Remontant varieties of garden strawberries allow you to enjoy the taste of aromatic and sweet berries twice during the summer season. With proper care, such crops bear fruit in one place for three years, after which the bushes require rejuvenation. Developed by Californian breeders, the Aromas strawberry variety is a mid-ripening variety and continues to bear fruit until the first significant drop in temperature in the fall.
Description and brief characteristics of the variety
To decide whether the Aromas variety is suitable for cultivation in a particular area or not, it is worth studying the description and characteristics of garden strawberries declared by breeders. Strawberries got their name from the subtle and pleasant strawberry aroma that ripe berries have, and the second wave of the harvest has a richer smell than the first.
The description indicates the following characteristics of Aromas strawberries:
- Garden strawberries are remontant, that is, they produce crops twice per season - the first time in early June, and the second time starting in early August.
- The height of bushes with a raised habit reaches 40 cm, they are erect, grow compactly, and therefore do not require much space on the site. The root system is well developed.
- The leaf blades of the variety have a slightly rounded shape, edged with small teeth. They do not lie on the ground, but are raised, which prevents them from rotting in rainy weather. Strawberries grow new leaves intensively; in addition, a large number of tendrils are formed every season, which allows Aromas to independently propagate.
- The emerging flower stalks are quite large; one bears up to 50 berries.
- The average weight of one garden strawberry is 30 grams, but there are specimens weighing 40 grams. The fruits are conical or heart-shaped.
- At first the color of the berries is bright red, but when fully ripe it becomes dark red. The strawberry pulp has no voids and is quite dense, so if certain conditions are met (air-permeable containers), the crop can be transported over long distances without loss of quality.
- Productivity depends on agrotechnical care; one bush per season produces from 700 to 1000 grams of fruit.
- Resistance to infectious and viral diseases is at an average level, preventive treatments are recommended.
Pros and cons of strawberry Aromas
European and domestic gardeners recently began to grow the Californian variety on their plots, but have already been able to appreciate the advantages of strawberries and note some disadvantages.
They attributed the following to the advantages of Aromas:
- possibility of growing throughout the year in greenhouses;
- aroma and taste of ripe berries;
- raised habit, which facilitates agrotechnical care of plants and prevents rotting in wet weather;
- the ability to grow berries for subsequent sale on the market due to high transportability;
- strong immunity to most diseases that affect garden strawberries, as well as to spider mites;
- high yield from one bush, subject to proper care.
Like any variety, California strawberries have their drawbacks:
- the likelihood of chlorosis when grown on carbonate soils;
- hard pulp if the berries are collected at the stage of technical maturity;
- the taste declared by the breeders is manifested only if the growing conditions are met and proper agrotechnical care is provided;
- demanding on watering, otherwise the fruits begin to sour.
Nuances of cultivation and care rules
You can only harvest fragrant and sweet Aromas garden strawberries if you take care of the variety responsibly.
Watering
Strawberries of any variety love moisture, and the Californian variety is no exception. If there is extreme heat, irrigate the beds with garden strawberries every other day, making sure that the soil is wet to a depth of at least 5 cm.If there is sufficient rainfall, watering once a week is sufficient. For moistening, use settled water, slightly warmed in the sun.
Loosening, weed control
If the row spacing was not mulched when planting strawberry bushes, you will have to loosen the soil and fight weeds after each irrigation. The first procedure is necessary to ensure soil aeration and oxygen supply to the root system of plants. Weeds take away nutrients from the crop, and as a result, fruiting is poor and the berries are small. It is not recommended to use herbicides on strawberries; weeds are removed mechanically.
Removing a mustache
Since the variety produces many tendrils during development, it is advisable to divide the bushes into two groups:
- Fruit-bearing ones, from which the mustache is completely removed.
- Uterine plants, where the first-order tendrils are left, but all flower stalks are torn off to prevent the formation of berries.
Top dressing
The declared yield cannot be achieved without adding nutrients. Fertilize the variety several times throughout the season. In early spring, compounds with a high concentration of nitrogen are applied; these can be either store-bought fertilizers or organic substances, for example, mullein or bird droppings, dissolved in water 1:10 and 1:20, respectively.
Disease and pest control
The variety has sufficient immunity to resist major crop diseases.For prevention, only folk remedies are used so as not to contaminate the berries with chemicals.
Preparing for winter
Features of preparation for cold weather depend on the region where the variety is grown. In the south, strawberries do not need additional shelter, while in the northern regions it is necessary to mow down all the foliage, cover the stumps with mulch, and lay spruce branches on top.
Features of reproduction
Thanks to the intensive growth of mustaches, propagating garden strawberries with their help is not difficult. It is recommended to rejuvenate strawberry beds at least once every 3 years.
Harvesting and storing strawberries
Aromas berries are harvested twice per season - the first harvest is eaten or used for freezing, the berries of the second wave are prepared for the winter in the form of compotes and jams.
