Content
Almost all summer residents grow strawberries on their personal plots. The choice is extremely large, promising new items appear every year, it is easy for a novice gardener to get confused in them. If you study the varietal characteristics, the Romance strawberry looks very good. It combines the attractive appearance and taste of berries with non-whimsical care and the ability to adapt to a wide range of not always favorable weather conditions.
Description and characteristics of the strawberry variety Romance
Strawberry Romance cannot be called a variety that has any outstanding features, except for the original flowering. Rather, it is the "average" variety with very good characteristics.
The appearance and taste of berries
The bushes of Romantica are compact - about 25 cm in height and 30 cm in diameter. The leaves are large, the peduncles are tall, powerful, do not bend under the weight of large berries.
The berries are one-dimensional, weighing about 40 g, conical, most of them are ribbed. The skin is typical strawberry color, firm but thin. Seeds are small, yellowish.
The flesh of the Romance berries is pink-red, juicy, tender. The taste is balanced, sweet, with a subtle sourness.
Flowering period, ripening period and yield
Romance refers to varieties of medium ripening. It blooms towards the end of May. The main "wave" of fruiting falls on the 20th of June. Further, during the next month, you can remove individual berries. At the end of July, fruiting stops.
Frost resistance
Strawberry Romance is able to overwinter without being harmed at - 25 ºС. Accordingly, when grown in a subtropical climate, she does not need shelter for the winter. In Central Russia, in the Urals, in Siberia, plants will need protection, especially if weather forecasters predict severe frosts and a lack of snow.
Disease and pest resistance
Strawberry immunity is not bad. With proper care and the right choice of a place for planting, it rarely suffers from diseases and pests. Only if the weather favorable for the development of pathogens, low temperature, high humidity is established for a long time, the plants require preventive treatments. Folk remedies are usually sufficient to repel insects.
Pros and cons of the variety
Strawberry Romance has no very significant advantages, as well as significant disadvantages.
pros | Minuses |
Unpretentious care | Relatively few whiskers forming |
Frost resistance sufficient for wintering in many Russian regions | Berries that shrink and shrink with prolonged heat and lack of watering |
The ability of plants to tolerate a short drought, temperature changes, prolonged rains, and other unfavorable weather conditions without much damage to themselves |
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Developed root system, which provides the seedlings with a quick and successful adaptation after planting in the garden |
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Original pale pink flowers |
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External presentability and very good taste of berries |
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Versatility of purpose - fruits can be eaten fresh, frozen, prepared for the winter |
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Growing features
No specific agronomic measures for Strawberry Romance are required. The landing site is chosen taking into account the general rules, plant care is standard:
- Romance strawberries are planted in an open, well-warmed by the sun and protected from cold drafts.
- This variety is picky about the quality of the substrate. The ideal option would be nutritious, but at the same time rather loose loam or sandy loam with a neutral or slightly acidic pH (5.0-6.0). In general, Strawberry Romance takes root on any soil, with the exception of the lightest and heaviest.
- If the groundwater is shallow (up to 0.5 m), it is better to transfer the planting to another place. If there is no alternative, high (about 30 cm) bulk beds will be required.
- The recommended planting pattern is 30-40 cm between adjacent bushes with a row spacing of 50-60 cm.
- Immediately after planting strawberries, Romance needs daily moderate watering. When the plants take root and new leaves begin to appear, the intervals are increased to 5-7 days, adjusting them depending on the weather. The average rate is about 3 liters per bush.
- During the season, strawberries Romantica are fed three times. At the very beginning of the growing season, when snow melts from the garden, natural organic matter is introduced. Further, in the budding stage and about a month after the end of fruiting, special fertilizers are applied for strawberries containing phosphorus and potassium.
- To prevent the defeat of pathogenic microflora, strawberries Romance and the soil in the garden before flowering are treated with any fungicide. Further, spraying is repeated with an interval of 12-15 days, if the weather is favorable for the development of pathogenic fungi. To scare off pests, it is enough to periodically dust the soil in the garden and the bushes themselves with dry mustard, plant onions, garlic, marigolds, and other plants with a pungent odor unpleasant for insects next to strawberries.
- The Romance variety can do without a special shelter from frost. But if the winter is predicted to be very cold and little snow, it is better to play it safe. Peat or humus is poured to the bases of the plants, the bed is thrown with fallen leaves, straw, dry grass. Additionally, any covering material can be pulled over the arcs.
Conclusion
Strawberry Romance is a variety that definitely deserves the attention of gardeners. The berries are very sweet, tasty, attractive in appearance, universal purpose. Plants need a standard agricultural technique; you won't have to devote a lot of time and effort to planting. The variety can adapt to non-optimal weather and climatic conditions, "forgives" the gardener unintentional mistakes in care.