We began to cultivate strawberries only in the XY century. Initially, they began to grow green strawberries, after which it was replaced by nutmeg, and only in the XIX century they began to grow pineapple strawberries, which we often call strawberries. About the berry itself, the characteristics of its planting and cultivation will be described in more detail later in the article.

Description and characteristics of pineapple strawberries

The name Pineapple berry received due to its name in Latin, which sounds like "ananassa", and translates to "garden strawberry", that is, strawberry garden variety. Fruits have nothing to do with tropical fruit and are not found in the wild. Pineapple strawberry arose thanks to the efforts of man, as a result of crossing in the XYIII century in Holland strawberries of the Chilean and Virgin varieties. This strawberry is called polymorphic, because there are a large number of varieties of berries, different in taste and appearance, which can be combined with this one common name. All types of this culture have their own growing characteristics, however, this article will describe the general points that are characteristic of this berry.

Did you know? In Russia, the wild strawberry green, growing in the wild, was known. It was also called: half moon, meadow strawberries, Russian, forest, hilly strawberries. And the name strawberry appeared in Russian due to the shape of the fruit “club” - round and took root in the artificially cultivated type of berries in the future.

Bush

Strawberry bush has a powerful structure, compared with wild specimens, a large number of green leaves on long petioles, the size of which can reach 20 cm.

Leaf plates have a slight pubescence in the form of straight hairs. Their edges are serrated, and the end is bluntly rounded. Strawberry shoots creeping, the rooting of which occurs in nodes.

The flowers are large, with a diameter of 2 cm, located on the peduncle. They have 5 white petals and a large number of stamens, they are bisexual. The peduncle is long, about 3-5 cm.

Fetus

A cultivated plant can have fruits of various sizes depending on the variety, the maximum weight of which exceeds 60–70 g. The color of the berries can vary from white to rich red. The taste characteristics of strawberries also depend on the variety, most often it is a sweet and sour taste with a pleasant strawberry aroma.

Winter hardiness and disease resistance

These berries are characterized by relative winter hardiness, it can be grown in the regions of the southern and middle bands, where the temperature drop will not exceed -18 ... -20 ° C in the winter.

For a successful wintering, the bushes can be covered with a thick layer of snow, which will allow the soil to keep warm, and the plant will not freeze in cold weather.

Ripening period and productivity

Bushes bloom depending on the region in April-May, and at the end of the first summer month they already begin to harvest aromatic berries:

1. Early varieties bear fruit only once.
2. Repairing can bring crops throughout the summer season, and then in the fall, before the first frost.
3. Semi-remontant species is a selection achievement for the northern regions. They bear fruit no more than 2 times a year, but can tolerate severe winters.
4. Neutral varieties allow harvesting throughout the year, however, they can be grown in open ground only in regions where there are no frosts, or in greenhouses. The fruiting regularity of such bushes is 1.5 months.

Transportability and application

The possibility of successful transportation of berries depends on their variety, for example, red berries have greater elasticity and better transportability, which cannot be said about white varieties that rapidly lose their marketable appearance when transported.

Berries are used in various areas of human activity:

• in cooking - for the preparation of desserts, sauces for main dishes;
• in cosmetology - to create masks for the face from acne, age spots;
• in medicine - as antiseptic rinses, infusions.

Strawberries are not freeze-free; the product must be thermally processed or combined with sugar.

Best made from this healthy berry:

• compotes;
• jam;
• jams.

Advantages and disadvantages

• The obvious advantages of the product include:
• excellent taste and attractive aroma;
• large berries;
• the composition of the product includes a large number of nutrients;
• elastic flesh;
• good transportability of red varieties.

• Pineapple strawberries have the following disadvantages:
• is an allergen, especially for young children;
• not used for freezing, as it changes its structure;
• light varieties do not tolerate transportation;
• when grown in open ground in conditions of high humidity, the likelihood of infection by rot increases.

Landing technology

The success of planting pineapple strawberries depends, first of all:

• from the choice of seedlings of good quality;
• selection of a suitable site;
• landing at the right time;
• compliance with the planting culture scheme.

Find out how to grow strawberries in bags at home.

You can grow berries:

• in the open ground;
• in greenhouses;
• in plastic bags;
• in plastic containers.

