Description and characteristics of the Pandora strawberry variety, cultivation and care
Bright and juicy strawberries not only have an excellent taste, but also contain trace elements, rich in acids, antioxidants, pectins. Strawberries begin to ripen at the end of May, the last berries are harvested in June. After garden strawberries, currants and gooseberries ripen, and although the fruits of shrubs are very useful for humans, they cannot replace the taste of bright red berries. Pandora strawberries have a lot of advantages, but the variety attracted summer residents not with high yield, not with giant fruits, but with a late ripening period.
Description of strawberries
The Moling Pandora hybrid was obtained by crossing the Ananassa garden strawberry with the Fragia cultivar. Low bushes are densely covered with shiny leaves. Round berries are laid on thin peduncles, which, when ripe, acquire:
- cherry color;
- forest aroma;
- weight up to 60 g.
The surface of the fruit, slightly flattened from the sides, is covered with small seeds. The juicy pulp of garden strawberries pleases with a sweet taste with barely noticeable sourness. During transportation, strawberries created in England do not deform, do not let juice.
Pandora's characteristic
The description of the variety indicates that the berries ripen in July, from one bush they pick from 300 to 400 g of garden strawberries. A hybrid of English origin normally tolerates frosts and even in temperate climates does not cover for the winter. Pandora is prized for its resistance to bacterial infection. Strawberries rarely suffer from:
- from powdery mildew;
- verticillosis;
- brown spot.
The variety is affected by rot if the weather is damp for a long time. The bushes bloom when the frost is already receding, the ovary does not crumble from the cold. Pandora does not belong to remontant varieties, the crop is harvested only once a season. In hot weather, the berries of the hybrid become smaller, the plant gives a little mustache.
Main positive and negative aspects
Of great importance for gardeners is that the hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew, and is rarely affected by ticks. The advantages of Pandora strawberries include:
- high productivity;
- presentable type of berries;
- bright taste and large size of the fruit;
- excellent transportability.
There are negative aspects to the hybrid. Strawberries have female flowers that do not have stamens, which means that garden strawberries bear poor fruit without pollinators. The variety is affected by gray rot, brown spot.
The subtleties of growing a plant
To harvest a good harvest of large berries, Pandora strawberries need to be planted in fertile land, and follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Time and place
The hybrid variety does not tolerate drafts, is picky about lighting, feels comfortable in the sun. If the water comes closer than a meter to the surface, the roots of the plant may die. A place for Pandora strawberries should be chosen on a small hill in the southwestern part of a summer cottage or suburban area. Strawberry bushes are planted in spring, summer or autumn. The soil is dug up in advance, equalized, freed from weeds, and organic matter is introduced.
Seedlings for planting
When buying strawberry bushes for cultivation in the country or in the yard, you need to carefully look how they look, whether they have healthy roots. It is better to purchase planting material not on the market, but in a nursery where the Pandora hybrid will not be confused with another variety.
Bushes with 3 leaves, on which there are no spots, stripes and creases, are well accepted.
Landing features
Strawberries are not placed where peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, and squash were grown last season. The Pandora variety, like these crops, is affected by root rot. The best predecessors for strawberries are siderates. A month before planting, the soil is dug up on the site and introduced:
- compost or manure;
- superphosphate;
- potassium salt.
Fertilizers improve the structure of the soil, make it looser. In the first year, it is preferable to place strawberries in a one-line pattern. The bushes are planted every 25 or 30 cm, a little less than a meter is left between the rows, the free space is filled with rooted mustache rosettes. Before the procedure, the plant is dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate and washed with water:
- Dig holes, form a small mound at the bottom.
- They put a bush, straightening the roots.
- The kidney is left above the ground.
- The hole is covered with soil, tamped and irrigated with warm water, covered with mulch.
So that Pandora is not amazed by gray rot, it is impossible to thicken the plantings, apply an excessive amount of fertilizers in which nitrogen is present.
