Repairing strawberry varieties are becoming more and more popular for cultivation among gardeners and summer residents. From the bushes of such plants, you can get several crops a year, because the attention to these varieties is increased. One of these varieties of repair strawberries is Mara de Bois (a hybrid of strawberries and strawberries).

This variety of garden strawberries has a lot of advantages. Not very large fruits with sufficient sugar content, sour taste and aroma of wild strawberries make Mara de Bois strawberries a favorite dessert of real gourmets.

General characteristics of the variety

Strawberries Mara de Bois has short and compact bushes up to 20 cm high. The leaves are light green in color, there are not many. On one bush quite a lot of peduncles develop. With proper care, you can get good strawberry crops from May to October. Fruits of not quite regular shape and not very large size (weighing an average of 10–20 g).

Did you know? There are more than 300 types of strawberries that are grown on the planet. In Belgium there is a special museum dedicated entirely to this plant .

A distinctive feature of this variety is quite interesting taste, a very elegant combination of sweet homemade strawberries with the taste and aroma of wild strawberries. Weather conditions (humidity, temperature, amount of sunlight), as a rule, do not affect the taste of the fruit, which is also an important factor when choosing this variety for planting on the site.

You can grow strawberries Mara de Bois both on the open ground and in greenhouses. Prone to vertical cultivation, it has not very large fruits and their interesting arrangement, gives several crops a year. These qualities attracted the attention of designers to this plant, so the strawberries Mara de Bois are also used as an ampel plant in landscape design.

The variety was bred thanks to the work of breeders in France. In 1991, a patent for it was registered under a general license of J. Marionnet. Wild strawberries and strawberry varieties Sizhose, Sirafin, Charlotte, etc. took part in the selection.

In France, as throughout Europe, in the USA it is a fairly well-known variety. He did not receive large-scale cultivation because of his average productivity, but is a popular product for those who appreciate its excellent qualities and the ability to consume for a long time in the year.

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Growing Regions and Ripening Period

Suitable for growing strawberries Mara de Bois are the countries of the continental climate. They grow it quite successfully in the middle zone of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. In mid-latitudes, it bears fruit from the second decade of June to mid-September. In warmer regions, it begins to bear fruit earlier (in early June), and the process can last until October.

Fruiting usually occurs in waves - from two to four waves per season. It depends on weather conditions, features of the content. In the heat peak, the berries are usually small; at the beginning and end of fruiting, they are quite large.

Important! For growing strawberries Mara de Bois, countries with a mild climate, where there are no severe frosts in winter, are better suited.

Biological Description of the Culture

Strawberries (domesticated strawberries) belong to the class Dicotyledonous plants, the Pink family, the genus Strawberry.

These are perennial plants with complex, ternate leaves, creeping short shoots, and a well-developed root system.

At the base of the stem whorls are formed, capable of branching (the formation of horns). They can be formed quite a lot, each has its own root system.

The rhizome of the plant is a perennial modified stem covered with scales. At 2-3 years of life, it begins to darken and slowly die off along with the root system.

The stems lack apical growth. Strawberries are capable of vegetative propagation - mustaches and separation (parts) of bushes.

The aerial part of plants has three types of shoots:

Shortened annual shoots (horns)	Has a rosette of leaves (from 3 to 7), apical and lateral axillary buds, its own root system. From the apical buds, flower stalks form in a year. The number of horns per season increases, which leads to an increase in productivity, since each horn forms a peduncle.
Annual creeping shoots (mustache)	Organs of vegetative propagation. A new outlet is formed on the second internode. Whiskers develop in the plant immediately after flowering. Each maternal bush can produce up to 30 mustaches, and this, in turn, leads to the formation of up to 100 outlets. At the same time, a large number of mustaches requires a large consumption of nutrients, which negatively affects the yield, therefore it is advisable to remove the mustache 3-4 times over the entire growing season.
Peduncles	They are formed from generative (flower) buds and live until the end of fruit ripening. The plant blooms usually 25-30 days after the start of the growing season. The flowering process (white flowers, often bisexual) lasts 20–35 days. Somewhere in a month, the fruit ripens.

The height of the strawberry bushes of the Mara de Bois variety is up to 20 cm. The bushes are not very dense, have moderate growth. The leaves of the plant are medium sized with a slightly raised edge. Peduncles numerous, thin and short. On each of them, 5 to 7 inflorescences are formed (scutellum).

Characterization of fruits and their purpose

The fruit of a strawberry is called multi-root. In fact, this is an overgrown receptacle of the plant, on the surface of which there are nuts (strawberry seeds). The overgrown receptacle of the fruit (juicy, fleshy, sweet, aromatic) is the edible part.

The berries of this variety are medium and small in size, weighing up to 15–20 g, with bright red skin and an orange core, yellow seeds. The fruits have a unique taste, combining a fairly high sugar content and light acidity. Good enough for transportation in small containers and at temperatures up to + 8 ° C.

Productivity

With proper care, strawberries Mara de Bois gives good harvests. In the season you can get from two to four fruit crops. From each bush it is possible to remove 500-800 g of fruits, these are indicators of plant productivity above average. Larger fruits of the plant at the beginning and end of bearing. It is best to eat them fresh. The productive period for the plant is three years.

Did you know? Strawberry juice has an effective whitening effect on tooth enamel. Chewing berries well, you can whiten your teeth and eliminate bad breath.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• The advantages of this variety include:
• unusual taste;
• prolonged fruiting;
• good yield;
• compact and small bushes of plants;
• the possibility of growing both in open soil and in greenhouses;
• the possibility of vertical cultivation, use as an ampel plant;
• resistance to certain diseases, in particular, powdery mildew.

