Description and characteristics of the strawberry variety Festival Chamomile, cultivation and propagation

Breeders regularly discover new varieties of strawberries. Among the wide variety, the strawberry variety Festival Chamomile has gained popularity. The variety is adapted for growing in the climatic conditions of many regions of the country.

Characteristics and description of strawberry Festival chamomile

Strawberry Festival chamomile was bred as a result of breeding experiments conducted at the Ukrainian Agrarian Academy of Sciences. The variety inherited the characteristics of the Redcoat and Zarya varieties. When planning to plant strawberries, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the variety.

Ripening dates and consumer qualities of berries

The variety belongs to the mid-season category and begins to bear the first berries in mid-June. Ripe fruits acquire a bright red color with a pronounced shine. The pulp is juicy, dense, with a sweet and sour taste. The crop is suitable for universal use, including canning, processing, freezing for long-term storage, and fresh consumption.

Productivity

The yield from one bush reaches 0.5 kg. The weight of each berry varies between 35-45 g at the first fruiting and up to 20 g with further growth. The berries have an irregular oval shape, with slight flattening on the sides. Deep grooves often appear on the surface of the skin.

Sustainability and agrotechnical features

The Festival chamomile variety is valued for its high resistance to gray rot and white spot. Strawberries are also resistant to cold weather. In rare cases, fruits are damaged by mites, so preventive treatment of plantings is a mandatory agrotechnical practice.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

According to the description of the strawberry variety Festival Chamomile, a number of positive qualities can be identified. Their list includes the following:

• stable fruiting;
• high taste characteristics;
• preservation of marketable appearance during long-term transportation;
• large fruit size;
• ease of care;
• resistance to negative external influences.

A disadvantage that gardeners often encounter is poor tolerance to heat and dry climates. Also considered a disadvantage is the tendency to contract certain infections.

Techniques for growing Festival strawberries

When planting Festival chamomile strawberries, you must adhere to proven technology in order to avoid mistakes and get a large harvest in the future. It is important to correctly determine the timing of sowing, cultivate the soil in advance, prepare seedlings and follow step-by-step planting instructions.

When is the best time to plant

Planting work when transferring seedlings to open soil is recommended to be carried out in the spring, when there is no risk of return frosts. It is possible to plant in early autumn, but you will need to use covering material so that the seedlings have time to adapt to new conditions, take root well and not freeze from exposure to cold.

Preparing the ground

When choosing a suitable place to place seedlings, you should give preference to sandy or loamy soil. The area should be well lit, but protected from direct exposure to ultraviolet rays. The development of seedlings is negatively affected by through blowing and the presence of groundwater at a depth above 80 cm. To prevent the spread of harmful insects from previous crops, it is recommended to grow strawberries in places where legumes, parsley, dill or carrots previously grew.

For active growth and development of seedlings, six months before planting, the soil is dug to a depth of 25-30 cm, cleared of weeds and fertilized.Rotted manure or peat, superphosphate, and potash fertilizers should be used as fertilizers.

Preparation of seedlings

Before planting the plants, the roots are kept in a special solution for 1.5-2 hours. The optimal solution for strawberries Festival chamomile is a biostimulator of growth. It is enough to purchase a suitable stimulant, dilute it in warm water and soak the roots of strawberry seedlings. Before transferring the treated seedlings into the ground, the bases of the roots are slightly trimmed.

Planting process

The first step in sowing strawberries is digging the planting holes. The distance between the holes should be at least 30 cm, the depth - 35-45 cm. The dug holes are moistened abundantly with water, seedlings are placed in them and the roots are carefully straightened at the bottom. The root collar should remain at ground level. Having sprinkled the seedlings with soil, pinch out the ground part of the bushes, leaving 3-4 of the most powerful shoots.

Nuances of crop care

After planting, constant care must be provided to ensure a large harvest. The Festival Chamomile variety requires watering, fertilizing, soil treatment and mulch.

Watering, weeding and loosening

The first watering is carried out immediately after planting the seedlings. Subsequently, the plantings are watered once every 2 weeks at moderate temperatures and every 2-3 days in hot climates. 10-12 liters of liquid are used per square of land. Before watering strawberries, you should check the condition of the soil by squeezing a lump of earth in your palm - if it crumbles, it means that abundant moisture is required.

Each watering is accompanied by loosening and weeding of the soil. Loosening ensures the passage of moisture to the base of the roots and prevents the development of rot. Weeding is necessary to remove plant debris and weeds.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizing for strawberries Festival chamomile is applied several times during the season. The purpose of primary fertilization is to replenish nitrogen deficiency to promote growth. The next feeding is carried out in mid-spring to increase the number of ovaries and improve taste characteristics. The second and subsequent times, you can add organic or complex fertilizers to the soil.

Final fertilizing is applied during the formation of ovaries and after harvesting to restore the strength of the plants.

Mulching

The area around the strawberry bushes should be covered with a layer of mulch. Suitable materials include pine branches, straw, and sawdust. Mulching allows you to retain moisture in the soil longer and prevents the development of infections.

Diseases and pests

Despite good resistance to external influences, in unfavorable climates there is a risk of damage to strawberries. For preventive purposes, plantings should be treated with insecticidal and fungicidal preparations.

Types of reproduction

You can increase the amount of berry crops on the site by propagation. Experienced gardeners propagate Festival chamomile strawberries by seeds and tendrils. Each method has its own distinctive features and advantages, so when choosing the appropriate option, you should familiarize yourself with all the nuances.

Seeds

To prepare the seeds, you need to pick the berries and let them ripen. Then you should remove the top layer from the fruit and carefully remove the seeds from the skin. If the seeds do not fall off, you need to wrap the skin in a cloth and carefully rub the remaining pulp. The seed material is thoroughly washed in water and dried naturally.The prepared seeds are left for storage, stratified and sown in early spring.

Usami

When propagating by mustaches, you first need to prepare the soil and spread peat or sawdust on the surface as fertilizer. The strawberry tendrils are tilted towards the ground and slightly deepened into the previously plowed soil. Subsequently, the deepened tendrils are watered and cared for as full-fledged seedlings.

Harvesting and storing strawberries

Ripe Festival chamomile strawberries are carefully picked by hand along with the stem. The harvested crop can be consumed fresh, processed or stored. To prevent the berries from losing their density, it is necessary to spread the harvest in a small number of layers or package it in plastic bags. To store berries for a long time, you need to keep the crop in the freezer. Frozen berries can be stored for several months without losing their original taste.