Strawberry Mashenka: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Strawberry characteristics
- 1.1 Strengths and weaknesses of the variety
2 Growing strawberries
3 Gardeners reviews
4 Conclusion

The strawberry variety Mashenka was bred in the Soviet Union 70 years ago. In modern breeding, this garden strawberry can be found under the name Moscow Jubilee. Usually, gardeners keep several varieties of sweet berries on their plots at once, picking them up according to the ripening time. Mashenka will take its rightful place among early ripe strawberries, she will delight you with large and very tasty fruits, high resistance to diseases and pests. One of the main advantages of the Mashenka variety is its unpretentiousness to weather conditions: in the difficult climate of Russia, this strawberry pleases with stable yields.

A detailed description of the Mashenka strawberry variety, photos and reviews about this berry can be found in this article. And here it will also tell you about the rules of agricultural technology, list the mandatory stages of care and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the variety.

Strawberry characteristics

Mashenka's strawberries are intended for fresh consumption, therefore the variety is recommended for growing in small and medium-sized farms. Strawberries are not grown on a large industrial scale, since the berries are poorly stored and not quite suitable for processing (due to their large size).

Full description of the Mashenka variety:

strawberries with early ripening - the harvest ripens already at the beginning of June;
bushes are powerful, but compact, not spreading;
the leaves are painted in a dark green shade, large, directed upward;
inflorescences are complex, often several neighboring flowers are combined into one (this is due to the complex shape of the berries);
the first berries are very large (can reach 120 grams), their shape is like an accordion;
subsequent fruits are smaller, their shape is conical, but the mass of Mashenka's strawberries is never less than 30-40 grams;
if you properly look after the variety, you can get Mashenka's second harvest;
the color of the berries is rich, burgundy-scarlet;
the pulp is very dense, sugary, aromatic and tasty;
the crop tolerates transportation well, strawberries practically do not wrinkle and do not drain for a long time;
strawberry yield Mashenka is high - on average, 800 grams per bush;
average formation - it is quite realistic to propagate this strawberry on your own;
resistance to diseases and pests is high;
average frost resistance - calmly withstands a temperature drop to -16 degrees;
it is recommended to grow Mashenka in the open ground or in a greenhouse; the culture is not suitable for indoor cultivation;
garden strawberry of this variety bears fruit for 4 years;
strawberries are unpretentious, do not require complex care.

If it were not for the great taste of this strawberry, Mashenka would probably have been forgotten long ago. Despite the early ripening period and the outstanding size of the fruits, the strawberries are very tasty - the tasting score of the berries is 4.4 points.

Important! Varietal culture Mashenka became the "parent" for many modern hybrids. Breeders are trying to convey to new species its large-fruited nature and resistance to external factors.

Strengths and weaknesses of the variety

Like any strawberry, Mashenka has its pros and cons. Of course, the main advantage of the variety, which immediately catches the eye, is its large-fruited - the berries are beautiful, dense, shiny and very large.

This garden strawberry has several other strong qualities:

high productivity;
excellent taste;
resistance to diseases and major pests;
frost resistance;
compact size of the bush;
the possibility of growing two crops per season (in the southern regions or in a greenhouse);
easy reproduction by a mustache.

Important! Although the variety has a declared good frost resistance, in the northern regions, strawberry bushes need to be covered. When the temperature drops to -20 degrees, bushes begin to fall out.

Of the shortcomings of Mashenka, it can be noted:

low arrangement of peduncles and berries - so that the crop does not rot, it is necessary to prevent the contact of fruits with the soil;
Masha is afraid of the scorching sun, burns may appear on strawberry leaves - the bushes must be shaded;
the variety is not very hardy (for the central and northern regions of Russia).

As you can see, the disadvantages of the variety are quite conditional: if the strawberries are properly cared for, they can be completely leveled.

Growing strawberries

It is not difficult to grow Mashenka, because this variety is unpretentious and gives a lot of mustache. The culture also does not require special care, so strawberries are suitable for summer cottages and country gardens, which are rarely visited by the owners.

Below are detailed instructions for growing this variety of strawberries with photos and a description of each stage.

How to propagate

Strawberry Mashenka reproduces in two ways: mustache and seeds. Both of these methods are successfully used by gardeners to increase the number of shrubs in their own garden, update strawberry beds, or grow seedlings for sale.

It is better to buy Mashenka's first seedlings in a good nursery or in a specialized store. Strawberries from unverified suppliers may not be a pure variety, but one of many hybrids.

To propagate Masha with a mustache, you need to choose the strongest and healthiest bushes with good performance - the number of berries on the bushes should exceed the number of mustaches. Then, at each highly developed mustache, they find the first rosette and twist it a little to stimulate rooting. The remainder of the mustache is trimmed. After a couple of weeks, you will get a full-fledged strawberry seedling.

