Strawberry is perhaps the most beloved and popular berry. Many summer residents grow it in their plots. One of the most popular varieties is Irma. It gives incredibly fragrant and delicate fruits. In addition, this variety is unpretentious in care, and even beginners can grow it. How to do this, as well as what is the secret of popularity, will be described later.

Botanical grade description

Strawberry Irma is a new variety grown in our territory. Domestic summer residents grow it a little more than ten years. Verona, Italy, is considered the birthplace of culture, where it was first grown in 1995. But the patent for the result of the withdrawal was obtained only in 2003. The hybrid was intended for cultivation in the northern part of Italy.

Important! Despite the fact that the variety was bred in tropical conditions, its full potential is manifested in a mild climate zone with a sufficient level of humidity.

They attribute the Irma strawberry variety to dessert, mid-early - the crop gives the crop by mid-June. By this time, the plant manages to move away from the cold and strengthen. But the fruits can be harvested all the second part of the summer. At the end of the season, the appearance and size of the berries changes.

Variety Irma is a perennial and gives the first crop in the second year of life. After productivity decreases, and from the third year it is recommended to update the beds

Characteristics of berries and bushes

Strawberry Irma is loved for its high productivity and excellent taste of berries. The productivity of the bushes is so high that the variety can be successfully grown for commercial purposes.

Fruits are cone-shaped, large, average weight is 25-30 g. In ripe form they acquire a bright red color. The pulp is fragrant, dense, with a light, unobtrusive sourness. Sugar content does not depend on the amount of rain. Even with frequent rainfall, the palatability of the fruit does not change.

Did you know? Strawberries contain so much vitamin C that a few large fruits are enough to replenish the body's daily intake. Berries are also rich in iodine and zinc.

Irma strawberry bushes are medium, strong, compact, with a strong rhizome and large, dark green leaves. The foliage covers the bush sparingly. The stalks are tall and tall. Antenna forms well. With good care, 1–2.5 kg of berries are removed from the bush.

Video: Fruiting strawberries Irma

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• The main positive characteristics of the Irma variety are:
• resistance to spider mite attacks;
• immunity to root diseases;
• berries are not baked in the sun;
• high productivity;
• drought and cold tolerance;
• good storage and transportability.

As a disadvantage, there is a need for intensive humidification and shading in hot weather, as well as getting a late and small crop with a lack of moisture.

Features and landing rules

Caring for planted strawberries will be easier and more successful if planted correctly.

Optimal timing

You can plant strawberries in spring or late summer. In the southern regions, this may be October.

Important! The later the planting is carried out, the lower will be the fertility of the bush for the next season.

Seat selection

A platform for strawberries needs light, with rich, nutritious soil. Ideally, if the beds are located on a small hill, inclined to the south-west.

In general, when choosing a place adhere to such rules:

• Do not plant on sandstone and clay soils;
• avoid landings with high acidity;
• good strawberry precursors are garlic, rapeseed, green crops, onions, radishes, mustard, legumes or fodder - they enrich the soil with nitrogen;
• not bad if the neighbors of strawberries are such crops as nasturtium, irises, Turkish cloves, sea buckthorn, marigolds, grapes, and apple trees.

Site preparation

The beds are easy to prepare: they are pre-digged, adding rotted manure, potassium chloride and superphosphate to the soil. The situation is much worse if the site is not fertile.

When a large amount of peat is noted in the soil, it is recommended to add the following components to neutralize it:

• slaked lime;
• a piece of chalk;
• dolomite flour;
• wood ash;
• ground limestone;
• sawdust.

Important! The finer the fraction of these components, the faster the reaction.

Before planting, the beds are carefully dug, removing weeds along the way. Experienced gardeners advise loosening the soil with a pitchfork.

Direct landing

Plantings are formed in rows of 60–100 cm wide. Since the Irma strawberry bushes are not wide, but powerful, they are recommended to be planted in a two-line way, observing the distance between the beds 35–40 cm, and between the bushes - 15–25 cm.

