Garden

Features of planting and caring for strawberries Charlotte

Strawberry variety Charlotte won the hearts of many gardeners in a very short time. It boasts a large fruit size, rich aroma and sweet taste. Like all strawberries, Charlotte requires constant and proper care, but the first harvest will justify all the effort spent. Read more about this strawberry variety in our material.

Strawberry Description

Charlotte variety strawberries were bred by French breeders relatively recently - in 2004. This is a new repair variety. Bushes in a medium-sized culture, not a lot of whiskers. Charlotte's berries are saturated red, very juicy, with a strawberry flavor, contain a large amount of sugar. With good care, the crop bears fruit from spring to autumn.

Grade characteristics

Charlotte is considered the standard among the strawberry remontant, the taste of its berries is distinguished from the rest of the varieties. In addition, it has the following characteristics:

early ripening;
prolonged fruiting;
large leaves;
rounded or ovoid fruits weighing 15–20 g or more;
the berries are sweet and fragrant, with tender and juicy pulp.

Breeding methods

Charlotte strawberries are propagated in two ways: by dividing the bushes and using a mustache . Let's consider both methods in more detail.

Did you know? Strawberries are rich in vitamin C: 100 g of fragrant berries contain 98% of the daily intake of this vitamin for an adult.

Antenna propagation

In order to propagate strawberries with the help of a mustache (stolons), you need to choose a large and healthy bush and cut off all the peduncles from it. Then wait until rosettes form on the antennae, and leave the strongest. Next, you need to carry out the following actions:

Prepare pots with peat or compost mixed with garden soil and sawdust.
Without taking off from the main bush, place the sockets in pots.
Dig up the earth regularly, weed and water.
You can separate young plants from the main bush already in August, and in autumn the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

You can not use pots, but immediately plant stolons in the ground, as shown in the photo below:

Bush division

The process of reproduction by dividing the bush involves the following procedure :

Dig a strong and healthy bush 3-4 years old.
Tear dry leaves from it, shake the roots from the ground.
Dip the bush with roots in water (it will be easier to separate them).
Cut large sockets in half.
Leave only young and healthy roots, and cut off old and shriveled ones. If there are peduncles, then they also need to be removed.
Place seedlings in pots with a mixture of land and peat (1: 1) and water regularly.
In 1–1.5 months, young plants will be ready for transplanting to a permanent place.

Landing Features

In order for the strawberries to bring a good harvest, it is necessary to carefully select a place on the bed with suitable soil, plant the seedlings correctly, water and fertilize the beds on time.

Choosing the right site and material

First of all, for landing it is necessary to choose a sunny section, a little on a hill, preferably with a low occurrence of groundwater. It is advisable that this site be protected from through winds. In addition, it must be cleaned of weeds and debris.

Important! The best strawberry precursors on the plot are radishes, beans, parsley, garlic, peas and mustard. Strawberry bushes should not be planted after all members of the family Asteraceae and Ranunculus.

Ground preparation for planting

For strawberries, neutral or slightly acidic soil is best. 20 days before planting, you need to add mineral fertilizers to the soil, and just before planting, humus (7-8 kg per 1 m²), and dig in the bed well. After this, you need to form shallow holes under the bushes, pour 0.5 l of water into each of them.

Landing scheme

Charlotte bushes are planted at a distance of 30 cm from each other, between rows - 40–70 cm. Thanks to this scheme, the bushes do not thicken, are well ventilated, and the fruits grow large and sweet.

Watering and fertilizer

This variety does not need frequent fertilizers, but during flowering, fruit development and after harvesting, azofoska is necessarily introduced into the soil. After the first harvest and during the appearance of new peduncles, organic substances are used. For this, an infusion of mullein in a proportion of 1:10 or bird droppings in a ratio of 1:20 is suitable.

We recommend reading our electronic magazine about growing strawberries.

Strawberries are regularly watered, especially in drought. The earth needs constant moisture to a depth of 5 cm. The soil is periodically loosened and weeds removed. To reduce the frequency of watering, plants are mulched (with sawdust, straw, hay).