It is more difficult to grow strawberry seedlings from seeds, and this process will take a lot of time. But it is the seed strawberry that retains all the maternal genes - the variety turns out to be cleaner.

Advice! Seedlings of Strawberries from seeds are grown in the same way as tomatoes or bell peppers: first, the seeds are sown under a film, then they are dived in the phase of two true leaves, when the plants get stronger, they are transplanted into the ground.

Good quality strawberry seedlings should have 6-7 strong leaves, thick shoots and a well-developed root system (as in the photo below).

How to plant

Before planting strawberry seedlings, you need to choose a suitable place for it in the garden. Masha, like other berry crops, needs the sun. At the same time, as already mentioned in the description of the variety, scorching rays are contraindicated for it - burns will appear on the leaves in the form of dark spots.

Attention! Mashenka's landing site is chosen in a well-lit area with loose natural partial shade or with the possibility of installing tents or other shelters.

The following criteria for planting strawberries must be observed:

Masha is susceptible to night frosts, so the planting time is chosen either in mid-May or in the last decade of August.
The soil for this strawberry should be air permeable, therefore, coarse sand or humus must be added to the ground before planting.
Leave at least 40 cm between the bushes.In the row spacing, the spacing should provide comfortable conditions for care and harvesting - at least 50 cm.
In order for Mashenka to adapt better to the beds, the roots of the seedlings are carefully straightened, and the growth point is left above the surface of the earth.
Immediately after planting, the strawberries are thoroughly watered and the soil is mulched in order to retain moisture in the roots for a long time.

Strawberry Mashenka takes root well in a new place, so it is quite easy to start and propagate it. Strawberries begin to bear fruit quickly (with spring planting - in the same year).

Important! If the propagation of strawberries is not included in the gardener's plans, the mustache must be constantly trimmed, since they pull a lot of strength from the plant, which will affect the size of the berries.

How to care

The Mashenka variety was bred in Soviet times, when complex methods of growing strawberries were not yet practiced (on agrofibre, under film, in high beds, and others). Therefore, this culture is unpretentious, it does not need any complex agricultural techniques.

You need to take care of the strawberry plantings like this:

In the first year after planting, seedlings are not fed - pre-planting soil preparation is enough for it. In subsequent seasons, strawberries are fed twice a year, using organic matter and mineral complexes. It should be borne in mind that Masha loves slightly acidified soils and does not tolerate excess nitrogen.
Watering the strawberries regularly is needed, especially if the summer is dry and sultry. Masha prefers drip irrigation... If there is no such system in the garden, you can water the strawberries at the root or through the channels.
They mulch the ground around the bushes not only in order to keep moisture in the ground. Berries of the Mashenka variety often lie on the ground, from this rot appears on them, and the mulch will prevent unwanted contact of the fruits with the ground. Sawdust of coniferous trees, straw, dry grass, humus, peat are suitable as mulch.
If there is too much rainfall during the season, cover the strawberries with plastic wrap. If this is not done, the fruits will simply rot.
It is better to pick berries with stalks - then they do not drain so quickly. Mashenka should be harvested at intervals of three days. No more than two kilograms of fruits are placed in each container, otherwise the strawberries will choke.
After harvesting, you can trim the mustache on the bushes if strawberry propagation is not expected.
Before frosts, it is better to spud the bushes, sprinkle them with humus or dry leaves, sawdust. When the snow falls, it is collected and a protective mound is thrown over the strawberries.

Attention! In the northern regions, a film cover for strawberries of the Mashenka variety will be required.

Gardeners reviews

Vera Ivanovna, Tomsk

Mashenka's strawberry taste is the taste of a forgotten childhood, because all gardens and summer cottages were planted with this variety. I have been growing this strawberry for a long time, already thirty years. I always feed the bushes with organic matter, after harvesting, I sprinkle the land with wood ash to disinfect and nourish it. The berries grow large, very aromatic and tasty. After 4-5 years, the fruits become smaller, but this does not matter, since the variety is easily propagated by the mustache (there are a lot of them). Excess whiskers need to be cut off, because they draw out all the "juices" from the plants, leaving no energy for the formation of the crop. We eat these strawberries fresh, they taste much better than modern hybrids. We freeze the remnants of the harvest, prepare preserves and jams. Mashenka bears fruit until early September, although the last strawberries are no longer as large as at the beginning of the season.

Conclusion

Strawberry variety Mashenka is time-tested. This garden strawberry is loved and appreciated for its excellent taste, unpretentiousness, adaptation to local climatic conditions.

Although the old variety is inferior to fashionable hybrids in terms of yield or beauty of berries, Mashenka has occupied an honorable place in the country's gardens for many years.