In summer and winter, strawberries are our favorite berry. It is difficult to imagine that someone does not like this delicacy or its wild variety - strawberries. For a long time people have been brewing delicious and healthy tea from them, making stewed fruit, making jam for the winter, and simply eating it in its natural form with ice cream and various sweets. Strawberries grown in their garden with their own hands, in contrast to the store, have a more intense taste. That is why in the season, many tend to the markets to buy fresh, delicious berries grown in the beds from grandmothers.
Curly strawberries
In small areas, summer residents are quite difficult to realize all their ideas. But quite often one wants to experiment with new varieties and get a good harvest. The problem of rational use of the area can be solved with the help of vertical beds for growing ampelous plants, in particular curly strawberries. It differs from ordinary varieties by its ability to hang down, which is not only very beautiful and original, but also functional. It forms whole strawberry thickets, due to which it is possible to collect an increased yield at minimal cost.
We suggest that you further consider what advantages curly strawberries have, reviews of this berry, common varieties and growing characteristics.
The most common options for placing curly strawberries
Vertical beds can have a different design and are made of various materials. It can be plastic pipes, plastic bags of soil suspended on a support, bottles, car tires or containers, etc. The elements of the garden are placed in the form of a whatnot or a pyramid, forming a kind of "multi-storey" garden.
Despite the fact that there are a lot of ways to place ampelous strawberries, they have one principle - this is a vertical placement system with drip irrigation located inside it.
The benefits of curly strawberry varieties: the opinion of summer residents
Growing ampel strawberry varieties on vertical beds is a great alternative to traditional plantings. This method, according to reviews of summer residents, in addition to significant space savings, has other advantages:
- ripe berries do not touch the soil, so the fruits do not rot, and there is no need to clear them from the ground;
- curly strawberries (reviews of summer residents will be discussed later) does not need weeding;
- watering and harvesting is simplified;
- no need to bend down when doing maintenance work on the bushes;
- less likely to cause weeds;
- pest control is simplified;
- berries are less damaged by pests;
- curly strawberry lashes with red berries - it is very beautiful.
The disadvantages of growing curly strawberries
Summer residents also noted some disadvantages:
- Strawberry bushes require frequent top dressing.
- In winter, the soil in vertical beds freezes and turns into an earthen lump, so the structure should initially be made mobile. With the onset of the first frosts, a home-made plantation must be moved to a warmer place.
- The soil in such structures dries quickly, so it needs frequent watering. If ordinary beds are enough to irrigate after a week, then vertical ones every 4-5 days.
Varieties of ampel strawberries
The number of varieties can confuse even experienced gardeners. As practice shows, the following breeding varieties are considered the most popular among summer residents:
- Queen Elizabeth. This is a popular repairing variety of strawberries, which gives the crop several times during the season (until the very middle of autumn). Berries of a beautiful regular shape, the surface is shiny, the flesh is very juicy. Climbing strawberries, the reviews of which are the most positive, are suitable for any type of processing. The productivity of the bush is an average of 1.5-2 kg. This variety is resistant to many diseases and pests.
- Alba One of the earliest varieties of curly strawberries. Has resistance to frost. Ripens in May. The berries are bright red, elongated-conical, juicy, fragrant, caramel-sweet. The yield of one bush is up to 1.5 kg of berries. Fruit weight - up to 30 grams. This strawberry (curly) gardeners received excellent reviews. They noted the excellent taste of the fruits, good transportability (during transportation, the berries do not crumple and retain their shape), early productivity.
- Homemade delicacy is a winding repairant variety of early ripening. It has pronounced decorative qualities. The color of the fruit is dark red. The taste of berries is sweet with sourness. Size - up to 15 g. The plant is decorative and often adorns balconies and loggias. This strawberry (curly) summer residents received the following. They highlighted the excellent taste of berries, long fruiting, good productivity, and transportability.
