On a frosty winter evening, what could be better than a cup of fragrant tea with strawberry jam? When it snows outside the window, there is nothing tastier than a treat with a nostalgic touch - the aroma of the sun and the smell of summer. And what could be better than fresh juicy berries, delighting with their aroma, when outside the window it pours more and more often and reminds you that the last summer days have come? The first autumn leaves will fly soon , and a cup of fresh strawberries pleases with a pleasant taste and sparkles with drops of the gentle summer sun ... It is about the late strawberries that will be discussed in this article.
The beneficial properties of strawberries
Before we tell you what late strawberry varieties exist (with photos and descriptions), and discuss which ones are the best and most reliable, I would like to dwell on the beneficial properties of this wonderful berry.
- Strawberries - a storehouse of vitamin C, it contains more than in lemon. Strengthens the immune system, restores and renews connective tissues and improves intraarticular fluid.
- Copper, iron and cobalt contained in strawberries are irreplaceable sources of blood formation, therefore it stimulates the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin.
- Magnesium, which is rich in late varieties of strawberries, is an excellent preventative measure against strokes.
- Vitamin E is a prophylactic against cancer and aging.
- Potassium contained in strawberries regulates blood pressure, strengthens the heart muscle. It also relieves the body of edema, improves the supply of oxygen to the brain.
- Fluoride and calcium strengthen teeth and bones.
- Strawberries are rich in folic acid, necessary for pregnancy, and, in addition, folic acid strengthens blood vessels.
- Salicylic acid has an antipyretic effect and has an antibacterial effect.
- Fiber fibers, which are rich in late varieties of strawberries, cleanse the body of toxins, lower cholesterol.
In addition, strawberries, rich in vitamins, fiber and trace elements, are ideal for baby and diet food. And its properties (accelerates metabolism, cleanses the body of toxins, promotes fat burning) make this berry indispensable for weight loss. In addition, it is also low-calorie.
The fructose contained in it, and not sucrose, as in most berries, makes it accessible to patients with diabetes. What, if not the wonderful properties of strawberries, confirm how useful it is to keep this berry fresh longer on our table? Here, late-ripening strawberry varieties will help out.
Late strawberry varieties
Why grow late varieties? Firstly, this is a way to enjoy fresh berries, when other varieties have long bloomed and the berries will no longer be given. Secondly, the conservation season is in full swing, raspberries, currants are ripe, and strawberries for stewed fruit are no longer there. But in this case! Varieties of late strawberries begin to bear fruit in late June, sometimes in early July. Harvested until September, some varieties - until October. By the way, you will have late strawberries! The best varieties (and the most popular):
- Pegasus.
- Giantella Maxima.
- Maestro.
- Great Britain.
- Zenith.
- Malvina.
Pegasus
English variety with a high yield - from one plant to 1.5 kg. The bush is strong, sprawling, straight peduncles growing directly allow strawberries to ripen at the level of leaves. Medium berries, weighing up to 20 g, resembling a cone in shape, bright red in color with elastic dense pulp and sweet and sour taste.
Grade Features
Resistant to disease (late blight, strawberry tick and verticillin wilt). Sometimes affected by powdery mildew. The berry easily transfers transportation.
Care Features
- Preparing for the winter. Frost resistance is average, it is recommended to cover with mulch for the winter.
- Watering. The variety is demanding for watering, especially in dry weather. It is recommended to loosen the soil after watering.
Gigantella Maxima
The variety belongs to medium-late, but is widely known among gardeners for its large fruits. Productivity - up to 1 kg per plant. The bush is powerful, with a large peduncle, reaches a height of 50 cm, in diameter up to 60 cm. The berries are very large - up to 125 g, bright red with dense pulp and a sweet taste (with a delicate aroma of strawberries).
Grade Features
It does not lose during freezing for long-term storage of its qualities. Average winter hardiness.
Care Features
- Landing. In order for the variety to meet its characteristics, when planting, you need to take into account the size of the plant - plant no more than 4 bushes per 1 m 2 , this will improve light exposure and create more favorable conditions for development.
- Reproduction. Gigantella propagated by division of the bush, mustache and seeds. The easiest way is seedlings. Separate the plant from the main bush, remove the mustache and leaves, shorten the roots to 6-7 cm. Late cultivar seedlings are planted throughout the season, but no later than 2 weeks before frosts.
- Watering. The variety is demanding on moisture, you need to water 3-4 times a week. In order for the plant to retain moisture for as long as possible, the soil near the bushes must be mulched.
