Description and characteristics of the Eliane strawberry variety, cultivation and care

In 1998, a new strawberry variety, Eliane, was developed in Holland. She almost immediately won the love of gardeners, then widespread distribution throughout Russia brought her enormous popularity. Strawberries are very valuable for their taste and beneficial properties. The Eliane variety is rich in ascorbic acid, which helps strengthen the immune system; in addition, it contains a wide range of other minerals. Another feature of the variety is long-term fruiting. The harvest can be harvested throughout the entire period of strawberry growth. What else is this berry valuable for?

Description and characteristics of Eliane strawberries

The early-ripening strawberry variety Eliane was bred for private cultivation; in some European countries it is cultivated for industrial purposes. Designed for cultivation in areas with a continental climate.

Quite a powerful strawberry bush with miniature white flowers that rise several centimeters above the bush. The variety is self-pollinating and belongs to the early varieties. The first strawberries begin to ripen at the end of May, and fruiting continues until the end of July. If the conditions of agricultural technology are properly observed, you can get up to 2 kg of ripe berries from one bush per season.

Strawberries are bright red with dense pulp. The shape is regular, cone-shaped, and has no irregularities. The weight of the fruit reaches 90 g. Ripeness is determined by the presence of a whitish tip. It has yellowish seeds that are slightly pressed into the juicy surface of the berry.

The taste is excellent. The strawberries taste more sweet than sour, but the sourness is still present.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

All opinions about the Eliana strawberry variety can be divided into positive and negative. Even if this strawberry suits some gardeners, there will be those who will be against this variety. Divided opinions depend more on the location and climate of cultivation.

Positive traits:

1. Due to the high density of the berries, Eliane strawberries do well during export and then on store shelves.
2. The variety is resistant to various fungal diseases and pests.
3. Does not impose special requirements on soil composition.
4. Bushes can grow in one place for up to 10 years.
5. Differs in friendly maturation.
6. Excellent winter hardiness with proper shelter.
7. The self-pollinating nature of strawberries allows them to be grown in a greenhouse or on a windowsill where there are no bees.

In addition to the positive aspects, there are also negative ones that were identified in the process of cultivating the crop:

• cannot stand heat;
• not suitable for cultivation on a large scale;
• not resistant to drought;
• with poor shelter for the winter, plants die;
• excess moisture spoils the taste;
• berries that are not hidden under the foliage are spoiled by the scorching sun.

Such features of growing strawberries are observed only in regions to which the climate is not adapted. These are areas of the Moscow region, Samara region, northern latitudes with fairly low winter temperatures.

The nuances of planting strawberries

The technology for planting and caring for the Eliane hybrid is similar to the general rules for growing garden strawberries, but there are still some discrepancies.

Boarding time

The optimal time for planting strawberries is from April to May. By this time, severe frosts will have passed, and sunny days will become longer. The earth will not yet have time to dry out from the melt waters.

Eliana strawberries are also planted in the fall, from mid-August to mid-September. There will be enough time for the young seedlings to get stronger and gain strength before the onset of the first cold weather.

Selection of seedlings

Future productivity depends on the quality of strawberry planting material, so this stage of agricultural technology should be taken seriously.

What you should pay attention to when choosing seedlings:

1. Young strawberries should be purchased from July to September. It is better to do this in July, since by planting young seedlings, the gardener will receive a harvest the following year.The July seedlings will become stronger and their root system will fully take root. Even before the first frost, a flower bud will have time to emerge.
2. Autumn strawberry seedlings will take root less favorably, and the next season may produce a small harvest or no harvest at all.
3. When planting in spring, seedlings can be purchased either with a closed root system (in containers) or with an open one. In autumn, it is better to choose strawberries in pots, with a fully formed root system. It will be enough to dig it into the ground.
4. It is important to ensure that there are no spots or various points on the leaves of the young Eliana strawberry, from which the disease may subsequently develop. The foliage should be bright green with not dried edges. Excessive pallor and wrinkled leaves indicate the presence of earthen mites.
5. The central, unopened bud should be thick and dense. Upon careful examination, hairs or pubescence are visible on it.
6. The roots are also inspected for integrity and absence of rot. The roots should not be dry.

If the gardener decides to purchase strawberries of the Eliane variety, then decide on the seller. You need to choose those gardeners who have been growing this variety of strawberries for many years. They will definitely sell high-quality seedlings.

Site selection

Here it is important to be guided by the botanical characteristics of the plant. The soil on the site should be moderately light and loose, well permeable to moisture, and located away from groundwater. Stagnation of water can negatively affect the quality of the crop.

Important! The beds should be located in places covered with snow, away from direct sunlight, but the plant does not like shade either.

The best option would be a place on a slope where there is strong illumination in the first half of the day and weak in the second.It is not advisable to place it in the shade of tall trees, as well as near potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.

Planting strawberries in the ground

Before how to plant strawberries, the soil in the beds is dug up and fertilized. Fertilizer is applied in an amount of 5-6 kg per 1 m² organics and 30 mg of mineral compounds. The soil is also treated against powdery mildew with Bordeaux mixture.

