Content
According to the description, reviews of gardeners and the photos they send, Arosa strawberries are a promising variety for growing not only in garden plots, but also on large plantations. It is a medium-ripening commercial variety with a record yield of delicious, sweet berries.
Breeding history
Strawberries Arosa or Arosa (in some sources this name is indicated) refers to products of Italian selection. A mid-season variety bred in Italy at the CIV experimental station. To obtain a new variety, breeders crossed the variety Marmolada and American Chandler strawberries.
Description
Bushes
Strawberry bushes of the Arosa variety, according to the description and reviews, are small with spreading leaves. The leaf blades are light green, slightly wrinkled. Pubescence is present along the edge of the leaf and on the petioles. Strawberry bushes grow quickly.
Peduncles are located above the foliage. The flowers are large in the form of a cup with a corolla. The formation of a mustache in Arosa strawberries is average, but the variety is quite enough for reproduction.
Berries
The fruits of the Arosa variety are orange-red, shiny, round-conical in shape, as in the photo below. The mass of one berry is up to 30 grams. The strawberry variety has its own record holders, reaching a weight of 45 grams.
On the first fruits, scallops are sometimes observed (you can see in the photo), all the rest are only of the correct shape. Seeds are located on the surface of the berries, they are weakly depressed, they are practically on the surface.
Gardeners in the reviews note that sometimes the tips of the berries are not colored in technical ripeness. There is nothing surprising in this, just such a feature had the parent strawberry Marmolada. In fact, the Arosa berries are ripe and tasty, with a sweet juicy pulp and a winey aftertaste.
On one plant there are up to 10 inflorescences, each of which blooms up to a dozen flowers. Subject to agricultural practices, up to 220 quintals of delicious aromatic Arosa berries are harvested from one hectare.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
It is not in vain that strawberries of the Arosa variety are popular with summer residents and large agricultural producers. The product of Italian selection has a lot of advantages, but there are practically no disadvantages.
| Benefits | disadvantages |
| First berry picking in mid-June, no crop loss | With a lack of moisture, the berries become smaller, lose their taste |
| Winter hardiness. In the southern regions, they do without shelter | Uneven ripening of berries: a new portion is harvested after a week. Although this factor is an advantage for many gardeners |
| High productivity - up to 220 kg / ha | |
| Possibility of growing in open, protected ground and in pots | |
| Excellent taste properties | |
| Transportability | |
| Good resistance to many diseases |
Reproduction methods
Experienced gardeners who take strawberries seriously monitor the bushes and rejuvenate the plantings in a timely manner. There are several ways to propagate a garden plant, and all of them are suitable for the Arosa strawberry variety.
Mustache
Arosa strawberry bushes, according to the description and reviews of gardeners, do not give a large number of mustaches. But the sockets on them turn out to be strong, viable. It is best to select several uterine bushes and cut the flower stalks from them. The whiskers take root on their own, although you can add earth. When the rosettes give good roots, they are cut off from the mother bush and planted in a new place (see photo).
By dividing the bush
The bushes of the Arosa variety are powerful, they grow quickly, therefore, strawberries of Italian selection can be propagated by dividing the bush into several parts.
Growing from seeds
Propagation of Arosa strawberries by seeds, according to gardeners, is a completely acceptable procedure. It is worth noting that this method of obtaining seedlings is rather difficult and painstaking. Special rules and agricultural practices must be followed.
Technique of obtaining and stratification of seeds
Arosa strawberry seeds do not need to be purchased at the store. You can pick them yourself from ripe berries. To do this, cut off the skin along with the seeds and lay them out on a napkin in the sun to dry.
When the pulp is dry, you need to gently knead the dry crusts between your palms, then wind. The resulting seed is folded into paper bags and stored in a cold place.
The seeds of the Arosa strawberry variety are difficult to germinate, therefore they require special preparation - stratification. It can be done in different ways:
- Put the soaked seeds in the refrigerator on the lower shelf for 3-4 days.
- Put snow on the prepared soil, and spread strawberry seeds on top. Keep the container in the refrigerator to allow the snow to melt slowly. When the snow melts, the water will pull the seed along with it. He manages to stratify and gives amicable shoots.
Sowing time
To obtain high-quality seedlings of the Arosa strawberry variety, sowing seeds should be started in late January, early February. During this time, the plants have time to gain strength, powerful bushes of Arosa strawberries grow, which begin to bear fruit in the summer.
Sowing in peat tablets
It is convenient to grow strawberry seedlings in peat tablets. First, the tablets are soaked in warm water. When it swells, the Arosa strawberry seed is placed directly on the surface in the middle in a dimple. Cover with foil on top. Here they are, sprouts, in the photo.
Sowing into soil
For sowing, plastic containers are used, which are filled with nutrient soil. It is treated with a hot manganese solution. The seeds are laid out on top and covered with glass or foil.
The shelter is opened every day to ventilate the plantings.
Picking sprouts
Arosa strawberry seedlings grow slowly. Plants with 3-4 leaves dive. The soil is selected the same as when sowing seeds. You need to work carefully so as not to break the shoots. After picking, strawberry seedlings are exposed to a well-lit window. It is more convenient to work with plants grown in peat tablets, since the plants do not experience the shock of transplanting.
