Content
Most gardeners associate the word “strawberry” with bright red berries. However, there are varieties that produce fruits of a different color, for example, white. The berry is not inferior in sweetness and aroma, it just differs in color. The Pineberry variety is an outstanding representative of an unusual culture. Thanks to breeders, any gardener has the opportunity to grow an outlandish culture.
Breeding history
Pineberry is a remontant garden strawberry in origin. The hybrid was developed by a Dutch breeder named Hans de Jong. For crossing, they took Chilean and Virginian strawberries.
Description
The main difference between the fruits of the pineberry garden strawberry is the white color. The shape of the berry resembles an ordinary strawberry. The taste of the fruit is unusual. When chewed, the pulp emits a distinct pineapple flavor. Hence came the second name, consisting of two words: pineapple, which means pineapple and berry - berry.
Despite the renovation of the variety, the Pineberry strawberries are small. The diameter of the fruit does not exceed 2.5 cm. Ripe berries change their green color to white. Only the grains in the achenes turn red. It is by the color of the seeds that one can guess about the ripeness of the fruits and that they can already be plucked. Outwardly, the berry is very beautiful. The pulp of the fruit is white, sometimes it can acquire an orange tint.
Pineberry strawberries ripen from May to July. The yield of the variety per season reaches 1 kg from 1 m2 subject to growing in a greenhouse. Plant height varies from 20 to 30 cm. Strawberries love sun and partial shade. In winter, the bushes can withstand frosts down to -25aboutFROM.
The fruits of the remontant variety Pineberry are considered dessert. Berries are eaten fresh. The fruit is excellent for decorating cakes and pastries. Berries are added to ice cream, cocktails, yoghurts.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Dignity | disadvantages |
The hybrid is resistant to diseases that often affect common strawberry varieties | Delicate fruits cannot be transported and stored |
Strawberries can be grown alongside other strawberry varieties, as the crop is not over-pollinated. | Low yields, especially when grown in an open way in the middle lane |
White berries are not pecked by birds | In a rainy summer, berries are quickly attacked by rot. |
You can find out more about large-fruited white strawberries from the video presented:
Reproduction methods
At home, propagating pineberry garden strawberries with seeds will not work. It's a hybrid. Gardeners tried to collect grains from berries. The next year, bushes grew from the seeds, bearing small berries of pink, orange or light red color with impaired taste.
Dividing the bush is suitable for the Pineberry remontant, but gardeners rarely use this method.
The best way to propagate garden strawberries is a mustache. The bush throws out a huge amount of cuttings, so there will be no problems with planting material. However, if you have to buy mustache seedlings, you will have to pay a decent amount for them. Sellers speculate on an outlandish variety, unreasonably raising the price.
In order to propagate pineberry garden strawberries with a mustache at home, after harvesting, the soil is loosened in the aisles. The layering is spread over the soil, slightly dripping in the lower part of the sockets. By the fall, the seedlings will take root. The mustache is cut off from the mother bush, replanting each plant to the garden bed.
Landing
To plant seedlings of pineberry garden strawberries, holes are dug up to 10 cm deep. Each hole is watered with warm water about 0.5 liters. A seedling is lowered into the hole, the roots are spread and sprinkled with loose soil. If the plant was bought in cups, it is planted along with a lump of earth, without destroying it.
How to choose seedlings
When buying seedlings of Pineberry remontant strawberries, pay attention to the foliage. It should be bright green in color, juicy, without spots or damage. A good seedling has a horn that is more than 7 cm thick.
The root system of the plant must be developed, at least 7 cm long. Open roots are fluffy in the form of a lump. If the seedling is sold in a cup, it must be removed for inspection. Good roots should braid the whole clod of earth.
Site selection and soil preparation
The Pineberry repair variety is very fond of warmth. In Holland, this strawberry is grown in a closed way. For the middle lane, open cultivation is not preferable, but a sunny, open area on the south side can be chosen. However, this choice can lead to a small problem. In direct sunlight, the white berries of remontant strawberries take on a pink hue. To get white fruits, it is optimal to choose a slightly shaded area, but well warmed up by the sun. You can simply build an agrofibre shading over the garden bed.
Pineberry garden strawberries have no special requirements for soil. Saplings take root on soil with an acidity index from 5.0 to 6.5. Before planting strawberries, the plot is dug to a depth of 30 cm, adding 5 kg of humus and 40 g of mineral fertilizer per 1 m2.
Landing scheme
The Pineberry repair variety throws out a lot of mustache. Bushes need more space to grow. For planting, a scheme is suitable where a gap of 30 cm is observed between the plants.The row spacing is made about 45 cm.
Many sources and dishonest sellers claim that the variety is self-fertile. In fact, Pineberry requires cross-pollination, since the plant has only female flowers. A bed with strawberries must be placed close to another variety of strawberries.
Care
The procedure for caring for outlandish white strawberries is the same as for regular red strawberries.
Spring care
In the spring, the bed with Pineberry remontant strawberries is cleared of winter shelter. Cut off damaged leaves, the remaining old peduncles. The soil between the rows is loosened to a depth of 3-5 cm so as not to damage the roots. The bushes are watered with warm water, dissolving 1 g of copper sulfate or 1 g of potassium permanganate in 1 bucket.
With the appearance of the ovary, the plantings of garden strawberries are watered with a solution of boric acid at the rate of 10 g of powder per 20 liters of water. From dressings, a solution of mullein or bird droppings is used, as well as mineral complexes. During flowering, potassium-phosphorus fertilizer is applied or watered with a solution of wood ash at the rate of 2 cups per 1 bucket of water.
Watering and mulching
The Pineberry remontant strawberry loves watering. The intensity is determined by weather conditions. The frequency of watering is increased with the appearance of buds and during the pouring of berries. A couple of days before harvesting, it is advisable not to pour water under the strawberries. The berries are already very tender, and from the abundance of moisture they will become watery.
To retain moisture, as well as reduce the intensity of growth weeds, perform soil mulching. Sawdust, peat, or small straw are good choices. Thanks to the mulch, the berries will not be smeared with soil during rain or watering.
Top dressing by month
Garden strawberries, like ordinary strawberries, love feeding with organics and mineral complexes. The minimum for Pineberry for the season is three top dressing: in early spring, before flowering, during the ovary. In order for the bushes to gain strength for the winter, strawberries are fertilized after harvesting.
Preparing for winter
The bushes can withstand frosts down to -25aboutC, but still a remontant variety at home is considered a greenhouse destination. For the winter, the Pineberry plantation will have to be covered with straw mats or spruce branches.
Diseases and methods of struggle
Of the common diseases, Pineberry is rarely damaged by verticillary wilting, but often by gray rot, especially in rainy summer.
Pests and ways to deal with them
For the remontant variety of garden strawberries, only birds are not pests. The birds are not attracted to the white color of the berries. However, ants, slugs, snails, mites, leaf beetles and other insects damage the crop.
Features of growing in pots
Repaired strawberries are not self-fertile. There is no point in growing Pineberries in pots when it comes to a room. On the street, you can plant strawberries in flower pots and build a high bed out of them. You just need to place it near the plantation of another strawberry variety for cross-pollination.
Conclusion
Pineberry high yield success can be optimally achieved only in greenhouse conditions. In an open area, it is wise to plant a small plantation for a change.