Wait 1-2 days until the loosened and fertilized soil settles, then mark out the beds. Scheme for planting seedlings: between rows from 40 to 60 cm, between neighboring bushes up to 20 cm. To prevent the plantation from becoming overgrown, the mustache is trimmed three times during the season.

Holes are made in the garden bed, and a small mound is placed in each of them. The root is carefully laid out on this mound and covered with earth. It is very important that the central bud is not covered with soil and is not too open. Otherwise, it will wither or rot.

After planting the seedlings, the beds are sprinkled with a layer of humus or mulch to prevent the soil from cracking. Water generously.

How to care

Further care for strawberries consists of timely implementation of all actions necessary for favorable growth.

Loosening the soil

This is work that is familiar to everyone. Thanks to loosening, the top layer of soil becomes airy, air access to the roots is ensured, moisture does not linger on the surface and does not stagnate inside. Loosening allows you to remove weeds that are in the ground.

Important! The procedure should be performed before and during the appearance of the mustache. The mustache is trimmed, and the soil underneath is loosened so that the roots of the mustache do not catch on the ground.

Watering and mulching

Watering is carried out depending on weather conditions. If the earthen ball is dry, small beds are watered with a watering can to wash away the dust on top of the leaves.

During flowering, you should avoid getting water on the flowers so as not to wash off the pollen, so you need to moisturize at the root. In the summer, when it is hot, Eliana strawberries are watered 1-2 times a week. When the ovary appears, irrigation is reduced.

Mulching is a beneficial procedure for the Eliane variety; it reduces the development of weeds and retains moisture in the soil. For any varieties strawberries are the best material for mulch may be chopped straw or sawdust. Cover the soil around the bushes with a thin layer of mulch. In the fall, this layer is dug up with soil, in which case it acts as fertilizer.

Today, many gardeners cover their beds with black film, which acts as mulch. Film or agrofibre are sold in specialized stores of materials for gardening and gardening.

Fertilizing

Another important procedure on which the yield of Eliane berries depends:

1. The first fertilizing is applied during the formation of plants, that is, after planting the seedlings.
2. The second feeding is done during the ovary period.

Mineral complexes are used as fertilizers. How and in what quantities minerals are added is usually indicated in the instructions, the rules of which must be followed. So mineral fertilizers per 10 m² goes up to 25 kg.

Depending on the condition of the soil, it is necessary to add organic matter, which can be humus or peat. The variety is very responsive to organic fertilizers, so the bushes are sprinkled with humus twice a season, then the soil is loosened. This is done in autumn and spring.

Preparing for winter

With the onset of low temperatures, you should stop weeding the strawberry beds so as not to damage the root system. Otherwise, the plant will simply freeze. It's better to leave them until spring.

Preparing for winter involves covering the strawberry beds.Suitable covering materials:

• soft branches of bushes;
• straw;
• tops of grass or flowers;
• any leaves;
• raspberry trimmings;
• covering material or agrofibre.

The strawberries are first covered with agrofibre, and mulch is laid on top with a thick layer. Before covering Eliane, the main thing is not to forget to spread any rodent control agent on the soil. The shelter is carried out in November, with the onset of severe frosts.

Antenna trimming

Tendrils are the lateral shoots of strawberries on which young seedlings are formed for subsequent reproduction. They are removed as necessary, if the mustaches greatly thicken the strawberry plantings, and during fruiting, so that they do not draw nutrients from the mother bush.

Pruning is carried out with sharp scissors, a knife or pruning shears. In the early morning, the shoot is cut off from the long stem, leaving a base of about 4 cm. After fruiting, the greenery of the bushes is cut off at the root, and all the tendrils are removed along with them.

Important! You should not cut your mustache during rain or cloudy weather.

Reproduction of the variety

The hybrid reproduces with a mustache - this is the easiest way. During the growing season, choose the healthiest and largest strawberry bush from which shoots will not be pruned. During the summer, up to three daughter bushes are formed on one tendril. They are buried in soil and watered. In the fall, the mustache is cut, and new seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

Another way is with seeds, but it is very labor-intensive. With any method of propagation, all characteristics of the variety are preserved.

Pest and Parasite Control

Resistance to pests and diseases is one of the advantages of the Eliane strawberry variety. But still they can be:

1. Gray rot affects bushes and berries.Affected plants are discarded or treated with a fungicide solution.
2. Late blight - gray spots on the foliage and rot on the berries. Bordeaux mixture will cope with the disease.
3. Powdery mildew is the most common disease of strawberries of all varieties. A solution of copper sulfate will help.

Among the pests, strawberries are attacked by earthen mites and ants. Parasites can be destroyed using traditional methods. For example, a decoction of onion skins or garlic against ticks. Among the purchased products, Fufanon, copper sulfate, and Aktellik will help.

Collection and storage

The harvested crop is easy to store. Strawberry fruits are used to prepare winter supplies:

• preserves and jams;
• compotes and juices;
• candied fruits and dried fruits.

In addition to heat treatment, strawberries are frozen. In this form, the product is stored for a very long time.

According to gardeners, the Eliane strawberry variety is distinguished by high winter hardiness with good shelter, unpretentiousness in cultivation, and high resistance to painful microbes. In addition, the value of the crop lies in its high yield and long-term fruiting, which is why it is actively cultivated in private garden plots and agricultural lands.