Content
The remontant strawberry Alexandria is a popular variety with delicious aromatic berries and a prolonged fruiting period, without a mustache. It is grown as a balcony and garden culture, frost-resistant and slightly susceptible to diseases. Propagated by seeds or by dividing the bushes.
Story
Small-fruited strawberries or strawberries Alexandria with a long fruiting period have been known for more than 50 years. The American firm "Park Seed Company" offered its seeds to the world market in 1964.
Description and characteristics
Mustacheless strawberry plants bear fruit from early summer until frost. For productive cultivation of the Alexandria variety as a potting crop, you need to take care of fertile soil, preferably black soil with the addition of peat.
Powerful strawberry bush Alexandria, semi-spreading, densely leafy, grows up to 20-25 cm in height. The leaves are serrated along the edges, folded along the central vein. The mustache is not formed. Peduncles are tall, thin, with small white flowers.
The conical berries of Alexandria are the largest for the small-fruited species of alpine strawberries, very fragrant, bright red. The average weight is up to 8 g. Oblong fruits have no necks, the apex sharply sharpens. The skin is shiny, glossy, with moderately pronounced red seeds. The sweet pulp has a characteristic strawberry flavor.
Strawberry bush Alexandria bears wavy fruits from May or June to October. During the season, up to 400 g of berries are harvested from one plant.
Alexandria berries are versatile in use. They are eaten fresh, homemade preparations are made for the winter. Having planted the self-grown strawberry seedlings of the Alexandria variety, in 1.5-2 months you can already taste the signal berries. Subject to all the requirements of agricultural technology, the Alexandria strawberry bush is capable of producing up to 700-1000 berries. One plant bears fruit up to 3-4 years of age. Then the bushes are changed to new ones.
The compact size of the Alexandria strawberry bush made the variety a favorite of balcony and indoor gardens. Peduncles and ovaries are formed during the whole warm season. The berries ripen even on the windowsill. The plant does not take up much space. The hassle of caring for Alexandria strawberries is also small, because the plant is resistant to fungal diseases. Gardeners who bought Alexandria seeds agree that the suppliers of Aelita and Gavrish are reliable.
Growing from seeds
The most convenient way to get new strawberry plants of the Alexandria variety is to sow seeds for seedlings.
Technique of obtaining and stratification of seeds
Leaving a few of the ripe berries of Alexandria strawberries for collecting seeds, the top layer with seeds is cut off from them, dried and ground. Dry seeds spill out. Another method is to knead ripe berries in a glass of water. The pulp rises, the ripe seeds remain below. The water with the pulp is drained, the residues are filtered, retaining the seeds on the filter. They are dried and stored until stratification.
Gardeners who have a heated greenhouse, the obtained seeds of the Alexandria variety are sown immediately, in the summer, so that they do not lose their germination. In winter, seedlings are grown in a greenhouse.
- In late January, early February, the seeds of Alexandria strawberries are prepared for sowing through cooling, bringing the conditions closer to natural;
- For the substrate, take equally 3 parts of garden soil and humus from the leaves, add 1 part of sand and ½ part of ash. The soil is watered with Fundazol or Fitosporin according to the instructions;
- The strawberry seeds Alexandria are laid out on a wet napkin, then it is folded and placed in an unsealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. After that, a napkin with seeds is laid out on the substrate. The container is covered and kept in a moderate heat - 18-22 ° C.
On the site, seeds of the Alexandria variety are sown before winter, slightly covering with soil. Natural stratification occurs under the snow.
Receiving seedlings and planting
The seeds of the Alexandria variety germinate after 3-4 weeks. They are carefully looked after.
- Thin sprouts need to be illuminated up to 14 hours a day using fluorescent or phytolamps;
- To make the bushes more stable, they are sprinkled with the same substrate to the height of the cotyledonous leaves;
- Watering is regular, moderate, warm water;
- When 2-3 true leaves grow on the seedlings, they are dived into pots or into the compartments of the seedling cassette.
