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Among the varieties of strawberries, there are those that are loved by many gardeners. They choose their favorite varieties for their merits. For strawberries, these are:
- taste;
- aroma;
- nutritional properties;
- unpretentious care;
- resistance to adverse factors, during transportation, to the effects of parasites and diseases.
Which of these characteristics is different for the “Tsaritsa” strawberry variety? After all, it is not without reason that this variety of garden strawberries received such a name. The garden strawberry variety "Tsaritsa" was bred in Russia, more precisely, in the Bryansk region. The progenitors were two well-known varieties - Venta and Red Gauntlet, and the Russian breeder Svetlana Aitzhanova was able to combine their qualities. The topic of our article will be a wonderful strawberry "Queen", a description of the variety, photos, reviews of gardeners.
Variety characteristics
To understand the benefits of the Tsaritsa strawberry, it is advisable to grow the variety in the region in which it was bred. This is a real gift for Russian gardeners. Garden strawberry "Tsaritsa" tolerates cold winters so well that it far surpassed its progenitors in this indicator. With a snowy winter, this variety is not afraid of frosts down to -40 ° C. If a snowless winter threatens, then you will have to cover the strawberry ridges with spruce branches, leaves or covering material.
Garden strawberry variety "Tsaritsa" refers to the middle ripening period. This makes it possible to get berries of a wonderful taste a little later than usual. Garden cocktail is the main benefit. After all, early strawberry varieties bear fruit earlier than other crops. And the “Tsaritsa” strawberry gives a harvest when other berries ripen. Blanks, fresh fruit salads, aromatic juices - this is what gardeners love this variety for.
What characteristics have allowed the Tsaritsa strawberry to take a priority place among other names? Large-fruited, fairly stable harvest, berries with a dessert taste and aroma of wild strawberries - an incomplete list of the advantages of strawberries. The description of the plant should start with the appearance:
- Bushes. Medium size, medium leafiness, semi-spreading.
- Flowers. Bisexual, white, flower stalks are located at foliage level or below. Leaves. Smooth, without edging, soft green shade. Blunt teeth at the ends.
- Berries. Very symmetrical, regular shape. The first fruits are much larger than the subsequent ones. Juicy and tasty.
The main advantages of the "Tsaritsa" strawberry include good frost resistance. However, during the hot season, the variety also shows good hardiness. It is important not to forget to water the beds abundantly, because the garden strawberry "Tsaritsa" is very demanding for watering. It is best to stick to a specific schedule that is appropriate for the climatic conditions in your area.
Disease and pest resistance. This indicator is very important for any variety of garden strawberries. "Tsarina" does not suffer from fungal diseases, copes well with ticks and slugs.
Strawberry "Tsaritsa" refers to a plant of short daylight hours, so it will lay fruit buds for the next harvest at the end of summer. At this time, the exhausting heat will subside, the air will cool down a little, the evenings will become cooler.
The nuances of growing varieties in the garden
You need to start by choosing high-quality planting material. Garden strawberry "Tsaritsa" reproduces with a mustache, but the first seedlings are best purchased in a nursery or breeding center.In this case, you can be sure that the strawberry seedlings correspond to the variety type and are grown taking into account all the requirements of agricultural technology. Select seedlings in special closed-root containers. This will allow the Tsaritsa strawberry to easily undergo transportation and transplanting.
The place for planting should be chosen in advance so that the purchased strawberry saplings of the "Tsaritsa" variety have a place to place them. What are the requirements of the variety for its place of residence? It should be:
- even without elevations and lowlands;
- constantly illuminated by the sun;
- with good ventilation of the ridges;
- without the close proximity of tall buildings or plants, or nightshade crops.
