Content
The Zenga Zengana strawberry was developed in 1954 by German scientists. Over time, it has become widespread in personal garden plots and farm plantations due to its high yield and excellent taste.
The variety is well adapted to the Russian climate, it is frost-resistant and unpretentious. Below is a description of the variety, photos, reviews of Zenga Zengan strawberries.
Description of the variety
Zenga Zengana belongs to varieties that can bear fruit with a short daylight hours. Fruit buds are laid when the day lasts up to 12 hours.
The flowering of the variety occurs with a daylight hours of 14 hours. After flowering, the strawberry crop ripens in a month. The variety is distinguished by its late ripening, since fruiting occurs in mid-June.
Bush characteristics
The external characteristics of the variety are as follows:
- a tall bush with a large number of medium-sized leaves;
- weak tendency to form a mustache;
- the arrangement of flowers is at the level of the leaves or slightly below.
Features of berries
The description of Zenga Zengan strawberry is as follows:
- the average weight of berries is 10 g;
- the first specimens reach 40 g, the berries become smaller as fruiting;
- deep red berries;
- with increased exposure to the sun, strawberries turn dark red;
- dense juicy pulp;
- uniform coloration of the variety's berries;
- cone-shaped, expanding at the stalk;
- pleasant sweet and sour taste;
- bright aroma of strawberries;
- yield up to 1.5 kg from one variety bush.
According to the description of Zenga Zengan strawberries, its fruits are suitable for various types of processing: freezing, drying, making jam or compote.
Landing order
Strawberries are planted in early spring or fall. It is recommended to purchase seedlings of the variety in specialized centers or nurseries. The variety is propagated with the help of a mustache or by dividing the bush. After choosing a planting site, you need to fertilize the soil, and then proceed to planting work.
Choosing the right place
Zenga Strawberry Zengana prefers small slopes located on the southwest side of the site. In such areas, the crop ripens much faster. Lowlands and areas prone to flooding in spring are not suitable for planting.
The variety grows best on light chernozem soils. A few weeks before planting, the soil is dug up, eliminated weeds and plant residues. With a high level of groundwater occurrence (less than 60 cm), high beds need to be equipped.
Heavy clay soils should be fertilized with peat, sand and compost. A universal fertilizer for the variety is a mixture of wood ash and mullein. For each square meter of beds, you can add superphosphate (100 g), potassium salt (60 g) and humus (10 kg).
Landing operations
For planting, plants are chosen that have powerful roots more than 7 cm long and at least 5 formed leaves. First, the root system of the seedlings must be placed in a growth stimulator.
The strawberries are planted with an interval of 20 cm. After 30 cm, a second row is formed.The two-line planting scheme assumes that the next two rows need to be done after 70 cm. This planting method is considered the best for the variety, since the plants are provided with normal development without unnecessary thickening.
In the beds, holes are dug 15 cm deep, in which a small mound is formed. Saplings of the variety are placed on it, the roots of which are carefully straightened. A strawberry seedling is covered with earth, compacted a little and watered abundantly.
Care rules
Zenga Zengana requires standard care that includes watering, fertilizing, and autumn cultivation. If this order is observed, the yield and resistance of strawberries to external factors increase.
Watering strawberries
Zenga Zengana strawberries do not tolerate prolonged drought and lack of moisture. In such conditions, there is a significant decrease in yield.
After planting, the plants are watered every day for the next 2 weeks. Then, longer intervals of 1-2 days are made between procedures.
Strawberries of this variety respond well to abundant watering, which occurs rarely than to constant application of moisture in small quantities. Plants are watered at the root in the morning or evening. Previously, the water must settle and warm up in the sun.
During the period of flowering and fruiting, the moisture content of the soil must be maintained at a level of up to 80%. After harvesting, watering will allow the cultivar to form flower buds for the next year.
Fertilization
Organic or mineral substances are used to fertilize strawberries. Top dressing begins in the autumn by adding humus or rotted manure. These ingredients can be used in place of mulch.
Before the flowering of the berry, potassium-based solutions are prepared (potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, wood ash). With their help, the taste of the variety's berries is improved. Fertilizer is applied when watering plantings.
In autumn, phosphate fertilizers (ammophos, diammophos, superphosphate) should be applied. They will increase the yield of the berry for the next year.
Autumn care
With proper fall care, Zenga Zengana strawberries will survive winter well:
- dry, excess and damaged leaves must be cut off;
- the soil between the bushes should be loosened to a depth of 10 cm;
- plants are huddled to protect the root system with an additional layer of earth;
- peat or straw is used for mulching the soil;
- after applying phosphorus fertilizers, the strawberries are watered.
Disease protection
Zenga Zengana is the least resistant to gray mold and mottling. However, this variety of strawberries is rarely affected by powdery mildew, verticillium and root diseases. According to reviews of Zenga Zengana strawberries, the variety is also resistant to the main pests: strawberry mite, whitefly, leaf beetle, aphids.
To protect strawberries from diseases, it is recommended to follow the rules of plant care. It is especially important to avoid high humidity, which promotes the spread of fungal spores.
Gray rot
With gray rot, the lesion covers the berries in the form of a layer of mycelium, which spreads around the spores. The causative agents of this disease live in the ground and on plant debris, survive frost in winter and drought in summer.
Any strawberry variety is susceptible to gray rot, especially in the absence of access to sunlight, thickened plantings and high humidity.
For the prevention of disease, plants are treated with copper oxychloride or fungicides. Work is carried out before the beginning of the growing season.
Leaf spot
Strawberry mottling appears as purple spots on the leaves that turn brown over time.As a result, in the period from August to October, foliage dies off, which negatively affects the winter hardiness and productivity of strawberries.
When signs of illness appear, strawberries are treated with chlorine oxide or Bordeaux liquid at a concentration of 1%. Affected plants cannot be treated. They are dug up and destroyed to avoid further spread of the disease.
To prevent spotting, you need to spray the strawberries with Fitosporin, remove old castings and keep the area clean. Plants are fed with potassium and phosphorus, which increase their immunity.
Gardeners reviews
Conclusion
Zenga Zengana is a widespread variety adapted for cultivation in Russian conditions. Strawberries have a high yield, sweet and sour taste and pleasant aroma. The variety is susceptible to fungal diseases, especially in high humidity. Strawberry care includes standard procedures: watering, feeding, treatment for diseases and autumn pruning.
