the bed and seedlings are ready, it’s time to start planting Tsaritsa strawberries. You can use two methods – tape or in the wells.
With the tape method, a groove is laid with a depth of 15 cm. The width of the groove is not more than 40 cm. Strawberry seedlings are placed along the groove with an interval of 20 cm.
Be sure to straighten the roots and sprinkle the bush with earth. An important condition is that you cannot sprinkle the central kidney, it must rise above ground level. The plant is immediately watered and mulched. Straw, dry mowed grass, sawdust (wood) are used for mulching strawberry ridges. Layer thickness from 5 mm to 10 mm depending on the material.
Planting in the holes is carried out in the same order, only instead of a groove, separate holes are made for each strawberry seedling.
When the Tsaritsa strawberry variety is already growing on your site, it can be propagated vegetatively.
How to do it right, the training video demonstrates well:
Caring for garden strawberries of the Tsaritsa variety after planting includes the standard requirements of agricultural technology – watering, feeding, protection from pests and diseases, weeding ridges, removing excess mustache, mulching. The last point is extremely important. Properly selected mulch will protect the planting from drying out of the soil and help keep the berries clean. Summer residents especially note the method of growing strawberries of the Tsaritsa variety under agrofiber.
Basic rules of care
Let’s start with watering. Garden strawberries are very demanding on watering. The variety “Queen” is considered drought-resistant, but this does not mean at all that the plant will survive without additional moisture. The exception is years with a rhythmic alternation of rainy and sunny days. Also, in a region with high humidity, you can water the bushes much less often. Excessive moisture leads to the rapid spread of fungal infections.
In dry and hot climates, Tsaritsa strawberries are watered regularly and plentifully. The interval between two waterings is kept no more than 10 days. The main stages of growth of bushes, during which the berry needs water:
- when the bushes bloom;
- when fruits are tied and formed;
- when they are full and ripe.
The soil should be saturated with moisture 25 cm deep, so 2-3 buckets of water are poured onto one bush. At other times, drip irrigation will be sufficient, with a frequency of 3 weeks.
Feeding strawberry bushes is carried out using organic and mineral compounds.
An overdose of nutrients is as undesirable as their absence. If you fertilized the soil well at the time of preparing the ridges, then you need to start feeding the berries from the third year of life.
Berries are picked after the dew has gone. They ripen unevenly. During the harvest, all ripened fruits are plucked. During fruiting, up to 60 large berries are obtained from one bush of the Tsaritsa variety.
Another important stage is the protection of plants in the years of frosty winters with little snow.
The ridges are covered in early November with available material – sawdust, straw, spruce branches, paper, covering material. In areas with strong winds, shelter must be fixed. Experienced summer residents put rotted manure, peat or compost under the covering material. This serves as additional heating and nutrition for the root system of the Tsaritsa strawberry.
Reviews
In order to fully familiarize yourself with the benefits of the Tsaritsa strawberry variety, you need to find out the opinions and reviews of gardeners on whose plot this variety is already growing.
