Strawberry Queen Elizabeth is one of the most popular repair varieties. Bred in England by Ken Muir, it has been cultivated for several decades by gardeners in the post-Soviet space. Good yield, pleasant dessert taste, disease resistance, early harvest - these qualities contribute to the steady demand for seeds and seedlings of this variety.
Description
Description of strawberry variety Queen Elizabeth:
- the bushes are large, can grow and occupy an area of up to 1 m 2 ;
- leaves are glossy light green, with noticeable streaks;
- white flowers;
- the fruits are large, on average 40 grams, are dense; when ripe, they are bright red with a pronounced glossy sheen;
- the taste is sweet, dessert, tasting score 4.5 points;
- the fruits tolerate transportation well;
- high productivity, up to 1.5 kg from one bush.
Plant Care:
- planted in late May;
- watering in a dry summer every 2-3 days, while the water should not fall on the fruits and flowers of strawberries;
- waterlogging is unacceptable, in order to avoid it, it is better to use drip irrigation;
- This variety is referred to as maintenance, therefore, it requires high-quality and timely top dressing, the optimal frequency is 7-10 days.
Seed propagation
Many varieties of garden strawberries can be grown from seeds, including Queen Elizabeth strawberries . In the reviews about planting seeds, the complexity of the method is noted, if there is a violation of technology, you can not get seedlings at all. Technology:
- The seed planting period is late February - early March. When organizing additional lighting - the end of January.
- For soil, it is better to use a plastic container up to 12 cm high. It is filled with moist soil.
- Seeds are spread evenly on the surface of the earth. You do not need to sprinkle, just gently push it into the ground.
- The container with seeds is covered with glass or film. "Garden" put on the windowsill, closer to the light.
- To provide plants with fresh air, the glass is opened every day for about ten minutes. The soil moisture is controlled, if necessary, moistened with a spray gun.
- After 2-3 weeks, the first sprouts appear. From this moment, airing is increased to 30 minutes. You need to be prepared for a low percentage of seed germination, it does not exceed 60%.
- With the advent of the second leaf, the plants are planted in separate containers.
- Young shoots are carefully monitored. Accurate watering and control of humidity will help to avoid blackening of the outlet and the death of the plant.
- In May, seedlings can be transplanted to beds in open ground or in a greenhouse.
This method of reproduction guarantees high-quality planting material with the declared characteristics.
Antenna propagation
Strawberry Queen Elizabeth (photo propagation with antennae in the text) is most often propagated with a mustache. With proper care, one bush can throw up to 10 full antennae, suitable for further use. For planting, usually leave no more than 6 bushes. This is quite enough to obtain the necessary amount of seedlings. For this purpose, uterine plants not younger than 2 years old are chosen.
The main development of the mustache occurs after the bush has yielded a crop. To grow strong seedlings, the aisle is loosened and fertilized. For successful rooting, the antennae is sprinkled with moist soil. Antenna propagation can be carried out in spring and autumn. Gardeners-practitioners advise to plant in the second half of the summer, at this point the sockets are already quite strong. Thus, it is possible to achieve a yield increase for the next year.
Bushes
There is another easy way to propagate strawberries Queen Elizabeth. Description:
- choose strong, fruitful maternal plants of 2-3 years of age;
- the root system must be well developed;
- dig a bush;
- the plant is divided in half;
- choose the sprouts closest to the main bush, they are stronger;
- the resulting "halves" are planted in prepared wells;
- control the presence on each plant of a rosette with leaflets;
- this operation is carried out in spring or autumn.
This option is rarely used, since the main characteristics of the mother bush are not given to “children”. It is difficult to say how close in characteristics it will be to the source material.
Frigo Method
There is a new agrotechnical option to increase strawberry yield Queen Elizabeth. Using Frigo technology, young seedlings are dug from the ground in autumn and stored until spring in industrial refrigerators with a constant temperature of 1-2 ° C with a “+” sign.
A clear advantage is the preservation of all the nutrients accumulated by the plant, until the moment of spring planting in the ground. Recently, the weather has been “pleasing” with surprises; in the coldest month of winter, a thaw may unexpectedly occur. With its arrival, the biorhythms of plants wintering in the beds are disturbed. This method allows you to get a friendly harvest for a specific period. The method guarantees 100% survival of seedlings. Another plus - plants can be transported at any distance without damaging them.
With all the positive aspects, there is one significant minus - violation of the temperature regime:
- a decrease of only one degree leads to the death of plants;
- an increase in temperature makes the strawberries wake up, while all the advantages of the method are nullified.
