Description and characteristics of the Gigantella strawberry variety, planting, cultivation and care

Garden strawberries develop well and bear fruit when choosing a variety adapted to climate conditions. Southern crops are uncomfortable in mid-latitudes; moisture-loving plants do not take root well and die in arid regions. Although Gigantella strawberries cannot be found in the State Registers of many countries of the former USSR, since they are not registered, summer residents and owners buy this particular variety in the markets. Garden strawberries, created in Holland, attract people with their large berries and high yield.

Description and characteristics of strawberries

Gigantella appeared in the 80s of the last century thanks to the work of Dutch breeders and quickly attracted the attention of European and American farmers, but later they stopped growing such strawberries on an industrial basis. Maxim is considered the closest relative of this variety and has similar, but slightly improved characteristics.

Bushes

An adult strawberry has a diameter of about 60 cm and grows up to half a meter in height. The roots of garden strawberries are fibrous and strong, leaving other varieties behind in size. On powerful bushes that form a large number of tendrils, tall flower stalks appear. The ovary is laid on them.

Strawberries with wide shiny leaves grow very quickly, and the root system takes up a lot of space.

Berries and flowers

The largest first fruits weigh from 80 to 100 g, but the next strawberry grows weighing no more than 50 grams. Berries make you happy:

• juicy pulp;
• bright shade;
• garden aroma;
• pineapple flavor.

The Maxim variety is distinguished by long-term fruiting; strawberries are set on large peduncles that keep the berries from contact with the ground.

Strawberry yield

The fruits of the variety in mid-latitudes ripen not early, but in early July. If you follow agricultural techniques and use the correct irrigation system, you can pick about 2 kg of berries from a bush, but usually summer residents harvest a smaller harvest. Strawberries are not remontant; they bear fruit only once per season, but consistently.

Transportability

Dense garden strawberries do not wrinkle, do not lose their presentation after being transported over long distances, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week without processing, and do not lose their pleasant taste when frozen.

Advantages and disadvantages of Gigantella

European farmers refused to cultivate the late-ripening variety due to the fact that strawberries are not immune to diseases, attract pests, and require special agricultural technology. But Gigantella has many advantages:

• long and friendly fruiting;
• stable and high productivity;
• attractive and large berries;
• good transportability;
• excellent product quality.

The disadvantage of the Dutch variety is that strawberries do not tolerate winter in regions where there are severe frosts and no snow.

Reproduction options

Having several bushes of this garden strawberry, you can plant it on your site.

Seeds

Strawberries cannot be propagated using seed, since small grains are cross-pollinated, and the varietal properties and characteristics of the plant are not preserved.

Usami

Both early and late ripening strawberries form shoots on which rosettes of leaves are formed. They take root and grow. One Gigantella bush produces 10 tendrils, of which the strongest ones are left, and in order for them to develop, the flower stalks are cut off. In July, the grown plants are transplanted to another place so that they become stronger before the onset of winter and acquire buds.

Three-year-old Gigantella produces little whiskers, but forms a large number of horns, which are used to propagate the variety.

Dividing the bush

There is another way to grow Gigantella on the site. For this, strong plants with a heart at the age of 3 years are selected. Older strawberries develop woody stems, from which you should not expect a harvest.

The selected bushes should be divided into 3 or 4 parts with roots and each should be planted in a garden bed at the end of July.

How to grow the variety correctly

Gigantella has characteristic features that must be taken into account before breeding it. Strawberries give a good harvest if agricultural practices are followed, abundant watering, and proper fertilizing.

When and where to plant berries

The site for Gigantella is allocated in a place where there is a lot of sun, and the rays shine on the garden bed for at least 10 hours a day. A necessary condition for fruiting is good ventilation; water should not stagnate in the soil. Strawberries love loose soil, feel comfortable on loams, and bear fruit normally on sandy loam soils. The variety is grown on acidic soils only after liming and the application of organic fertilizers.

Gigantella is planted in May, when the average temperature reaches 16 ° C, and frosts should no longer return, as well as in July and August.

The best predecessors for strawberries are:

• green manure and mustard;
• beans and parsley;
• peas and garlic.

Agronomists advise growing berries after grain crops. The best place for propagating strawberries is considered to be the area that was fallow last season.

Soil preparation

Before planting Gigantella, remove weeds, remnants of roots and stems. The ground is dug up, leveled, fertilized with peat and humus. It is not recommended to add nitrogen immediately.

Scheme of planting seedlings in open ground

Gigantella should be placed next to other large-fruited strawberries, since they have the same agricultural technology and pollination occurs better. 4 bushes are planted per square meter, given that strawberries grow very much. The roots are soaked in a growth stimulator and placed vertically in each hole, which is fertilized with manure or compost, ash is added, covered with earth and watered.One plant needs at least 0.5 liters of water. The soil must be mulched with straw or sawdust to prevent moisture from escaping. Between the rows leave from 50 to 70 cm.

Further care for strawberries

Gigantella bushes grow quickly, like other varieties, they need fertilizing and love moisture.

Loosening

Strawberries planted in open ground must be weeded so that they are not drowned out by weeds. The variety does not tolerate heavy soil; after rains and watering, the soil needs to be loosened.

Mulching

It is enough to irrigate the garden bed once a week. To prevent moisture from evaporating, cover the soil under the bushes:

• straw;
• hay;
• sawdust;
• agrofibre.

Mulching allows you to water strawberries less often because it retains moisture and prevents weeds from growing. The bushes are covered with the same material for the winter.

Fertilizers

Gigantella is fed several times a season, always in the spring, during flowering, when the ovary appears. Organic and mineral complexes are used for feeding. With the second option, the dosage must be strictly observed; an excess of chemicals leads to the leaves burning and the berries falling off. If there is a lack of fluorine, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and other nutrients, you should not expect a decent harvest.

It is recommended to feed seedlings only with mineral fertilizers; for adult bushes they are combined with organic matter - humus, bird droppings, compost, ash.

Mustache

Gigantella, like many other strawberry varieties, after flowering forms shoots with rosettes of leaves, which begin to grow rapidly during the ripening period of the berries. The mustache takes away nutritional components from the mother bush, thickens the beds, as a result of which ventilation deteriorates, pathogens of rot and powdery mildew are activated.

The mustache is trimmed with pruning shears or scissors, leaving the strongest shoots for propagation.

After fruiting

In order for strawberries to please you with a harvest, you need to take care of the plants both in spring and autumn, and after picking the berries. In July, new leaves begin to grow on the bushes, horns form, buds are laid on which flowers form. At this time it is necessary:

1. Trim your mustache.
2. Pull out the weeds.
3. Remove dried parts.
4. Hill up bushes and row spacing.

Ammophoska is applied under the strawberries, and the fertilizer is embedded to a depth of 50–60 mm. When fertilizing, you must ensure that the roots remain in the ground.

Disease and pest control

Gigantella often suffers from gray rot. If plaque appears on the fruits and leaves, the affected plants are dug up by the roots, and the entire bed is sprayed with Fitosporin. Strawberries suffer from chlorosis; fertilizing with compounds that contain iron helps to cope with the problem. To prevent the activation of microorganisms that cause powdery mildew and rot, in the spring the beds are treated with Bordeaux mixture.

If the rules of agricultural technology are not followed, strawberries will develop:

• slugs;
• mole cricket;
• May beetle larvae.

Onion peels and garlic infusions repel pests. Parasites do not like the smell of calendula, parsley, and marigolds. When aphids, wireworms, and spider mites appear, the beds are treated with insecticides.