Maestro
Mid-early variety of French selection with large berries. Fruits in May to the end of October. High-yielding variety, up to 2 kg per bush. The bush is sprawling, with a strong root system. The berries are large (up to 80 g), with dense pulp and a sweet taste. The maestro, like some late strawberry varieties for the middle lane, with warm autumn and the use of shelters allows you to harvest from April to December. Suitable for growing in Siberia.
Grade Features
Thanks to the developed root system, it is a very hardy plant that tolerates drought. High disease resistance. Recommended for growing in greenhouses.
Care Features
- Landing. The plant is recommended to be planted according to this scheme: on 1 m 2 4-5 bushes. Thanks to a strong root system, it transfers bad soil and brings a good harvest.
Great Britain
Strawberries of late ripening with rounded conical berries of dark cherry color, weighing up to 120 g. Yield from the bush - more than 2 kg. The bush is powerful, with a developed root system. Berries with dense flesh and sweet and sour taste.
Grade Features
Resistant to frost and disease. The berries are strong and retain their appearance during transportation; they do not crumple and do not deteriorate.
Zenith
The variety is medium late, ripens in July. Bushes are compact medium growth, peduncles short, below the leaves. High-yielding variety - up to 1.5 kg per plant. The bush is medium sized with large bright green leaves. The berries are round, large, up to 30 g, with dense pulp and a sweet, sour, tasteless taste.
Grade Features
Resistant to frost and disease. Sometimes basal rot damage is possible.
Malvina
The late German Malvina strawberry variety of German selection begins to bear fruit in the second half of June. Powerful wide bushes up to 50 cm high with hard foliage. Average productivity, from the bush to 800 g. Berries are located under the leaves, large, shiny with a sweet taste. The weight of the berries is up to 35 g, the pulp is dense. The berries are sweet with a rich strawberry flavor.
Grade Features
During rains, it does not lose its taste, does not become watery and does not rot. The variety is resistant to powdery mildew and verticillosis, to brown spots, resistance is medium and low - to gray rot. It is affected by pests - weevil, thrips. Excellent transportability.
Care Features
- Landing. The distance between the bushes is 50-70 cm, the aisle is 60-70.
- Watering. The latest strawberry variety is drought tolerant, but in hot weather sufficient watering is needed.
- Top dressing. Malvina is responsive to nitrogen fertilizers.
- Pruning. At the peak of fruiting, the leaves need to be thinned out to ensure the ventilation and illumination of the berries.
- On a note. A genetic defect (flowering leaves) accounts for 3% of plants. It consists in the appearance of small leaves in the pulp of the fruit.
Late Strawberry Care
In order for the culture to bring a good harvest, it needs to be properly looked after. What are the features of planting and growing strawberries, as well as caring for it, we will consider further.
Choose a plot
Late strawberry varieties grow on almost any soil, but yield, taste and disease resistance are several times higher precisely on those soils to which the berry is more responsive. Strawberry loves light fertile soils. It grows well on sandy, sandy loamy soils. Worse - on peat and sod-podzolic.
The location of groundwater is no closer than 70 cm. In areas where the water level is higher, good soil drainage or high beds are recommended. It is not recommended to plant strawberries in the lowlands. The acidity of the soil is 5.5-6.6. At a lower level, experienced farmers recommend liming the soil, and at a higher level , plastering.
We prepare a site for landing
- In the fall, you need to dig a plot on the bayonet of a shovel. In spring (before planting) - loosen the soil by 15 cm.
- Check for the presence of pests, especially pay attention to this when there are nearby dense stands and when using fresh manure. Having discovered the "uninvited guests", the land is treated with ammonia water.
- Treat weeds with herbicides.
Landing time
Planting time varies by region:
- Spring. After the snow melts and the earth warms up. At this time, the earth is saturated with moisture, and plants are less susceptible to return frosts. Later planting is fraught with the death of seedlings in the hot sun.
- Autumn. The optimal landing time is from August to September. Late planting is fraught with crop loss the following year, as the plant does not have time to take root.
Landing density
Basically, late strawberry varieties are planted with a distance between outlets of 20-30 cm, stitches of 30 cm and row spacing of 60-70 cm (two-line planting). With a single line, the following indicators: between sockets - 15-20 cm, between lines - 60-70 cm. With more frequent planting, plants will not have enough light and breathability, which can lead to diseases.
Landing depth
Shorten the roots of more than 8 cm, deepen into the planting hole so that the root neck is at the level of the soil, straighten the roots and fill up with soil, and gently tighten. Water and mulch abundantly around the outlets. Within a few days of planting, it is advisable to shade.