For the successful cultivation of the Tsaritsa strawberry variety, a light loamy soil, necessarily fertile, is best suited. If you are the owner of infertile soil, then take measures to improve it. For garden strawberries "Tsaritsa", it is necessary to provide drainage on heavy and clay soils and to add sand for digging. And for sandy ones for 1 sq. meter of area will need 2 buckets of mullein (humus), a tablespoon of wood ash and 50 grams of urea. Add all the components during the autumn digging of the site under the strawberry ridges.
It is possible to plant “Tsaritsa” strawberry seedlings both in spring (in April) and in autumn (end of September). Gardeners are more inclined towards spring planting. Seedlings quickly take root and develop. This is due to the length of daylight hours and soil processes. In autumn, daylight hours are shorter, microorganisms in the soil reduce their activity, so it is more difficult for seedlings to take root. Autumn planting of garden strawberries "Tsaritsa" is not welcome in any region. In a favorable warm climate, the seedlings immediately grow, without even having time to root normally. Winter temperatures will kill weak roots. In cooler climates, the first early frosts will harm the roots.
As soon as the garden bed and seedlings are ready, it's time to start planting the Tsaritsa strawberries. You can use two methods - tape or in the holes.
With the belt method, a groove is laid with a depth of 15 cm.The width of the groove is not more than 40 cm.Strawberry seedlings are placed along the groove with an interval of 20 cm.
Be sure to straighten the roots and sprinkle the bush with earth. An important condition is that you cannot sprinkle the central kidney, it must rise above ground level. The plant is immediately watered and mulched. For mulching strawberry ridges, straw, dry cut grass, sawdust (wood) are used. Layer thickness from 5 mm to 10 mm, depending on the material.
Planting in the holes is carried out in the same order, only instead of the groove, separate holes are made for each strawberry seedling.
When the Tsaritsa strawberry variety is already growing in your area, it can be propagated vegetatively.
How to do it correctly is shown well in the tutorial video:
Caring for garden strawberries of the "Tsaritsa" variety after planting includes the standard requirements of agricultural technology - watering, feeding, protection from pests and diseases, weeding ridges, removing unnecessary whiskers, mulching. The last point is extremely important. Properly selected mulch will protect the planting from drying out of the soil and help keep the berries clean. Summer residents especially note the method of growing Tsaritsa strawberries under agrofibre.
Basic rules of care
Let's start with watering. Garden strawberries are very watering demanding. The Tsaritsa variety is considered drought-resistant, but this does not mean at all that the plant will survive without additional moisture. The exception is the years with a rhythmic alternation of rainy and sunny days. Also, in an area with high humidity, you can water the bushes much less often. Excessive moisture leads to the rapid spread of fungal infections.
In dry and hot climates, the Tsaritsa strawberries are watered regularly and abundantly. The interval between two waterings is maintained no more than 10 days. The main stages of the growth of bushes, during which the berry needs water:
- when the bushes bloom;
- when the fruits are tied and formed;
- when they are full and ripe.
The soil should be saturated with moisture 25 cm deep, so 2-3 buckets of water are poured onto one bush. At other times, drip irrigation will be sufficient, with a frequency of 3 weeks.
Feeding strawberry bushes is carried out using organic and mineral compounds.
An overdose of nutrients is as undesirable as a lack of them. If you fertilized the soil well at the time of preparation of the ridges, then you need to start feeding the berry from the third year of life.
The berries are harvested after the dew has melted. They ripen unevenly. During harvest, all ripe fruits are plucked. During fruiting, up to 60 large berries are obtained from one bush of the "Tsaritsa" variety.
Another important stage is plant protection during the years of little snow frosty winters.
The ridges are covered in early November with accessible material - sawdust, straw, spruce branches, paper, covering material. In areas with strong winds, the shelter must be fixed. Experienced summer residents put rotted manure, peat or compost under the covering material. This serves as additional heating and nutrition for the root system of the Tsaritsa strawberry.
Testimonials
To fully familiarize yourself with the benefits of the Tsaritsa strawberry variety, you need to find out the opinions and reviews of gardeners on whose site this variety is already growing.