How to choose the right seedlings

High-quality planting material should have the following characteristics:

• on petioles of small size should be at least 3-4 green leaflets;
• the length of the rhizome should be 7-10 cm;
• the roots are fibrous;
• if seedlings are sold in containers, then the root system must occupy its entire volume, extend beyond its boundaries;
• seedlings should be fresh, there should be no flaccid, wrinkled and rotten leaves, the surface of the leaf plate should be uniformly green, without interspersing.

It is better to buy seedlings from trusted suppliers who are engaged in its procurement in large volumes and in accordance with agricultural technology.

When and where to plant a berry

They begin to engage in planting with the advent of autumn, you can start the process in September-October or postpone it to April-May. Autumn planting will provide an opportunity to enjoy the harvest with the onset of the summer season.

The site for planting strawberry bushes should be in a place protected from strong winds. It should be sunny, optimally choose the south-west side. In order to prevent stagnation of water on the beds, you can plant bushes on a small hill.

Important! It is impossible to grow berries in one area for more than 4 years; after the specified period, it is recommended to crop rotation. You can plant strawberries on a site where cereals, legumes, or some root crops were previously grown. The land on the site selected for planting strawberries should be:

• fertile;
• contain ashes;
• have slightly acidic properties.

It can be loam, sandy loam soil, black earth. If the soil is heavy, then sand is added to it. Before sludge, the soil is enriched with nutrients, organic matter is introduced in the form of manure and complex mineral fertilizers - nitroammophoska or other. The soil with fertilizers is dug to a depth of 20 cm.

If acidity is increased, it is lowered with lime.

It is recommended to prepare the soil a few weeks before planting, this will help to ensure that the soil becomes dense and settles, the roots of the bushes will not be exposed during irrigation.

The scheme of landing in the open ground

Seedlings in the garden are distributed in a two-line or single-line way . The interval between the bushes should be 30 cm, 60 cm in the row spacing, and 40 cm between rows. If there is only one row, then only the interval between rows and bushes in the row is observed.

In the case of a close occurrence of groundwater, it is necessary to create high beds at an elevation of 15–20 cm, their width should be about 80–100 cm.

Strawberries are not buried deep to prevent root rot . However, the rhizome should not protrude outward so that it does not dry out or freeze in the winter. The root neck should be at ground level, while the apical kidney is not covered with earth, and the “heart” rises slightly above the soil.

If the rhizome of the bush has a length of more than 10 cm, then it is shortened before planting. The seedling is placed on an earthen hill, spreading the rhizome and carefully sprinkling it with earth. The roots do not bend, they should just go down the hill. After planting, the seedling is abundantly watered and mulched to preserve moisture.

How to care for pineapple strawberries

Care by planting such a berry is:

• regular watering;
• in top dressing of bushes;
• in mulching;
• loosening the earth and removing weeds;
• in irrigation in preventive measures for pest control;
• pruning bushes and collecting leaves;
• preparing strawberry bushes for wintering.

With the advent of spring, it is necessary to collect and burn all the old leaves, as they may contain pests that will subsequently threaten the life of the plant. Then it is necessary to loosen the earth in the row-spacings to a depth of 5-7 cm. After that, the bushes are watered.

Did you know? Strawberries - a fruit plant with seeds outside, on each strawberry you can count about 200 seeds.

Watering, weeding and loosening the soil

Loosen the earth after each irrigation in the future. It is also necessary to constantly monitor the appearance of weeds and remove them. This procedure is carried out after watering or rain, when the soil is more supple and the extraction of weeds does not damage the rhizome of the strawberry bush.

Watering strawberry bushes is necessary daily, provided dry and hot weather in the summer months. However, if the weather conditions are milder, you can water the plants a little less, controlling the dryness of the soil, since excessive watering can lead to rotting of rhizomes, rot of berries that are close to the surface of the earth, and the appearance of a number of diseases, for example, powdery mildew.

The irrigation procedure can be carried out in the morning. The temperature of the water should be warmer + 16 ° C. During the season, strawberry planting should be irrigated at least 6 times per season, it is important to control the plant’s access to moisture during such periods:

• at the beginning of the appearance of the first leaves in spring;
• with the beginning of the opening of buds;
• at a time when the berries begin to pour;
• after harvesting;
• at the beginning of October they perform water-charging irrigation before winter.