If strawberry mites are bred on the site, the leaves are cut off from the plants.
How to properly care for your culture
In order for the English hybrid to please with a harvest of beautiful and sweet berries, you will have to take care of strawberries.
Soil and fertilizers
Garden strawberries grow well in light, loose soil, which contains a little sand, feels great on loams with an acidity of up to 7.
The development of strawberries is accelerated by the introduction of mineral complexes, as well as humus or bird droppings, diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 20–25. Organics are often used in spring and when transplanting bushes to another place.
The Pandora variety responds positively to fertilizing with fertilizers that contain:
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- potassium.
Mineral complexes are added after picking the berries. Trace elements are necessary for strawberries for the formation of new buds, the formation of roots.
Watering and moisture
In order for garden strawberries to grow, develop, please with a high yield, it is worth installing a drip irrigation system. The roots of the plant are located close to the surface, the stream of water from the hose must be directed carefully.
Water the strawberries once a week, more often during the flowering period. In cloudy weather, moisture is not necessary. It is better to start the irrigation system early in the morning, the water evaporates quickly in the afternoon.
Relation to temperature
Summer residents drew attention to the fact that small berries ripen in the Pandora variety grown in hot climates. Sunburn spots often appear on the fruits. In mid-latitudes in humid weather, strawberry shoots develop faster, which is not surprising, because the homeland of the hybrid variety is England, where it is damp and cool.
Loosening and weeding
The beds on which the strawberries are planted should not be overgrown with weeds. You need to pull them out by the roots, fight from early spring until autumn. The land is loosened after irrigation or rain.
Mulching
To reduce moisture evaporation, the soil under the bushes is covered with straw or peat mixed with sand. In recent years, gardeners have used agrofibre or spandbond instead of organic mulching. When using such materials, the berries do not touch the ground, do not get dirty on the sand and ripen faster.
Disease and pest control methods
The danger for strawberries is represented by fungi, which, multiplying, cause gray rot, powdery mildew, and various types of spotting. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology helps to reduce the likelihood of activation of pathogenic microorganisms.
If spores appear on the bushes, the affected stems and leaves are cut out, the plantings are sprayed with fungicides. Processing can only be carried out before the formation of flowers and after picking the berries. Strawberry Pandora suffers from the invasion:
- aphids;
- weevils;
- spider mite.
To cope with pests, insecticides are used in the form of "Aktellik", "Aktara", "Bi-58", "Inta-Vira". Timely watering, prevention, fertilization helps to increase the resistance of the hybrid to parasites and diseases.
Breeding varieties
Gardeners who love Pandora rarely use seeds to breed strawberries. The seed should be hardened for two weeks at 2 ° C in a wet cloth and cotton wool, periodically moistened with water. In February, the substrate is poured into containers or cups and the seeds are spread, slightly deepened into the ground with a match, covered with foil and left in a well-lit place. After a while, the seedlings sprout, when three leaves appear, the bushes dive into a new container. The grown strawberries are moved to the garden no earlier than at the end of April.
It is much easier to propagate the variety with side shoots. The whiskers that the plant lets out are sprinkled with earth. When they take root, which usually happens in July, they are planted in the garden.
Adult plants, from which a lot of berries are collected, are divided into several parts so that each leaves up to 3 leaves and an elongated root. In the fall, they dig holes and plant one bush at a time.
Growing difficulties and recommendations
In order for the Pandora variety to please with the harvest, it is necessary to pick up a strawberry that acts as a pollinator. Next to the hybrid, you need to plant Florence or Sophie strawberries that bloom at the same time.
Pandora suffers from rot to protect the bushes from infection, the soil under them is covered with straw or mulched with sawdust.
Cleaning and storage of garden strawberries
In July, when the strawberries are ripe, the berries are cut off with a tail and put in a small basket or box in one layer. The work is performed in dry weather. Garden strawberries are not stored for a long time, they lie in the refrigerator for a maximum of a week, do not lose their taste, do not change their composition when frozen.