- Ostara is a high-yielding Dutch variety. Curly strawberries (ampelous strawberries) have compact medium-sized bushes, dark green, slightly pubescent leaves. Berries are small in size. This strawberry (curly) reviews received good. Excellent palatability, juicy pulp of medium density, saturated sweet and sour taste were noted. A disadvantage of the variety is susceptibility to diseases of the root system.
In addition to these varieties, strawberries (large strawberries) are popular among summer residents, positive reviews about it: Remontant, Geneva, Finland, Moscow, Elan, Balcony Charm, Eros and Honey.
Growing ampel strawberries
There are many options for planting curly (ampelous) strawberries. The most common is growing in flowerpots or pots. Over time, the curly mustache begins to grow and hang down. It looks especially beautiful during flowering and fruiting, as berries grow even on rosettes. The used capacity can be absolutely any, the main thing is to be deep enough (at least 30 cm). Also, water holes should be made in it.
The best time for planting seedlings in pots is the second half of spring.
An interesting option is growing curly strawberries on a wire rack. Landing is carried out as follows. Seedlings are planted in the ground, a grid or other structure (grid, wicker fence, etc.) is installed nearby. A grown mustache is tied to it. This method of planting is a good decoration of the site. The height of the structure should not be more than 1 m, the width is arbitrary.
A pyramid-shaped flowerbed is the most common way to grow ampelous strawberries. For its manufacture, a 1 x 1 m box is knocked together with a height of at least 30 cm and placed in the ground. Then 2 more drawers are made without a bottom - the first is 20 x 20 cm (the same height), the other 60 x 60 x 60 cm.
Next, collect the pyramid. The central box is half filled with clay, then fertile soil. Subsequent boxes are put on top and they fill everything with soil. Strawberry rosettes are planted with an interval of 20 cm.
Curly strawberries (the description of the best varieties we reviewed above) should not be planted too close to each other.
The soil should be soft and fertile. Landing is best done in mid-summer.
Planting mixture may be as follows:
- 30% two-year compost;
- 30% meadow sod;
- 25% peat;
- 20% organic manure.
Care Rules
Care for ampel strawberries is simple and easy.
The main recommendations for the care of ampel strawberries:
- Curly strawberry seedlings (we reviewed the varieties above) planted on the beds, the first week they need frequent watering - about 2-3 times a day in small portions.
- Two-week seedlings and adult plants are watered once every 3 days, during drought, watering is more frequent.
- From young plants, single peduncles should be removed.
- The extra mustache must be cut off, leaving no more than 5 antennae on one bush.
- In the second year of fruiting before flowering, strawberries are fed.
- To maintain the structure of the soil and increase productivity, regular complex liquid organomineral feeding is carried out.
- Upon completion of fruiting, it is recommended to cut the foliage to rejuvenate the plant.
Transfer
An important point in the cultivation of strawberries is its transplant, which is carried out every 4 years.
In spring, from the most “lush” flowering plants, they pinch off 1-2 of the strongest tendrils and transplant them into a new section or other vertical bed.
When transplanting, the following points should be considered:
- the core of the bush can not be covered with earth;
- after planting, it is recommended to mulch the place around it with grass or sprinkle with tyrsa, this procedure will help the soil retain moisture longer;
- about two weeks after transplanting, strawberry bushes should be fertilized.
Preparing for the winter
Vertical beds for the winter period must be moved to the room. If this is not possible, then containers with planted plants are dug up with soil and covered with lapnik or hay.
If the vertical beds are low, a special protective structure can be made of wooden slats, burlap, roofing material, lutrasil or agril. It is recommended to insulate the soil around the garden with organic mulch (peel from seeds, rotted sawdust) - this will not only protect the plant bushes from freezing, but also protect the crop from weeds.
Ampel strawberries (strawberries) - a variety of berries that many summer residents grow on their sites. The plant is becoming increasingly popular and is worthy of competition with other varieties. The culture has its own specifics in the cultivation and care.
Curly strawberries are real, beautiful, tasty and healthy!