Description and characteristics of the strawberry variety Zenga Zengana, growing rules

Breeders from different countries create hybrids of berry crops that are grown in certain climate conditions. Strawberries Zenga Zengan are planted in mid-latitudes. The late-ripening variety tolerates cold weather well, withstands frost and heat, and is easy to care for. In one place, these garden strawberries bear fruit for up to 7 years, take root in different soils, produce one harvest per season, and the berries are picked at the beginning of summer.

Description of the variety and characteristics of garden strawberries Zenga Zengana

Although the unpretentious hybrid was bred a long time ago, the plant still attracts summer residents with its characteristics. For a long time, these garden strawberries were cultivated on an industrial basis in different countries, but now farms prefer to grow remontant hybrids that produce several harvests per season.

Strawberry bushes

Zenga Zengana is a tall variety. Strawberries are densely covered with smooth dark leaves located at the same level as the flower stalks. The fruits sometimes touch the soil when ripe. Bushes do not take up much space because they grow upward rather than wider.

Berries

Strawberries have a cone shape and ripen in the second ten days of June. The weight of the first fruits reaches 30 grams, the weight of the next ones decreases to 10–15. The color of the berries is affected by lighting; those that ripen in the sun have a cherry tint, while strawberries that ripen in the shade are much lighter. There are no voids in fruits with a sweet and sour taste. The berries delight with a rich aroma and shiny, thick skin.

Productivity

The Zenga Zengana variety directs all its efforts to the formation of the ovary, and not to the formation of the mustache. From a compact tall bush it is possible to collect 1–1.5 kg of berries at a time. Buds are formed during a 12-hour day.

Transportation and processing

Due to the fact that hybrid strawberries are covered with thick skin, they can be transported over long distances with virtually no losses.The berries do not drain juice and retain their taste and aroma when frozen. Strawberries are used to make compotes and jams.

History of selection and region of growth

During the war in Germany, by crossing the cultivated variety Singer and the wild strawberry Merge, scientists began to create a hybrid strawberry. The fighting hampered the work of breeders; Zeng Zengan was bred already in the 50s. In Russia, these strawberries are grown in different regions, including:

• Northwestern;
• Central Black Earth;
• Middle and Lower Volga region.

The hybrid is cultivated in the Moscow region and in the Urals. Fruitful strawberries of German selection are being planted in the North Caucasus.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Although more than half a century has passed since the creation of the Zenga Zengana strawberry, and its popularity has decreased somewhat, many gardeners continue to grow strawberries, since they retain the characteristics of the variety for 6–8 years. The advantages of the German hybrid include:

• excellent taste;
• stable and high yield;
• possibility of transportation over long distances.

Strawberries bear fruit on salt marshes, on heavy soils, and on depleted lands. But in order to produce a lot of berries, pollinating varieties need to be placed nearby.

Boarding order

To obtain the maximum amount of strawberries, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions for growth and development and comply with the requirements of agricultural technology.

Selecting and preparing a suitable location

The Zenga Zengana variety feels most comfortable on loam with low acidity. Strawberries bear fruit well in a sunny area, protected from the winds, and cannot withstand stagnant water. It is better to allocate a place for planting on the south side; it is undesirable to place the crop after currants, gooseberries, and raspberries. These plants attract the same pests and pathogens as strawberries.

The best predecessors for the Zenga Zengana variety are:

• mustard;
• carrot;
• garlic.

Strawberries grow normally after beans, peas, and grain crops. The place for strawberries should be selected on a small hill, and not in the lowlands.

Carrying out planting work

The area for strawberry beds is cleared of weeds, remnants of roots and stems, dug up and leveled. To destroy pest larvae that hide in the soil, the soil is watered with an ammonia solution. 2 or 3 weeks before planting strawberries per sq. meter contribute:

• superphosphate - 2 tablespoons;
• humus - half a bucket;
• potassium salt - 20–25 g.

