Late strawberries please the gardener with delicious berries until the end of summer. Breeders have bred many of these varieties. A worthy representative of the late-ripening group is Tago strawberry,
which we will now consider.
Characteristics of a variety
Overview of Tago strawberries, variety description, photos, reviews, let’s start with the main characteristics. According to the ripening time of berries, strawberries are considered medium-late or even late. Bushes grow compact. The foliage is large with a light green leaf blade. The adult bush is dense. Tago strawberry overwinters excellently, which emphasizes its dignity.
Berries begin to ripen in early July. A distinctive characteristic of Tago garden strawberries is the different shape of the fruits of the first and subsequent tiers of the crop. The first strawberry resembles a tree bud. The shape of the strawberries of the subsequent tiers of the harvest is closer to a cone with a truncated top. The flesh becomes bright red when ripe. In a fully ripe fruit, the skin darkens. The berries are large, dense, amenable to long-term transportation. According to its intended purpose, the Tago strawberry variety is recommended for cooking jam and compote.
Tago strawberries have no special requirements for the location and composition of the soil. However, gardeners noticed the fact that in sunny areas the berries grow larger and sweeter. It is optimal to place the bed in an open area. The best soil for Tago strawberries is chernozem with peat additives. It is desirable to mulch the soil in the garden with straw. In addition to retaining moisture, mulch protects the berries from contamination. Subject to the conditions of agricultural technology, the Tago strawberry variety is rarely affected by fungal diseases.
The video provides an overview of the varieties of garden strawberries:
Planting time for strawberries
Continuing the Tago strawberry review, variety description, photos, reviews, it’s time to talk about planting a crop. Gardeners say that strawberries can be planted in the garden at any time during the growing season. However, early spring is traditionally considered the best time, as well as the end of August – mid-September.
Autumn planting of strawberries is beneficial in the southern regions. From the end of August to the beginning of winter, the Tago strawberry seedling will have time to take root. For cold regions with long winters, spring planting is preferable.
Strawberries grow on any soil, but they do not tolerate marshy and sandy areas. Loose slightly acidic soil with good air permeability is optimal. If water stagnates on the site, the strawberry roots will begin to rot. The maximum occurrence of groundwater at a depth of 70 cm is allowed.
For the spring planting of the Tago strawberry variety, the plot has been prepared since autumn. The earth is dug to a depth of up to 30 cm. Weed rhizomes are removed from the soil, while introducing organic matter. 1 m2 beds scatter about half a bucket of manure, peat, humus or compost. In the spring, just before planting strawberry seedlings of the Tago variety, they additionally add a similar amount of wood ash, 40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium.
Garden strawberry Tago is planted in rows at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The aisles are made up to 70 cm wide so that the mustache has a place for engraftment. The holes are punched with a chopper to a depth of 25 cm and a diameter of up to 20 cm. The seedling is carefully sprinkled with loose earth so as not to damage the root system and lightly rammed with a hand. About 0,5 l of warm water is poured into the hole.
When filling the root system of strawberries, it is important not to bury the heart. The seedling is immersed in the ground along the root collar. If you dig deeper, the roots will rot. Fine powdering with soil threatens with rapid drying of the strawberry root system under the sun.
At the end of the planting of seedlings of Tago strawberries, the aisles are loosened with a chopper. Plantings are watered as the soil dries out. Until full engraftment, the bushes shade during the day from the scorching rays of the sun.
If autumn is chosen for planting Tago strawberry seedlings, then the garden bed is prepared in three weeks. Organic and mineral fertilizers are applied simultaneously during the digging of the soil. The process of planting seedlings is no different from the actions carried out in the spring. However, the soil should be covered with straw so that early frosts do not prevent the strawberries from taking root.
Care instructions
Considering the garden strawberries Tago, description of the variety, photos, reviews, it is worth dwelling in detail on the rules of cultivation. Care involves regular watering, top dressing, weeding. In autumn, the foliage is cut and strawberries are prepared for wintering.
In the spring, the root system of the bushes may be open due to being washed out by melt water or being pushed out of the ground by frost. After thawing the soil, they immediately begin hilling. Strawberry roots sprinkled with soil are lightly trampled with a foot. The gaps between the bushes and the aisles are loosened with a chopper. In the future, weeding is performed at each appearance of weeds.
Mulching helps to simplify the care of Tago strawberry plantations. Peat, small straw, sawdust give good results. Mulch prevents the formation of a crust on the ground after each watering, reduces the growth of weeds. After 4–5 years, Tago strawberries are looking for a new site, since the culture does not grow in one place for a long time.
Flowering of Tago strawberries begins about a month after the start of the growing season. One inflorescence usually grows on a heart. In the corymb, from 5 to 27 flowers can form. The duration of flowering lasts 4-6 days. In general, the entire bed with strawberries can bloom for up to three weeks, but it all depends on weather conditions and the quality of care. During flowering, strawberries should not be treated with pesticides.
Watering the strawberries of the Tago variety is carried out regularly as the soil dries. Usually, the procedure during drought is carried out every three days. Strawberries love sprinkling, but during flowering, watering under the root is desirable. This can be done using a drip system or dig a groove 12 cm deep in the center of the row spacing and run water from the hose through it. In the second case, after the liquid has been absorbed, the furrows are covered with soil to retain moisture.
Under the root on a small plantation, Tago strawberries can be watered from a watering can, after removing the divider. It is good to take water from a storage tank, where it warms up to air temperature. Experienced gardeners have learned to attach a magnet to a tap. The water passed through such a device has a positive effect on increasing the yield, as well as the size of the fruit.
You can determine the need for watering by soil moisture. In the garden in different places, pits are dug 30 cm deep. If the soil taken from the bottom of the hole crumbles when kneading by hand, then the strawberries must be watered. In cloudy weather and cool summers, the intervals between waterings are increased to 7 days. However, during the pouring of berries, strawberries of the Tago variety are watered at most every 5 days.
Berries strongly draw all the forces out of the plant. To replenish nutrients, regular feeding of strawberries is carried out. Organic is the most popular among gardeners. Wood ash, dry compost or liquid solutions of fermented bird droppings are used. During the ovary, strawberries need minerals.
In the spring, immediately after the snow melts, the first top dressing is performed. You can scatter saltpeter in the garden, but it is better to pour each strawberry bush with a liquid solution of complex fertilizer. Under a young plant, 2 liters are poured, and under an adult – up to 5 liters of liquid top dressing.
During the appearance of color, a second top dressing is required. Mullein is dissolved in water in a ratio of 6:1 or bird droppings – 20:1. After fermentation of the solution, 10 cups of ash is added to 0,5 liters of liquid. The norm of top dressing for each bush is from 2 to 5 liters.
The third top dressing with mullein is done during rapid flowering, only 1 part of manure is diluted with 8 parts of water. At the end of fruiting in the third decade of August, Tago strawberries are watered with a solution of superphosphate, dissolving 50 g of dry matter per 10 liters of water. Top dressing is needed to restore the plant’s strength, and also helps to lay fruit buds for the next season.
Tago strawberries are transplanted to another place in 4–5 years. The process involves carrying out similar actions taken during the first planting of seedlings. For reproduction, three methods are used: seeds, mustaches and dividing the bush.
Reviews
Gardeners’ reviews will help you learn more about the Tago strawberry variety.