Features of Wim Tard Strawberry
Strawberry is one of the most beloved berries in the country, so it is not surprising that today there are many varietal species of such plants, which can be planted in various climatic zones, and not always under mandatory shelter. In this article, we will talk about one of the most interesting strawberry varieties called Wima Tarda, and what exactly berries are remarkable for and how to properly grow a plant for maximum crop yield - read on.
Selection history
Vima Tarda is a representative of medium-late, non-repairing varieties of garden strawberries, with high dessert qualities. The new plant was bred in the Netherlands, thanks to the efforts of specialists from Vissers Aardbeiplanten BV, and belongs to the Wim family (the unifying name for a group of varietal varieties of Dutch breeding plants that are equally well grown both in small private territories and on an industrial scale). One of the parental forms of this strawberry is the no less famous Wima Zanta, and the second was taken from a representative of the Vicoda variety. Wim Tarda inherited many positive characteristics from her “parents”, but despite this she is still not well known in wide circles of gardeners.
Did you know? Despite the fact that we used to call strawberries exactly strawberries, in fact the plant is strawberries, at least it was the first “strawberry in Russia” (green strawberries).
Description and characteristics of fruits and bushes
When choosing a varietal variety of a particular culture, first of all, it is worth evaluating its characteristic features and external data, which will help make a final decision regarding the appropriateness of the purchase. Paying attention to the Wim Tard strawberries, be sure to study its taste, requirements for the temperature conditions of growing and general advantages and disadvantages, after which you can safely proceed to the question of planting.
Taste qualities of fruits
The berries of plants of this variety are large multi-roots, with a blunt or crest-like shape (very large specimens can be fan-shaped). The peel of the fruit is strong, dark red in color, with a shiny surface. All achenes are yellow, sometimes with a reddish tint, but always small in size. The taste qualities of berries, however, like their aroma, are at a high level, which made the fruits of the variety an excellent dessert. Vima Tarda is a multifaceted strawberry in terms of taste, because along with a pronounced sugar content, it is not devoid of a slight acidity, only emphasizing the existing sweetness.
Important! After 3-4 years of growing strawberries, the berries of the plant varieties are slightly smaller, and their quality is deteriorating. This means that they need to be refurbished. For commercial purposes, the Vima Tarda variety is cultivated solely as a one- or two-year-old plant.
This feature makes the described strawberry one of the most remarkable varieties in the Wima group, even though the specific taste characteristics of the fruit largely depend on the climatic conditions of the plant growing. Ripe strawberries can be consumed both fresh and used for processing into compotes, fruit drinks, and desserts.
Frost and drought resistance
The frost resistance of strawberries of the Vima Tarda variety is at an average level, which means that in Siberia, plants will have to be grown in greenhouses or covered in the coldest winter months. The drought tolerance of the crop is almost the same as the frost tolerance, but in order to get an abundant and tasty crop during the period of fruit formation, you will have to regularly moisten the soil under the plantings.
Read also our e-magazine on strawberry cultivation.
Pollinators and productivity
Vima Tarda is deservedly considered one of the best self-fertile and high-yielding varieties of garden strawberries, since one plant manages to collect up to 800 g of berries. For better pollination and increase plant yields, next to the representatives of the variety, you can plant other, medium-early strawberry varieties with similar flowering and fruiting periods. The average yield of Vim Tard strawberries in Russia is 73.8 c / ha.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Like any other variety, Vima Tarda has its strengths and weaknesses, which will be noticeable after the harvest of the first strawberry harvest.
- The list of plant benefits includes:
- high taste qualities of berries;
- large-fruited;
- high resistance to diseases;
- high fruit yield;
- long-term preservation of the commercial qualities of the collected berries.
- As for the minuses of the variety, the main ones are:
- increased demands on soil composition and the inability to grow in open soil in the northern regions (during frosty winters, the plant always needs shelter).
Landing Features
Vima Tarda has its own individual requirements for the planting process and the choice of a site for planting, therefore, before proceeding with the direct implementation of planting measures, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the recommended planting dates, preparing the most suitable place for them on the site and strictly following all recommendations regarding the technology itself .
Important! Onions, garlic, oats and legumes will be ideal precursors for Wim Tard strawberries, as they reduce the likelihood of popular pests and diseases of this crop appearing on strawberry plants.
Recommended pick-up dates
Planting of the described strawberries is possible both in the spring and in the autumn period, and the choice of a specific time depends on the climatic characteristics of the region. In the central and northern regions, spring planting is preferable, and autumn execution of the procedure is permissible for the most part in the southern territories, where the winter season begins on time and the possibility of early frosts is minimized.
Selection and preparation of a site for landing
Proper preparation of the planting site is the second important step on the path to successful strawberry cultivation, so do not neglect the recommendations of gardeners in this matter. First of all, preference should be given only to well-lit areas, because in shaded places, strawberries reduce their yield. It is not necessary to plant a plant near fruit trees and shrubs, and it is also advisable to avoid soils with high acidity (ideal soil in this regard must be characterized by neutrality).