• Among the disadvantages of the variety are:
• a good harvest can only be obtained in the first three years of life;
• hard enough to tolerate drought, very low temperatures;
• forms a lot of mustache;
• without the necessary nutrition, it grows poorly;
• plants are prone to fungal diseases, non-infectious chlorosis.

Landing Features

Almost all summer residents, planting strawberries, dream of a large harvest of delicious, fragrant berries. In order to get such a crop, you need to know that this plant loves. When planting strawberries, it is very important to choose the right site, take into account the crop rotation of the plant, observe the irrigation regime.

Strawberries grow very poorly on swampy and clay soils, poorly tolerate both drought and excessive watering, and are prone to certain diseases. All factors must be studied and taken into account when growing this garden crop.

We recommend reading our electronic magazine about growing strawberries.

Landing time

Strawberries can be planted in autumn - at the end of August, in September, and also in spring - at the end of April. It is necessary to pay attention to peduncles: if they appeared in the fall or early spring, they must be cut.

Location and layout

Place for landing choose sunny. In the southern regions, where there is a lot of sun, the best place will be in the shade of trees. Some gardeners claim that strawberries are best planted on a hill. The plant loves enough heat and light and grows poorly on waterlogged soil.

They recommend planting bushes at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, and the distance between the beds is maintained at about 40 cm. This arrangement will make it possible to process plants well and, if necessary, to root new bushes in free places.

Landing procedure

Every four years it is necessary to change the area on which strawberries will be grown. The site must be cleaned of weeds, pests, pathogens. Dig the soil, make manure and nitrogen-containing mineral mixtures. This variety loves acidified soil.

Also learn how to plant strawberries under cover material.

Planting seedlings can be done in fairly warm weather and in the presence of watering. Prepare wells with a diameter of about 40 cm.

Three weeks after applying organic and mineral fertilizers, you can plant a crop:

• put seedlings in prepared holes;
• straighten the seedlings, pay attention to the fact that the growth point should not fall under the ground;
• pour plenty of seedlings with warm water and sprinkle with earth;
• if necessary (if it’s still cold enough at night) cover with mulch.

Plant care

Like any other cultivated plant, strawberries need proper care. Strawberry care includes watering, timely fertilizing, combating diseases and pests, proper harvesting, preparing the plant for wintering. Proper plant care can guarantee a good harvest.

Watering

During the growing season, plants need abundant watering. It is better to use warm water for irrigation, it acts on the plant more delicately. In order to avoid sunburn during irrigation, it is better to produce it in the evening.

Important! The less space a plant bush occupies, the more watering it needs.

It must be remembered that it is extremely undesirable to get water into the center of the outlet of the strawberry bush and onto the berries. The best for strawberries would be drip irrigation. You can use watering around the perimeter of areas with holes.

Fertilizer application

Once the planted strawberry bushes have taken root and the leaves are released, you can begin to fertilize the plant. It is very good to use complex fertilizers with a sufficient nitrogen content, since it affects the growth of green plant biomass.

During the formation of buds, it is good to spray with a mixture of fertilizers containing an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. It must be remembered that it is potassium that contributes to the good and high-quality development of peduncles and effectively affects the fruiting process.

Among organic fertilizers, as a top dressing for this variety, it is good to use mullein infusion (1 liter per bucket of water). Such top dressing must be done at least 2 times a month. If the soil is sandy on the site, then once a year it is recommended to treat it with a weak aqueous solution of boric acid.

We recommend that you learn how to treat strawberries with boric acid during flowering.

Once a year, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is applied to the well-known soils. Thus, the required level of soil acidification is achieved, which is an important condition for the cultivation of this plant variety.

Winter preparations

To prepare the plant for wintering, all dry and damaged leaves, antennae, are cut from it. As a rule, plants tolerate winters well with moderate frosts. But if the winters are snowy and severe frosts are quite likely, then it is better to mulch - cover the bushes with branches (good spruce) or agrofibre.

Diseases and Pests

Strawberries Mara de Bois has a strong immunity to powdery mildew. However, it is susceptible to other diseases.

Possible diseases	Ways to fight
Gray rot	It may develop due to violation of the irrigation regime, with an excess of moisture. Effectively use the drug "Roval".
Brown spotting	Spraying Bordeaux liquid, the drug "Kurzat".
Fusarium (wilting bush)	Incurably, the plant must be dug up and burned.

In addition, strawberry bushes can suffer from snails, slugs, aphids, ticks, ants. To combat these pests, you can use a solution of laundry soap with ammonia, a solution from a decoction of onion husks. It is good in such cases to plant garlic, onions, calendula, marigolds near garden strawberries.

Important! Processing plants is best done three times. The first is at the beginning of flowering, and the last is at the end.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Harvested this variety throughout the fruiting period of the plant. Picking berries is necessary as they redden. Since the flower stalks of this variety are low enough, the berries can lie on the soil and mold. You can use some kind of litter material for peduncles, which will interfere with the contact of the fruit with the soil.

Strawberries are stored in the refrigerator, the lower the temperature, the better the preservation. Store recommend no more than three days . Subject to all the necessary rules, this variety tolerates transportation well over short distances.

Strawberry - a berry containing a large amount of valuable macro- and microelements, vitamins. The use of berries of this plant significantly improves the functioning of brain cells, favorably affects the metabolism in the body, has an anti-inflammatory effect, has a beneficial effect on the skin, and strengthens the immune system.

Strawberry berries are useful for almost all systems of the human body, have an antioxidant effect. Strawberry is a seasonal product, which limits its use, therefore, repairing varieties, which give several crops per season, are of particular value.

Important! It is best to harvest the crop in the morning and evening, when there is no solar activity. In this case, it will last longer.

Mara de Bois is a remodeling variety with exquisite taste. Performing all the above agricultural techniques of growing plants, you can get an excellent crop of fragrant, tasty, valuable berries.