Strawberry variety Red Gontlet is distinguished by high winter hardiness, even in the middle zone in light snow winters. In addition, the crop can compete with many other varieties in terms of yield. Read more about this plant and its cultivation on the site below.

Variety selection history

A variety was bred in Scotland in 1757. The aim of the work of breeders was to obtain a culture resistant to adverse weather conditions with good taste indices. The result exceeded all expectations, and today culture is widespread in many countries of the world. Did you know? Strawberries have less sugar than lemon.

Botanical grade description

Strawberry Red Gontlet belongs to the late-ripening high-yielding crops. It is a medium-tall bushes, strong, powerful, with erect stems. Plants have a high ability to formations, which allows them to multiply easily. Peduncles are long, thickened, localized at the level of leaf blades or slightly lower.

Inflorescences are compact, multi-flowered. The flowers themselves are painted white . The berries are small, broadly conical, at the top ribbed, without a neck, weighing 20-30 g . The surface of ripened berries is red. Achenes are yellow, of medium depth. The pulp is colored red, dense, juicy. The berry is sweet, even sugary, there is very little acid, but sugar in sufficient quantities appears only when fully ripened.

Variety Characteristics

Berries ripen on the strawberry bushes of Red Gauntlet in June. Culture perfectly tolerates the negative impact of weather conditions, and at any time of the year. It has high viability.

Plants are completely undemanding to the quality of the soil and unpretentious in care . The main thing is to comply with the basic rules of agricultural technology and maintain the optimal level of soil fertility. Due to partial remontance, the rejuvenation of the variety should be carried out every 3-4 years. With an increase in this period, a fading of berries is observed.

Winter hardiness of strawberries

Winter hardiness is very high. After harsh winters, bushes quickly recover. Thanks to these features, the variety can be grown in any region. True, in the northern regions and the middle lane it is highly desirable to use shelter for the winter.

The best pollinators

The variety is self-pollinated. Flowers of both sexes are formed on one plant. The pollen of this variety is characterized by high viability indicators, so it can be used as a pollinator for other varieties with late ripening.

Read also our e-magazine on strawberry cultivation.

Productivity and fruiting

Productivity is in the range of 0.5–0.8 kg per bush or 2–2.8 kg / 1 m². The number of berries will be greater when implementing the basic rules of agricultural technology. The variety is semi-permanent, with repeated autumn flowering and fruiting.

Scope of berries

The fruits regarding the scope are universal. Well suited for fresh consumption, as well as for the manufacture of preservation, sweets, sauces. The fruits are well tolerated for transportation, have high commodity indicators, therefore they are quite suitable even for industrial cultivation for the purpose of commercial use.

Disease and pest resistance

The main value of the variety is relative disease resistance:

• vertically withering;
• spotting;
• powdery mildew.

Plants are slightly affected by gray rot, slightly damaged by strawberry weevil .

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

To achieve greater effectiveness from the cultivation of strawberries of the variety in question, you must first evaluate all its pros and cons. Possessing information about the disadvantages of culture, it becomes possible to prevent damage by pests and diseases in time, using various agricultural techniques. Did you know? In Bavaria, in ancient times, people hung cows on the horns of a basket with strawberry berries. Local residents believed that fairies attracted fruits, who, having feasted on treats, presented cattle with big milk yields.

• The main advantages of the Red Gontlet strawberry variety:
• excellent taste of the fruit;
• versatility of crop application;
• good transportability;
• relatively high resistance to diseases and pests;
• high plant viability under any weather changes;
• partial remontance of the variety;
• high productivity;
• unpretentiousness in leaving;
• undemanding to the soil composition;
• high resistance to frost and drought.

Among the minuses, the possibility of damage to plants by gray rot and strawberry weevil is highlighted. In this regard, it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to preventive treatments and to prevent thickening of stands.

Landing Features

To cultivate Red Gontlet strawberries is quite simple. Even a novice can handle this.

Important! With a summer landing at the beginning of next season, you can get the first crop of berries.

Recommended Dates

The planting of the crop in question must be planned for summer or spring. In the first case, planting should be done before the start, in extreme cases - until mid-August, in the second - after the establishment of stable warm weather and warming the soil to + 15 ° С.

Choosing the right place

In order for the fruits to have a rich taste, you need to choose a place well lit by the sun. With a lack of light, acid will appear in the taste of the fruit. It is worth making sure that the stands are protected from the north wind and the draft. It is highly recommended not to lay strawberry beds in the lowlands where meltwater is collected in the spring - this will lead to the spread of gray rot and death of plants. Soil quality does not really matter. The main thing: to carry out high-quality pre-planting preparation in 3 months.

It includes the following activities:

• deep cultivation (25 cm);
• disinfection with copper sulfate (3% concentration);
• after a week, fertilizing - for every 1 m², 20 kg of manure, 10 kg of sand, 10 kg of peat, 70 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium nitrate.

A month before planting, the soil is again fertilized and dug. At this stage, for each 1 m² 20 kg of compost and 600 g of wood ash are added.

Selection and preparation of planting material

A great role in the cultivation of strawberries is played by the quality of planting material - weakened seedlings will not be able to root properly and produce a full-fledged crop. The purchase of plants should be carried out in nurseries offering zoned specimens.

When choosing seedlings, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• quality of leaves - they must be leathery, resilient, pubescent, uniformly colored in green;
• condition of the horns - the amount of 1 or more, painted in a uniform pale green color, at least 0.7 cm thick;
• the roots are branched, lush, 7-12 cm long.

