Strawberry is an appetizing and fragrant berry. With its bright red color and seductive form, it attracts the eyes, and the hands themselves are pulled to tear it from the bush. Gardeners have bred many varieties of this berry. American breeders created the Strawberry Honey.
Grade description
The plant is a dense erect bush with a powerful root system.
Complex leaves grow up to 23 cm in length. They consist of three small leaves on a handle. On each horn, up to 13 leaves can grow. In June, a long mustache appears. Large berries have strawberry Honey. The description of the variety in gardening magazines says that the fruits reach a mass of 30 g. The color of the berries is dark red and the shape is conical. The skin is shiny. The taste of the fruits is sweet and sour; it becomes more saturated at the end of fruiting.
Bloom
Strawberry variety “Honey” blooms in early May for about 15 days. Each bush is capable of producing eight peduncles, on each of which eight flowers bloom. Beginning in mid-May, the fruits ripen. Depending on the region of planting, the berries grow from May 15 to May 25. If strawberries are grown in greenhouses, then the crop can be obtained earlier. Fruits the plant for two weeks. Berries are best picked every 2-3 days.
Grade Features
Many advantages are strawberry Honey. Description of the variety allows you to highlight such individual qualities of this plant.
1. Preserves freshness of berries up to three days.
2. It has an attractive presentation and rich taste.
3. Leaves show increased resistance to disease.
4. Frost tolerant plant.
5. Matures faster than early ripening varieties.
Strawberry variety Honey does not like excess moisture, as well as its lack. If the berry is subjected to long-term storage, the fruit darkens, which worsens the presentation. Roots may undergo verticillosis wilt. This is a fungal disease that leads to the death of the plant.
Picking berries
With a single-tape planting method - up to 146 kg / ha, as well as with a multi-tape planting method - up to 126 kg / ha, the yield of Strawberry Honey on average is 500 grams of berries from the bush. Maintaining good fruiting will help simple rules:
- It is recommended that the bushes be transplanted to other places every five years. This action will prevent the reduction in the number of fruits and the spread of pests.
- Alternate sowing of different families and cultures on one landing site. This technique is called rotation. It helps to reduce the risk of diseases, as well as to separate the most delicious and suitable varieties for the gardener.
- There are times when a “weed” berry (Pendant, Zhmurka and others) and Honey are sown together. The description of the variety of each of the non-fruitful plants mentioned above contains information about their powerful vegetative growth. Aggressive types of strawberries are larger and throw out a large number of mustaches. They inhibit the development of fruitful varieties.
- Before sowing, the soil should rest. Ideal precursors would beets and carrots.
- When the first crop is harvested, the plantation is plowed up. In this case, you need to prepare a place for future strawberry planting. Seedling costs are offset by high yields.
- In order for the berry to retain its presentation for longer, it is put in a box after collection. Strawberries should not be poured and transferred.
- To increase productivity, part of the plants are grown under a film. This method will provide an opportunity to collect early products.
Each gardener has his own secret to growing strawberries. Some practically do not use fertilizers, others come up with new methods of collection to better maintain their beautiful shape. Still others prepare the soil in a certain way and grow seedlings.
Landing rules
We can say that the strawberry Honey is not picky about the external conditions. Growing it is mostly easy. For good growth and yield, the berry should be planted on flat, well-lit places, preferably in slightly acidic sandy loamy or loamy soils. The site must be prepared in the fall 30 days before planting berries. The following fertilizers are applied to the soil: organic, superphosphate, potassium sulfate. The rows of planting are divided at a distance of about 60 cm. The holes are made 12 cm deep, maintaining a distance between them of about 30 cm. It is better to plant in the evening. A small hill of land should be poured into the hole, and a strawberry bush should be placed on top. Be sure to straighten the roots before planting. The apical kidney should be at ground level. After planting, the soil must be watered and mulched with humus. Watering is carried out every day during the first week, and then - once every 7 days.
Seedlings are best purchased in a nursery to avoid the transmission of ticks and other plant diseases. Before buying, you need to make sure that the small bush is not much sprouted. To do this, pay attention to the central leaf, which should be small and green. After purchase, seedlings are planted in a small pot and placed in an apartment or in a greenhouse. Honey can not be planted next to large bushes and trees, as well as pepper, tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. These plants can be carriers of verticillosis, which can destroy the culture.
Care
Since this strawberry variety does not like excess moisture, it is necessary to control watering. In the first year, there should be 8-10 liters per 1 square meter of planting, depending on weather conditions. The earth needs to be mulched with a film or straw. Loosening is carried out every 10-15 days. Be sure to periodically feed the plant and monitor the appearance of pests.
As strawberries grow, problems can arise that always have reasons. For example, in the case when the plant blooms, but there are no berries, the reason for this can be damage to the stigma during frosts. If on some bushes there are fruits, but not on others, then weed varieties are most likely to blame. In the case of small berries, the cause may be a lack of pollination.
Strawberry Honey. Reviews
Gardeners praised this berry variety. They note a pleasant aroma, juiciness, and the beauty of the fruit. The ability of strawberries to tolerate frosts is emphasized, but due to the early flowering period, flowers during late frosts can be damaged. An advantage is considered to be early ripening and a rich harvest. Gardeners indicate the ability of strawberries to grow well without much nutrition.
Gardeners also note the disadvantages of the variety. For example, precise regulation of the amount of irrigation, as with excess water, strawberries can die. The fruits of the plant must be immediately put up for sale, because after a short period of time after harvesting the berries darken. Reviews from gardeners indicate that the strawberry Honey is unstable to verticillosis. Description of the variety, a photo of it can always be found in garden magazines. This is one of the most common varieties of strawberries used for trade.