For greater effect, the mulch is laid out on the soil not only around the bushes, but also in the aisles

Diseases and Pests

Charlotte is resistant to diseases and pests, but with improper care, some insects and diseases can affect the plant:

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease, as a result of which an uneven white coating appears on the back of the leaves. The disease spreads from the bottom up, under its influence, the fruits crack and rot, and the leaves curl and dry out, becoming a brownish-brown color. The causes of this ailment are: rare removal of mustache, dense and clogged planting, oversaturation with nitrogen fertilizers. To combat powdery mildew, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied, trimmed and eradicated diseased areas on plants.
Gray rot is a fungus that affects the entire plant. It spreads in wet weather with the help of wind or insects. A gray coating appears on the surface of the bush, and the fruits become watery and dry out over time. So that the disease does not occur, you need to choose the right site for strawberries. It should be a sunny and ventilated place, on a hill. One of the methods of preventing this ailment is to mulch the beds.
Brown spotting is the most common fungal disease affecting the strawberry rows. Appears due to improper care, strong density of plantings and increased soil moisture. Brown-brown spots of round or oval shape appear on the leaves. Over time, the disease grows, the leaves wither, which leads to the death of the plant. To prevent the occurrence of the disease, it is necessary to provide the culture with proper care, and in case of damage to the bushes with brown spots, treat them with the Fitosporin preparation. Its use is possible even during the ripening period, since it does not pose a danger to human health.
Strawberry mite - the main sign of its presence - folded into tubules. The bush for the first time continues to develop and even gives the first fruits, but eventually dies. Foliage is finally exhausted, turns yellow and falls, further development and growth are slowed down, the plant dries out. To combat the tick, the bushes are sprayed with “Karbofos” immediately after harvesting.
Aphids - an insect that in large quantities causes damage to the crop. Aphids suck juice from plants, which leads to their weakening and further death. You can spot pests inside the bush. In this case, the leaves curl and wither, and in the soil you can notice a large number of ants. To get rid of aphids, use chemical and biological products (Fitoverm, Biotlin, Kinmiks, soap or garlic solution).

Important! Where aphids live, there are ants, as these insects live in symbiosis. To get rid of aphids in the area, first of all, you need to remove ants from it.

Harvesting and storage of crops

The Charlotte variety is repaired, with good care and the experience of a gardener, which makes it possible to regularly harvest throughout the season. The ripening of the variety is often uneven, you need to pick completely red and ripe fruits. It is advisable to visit the beds daily and inspect them for ripe berries.

Harvesting Charlotte is better in the evening in the dry season. In rainy weather, you should not delay the harvest so that the berries do not get wet and begin to rot. If they are still wet, they must be dried in a cool, dry place.

The best way to preserve strawberries is to cut them 2-3 days before they are fully ripe (with a cup and a stalk). It is better to work with gloves and cut the stalk with scissors, so the fruits are less injured.

For storage, cardboard and wooden boxes or plastic containers are well suited. The bottom must first be covered with soft paper or cloth. Strawberries are laid out in 1-2 layers. The container with the crop should be moved carefully, since minimal shaking can damage the berries, and they will take their place and begin to rot.

Did you know? Strawberries are covered with such delicate peels that they can only be washed immediately before eating. If this is done in advance, then the berries will lose their beneficial properties and quickly begin to deteriorate.

Charlotte strawberries are a delicious and valuable berry. Its advantages more than cover the shortcomings, but for a large-scale sale it is not the most suitable. But it can be planted in a summer cottage and delight your loved ones with a sweet harvest until the fall.

Network user reviews

I want to support Leonid Ivanovich, Charlotte has a wonderful, very delicate aroma of wild strawberries, a very individual, completely unsaturated smell. The taste is also excellent, if you do not pick green, but let the berry ripen completely, it becomes very tasty and sweet. The size of the berry changes for everyone varieties depending on the weather and care, if several varieties grow nearby, then the size of the berries for all decreases or increases at the same time just to a different extent, I think that the problem is not in the variety, but in the methods of care and in external factors. t confirms that neither grapes nor peaches are competitors of strawberries in the market - each product has its own buyer, this year Charlotte did not lie on the shelves. olechka070 //forum.vinograd.info/showpost.php?p=372015&postcount=8