Description and characteristics of the Roxana strawberry variety, planting and care
Strawberries of the Italian selection Roxana are a medium-fruited productive variety that has perfectly taken root in the beds of Russian gardeners. Suitable for industrial cultivation. Differs in high productivity and endurance. It is not difficult to grow Roxana on a personal plot, it is enough to observe agricultural techniques and to prevent pests and infections.
Description and characteristics of the Roxana variety
The variety has been grown in Russian beds for more than twenty years. Roxana is a non-repaired medium-late ripening strawberry. The main part of the harvest is formed in early autumn. The variety is grown both in greenhouses and hotbeds, and in greenhouses.
Characteristics and description of the variety:
- The berries ripen in the shape of a cone, the top of which is bifurcated. Because of this feature, Roxanne fruits are often compared to an "unopened tulip".
- Fruits are glossy, smooth with pronounced superficial yellow seeds.
- The bush is vigorous, compact, average foliage.
- Productivity - up to 1.5 kg of berries per bush per season.
- Excellent transportability of ripe fruits.
- The universal purpose of the variety.
- Strong immunity.
The variety tolerates winters without shelter at temperatures not lower than -20 C, therefore, in central Russia, it is recommended to close strawberry plantations for the winter with a covering material.
Strawberry advantages and disadvantages
The Italian variety of aromatic strawberries fell in love with Russian gardeners for the spicy shape of the fruit, yield and excellent transportability of ripe berries. The main advantages of the variety include:
- Genetic resistance to powdery mildew.
- Taste qualities: balanced sweet and sour taste with a slight bitterness and pronounced aroma.
- Amicable ripening of fruits.
- Transportability and keeping quality of fruits.
- Suitable for commercial cultivation.
- Member of the berry conveyor: when the early varieties finish bearing fruit, Roxana pleases gardeners with the first harvest.
An amazing feature of the variety is the ability of ripe fruits to hang on the bushes for a week without losing the elasticity of the berries and deteriorating the taste.
There are practically no flaws in the variety. Negative characteristics include:
- Demanding watering and mineral fertilization.
- Can't stand temperatures above +35 FROM.
- Average winter hardiness, additional shelters are required for the winter.
Note: The main disadvantage of the variety is the lodging of the peduncles on the ground during the ripening of the fruits, the berries become vulnerable to fungal diseases. It is recommended to cover the bushes with sawdust or straw mulch, or to plant the plants on an agro-fabric.
Large berries ripen in the first harvest. In subsequent years, the berries become smaller, planting is recommended to be updated.
Dates and rules for disembarkation
Planting of seedlings in the soil of strawberries of the Italian variety Roxana can be carried out both in spring and in autumn. The best time to create a good root system is August.
The wells are made shallow, 20-25 cm is enough. A mixture of organic fertilizers and sand is added. The roots of the plant are carefully straightened and sprinkled with earth, compacting the soil from above with the palm of your hand. Then each bush must be watered under the root with warm water. You can add a little urea and wood ash to the hole, or sprinkle it on top of the soil, slightly loosening it.
Site selection and soil requirements
Roxana is adapted for indoor and outdoor cultivation. A site for strawberry plantations is chosen on a hill. Slight shadow is allowed. The soil must be nutritious; acidic soils with limestone content are not suitable.
Preparation of seedlings
For planting in the ground, it is important to make the correct selection of seedlings. The bushes must be healthy:
- The leaves are brightly colored, dark green in color.
- There are no spots on stems and leaves.
- The root system is well formed.
Too long roots are cut off. The day before planting the seedlings in the ground, each pot of plants is abundantly watered.
Landing scheme
The traditional planting scheme for Roxana is 30 cm between bushes, 35 cm between rows. Italian strawberries form not too spreading bushes, plants can be planted in three rows.
Indoors, Roxana seedlings are planted on an agro-fabric, this reduces the contact of ripe berries with the soil and minimizes the likelihood of fruit rot.
In addition, the fruits always remain clean, which is especially important for their subsequent transportation for commercial purposes.
How to care
The care of strawberry plantations of the Roxana variety is traditional: watering, loosening, cleaning weeds, applying fertilizers. It is necessary to pay attention to the procedure for preparing plants for the winter, strawberries need shelter for the cold season.
Pruning
Spring pruning - sanitizing strawberry beds after winter. Old leaves are removed from the plantings, along with pests that hibernated on them. The bushes receive more daylight, a kind of ventilation of the root system occurs. In the plant, metabolic processes are accelerated, the growth rate increases. With the help of a rake or hoe, the soil is loosened, and diseased dried leaves and shoots are cut off with a pruner.