While the bushes do not bloom, watering is done by sprinkling, during flowering - only the soil is watered, trying to ensure that water does not fall on the flowers and fruits.

Fertilizer application

Strawberry plantation is fed at least 3 times:

• in the spring, complex fertilizers are applied, for example, nitrophosphate;
• at the moment of setting the buds - organic matter, which can be used bird droppings, mullein, wood ash;
• during flowering - potash and phosphorus fertilizers.

To feed the soil and grow strawberries, you can use the fertilizers of their store, or you can cook them yourself according to the following recipes.

Organic:

• Mullein - 1 part or chicken droppings - 0.5 parts;
• water - 7 parts.

Mineral:

• urea - 10 g;
• potassium chloride - 2 g;
• superphosphate - 5 g;
• water - 10 l.

To increase soil fertility and if the plant looks weak, top dressing can be applied every week, during irrigation. The introduction of organics and minerals alternate.

Mulching

To maintain moisture in the soil after watering and loosening the soil, to prevent the formation of crust on the soil surface, to prevent the appearance of weeds, it is recommended to mulch the beds with strawberries.

As mulch you can use:

• straw;
• coniferous branches;
• grass after mowing;
• mulching film.

Trimming mustache and leaves

After harvesting, strawberry bushes require care, which consists in pruning leaves and mustaches with secateurs or clippers.

It is necessary to remove dry, damaged, unripe processes. Mustache removes almost everything except the first ones from the bush, since they will be needed for propagation of strawberries in the future. If no further berry cultivation is planned, then all mustaches are removed.

Important! You can not cut the leaves under the root, you need to leave the stems about 10 cm.

Winter preparations

At the stage of preparing the bush for wintering, it is important to produce:

• hilling bushes;

• mulching.

After the last water-loading irrigation, the ground is not weeded in order to prevent damage to the roots before the start of cooling. Further, the bushes are covered with a thick layer of mulch, which can retain moisture and create a thermal cushion and prevent the rhizome from freezing.

Diseases and Pests

Preventive treatment is recommended in the spring. At air temperatures above + 17 ° C using drugs such as:

• "Actifit";
• "Fitoverm" and others.

Learn how to deal with strawberry mites.

In cooler weather conditions using:

• Taurus
• "Caesar".

Pineapple strawberries have a high resistance to diseases and pests, however, you should know that the plant can be sick with the following diseases:

• white spotting;
  

• powdery mildew;
  

• white, gray rot;
  

• Fusarium wilt.
  

Strawberry bushes can also suffer from such pests:

• Chafer;
  

• common bear ;
  

• aphid;
  

• strawberry whitefly;
  

• nettle leaf weevil;
  

• shaggy bronze.
  

To combat these ailments, a solution of colloidal sulfur is used at the rate of 50 g of sulfur per 20 l of water. Liquid irrigation can be both therapeutic and prophylactic. A baking soda solution is also used in a proportion of 2 tbsp. l on 10 l of water. Such irrigation will prevent the emergence of pests, and also will not harm the plant and future fruits. The use of wood ash and tobacco dust is also effective, these organic substances are poured into the middle of each bush.

Important! To repel insect pests, you can arrange the planting of winter garlic in early October.

Harvesting and storage

Varieties with dense, elastic pulp are subject to long-term storage; such varieties are not very often watered. Berries, which are supposed to be transported in the future, must be removed from the bush along with tails and green caps.

Berry picking is recommended in the morning, or late in the evening, at sunset, so the berries will not receive too much sunlight and will be better stored. They are stacked in wooden or plastic containers that have a paper or fabric backing.

Strawberry is a very fragile berry, so you should not sort it before sending it to storage, unnecessary movement of the berries will only harm the crop, causing them to darken and rot. This is best done during harvesting. If strawberries were purchased on the market or in the store, then it is better to sort out the container with strawberries, throwing away the berries with mold, rot and darkened specimens.

The container with strawberries is sent to the refrigerator with a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° C, so the crop can be stored for 3-4 days. Before laying in the refrigerator, do not wash the berries.

Pineapple strawberry cultivation can occur both in the open ground and in the greenhouse. The berries have a pleasant taste and attractive aroma, they require constant care and watering, however, their cultivation does not cause much labor, but brings pleasure when tasting delicious berries.