Bushes are planted in small holes 10-12 cm deep. The roots are placed vertically down, leaving the apical bud above the ground. Then they are dug up, and the soil is moistened with warm water and mulched with needles, sawdust or grass. The outlet of the seedling should be level with the top layer.

The subtleties of seedling care

Until that moment, until the seedlings get stronger, all formed stalks are removed from it. The rest of the Irma strawberry care consists of standard agricultural practices.

Watering

Watering should be constant throughout the season. After watering, it is recommended to cover the soil with a layer of mulch, then the moisture lasts longer. It is better to use the drip method to moisten the soil.

Did you know? To protect strawberries, some gardeners lay red glass balls on the beds. Unsuccessfully pecking the “snag”, the birds no longer dare to peck the ripe crop.

When watering adhere to such rules:

• in summer - daily;
• if the temperature is normal, you can water every 3-4 days;
• avoid moisture stagnation - the balance must be maintained.

In the rainy period, watering is reduced to once a week. If there is too much moisture, the condition of the bush can deteriorate sharply.

Top dressing

Fertilize the soil every 10-14 days . Especially important is the procedure before flowering and during the formation of the ovaries. Apply ready-made mixtures for this or prepare top dressing yourself.

Read also how to fertilize the earth in autumn under strawberries.

It is better to use ash and mullein, applying them in this way:

• ash . Sprinkle soil around the bush. You can cover it with leaves. This top dressing will also serve as prophylaxis against pests;
• mullein . Dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10 and fertilize the soil with this mixture.

Loosening

The procedure is performed only before fruiting, 3 times. Loosen the soil shallow, between rows. In this case, weeds are removed. Sick and reddened leaves are also cut from the bushes. If reproduction is not planned, the antennae are also removed.

Did you know? A museum has been opened in Belgium, the exhibits of which are entirely devoted to strawberries.

In addition, the soil is mulched once every 7-10 days (peat, grass, sawdust, tree bark, needles, hay, straw, compost, agrofibre, cardboard, spanbond, etc.).

Diseases and Pests

The main rule for successful strawberry cultivation is choosing healthy seedlings. But with high immunity to fungal diseases and rot, the Irma hybrid can suffer from alternariosis . The causative agent of the disease is mold fungus. The main signs: foliage is covered with brown or black specks, and the resulting pollen poses a threat to asthmatics.

Strawberries can harm such insects:

• common bear;
• strawberry whitefly;
• strawberry leaf beetle;
• aphid.

For the prevention of alternariosis and the control of pests and diseases, the following procedures are performed:

• dig a plot in the autumn to a depth of at least 50 cm;
• spray the bushes with fungicides at the first sign of damage;
• regularly inspect the landing and immediately remove the affected specimens.

Important! To repel pests next to strawberries, it is recommended to plant onions and garlic.

For preventive purposes, experienced gardeners advise using folk remedies:

1. Apple cider vinegar It is diluted with water (1: 1) and the bushes are sprayed with a solution.
2. Potassium permanganate . A weak solution will help protect the plant from many troubles.
3. Mustard Powder . They are sprinkled with soil, which allows them to scare off larger pests (for example, slugs).

Harvesting and storage

The first crop from planting is harvested by mid-June. In the future, the fruits are removed every 2-3 days, otherwise new ovaries will not form.

We advise you to read how to store fresh strawberries.

The collected strawberries are stacked in a wooden container in a thin layer. It is not recommended to store berries in plastic containers or bags. Having expanded in containers, the crop is placed in a cool place and stored for up to 5-7 days.

Strawberry cultivation is a creative process. If the variety is selected correctly, then the summer resident is able to achieve significant success. And Irma strawberry is the most acceptable option that can be cultivated in any locality, and delicious, fragrant berries will be an excellent reward for the work invested.

Network user reviews

The second wave of Irma ripened. as in all other neutrals, the berry of the second crop is much larger. The berry is dense, elongated with a neck, sweet and sour, tasty, aroma is present. Bushes powerfully grown, give a mustache well. It would be even more productive, but flower stalks were removed. Ivanna //forum.vinograd.info/showpost.php?p=480169&postcount=6