Description and characteristics of the Festival strawberry variety, planting and care

Garden berries have won their strong place on the plots of summer residents. Among the types of fruit crops, we can highlight the Festival strawberry, which has a lot of useful qualities. It is preferred to be grown in various areas with both warm and cold winters.

Description and characteristics of Festival strawberries

The appearance of the first seedlings of the strawberry variety occurred in the middle of the 20th century at the Pavlovsk experimental station. The plant was included in the State Register after testing, and it is successfully cultivated in regions from the Central region to Eastern Siberia. Garden strawberries received positive properties from their parents, the Premier and Obilnaya varieties. The crop bears fruit well in any weather conditions.

Appearance of bushes and berries

Festival strawberries are distinguished by:

• powerful bushes 25 centimeters high;
• large dark green leaves with jagged edges;
• many reddish mustaches;
• The berries are oval in shape with flattened sides.

The fruits of the plant ripen at the end of June, rising above the foliage. They are medium in size, weighing up to 30-40 grams. Then the strawberries are smaller, remaining within 15 grams. The seeds are located on the surface of the berries, without being pressed inside. The hybrid is famous for its juicy red pulp.

Productivity and endurance

One bush of strawberry produces up to 600-900 grams of berries. With good care, yields can increase.

The peculiarity of the variety is its resistance to cold. The bushes can withstand frosts down to minus 25 degrees. The culture tolerates drought well during hot summers in steppe regions.

What are the pros and cons of the variety?

The advantages of Festival strawberries are that they:

• bears fruit uniformly and for a long time;
• high yielding;
• undemanding to growing conditions;
• resistant to gray rot, white spot;
• has tasty, juicy berries.

The only downside is that the berries become small if not properly cared for and as they grow in the same place. Strawberry bushes are often damaged by strawberry mites.

Features of cultivation

For a heat-loving crop, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for growth.In addition to optimal humidity, pay attention to the looseness of the soil and its nutritional value. Without this, the plant will have difficulty setting fruit.

Preparatory work before planting

The area selected for garden strawberries is cleared of weeds. It should be neutral in acidity, with groundwater occurring at a depth of 2 meters from the surface. It is necessary that the place is sunny, but protected from the influence of winds.

The preparation of the bed begins with digging it up. Before this, mullein or bird droppings are scattered, embedding the organic matter deep into the ground. In early March, the soil is harrowed. You can water the area under the strawberries with manure and superphosphate dissolved in water.

Planting strawberry seedlings

Strawberries are usually planted in rows or ribbons. The distance between the holes is made within 40 centimeters, and in rows - 70-80.

Plant rosettes or seedlings are selected with roots 7-8 centimeters long and 4 true leaves.

A strawberry seedling with straightened roots is placed in a hole 10-12 centimeters deep. Then sprinkle with earth and lightly compact. It is necessary to water the plantings and cover the row spacing with a layer of straw, grass, and sawdust.

Strawberry care

Berry crops need normal, regular care, consisting of watering, fertilizing, and loosening the soil. It is necessary to carefully monitor the development of plants, their fruiting, correcting care errors.

Watering and weeding

The bushes should be watered 6 to 8 times during the summer. Strawberries especially need moisture before flowering, during the ripening of the berries. Soil cleanliness plays an important role in increasing the yield of berry crops. It is necessary to remove weeds in time to stop their growth.In addition, after watering, the soil between rows is loosened, increasing soil permeability. This will help the roots receive sufficient nutrition and moisture.

Feeding scheme

Organic fertilizers are applied for the first time when 2 weeks have passed after planting the Festivalnaya strawberry seedlings. Take ammonium nitrate at 35 grams per square meter of plantation. You can water the bushes after 10-14 days with a mullein solution prepared in a ratio of 1:6. Before flowering, it is recommended to spray the strawberries with an iodine solution, taking 7-8 drops per bucket of water.

During the period of fruit formation, an ammophoska solution will help improve the ripening rate. It is diluted in an amount of 20 grams in a bucket of water. 5-6 liters are used per square meter. It is necessary to feed the plantation with humus and superphosphate once every 3-5 years.

Trimming leaves and tendrils

The mustache on Festivalnaya strawberries forms early, so they are cut off immediately. Otherwise the fruits will be small. But for reproduction, they leave mustaches after harvesting. Leaves should be trimmed as they dry.

Mulching

Mulch is necessary to maintain soil moisture and reduce the number of weeds in the garden. Not only straw and sawdust, but also black polyethylene are used as a covering for strawberries. They cover the plantings, cutting holes for the bushes.

Shelter for the winter

Before the onset of cold weather in October or November, it is necessary to feed and water the strawberries. In areas with harsh winters, it is worth covering the plantation with spruce branches, potato tops, and tomatoes. After snow falls, compact it between the rows to retain more moisture in the ground. You can hill up the bushes by 5-6 centimeters. This will help them get through the winter successfully.

How can you reproduce

One of the most common methods of propagating strawberries is by mustache.In the second half of summer they leave tendrils on powerful bushes. Rosettes of leaves form on the tendrils. They are pinned to the ground, sprinkled lightly with soil. Young plants are watered regularly. Sockets take root quickly. They are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a new location.

If the berry plantation is moved to another area, then the number of plants can be increased by dividing the bushes into parts that have a growth bud. Festivalnaya strawberries are also grown by seed. But this is difficult, and fruiting will begin later than with other propagation methods.

Treatment against diseases and pests

Although Festivalnaya rarely succumbs to diseases, their development can be prevented by treating the plantings with Bordeaux mixture with a concentration of 1%. Spraying is carried out 3 times with an interval of 15-20 days.

Pest control: aphids, mites, weevils is carried out using insecticidal agents. You can use a decoction of tobacco dust, shag, an infusion of onion peels and laundry soap.

Harvesting, storage and transportability

The fruits of mid-late variety garden strawberries are harvested in late June - early July. It is necessary to pick ripe berries in the morning or evening. They are torn off with the stalk, putting them in baskets of 2-3 kilograms.

Strawberries cannot be stored for a long time. It stays fresh in a cool place for 1-2 days. The variety tolerates transportation well due to the density of the berries. They do not lose their presentation after moving, remaining visually attractive.