Seedlings before planting, too, must be properly prepared. The root system should be examined first. All roots must be the same length. Sticking out processes need to be cut off using a secateurs. If there are dried roots, they should also be cut. After this, you need to soak the root system for 2-4 hours in a honey solution. To 1 liter of warm water add 1 tbsp. l honey. Important! Pale leaves - evidence of infection with late blight of the horns. The disease is not treated, and such plants do not take root on the site and cause infection by an illness of other instances, so seedlings with poor-quality foliage should not be bought. This method of soaking is suitable for all varieties of strawberries, without exception. Due to the presence of a large number of minerals and enzymes in honey, the roots will be enriched with all the necessary elements and take root more quickly in a new place. Immediately after soaking, you can plant.

Landing pattern

The considered strawberry variety forms compact bushes. The optimal planting scheme for such plants involves a step between them of 40 cm, between rows - 50-60 cm.

On a pre-prepared site, dig holes 12 cm deep and 20-25 cm wide. The soil from the planting pits is mixed with fertilizers. For each hole take 1 tbsp. compost. Small knolls are formed in the planting pits, on which seedlings are installed. The roots are neatly spread around the perimeter of the pit so that they do not wrap up. Be sure to align the horns - they should be flush with the ground after filling the pit.

When all the manipulations are completed, the hole is covered with soil. Seal it around the plant, pour 1 liter of water. After waiting for the subsidence of the soil, add the missing layer and mulch the surface around the bushes with compost (layer height - 3 cm).

Subsequent Strawberry Care

Culture is unpretentious in care, but this does not mean that it can grow like a wild bird. Neglect of the basic rules of agricultural technology will lead to a decrease in productivity by 20, or even all 50%. Read also articles on this topic:

Features of planting and care for strawberries Tradeswoman Medium strawberry

Characteristics and features of the cultivation of strawberries varieties Maxim Average varieties of strawberries

Features of planting and care of strawberries Murano Medium strawberries

Features of planting and care of strawberries Polka Average varieties of strawberries

Features of the care and cultivation of strawberries Salsa Average varieties of strawberries

Description and characteristics of strawberry varieties Fireworks Average strawberry varieties All articles

Watering and feeding

Moisturize the soil every 7-10 days, depending on weather conditions. If there is a sufficient amount of rainfall, then at certain periods you can completely abandon watering.

Top dressing begins to be introduced from the 2nd year of plant life on the site . In the spring, before the buds are formed, a solution with chicken droppings is used. 300 g of dry feces are added to 10 liters of water. Under each plant make 1 liter of fertilizer. Immediately after flowering, use an herbal infusion with wood ash.

For 20 liters of water add 3 kg of nettle with tops, 1 kg of bean tops, 2 tbsp. ash, 2 banana skins. The mixture is insisted in a sealed container for 1-2 weeks in the sun, stirring occasionally. After that, it is drained, mixed with pure water in a ratio of 1: 0.5. Contribute 10 l per 1 m² of plantings. The same solution can be used after repeated flowering. Before re-flowering, a mullein solution is added - 1 liter of liquid manure is added to 10 liters of water. Make 1 liter under the bush.

Important! After each watering and fertilizing, the soil under the bushes and in the aisles must be loosened, and then mulched with sawdust and straw. This will make it possible to eliminate the risk of contact of berries with the soil, and will also prevent the propagation of diseases and pests.

Cold preparation

After repeated fruiting, all fruits on the ground and bushes must be carefully collected. Then inspect the bushes. Cut old shoots to a height of 3 cm, young ones, only broken out - do not touch. Treat the site with 1% solution of copper sulfate. After a week, carry out the final irrigation, loosen the soil and mulch with compost to a height of 5 cm. All these manipulations should be carried out before the end of October.

A week before the frost comes, cover with agrofibre or a special film.

Pest and Disease Treatment

In order to prevent the spread of diseases and pests, you need to carry out 2 preventive treatments in spring and autumn. In addition, you should not neglect the application of fertilizers at certain phases of the growing season and carefully care for the soil. So, in the spring they use “Fitosporin” for processing. Dilute it in water in a proportion of 5:10. In autumn, apply 1% concentrate of copper sulfate. Spraying in the spring and autumn is carried out on the plants themselves and the soil around them, as well as in the aisles.

If signs of damage to one of the fungal diseases (verticilliosis, powdery mildew, spotting or gray rot) are detected, it is necessary to immediately remove all infected parts of the plants, then carry out the treatment with Hom according to the instructions. When pests appear, you can use wood ash. It is sprayed dry directly on the leaf and soil.

The same technique is recommended to use when setting the rainy period. Sprinkle plants on wet leaves - this will protect them from diseases and pests that spread rapidly in a humid environment.

Harvesting and storage of crops

The fruits should be harvested as they ripen, tearing from the bushes along with the stalks. Immediately during the collection, the berries are sorted, leaving more ripe for food, and slightly matured for storage. Fruits are laid out in low boxes lined with paper, in one layer. Subject to the temperature regime of +2 ... + 10 ° С, relative humidity of 70% and the absence of light, the crop retains its nutritional value in fresh form for about 7-10 days.

Did you know? 100 g of strawberries contain 30% of the daily value of magnesium. This property is especially attractive for women, because this element helps to relax smooth muscles and helps to transfer PMS more easily. Strawberry variety Red Gauntlet is suitable for cultivation for the purpose of its own use, and on an industrial scale. Due to the resistance of plants to negative environmental factors and high viability, they are ideal for growing in any region.