Landing
It is important to choose the right place for planting strawberries Queen Elizabeth. For good growth and friendly fruiting, an even sunny platform is suitable. A slight slope is allowed, but the lowland is categorically not suitable for these berries. The cold wind and excess moisture will not only significantly reduce productivity, but also change the taste of the fruit. You can plant from spring to autumn. It is better from mid-July to the end of the first decade of August, then the bushes will have time to grow stronger and take root well.
Strawberries grow well on light sandy loamy or loamy soil. Compliance with the timely application of fertilizers, fertilizing and watering will ensure the collection of strawberries on less suitable soil. The best predecessors are cabbage, onions, carrots, garlic. It is not recommended to plant bushes if before that cucumbers or tomatoes were grown in the garden.
Before landing, be sure to prepare the soil:
- for 2-3 weeks, carefully dig the site;
- clear the earth of rhizomes and weeds;
- fertilizer (based on 1 m 2 ):
- 20-30 grams of superphosphate;
- 10 grams of potassium sulfate;
- bucket of humus.
On the site prepare low beds with a width of 80-90 cm, if the site is too wet, the height of the beds is increased to 30 cm.
This variety does not like acid soil. This problem can be eliminated when digging the site: add dolomite flour - 300 grams per 1 m 2 , or wood ash - 500 grams per 1 m 2 .
Young bushes are planted in the prepared soil. The distance between the beds is 60 cm, between the plants is 30 cm. Such a scheme is justified, since the bushes grow to one square meter. The depth of the holes is determined by the size of the root, it should fit freely into the pit. Landing is recommended in rainy or cloudy weather.
Diseases and Pests
The ability of Queen Elizabeth to resist many diseases does not save her from pests. The most common:
- Spider web flare. The first sign of brown spots on the leaves. First, all affected leaves are removed, then the plants are sprayed with either a decoction of onion husks or a soap solution.
- Strawberry weevil. It damages the buds; they blacken, wither and fall off. A good remedy for controlling insects is an infusion of pepper, or tobacco, or mustard based on a soap solution. Affected parts of the plant are collected and destroyed.
- Strawberry nematode. It is accompanied by deformation and fragility of the foliage. It affects the size and shape of the berries, white swellings appear on the rhizome. A good preventative measure would be to plant marigold or marigold near the bushes of strawberry. To destroy the pest, plants are fumigated with a sulfur saber.
- Slug. Their appearance can be detected by holes in the berries. Prevention: systematic mulching of the earth with the help of eggshells, ashes or needles.
Advantages and disadvantages
Amateur gardeners leave positive feedback about the strawberry Queen Elizabeth (photo of fruits in the text). They note the benefits of the plant:
- Early fruiting. Under favorable weather conditions (early warm spring), the crop is received at the end of May. In early June, picking berries is guaranteed.
- Repairability. Bushes are capable of producing more than one crop per season.
- Good adaptation. The plant is well taking root in a new place, subject to the basic rules of agricultural technology.
- The size of the fetus. The standard weight of berries is 40 grams. The largest berries, weighing up to 100 grams, are harvested in the cool summer.
- Disease resistance. Strawberries well withstand gray rot, powdery mildew, brown spotting.
- High yield. One bush can produce up to 1.5 kg of berries, and from one square meter per season receive 12 kg of selected berries.
- Taste. Fragrant, with a pleasant dessert flavor. The pulp is dense and juicy. Perfectly transported over long distances.
Among the disadvantages of the variety can be noted:
- low (50% -60%) germination percentage;
- young plants give a low yield;
- constantly updated plantings due to the rapid depletion of strawberries;
- prone to attack by insect pests;
- adverse conditions worsen the taste of berries;
- without thorough, regular care and sufficient heat, the crop cannot be harvested.
Growing Tips
Experienced gardeners recommend paying attention to some points, so that the Queen Elizabeth strawberry delighted with its harvest:
- Neutral loamy fertile soils are best suited for the variety.
- Excessive watering and constant shade adversely affect the crop.
- A sunny, well-blown area ensures the production of large and sweet berries.
- Do not grow this variety for more than two years. In the third year, the fruits are noticeably smaller.
- Removing mustaches and shoots during the flowering period will help increase the size of the berries.
- To get a strong, healthy mustache, remove all the peduncles.
- Harvest can be obtained a couple of weeks earlier if you cover the beds with agrofibre.
- To get a good harvest, it is very important to mulch and fertilize the beds in a timely manner.