Breeders have developed a large number of strawberry varieties that grow and bear fruit well in different conditions. It is easiest for novice gardeners to plant varieties that do not require special care. Strawberries of the Maya variety do not require special soils, are resistant to various diseases, and are not damaged by pests. The advantage of the variety is large, tasty berries that are easily transported.
General description of the Maya variety
Strawberries are mid-early ripening varieties of Scottish selection. The bushes form tall, powerful, with dense dark green foliage.Each bush produces many flower stalks, so the yield is quite high. The fruits are large and cone-shaped. Ripe bright red berries are distinguished by the presence of a light orange tint. The first berries ripen very large, weighing up to 50 grams.
Strawberries have red flesh with a dense texture and a distinct aroma. The berries are characterized by a pleasant sweetish taste with light notes of sourness. Strawberries are great for canning and eating fresh. The harvest is well preserved and easily transported over long distances.
Advantages and disadvantages
To fairly evaluate strawberries, you need to familiarize yourself with the positive and negative qualities of the variety. Advantages of the Maya variety:
- high productivity;
- resistance to diseases (root blight, root rot, leaf diseases). The bushes are not damaged by harmful insects;
- low maintenance requirements;
- drought resistance;
- bushes develop well in various soils;
- The fruits are tasty fresh and retain their taste and appetizing appearance when frozen.
Conditional disadvantages include the need to mulch the soil under the bush to prevent damage to the crop. Since the berries are large and many fruits are set on them, some flower stalks lie on the ground.
Features of growing strawberries
The Maya variety is considered unpretentious, but to obtain a decent harvest you must adhere to certain rules. For abundant fruiting, the bushes are fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. At the beginning of the season, nitrogen mixtures are used to enhance the growth of green mass:
- urea (a tablespoon of fertilizer is diluted in 10 liters of water). For one bush, 0.3 liters of solution is enough;
- ammonium nitrate (a tablespoon of fertilizer is diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water). The consumption rate per bush is 0.5 liters.
Experienced gardeners recommend moistening the soil before applying fertilizers. During the feeding process, you must ensure that the solution does not get on the leaves or ovary.
Subtleties of caring for the variety
Strawberry Maya is considered a drought-resistant variety, but it is recommended to water the bushes 1-2 times a week. In this case, you need to take into account weather conditions - during the rainy season, the beds are watered less often. To prevent the berries from taking on too much liquid and becoming too sour, you can cover the beds with film in rainy weather, forming a kind of greenhouse or small greenhouse.
To mulch the beds, straw is used, which is used to cover each bush. Or the soil is covered with a special film that prevents the growth of weeds and the rapid drying of the soil.
Diseases and pests
The Maya variety is resistant to damage to bushes by root rot or leaf diseases. However, with prolonged rains, the berries may begin to rot. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to mulch the soil under the bushes with straw.Plants are also planted at a sufficient distance to ensure ventilation.
Maya strawberries are not damaged by harmful insects. However, if there is high humidity, slugs may become a problem. To prevent their spread, a ditch is dug along the perimeter of the bed, which is filled with tobacco, sand, and lime. You can protect the crop with a transparent film that covers the soil (slugs die from conditions reminiscent of a steam room).
Culture propagation
The easiest way to propagate a crop is with a mustache. Experienced summer residents recommend marking the most productive powerful bushes during the fruiting period. The following year, the peduncles on the selected bushes are removed so that the plants produce powerful tendrils with strong rosettes. The process of planting strawberry rosettes:
- The mustache is pinned to the ground where rosettes are formed. For propagation, it is recommended to root the rosettes closest to the mother bush;
- rosette bushes are watered and fertilized;
- About 10 days before transplanting, the mustaches are cut near the rosettes so that the young plants take root more firmly.
Cleaning and storage rules
The fruit pulp has a dense structure, so there are no problems with harvesting and transporting the crop. Due to their pleasant taste, the berries are suitable for fresh consumption, processing and freezing.
To keep the fruits fresh longer, the harvest is stored in the refrigerator in a special compartment. Those who like to stock up for the winter are advised to freeze large berries (the fruits are first frozen individually and then poured into one bag).
The Maya variety is considered unpretentious in terms of care, however, when growing strawberries, standard rules of agricultural technology are followed (watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening the soil). The bushes are resistant to diseases and pests and are not picky about the quality of the soil. Therefore, even inexperienced summer residents can cope with breeding and growing.
