Strawberries are undoubtedly one of the favorite berries since childhood. Every summer, we look forward to the onset of the season of this incredibly fragrant, juicy and sweet and sour berry. Each gardener tries to get the maximum yield, making considerable efforts, because strawberries are quite a whimsical berry and caring for it is sometimes a daunting task. In this article, we will consider in detail the description of the Cardinal strawberry variety, photos and reviews. Despite the fact that today an incredible number of species of this wonderful berry has been bred, this variety has special advantages.
Strawberry Cardinal: variety description, photos, reviews
If based on the feedback from experienced gardeners, this variety may well prove to be a repair plant that will bear fruit for the second time in September or early October. The berries of this variety are quite large and sometimes capable of reaching a weight of eighty grams. They are characterized by a fairly dense and fibrous pulp, oval, close to conical, with a core not completely filled. The surface of the berry is covered with small seeds of golden color and has a rather pronounced luster.
The taste and aroma of strawberries Cardinal differs among all varieties due to its special sweetness with a slight sourness and incredible aromaticity. As for the whole bush as a whole, its dimensions reach fifty centimeters in diameter and height. This variety is characterized by leaflets similar in shape to a boat, which on one side are saturated green in color and on the other have a slightly bluish tint. The covering of the bush with leaves is rather weak, that is, it does not differ in special density and splendor.
Strawberry Cardinal: description and photo, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The collected fruits perfectly tolerate even long storage and transportation, which is very convenient if your summer cottage is far out of town and you need to transport the berries for a long time. High yield is one of the main advantages. Over the entire fruiting period, you can collect about a kilogram of large berries from one bush, and larger berries appear closer to autumn. But, unfortunately, Strawberry Cardinal has its drawbacks. For example, poor rooting ability and unsuitability of prolific outlets for further seating.
Photo Strawberries Cardinal
If you are not an experienced gardener, and still doubt whether it is worth growing this variety of strawberries on your site, then we suggest you just admire the photo of Strawberry Cardinal. We are sure that it will not leave you indifferent and you will definitely plant several bushes of this large fragrant berry in your own area.
Features of cultivation and care
Strawberry variety Cardinal has special soil requirements. It must necessarily have a low acidity, be loamy or sandy loam, and most importantly - quite fertile. It is better to plant a berry in early spring or at the very beginning of autumn, so that the bush has time to take root before frosts. After planting and throughout the spring, it is necessary to clean the beds of dry and frost-bitten leaves, weed off weeds, slightly loosen the top soil layer and treat the bushes with Bordeaux liquid.
In the summer, it is necessary to water the plantings with warm water every morning and evening, remove the extra mustache, treat with fungicides and insecticides, and also fertilize with mineral and organic fertilizers. Before the bushes bloom, sprinkling is enough to moisten the soil, during the fruiting period, the strawberry does not tolerate the drying out of the soil and it is necessary to spill the bushes at the roots.
Strawberry Diseases and Methods
The most common strawberry disease is anthracnose. This is a fungal disease, which when damaged leads to a complete loss of crop. The cause of this disease is excessive watering and, as a result, excellent conditions for the development of the fungus. At the beginning of infection, the disease manifests itself as round gray spots on the leaves and stems, which, when the disease develops, merge into one large brown spot, which leads to drying out of fruit brushes and berries. You can save the plant only at the initial stage of the disease, spraying it with Anthracol and Quadrice.
Powdery mildew is a fairly common disease that affects both leaves, stems, and fruits. It appears as a white coating, slightly fluffy to the touch. Affected leaves stop growing and twist into a tube. Berries grown from infected tendrils have an unpleasant taste and an ugly shape. Most often, this disease appears in greenhouses due to warm and humid air, which is a favorable environment for the development of powdery mildew. This disease is transmitted by air. The drugs “Quadris” and “Fundazole” help fight it.
In addition to powdery mildew and anthracnose, strawberries are susceptible to gray mold, black, gray and white rot, rhizoctonia, white, brown, red and brown spotting.