To reduce acidity, the soil is diluted with chalk, ash and lime. Strawberry bushes are placed using a one-line scheme, in which holes are dug every 20 cm, leaving 70 between rows. Strawberries are planted when the soil warms up to 15–16 °C. In mid-latitudes, significant warming is observed in May. Hybrid strawberries can be placed in a two-line pattern, creating several rows with an interval of 30 centimeters. The holes are dug to a depth of 15–18 cm and a mound is made:

1. The seedling is lowered into the hole.
2. The roots are sprinkled with soil, leaving a growing point on the surface.
3. Add 0.5–1 liters of water to each bush.
4. The ground is covered with humus or peat.

Leaves and fresh grass are not suitable for mulching strawberry beds. Sawdust or hay is poured in a layer of 7–8 cm.

Features of plant care

Caring for a hybrid is no more difficult than caring for other varieties of berries. You need to monitor the humidity, loosen the soil, and feed the bushes.

Watering the crop

Irrigation of strawberries is carried out taking into account the weather; when it is hot, the water evaporates quickly. Even if strawberries are mulched with humus or hay, water them in such weather at least once a week. The soil should be wet up to 20 cm.The crop needs to be moistened especially abundantly before the flowers appear, when the ovary forms.

Fertilizer application

In early spring, the Zenga Zengan hybrid is fed with urea at the rate of a matchbox of the substance per bucket of water. When the seedling sprouts leaves, use rotted mullein. In mid-May, plants are fertilized with ready-made mineral complexes. Before flowering, potassium nitrate and ash are added. In autumn, strawberries are fed with superphosphate.

Transfer

You can move strawberry bushes to a new place not only in the spring, but also in July after picking the berries, but you need to moisten the soil more often and more abundantly so that the plants do not disappear in the heat. Strawberries are replanted at the end of August - at the beginning of September.

Preparing for winter

Before the onset of cold weather, the area is cleared of weeds and loosened. Strawberries are treated with fungicides and sprayed with agents that prevent the proliferation of pests. Cut off the mustache and dry leaves. The beds are covered with sawdust, pine needles or peat, and the seedlings are mulched with spruce branches.

Reproduction methods

Growing strawberries is not difficult, especially if such a variety is already growing on the site.

Whiskers and rosettes

With this option, it is not possible to obtain a lot of seedlings, since the hybrid variety spends all its energy on the formation of the ovary, and not the runners. The shoots are selected from the most fruitful plants, the soil around them is carefully loosened and moistened. The grown mustache is cut off and transplanted to another place.

Dividing the bush

With this method of propagation, strawberries that are at least three years old are dug up. The plant is cleared of dry leaves, the roots are soaked in a growth stimulant or water and the bush is divided into 3–5 parts.

Seeds

The hybrid Zenga Zengana has female, not male, flowers, and it is impossible to grow strawberries with its varietal characteristics. The seed will produce a completely different strawberry. The seeds are hardened, placed in a box, sprinkled with soil, and when 5 leaves appear, they are planted in the garden bed.

Protection from diseases and pests

Strawberries attract various parasites, are affected by fungi, and suffer from bacterial infections.

Gray rot

Sometimes ripening or green strawberry fruits become covered with bloom, darken and disappear. The German hybrid variety has no immunity to gray rot. To save a diseased bush, the leaves are torn off and the plants are treated with Bordeaux mixture or mustard solution. If the berries have not yet ripened, use the drug “Alirin B”.

Brown spot

Under favorable conditions, fungi are activated, the infection affects the leaves, and they dry out. To prevent the disease, the beds are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture in early spring.

If brown spots have formed on strawberries during flowering, treatment is carried out with the fungicide "Oxyx".

Strawberry mite

When a formidable pest appears, the plant stops developing, the leaves curl, turn brown and dry out. To prevent strawberry mite damage to strawberries, the beds are treated with colloidal sulfur. You can destroy parasites using the insecticide “Aktellik” and “Karbofos”.

Harvesting and storage

To prevent strawberries from spoiling, it is better to pick them together with the sepals in dry weather. You need to pick ripe berries; you should not allow the fruits to become overripe. Rotten or bruised strawberries are immediately processed. Strong and dense strawberries are placed in layers in a cardboard box and taken to a cool room.