Important! Healthy leaves and young plant buds should not be cut off.
After the "spring transformation" procedure, the berries are watered and fed. Subsequently, the berries will ripen faster, which will certainly delight gardeners.
Preventive spraying
Spraying strawberries must be carried out before flowering. A protective barrier to plants during this period is necessary, future fruits are laid, and the plant is most vulnerable to diseases, since it gives all its strength to a set of ovaries.
From folk remedies, potassium permanganate or an aqueous solution of brilliant green with iodine is used. Natural natural antiseptics are antibacterial preparations proven for decades. In the cultivation of strawberries on an industrial scale, chemical processing agents are used.
Spray at temperatures below -18 From and above +30 Since it is not recommended, plant leaves can get burned.
Top dressing
The introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers is an important stage in the care of Roxana strawberries.Top dressing can be applied using a drip irrigation system, manually sprayed leaves, watering at the root. In the spring, plants are supported by the introduction of nitrogenous fertilizers. Proven recipe: 20 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water. The bushes are watered at the root, getting on the leaves is undesirable.
The next top dressing is an aqueous solution of bird droppings or infused cow cakes. It is enough to dilute 1 kg of fertilizer for 10 liters of water. During flowering and a set of fruits, berry bushes are fed with an aqueous solution of wood ash: 1 glass of ash per 10 liters of water.
After the last harvest, the plants need fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. It is always recommended to loosen the soil after fertilizing and sprinkle the bushes with humus.
Watering
Roxanne is demanding on watering. This procedure should be carried out often, but not to allow waterlogging of the soil and stagnation of moisture at the roots of plants. Water for irrigation must be clean and warm, the optimum temperature is +20 C. Mulch retains moisture in the soil, if it is present in the beds, frequent watering is not necessary.
Humidification is carried out after harvest, in the morning or evening. An excess of moisture in the soil leads to rotting and diseases of berries, and a lack of moisture in the soil leads to a decrease in yield and a decrease in the size of fruits. The gardener should assess the degree of soil moisture before watering.
Loosening
Regular loosening will help improve oxygen access to the roots and activate metabolic processes between the soil and plants. In the row spacing, the soil is loosened to a depth of 10 cm, at the roots of plants, directly under the bush - by 3 cm.
The root system of strawberries is located close to the surface of the beds. After loosening, the bushes are sprinkled and sprinkled with humus.
Shelter
Roxana has an average winter hardiness. The variety is able to withstand frosts not lower than -20 C, it is recommended to cover strawberries for the winter with film covers or textile covering material. You can use spruce branches and straw. In regions with little snow in winter, the Italian strawberry variety can freeze out.
Berries are covered after preliminary preparation of berries for winter: loosening, removing weeds and feeding.
Disease and pest control
Breeders at the genetic level have protected the variety from powdery mildew disease. The plant's immunity is stable, but this does not mean that strawberries are not sick with anything. Anthracnose or black spot is a dangerous disease that often plagues Roxanne. This disease is fungal and occurs in conditions of high humidity. Prevention of anthracnose consists in spraying the plants in spring with Bordeaux liquid.
Protection against diseases consists in timely and regular inspection of plants for diseases. Ailments identified at the initial stage are easily treated and do not affect yield in any way.
Roxana strawberry propagation
The Roxana strawberry variety is propagated by a mustache. Mustache formation in the Italian variety is average. Next to the plant, 2-3 daughter bushes are added dropwise, the rest of the mustache is cut off. In the fall, matured young plants are transplanted into permanent beds.
The transplanted bushes need shelter from the sun and watering for the first few days. Top dressing of young plants is carried out in the fall, during the preparation of seedlings for winter.
Collection and storage of varieties
The transportability of Roxana fruits is excellent. Ripe fruits can remain on the bushes for up to a week without changing the taste. The berries do not give juice and do not lose their shape.
The collected fruits are stored in fruit boxes, wicker baskets in a cool dark place. It is important to provide ventilation in the containers with the harvested crop. Roxanne fruits can be frozen and canned whole. Italian variety strawberries are suitable for decorating desserts. After defrosting, it retains the full range of vitamins and nutrients.
The Italian berry will decorate the strawberry beds. The high yield is combined with the unpretentiousness of the variety. Roxanne can be grown by a novice gardener. In industrial greenhouses, the berry can bear fruit throughout the year. The fruits retain their presentation for a long time and do not lose their taste.