Learn how to make a strawberry bed.
Special attention should be paid to the selection and preparation of planting material. Seedlings with developed rhizome, consisting of 3-4 separate processes and small root "antennae" between them, show good productivity. The high-quality aerial part of seedlings always combines 3–6 dense leaf blades of a dark green color, and the main bud is pink.
Direct landing
The technology for planting Wim Tard strawberries involves several sequential steps:
- To begin with, the soil in the area dug up and cleaned of vegetable debris should be fertilized with superphosphate (200-300 g per 1 m²) and humus (5-6 kg per 1 m²).
- Then, under the seedlings, you need to organize small holes up to 10 cm deep and place young plants in them, carefully filling the free space with previously excavated soil.
- Having fallen asleep and rammed the planting hole with earth, it remains to water the plants abundantly and, if necessary, to mulch with a layer of humus and sawdust.
Video: planting strawberries
Further care
The very next day after the planting of Wim Tard strawberries, a long stage of plant care begins, which consists of several main actions: timely watering, top dressing, weeding and preventing the appearance of diseases and pests.
Watering
On average, the regularity of applying irrigation fluid to the soil leaves once every three days, since rotting of the root system for strawberries is more dangerous than a short drought. As for irrigation methods, the usual sprinkling in this case is not the best option and, if possible, it is better to organize dosed soil moisture in the beds.
Read more about how often and how to water strawberries properly.
To reduce the amount of watering and to ensure good health for the plant, you can mulch the surface of the beds. Every three weeks, the layer of mulch must be changed, thereby preventing the development of pathogens.
Fertilizers
When fertilizing strawberries, it is worth observing a certain moderation in the use of nutrient formulations, since their overabundance in the soil is as undesirable as deficiency. The optimal strawberry fertilizer scheme can be considered the following:
- about a week after transplanting seedlings to a permanent place of cultivation, it can be fertilized with a urea solution, having previously dissolved 50 g of the substance in 1 liter of water (watering with liquid fertilizer is carried out in the basal zone of the culture);
- the second time strawberries are fertilized after flowering, using chicken manure dissolved in water in the ratio of 1 kg per 10 l of water as a nutrient mixture;
- the next top dressing is usually carried out after the formation of berries, and this time it will be appropriate to use wood ash, which can strengthen the internal strength of plants and reduce the risk of developing ailments;
- during the ripening of strawberries, potash fertilizers can be used, and before wintering, the plants are fertilized with a small amount of humus.
Did you know? There are up to 200 seeds per strawberry, which means that just one strawberry can serve as a source of dozens of new plants.
Weeding
Given the increased tendency of Vim Tard strawberries to form antennae, planting with a crop should be regularly thinned out, while removing all weeds. Excessive thickening of plants does not contribute to their good and rapid development, so it is likely that the formed berries will be small and not as sweet as they could be in other conditions.
Diseases and Pests
Vima Tarda variety is characterized by high resistance to common strawberry diseases and pests, therefore, subject to agrotechnical requirements for growing crops, possible troubles can be minimized. However, timely prevention will not hurt, nor will information on possible methods of dealing with common problems be superfluous. In rare cases, strawberry plantings can be affected by:
- Gray rot (the main sign of development is a gray coating on all parts of the bush, especially leaf blades). In the fight against the disease used drugs "Fuchsalim" or "Tiram."
- Aphids (an insect can be seen with the naked eye, mainly on the inside of the leaf and young green shoots). Sucking juice from strawberry seedlings, aphids can kill large-scale strawberry plantations in record time, therefore, even at the first signs of pest activity, it is worth spraying the culture with soapy water or special insecticidal preparations (for example, “Aktara”, “Biotlin”).
- Earth mite (damages leaf plates and strawberry rhizome, sucking the sap of plants and leading to their gradual death). In the fight against insects, drugs such as Bitoxibacillin and a solution of copper sulfate are used.
Unfortunately, plants, for the most part of which are already clearly visible signs of a particular problem, are very difficult to cure, which means that to protect the remaining healthy crops, it is worth getting rid of the infected areas, removing the affected specimens if necessary. Having eliminated the source of infection, it remains only to treat healthy plants with suitable insecticidal or fungicidal preparations, which will certainly help protect them from reinfection.
We advise you to familiarize yourself with the processing of strawberries from pests and diseases.
Harvesting and storage
The fruiting of Wim Tard strawberries is stretched in time, so the picking of berries begins in July and can continue until the autumn colds themselves. Usually in 1.5–2 months, gardeners manage to harvest up to 6–8 crops, although the most fruit can be picked in the first month after their ripening. Stable fruiting of the crop is observed only in the first 3-4 years of plant cultivation, after which, in order to increase the abundance of the harvested crop (sometimes it is possible to get up to 1 kg of berries from one bush), plantings must be renewed, planting new plants.