Why seeds don't germinate
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to wait for the shoots of garden strawberries and strawberries. The most common reason:
- in wrong stratification;
- in deep seeding;
- in overdrying or excessive moisture of the soil;
- in poor quality (expired) seed.
Landing
In open ground, seedlings of Arosa strawberries, like other varieties of this culture, are planted in early May.If there is a threat of recurrent frost, shelter should be provided.
How to choose seedlings
The future harvest of fragrant berries depends on the quality of the planting material. A ready-to-plant strawberry seedling should have at least 5 leaves and a good root system. For any signs of diseases found on the plants, the seedlings are discarded.
If the seedlings were received by mail, then before planting they are soaked in water for a day and planted the next day.
Site selection and soil preparation
Arosa strawberries are planted in an open, well-lit area with fertile neutral soil.
The ridges are dug up, removed weeds and watered with warm (about 15 degrees) water. It is best to plant strawberries after legumes, garlic, celery, carrots and onions.
Landing scheme
Arosa strawberry bushes are compact, although tall. They are planted in one or two lines, depending on the site. Between the plants, a step of 35 cm. When planting in two lines, the aisles should be from 30 to 40 cm. This is how the strawberry ridges look in the photo.
Care
The Arosa variety requires special care at different stages of the growing season. This applies to watering, loosening, fertilizing and protecting plants from diseases and pests.
Spring care
- After the snow melts from the garden, remove the dry leaves and be sure to burn them.
- When strawberries of the Arosa variety begin to move away from wintering, replace the dead plants.
- Water the planting.
- Loose the aisles.
- Spray with drugs for diseases and pests, as well as feed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
Watering and mulching
Ridges with strawberries of the Arosa variety are watered only when necessary, since strong moisture adversely affects the root system. For irrigation use water not lower than 15 degrees. Immediately after the procedure, the soil is shallowly loosened.
It is best to use drip irrigation, it is especially relevant when growing Arosa strawberries on large plantations. It is undesirable to water from the hose, since the soil is washed out by the pressure of water, and the roots are exposed.
Moisture is retained in the soil for a long time if it is mulched. As mulch, you can use straw, rotted sawdust, peat, black film.
Top dressing by month
| Month | Feeding options |
| April (after snow melt) | Nitrogen fertilizers |
| May |
|
| June | Stir 100 grams of ash in a bucket of water and pour the bushes under the root. |
| Aug. Sept |
|
Spring feeding of strawberries with "complex fertilization":
Preparing for winter
With the onset of a cold snap, Arosa strawberries are cut off, leaving at least 4 cm of leaf length, as in the photo. They are destroyed after harvesting. If the root system is exposed, it is sprinkled with humus.
Strawberries of Italian selection are considered a winter-hardy variety. In the southern regions, you can generally do without shelter for the winter. In more severe conditions, an agrospan can be thrown over the landings and a reliable shelter can be provided.
Diseases and methods of struggle
| Diseases | What to do |
| Gray rot | Spray strawberries during budding with Euparen, Plariz or Alirin B. From the folk methods of struggle, infusions of garlic and wood ash are used. |
| Brown spot | Strawberry plantation treatment with Nitrofen. |
| White spot | Treatment of plantings before flowering with Bordeaux liquid. Spraying with iodine solution before flowering. |
| Powdery mildew | Treatment with fungicides and copper-containing preparations. Watering plants with solutions of serum, iodine, potassium permanganate. |
| Brown spot | Treatment of plantings with Nitrafen, Bordeaux liquid, Ordan. Spraying strawberries with ash, kefir. |
| Phytophthora | Processing with iodine solution, garlic infusions, potassium permanganate. |
Pests and ways to deal with them
| Pests | Actions |
| Weevil | Remove old mulch, sprinkle with tansy, wormwood, red hot pepper |
| Strawberry mite | In the spring, pour hot water over the bush and soil (+60 degrees). Treat with plantings with onion peel infusion or chemicals. |
| Nematode | Removal of diseased plants with a clod of earth, planting in calendula beds. |
| Leaf beetle, sawfly, leafworm, aphid, whitefly | Ash infusion, the use of pesticides, biological pesticides. |
| Slugs | Make traps, collect by hand |
| Birds | Cover landings with a protective mesh |
Harvesting and storage
If Arosa strawberries are intended for storage and transportation, then they are harvested two days before full ripening. You need to pick the berries with a tail and with green caps. Harvesting is done early in the morning when the dew is dry on a sunny day. You can work in the evening before sunset so that the sun's rays do not fall on the berry.
Store strawberries in plastic containers in one row in a cool place.
Features of growing in pots
As noted in the description, Arosa strawberries can be grown in greenhouses. This makes it possible to plant seedlings from Italian breeders in pots and get a harvest of delicious berries indoors.
Conclusion
It is possible to grow an Italian strawberry variety in many regions of Russia. The main thing is to observe agricultural techniques. And then there will be a delicious and healthy berry on your table.