- 2 weeks after picking, the seedlings of Alexandria strawberries are fed with complex fertilizers, like Gumi-20M Rich, which includes Fitosporin-M, which protects plants from fungal diseases.
- In the phase of 5-6 leaves, the bushes are transplanted a second time: in large containers on a balcony or on a plot.
- Before planting in a permanent place, the seedlings of the Alexandria variety are hardened, gradually leaving them longer in the fresh air.
Planting in open ground and caring for bushes
The site for the Alexandria variety is chosen sunny. Humus and 400 g of wood ash per well are mixed with the soil. The most optimal way of growing is a two-line placement of Alexandria strawberry bushes on a 1.1 m wide garden.The interval between rows is 0.5 m.The bushes are planted in holes 25 x 25 x 25 cm, spilled with water, and located after 25-30 cm.
- The first peduncles on strawberries are carefully cut off so that the plant grows stronger. The next 4-5 peduncles are left to ripen, 4-5 berries each;
- In the second year, the bushes of the Alexandria variety give up to 20 peduncles;
- At the end of summer, the reddened leaves are removed.
Mulching plantings
Having compacted the soil around the planted strawberry bushes Alexandria, the whole garden bed is mulched. For organic mulch, take straw, dry hay, peat, pine needles or old sawdust. Fresh sawdust must be spilled with water and left for a while, otherwise they will take on all the moisture from the soil. Organic matter will eventually become a good fertilizer in the beds. After 2-3 months, a new mulch is applied, and the old one is removed.
They also mulch with foil and agrotextile. The material is stretched in the garden bed and holes are cut in the places of the holes through which the strawberries are planted. This mulch inhibits growth. weeds and keeps the soil warm. But in prolonged rainy periods, strawberry roots under polyethylene can rot.
Soil care
Until the mulch is laid, the soil in the aisles is systematically loosened and weeds are removed. Loosening provides easy air access to the strawberry roots, and also retains moisture. Before the berries ripen, the soil must be loosened at least 3 times. When fruiting, soil cultivation is not carried out.
Watering
After planting, Alexandria strawberries are watered abundantly 2 times a week.It is necessary to count that 10 liters of warm water, up to 20 ° C, is enough for sufficient moistening of the hole and all roots for 10-12 bushes. In the growth phase of young leaves, watered once a week. Strawberries do not like too high humidity.
Top dressing
The Alexandria variety is fertilized with a solution of humus or infusion of bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15 each time the ovaries begin to form. The retail network offers ready-made fertilizing based on organic matter. The EM series (effective microorganisms) is popular: Baikal EM1, BakSib R, Vostok EM1. Targeted mineral complexes for strawberries are also used: Strawberry, Kristalon, Kemira and others, according to the instructions.
Disease and pest control methods
Alexandria strawberries are resistant to fungal diseases. If the plants are infected, they are treated with fungicides after picking the berries.
Protect against pests by spring soil cultivation with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate solution. Spray with vitriol carefully, without touching the plants.
Features of growing in pots
Seedlings of the Alexandria variety are planted in containers with a diameter of 12-20 cm, 2-3 bushes each. Mustacheless strawberries do not take up much space. Containers should be with a pallet and a drainage layer up to 4-5 cm. Water in the morning and evening so that the soil does not dry out. The soil is periodically loosened with a stick. When the strawberries bloom in the room, hand pollination is carried out. The pollen is transferred with a brush from flower to flower.
Reproduction methods
The strawberry Alexandria propagates by seeds, as well as by dividing an overgrown bush. For 3-4 years, the bush is dug up in the spring and divided, making sure that all sections have a central bud for the growth of peduncles. They are planted in the same way as seedlings.
Conclusion
The plant is a favorite of mini-balcony gardens, as its compactness allows more specimens to be accommodated. Aromatic berries are also grown in the open field, they are appreciated for their excellent strawberry taste. Concerns with seedlings are leveled in comparison with a fragrant crop.
