Strawberry Crown is very popular among gardeners. Those who have not grown strawberries of this variety before, ask themselves the question: how to do it correctly and what difficulties may arise. We will examine in more detail in this matter.

Selection history

The variety was obtained back in 1972 as a result of crossing two strawberry varieties: Tamella and Induca. Crossing occurred on the basis of the selection institute of the Netherlands.

Description of Strawberry Crown

Sweet berries weigh from 15 to 30 g, have a beautiful red-orange flesh color. Their taste is sweet, the shape is conical. However, the fruits do not tolerate transportation very well, therefore, most often they are grown not for sale, but for their own use. The foliage is large, dark green in color.

Grade characteristics

This strawberry variety is considered mid-early, since the first berry crop can be harvested already in the tenth of June.

Main advantages

• The main positive qualities of the Corona variety include:
• large fruits;
• early ripening;
• frost resistance of the plant;
• saturation with nutrients;
• unpretentiousness in leaving;
• good taste of berries.

Did you know? Strawberries are the only berries that have seeds outside and not inside the fruit. Because of this, it is considered a false berry.

Flowering period, ripening period, yield

The crown begins to bloom in the second half of May with medium-sized flowers, and after a month and a half it will be possible to harvest. As for productivity, this variety has a high level - up to 1 kg of berries from the bush. True, the first fruits are always larger, while the latter will be several times smaller.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Unfortunately, this variety is not very resistant to diseases and pests, including:

• gray rot;
• white leaf spot;
• root rot;
• strawberry mite;
• weevil.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• This strawberry variety has more advantages than disadvantages:
• large berries;
• resistance to frost;
• long fruiting period;
• unpretentiousness in leaving.

• The disadvantages of the variety are:
• susceptibility to disease;
• difficulties in transportation.

Breeding methods

Strawberry Crown is propagated in 3 ways:

• antennae;
• seeds;
• dividing the bush.

Basic landing rules

There are two suitable periods for planting strawberries in the Crown variety: in spring, in late April, and in autumn, until the end of September. Choose a landing site should be calm and well-lit, sunny. It is advisable that groundwater flow at a level of at least 1 m to the surface of the soil. For this strawberry variety, the soil should be loamy or sandy loamy, with neutral acidity.

If the crop will be planted in the spring, then the earth should be dug in the fall, and if the planting will be in the autumn, the soil must be dug up 15 days before planting.

Important! It is advisable to plant strawberries Corona in the area where legumes were previously grown, since they suffer from various diseases that will not go to berries. When planting, the distance between the bushes must be observed: it must be at least 20 cm. After planting, the berry bushes must be watered with warm water and mulched. In one place, strawberries can grow and produce a good harvest of up to 4 years.

Aftercare after disembarkation

After planting in the open ground, strawberries need quality care. It is time to carry out harvesting of weeds directly near the plants. It will be useful to mulch, which will save the fruits from rot. As mulch, you can use sawdust, needles, straw, which should cover the soil near the bushes.

Watering should be carried out as the soil dries, but it is worth remembering that you should not fill the plants. Water should be warm, about +20 ... + 25 ° C.

Strawberries respond well to top dressing. During the period of the appearance of new foliage, a solution of urea (0.5 tbsp. Of substance is taken for 2 liters of water), as well as nitroammophoski (1 tbsp. Of water per 10 liters of water), which fertilize the plants under the root. During the appearance of the first ovary, top dressing is carried out using a solution of potassium nitrate (2 tbsp. Per 10 liters of water). After harvesting, the soil is poured with an ash solution. Before frosting under the bushes of the plant, it is recommended to put a layer of humus.

Learn how to grow strawberries in winter.

Pest and disease control measures

As mentioned above, Strawberry Corona is susceptible to certain diseases and pests, for the fight against which special drugs have been developed:

1. Gray rot - in order to avoid the disease, it is important to mulch on time, for this it is worth adding sawdust or straw to the bush, which will help to avoid contact of the berries with the soil. For prophylaxis, a solution of Bordeaux liquid (3-4%) is used, and after harvesting the last crop, plantings are treated with a solution of the fungicide "Azocene" (20 g per 10 liters of water).

2. White spotting - affects leaves, negatively affects productivity. When identifying this disease, you should dig up and destroy the bush so that the rot does not transfer to other plants. As a prophylaxis, you can use solutions of the Agrozin and Emochka preparations.

3. Red root rot - leads to the fact that the root system of the plant begins to rot, the plant stops growing and eventually dies. To combat the disease, it is recommended to use the drugs “Topsin M” and “Fundazole”.

4. Aphids - to combat it, use a tincture of garlic to spray the plant (3-5 heads of garlic are infused in 3 liters of water for a week).

5. Strawberry mite - with its appearance, the leaves begin to darken, curl and eventually dry out. To combat the pest, the drug “Karbofos” is used (8 g per 10 l of water.) Processing is carried out during the growing season.

6. Weevil - destroys strawberry flowers, thereby leading to a decrease in yield. To combat this parasite, the plants are treated with a solution of Inta-Vir (1 tablet per 0.5 l of water).
   

Harvesting and storage of crops

The first Corona strawberries can be harvested in early June. About 1 kg of berries is collected from one bush. Unfortunately, it will not work for a long time to store the crop, since the fruits quickly begin to lose their attractive appearance. It is better to immediately use fresh berries or make jam, jam, jelly or compote from them.

For long-term storage of berries, only the freezing method is suitable.

In this case, the berries are washed gently, separated from the stalks, laid out on paper towels, dried and sent for storage in the freezer, where they can be stored for up to 12 months.

Many gardeners love the Corona strawberry variety because of its unpretentiousness, but it is unlikely to grow it for sale, since it is unsuitable for transportation. But for its own use, this variety is the best.