Watering
The first 2 weeks, the soil should be kept moist - you need to water it daily, then every 2 days. Water the rest of the time, depending on weather conditions, to prevent drying out. Mulching will prevent drying out of the soil.
Top dressing
Fertilizers are recommended to be applied no closer than 5 cm from the bush. For most varieties, 4 top dressings are enough:
- 14 days after planting. Superphosphate (30 g) and wood ash - half a glass are taken per 10 liters of water.
- The beginning of flowering. Mullein to dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 6; chicken droppings - 1:20. Insist 7 days. For 10 liters of solution - half a glass of ash. Subsequent feeding - every 2 weeks.
- Mullein is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 6, add half a glass of ash, superphosphate (50 g) and 20 liters of water.
- To dissolve a mullein with water (1: 6); chicken droppings - 1:20. Insist 7 days. For 10 liters of solution - half a glass of ash.
The latest varieties require additional top dressing.
Late strawberry: the best varieties. Tips and reviews of gardeners
Below we will consider the most frequently asked questions by beginner gardeners and give answers to them and recommendations of experienced farmers.
Do I need to prune strawberry leaves?
Leaves are important for the good growth and development of the plant. They are divided into autumn, summer and spring. The latter appear in April and play an important role in harvesting. After fruiting, they are replaced by summer ones, they serve to bookmark the kidneys and accumulate useful substances. The latest, autumn leaves, appear in September-October. With them, the berry hibernates.
- It is better not to mow autumn leaves, as they serve as a natural defense for strawberry outlets. Trimming them affects the future harvest (next year).
- If strawberry bushes are damaged by pests and diseases, the leaves must be pruned unambiguously. And the sooner the better. After collecting berries from the bush, the leaves should be trimmed, leave a growth point and process. The bush will grow stronger until the fall and prepare for winter.
- The latest strawberry variety (Malvina) is recommended to thin out during fruiting, periodically pruning the leaves. This will provide better ventilation and lighting of berries.
- After fruiting, professionals are advised to trim the lower old leaves and the extra mustache from the bushes.
The most reliable variety for a summer resident near Moscow?
The tried and tested late strawberry varieties for the Moscow Region, which are not afraid of the climatic conditions of the middle lane and guarantee the harvest, are an ageless “classic”, tested over the years.
- Zenga-Zengana is a late variety of German breeding. Bushes are tall with lots of leaves. Productivity - 2 kg with 1m 2 . Berries weighing up to 20 g, in the form of a cone, dark red in color, with dense pulp, with a sweet taste and strong aroma. The variety tolerates winter well, has the ability to recover, does not tolerate high temperature - the berry is smaller. Resistant to disease.
There are a lot of newer varieties suitable for cultivation in the Moscow Region, but the most reliable varieties of late strawberries that winter well, with large fruits and good yields are Polka, Tenira, Borovitskaya, Vigoda, Maryshka, Carmen, Bohemia.
Why mulch the soil?
One of the main reasons for mulching is temperature control. In summer, mulch saves the soil from overheating, in winter - from freezing. In the spring, the ground is covered with dark material so that it warms up better. To cool the soil, it is covered with light mulch. So it remains wet longer, and the tops of plants, on the contrary, warm up better.
In addition, mulching inhibits weed growth. Organic mulch, gradually decomposing, supplies the soil with nutrients, as a result, its structure improves. The material protects the soil from leaching by rain and weathering, protects against diseases and pests.
Which grade to choose in Belarus?
There are a lot of Dutch varieties in Belarus now, but time has shown that they do not always live up to expectations. Most gardeners note that the best late strawberry varieties in Belarus are Hepill, Kebot, Salsa, GalyaCHIV, Adria, Finella. I would especially like to note the Japanese variety of Chamora Turusi, as it quickly gained popularity.
Chamora Turusi is a medium-late variety with a yield of up to 1.5 kg per plant. The plant is tall, powerful with large leaves. The berries are large, weighing up to 110 g, with a dense pulp and aroma of strawberries. The fruits are transportable, with a long shelf life. The variety is hardy and hardy. Affected by fungal diseases, but resistant to powdery mildew.
What is the most delicious, sweet, and largest strawberry variety? Which strawberry is late?
Description of the variety, reviews confirm that Malvina's strawberries are an amazing, latest variety. Delicious berries ripen in July, when many varieties completed fruiting.
Numerous reviews also note the excellent taste of the Chamorora Turusi variety. Some gardeners claim that this berry is moody, but the aroma and taste of strawberries are excellent.
Great Britain gardeners were also praised for their amazing aroma and very large fruits. Gardeners note the culture's immunity to disease and remarkable transportability.