Description and characteristics of strawberries of the Mashenka variety, cultivation and reproduction
The site would not have been a garden if it hadn't been for strawberries. Every gardener dreams of a variety that gives the largest berry, the largest harvest. At the same time, it would be resistant to diseases and pests, would not freeze in winter, would not fade in the sun, in general, unpretentious in care. This species exists, and this is a Mashenka strawberry.
Description and characteristics of strawberries Mashenka
The variety is mid-season, tall. The height of the bushes reaches 45 cm, which is a distinctive feature among the variety of strawberry varieties. Bushes are compact, slightly spreading. The inflorescences are complex, sometimes 2-3 flowers grow together into one, this indicates the future irregular shape of the berry. The foliage is quite large, with strongly dissected edges, dark green. Each leaf is located on a thick petiole.
Strawberry fruits from the "very large" section, in the first year of fruiting reach 130 g, in subsequent years a little less - up to 110 g. The shape of the berries is irregular, as if folded into an accordion, and then straightened. Inside without voids, the pulp is juicy, the color is dark red. Excellent taste qualities, dessert. In technical ripeness, there are yellow seeds on the berries, which are slightly drowned in the pulp. The flesh of the fruit is very dense, which makes it possible to transport them over long distances, but in the presence of sepals.
Positive and negative sides
After examining the detailed description of the Mashenka strawberry variety, you can highlight the main positive characteristics:
- High yield up to 800-1000 g from one bush.
- With good care, you can get two crops per season.
- Excellent resistance to pests and diseases.
- Unpretentious care.
- Large-fruited strawberries.
- The operation of the strawberry garden lasts up to 4 years.
If there are pluses, then there must be minuses. They are as follows:
- Low frost resistance. Below -16 degrees, Mashenka's strawberries freeze out, therefore, requires winter shelter.
- Due to the severity of the fruit, the branches often sink to the ground, which can lead to rotting of the berries.
- The variety does not tolerate scorching sun rays, requires shading.
- For the Northern and Central regions, as well as Siberia, it is not suitable for cultivation due to cold winters.
But despite the presence of negative aspects, the type of strawberry Mashenka is popular with gardeners and is the basis for breeding other varieties.The main feature for breeders is large-fruited, which they try to convey.
How to grow this variety
Growing strawberries for Mashenka is not difficult. Everything should go according to the usual scheme: selection of a site, preparation of beds and seedlings, further care. In addition, the variety is absolutely unpretentious to care for. No time and effort required. Strawberries are great for growing in the country outside the city.
Landing dates
Like any other, this strawberry variety can be planted both in spring and autumn. But this is the case if the seedlings have an open root system. It is important that the planted young plants have time to take root and gain nutrients for future wintering. Spring - April, May. Autumn - late September, early October. The autumn months should be chosen depending on the weather conditions.
Important! Planting in spring can produce crops in the same year.
If the plant is purchased in containers, then there is no specific planting time. They are planted at any time, since the plant is already adapted to the ground.
Soil preparation
Having chosen a plot for a garden bed, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil on it:
- The earth is dug up with the addition of drugs for pests and diseases that may be present in it.
- 5 kg of sand and 15 kg of humus per 1 m are added to the soil2, loosen or level with a rake. You can also add compost.
- Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as mineral complexes containing potassium and magnesium, are applied to the territory of the ridge. They are spread evenly over the entire area. Dose in accordance with the instructions for fruit and berry crops.
- If the acidity of the soil is increased, wood ash is added to reduce it.
Important! Each element of mineral fertilizers plays a role in the cultivation of strawberries: phosphorus is responsible for the development of roots, nitrogen activates the growth of the green mass of strawberries, potassium prevents disease damage.
Planting material
The future of Mashenka's strawberries depends on the quality of the planting material. It is possible, having a couple of uterine bushes, to propagate independently, it is enough to take the lateral offspring, which are formed on the lateral shoots or whiskers.
You can buy varietal strawberries from nurseries or gardeners. Each young bush should have up to 6 true leaves without visible damage. It should look juicy, green. It is better not to buy a plant with dry roots. For better adaptation on the site, it is better to buy strawberries in cups.
The central bud should be quite thick, which indicates the presence of a flower bud. Such seedlings can yield crops in the first year of planting.
Landing technology
The best place for growing Mashenka strawberries is considered to be a well-lit area, where direct sunlight, strong winds and excess moisture do not fall. Due to the size of the strawberry bushes, it is necessary to maintain a distance between neighboring plants up to 50 cm. The abundance of space will further affect the size of the fruits. Half a meter is also left in the aisles.
Important! They start planting in cloudy weather, so Mashenka's strawberries will better endure stress.
When the seedling is planted in the hole, the root system is gently straightened, and the main bud is left above the ground. Then watered abundantly and sprinkled with mulch so that the moisture does not evaporate.
The nuances of strawberry care
Mashenka was bred a long time ago, when the technology of growing on agrofibre, film was not used, so she does not need special care conditions.
Moistening the beds
Garden strawberry Mashenka loves regular drip irrigation, but does not tolerate severe waterlogging of the soil, like other varieties of this berry. Excess moisture is harmful to the roots. There are several rules for watering strawberries:
- Before flowering, strawberries can be moistened with a spray hose. Water ingress on foliage is not scary.
- During flowering, they are watered from a watering can under the root, avoiding water getting on the flowers so as not to wash off the pollen.
- During the ripening of the fruits, irrigation is cut and watered as the land dries up.
Important! Make sure that the water is not splashed on the berries, otherwise they lose their taste, aroma, become watery.
Application of dressings and fertilizers
In order for Mashenka's strawberries to please with an abundance of harvest, it is important to apply fertilizers, especially at the time of its active growth. The stronger the bush, the larger the berry will be:
- After the appearance of the first leaves, nitroammophoska is introduced (1 tablespoon per 10-liter bucket of water).
- In the phase of green berries, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate is introduced (for a 10-liter bucket of water, 1 teaspoon of one and the other fertilizer). Watered under the bush.
- In the phase of technical ripeness, a solution of potassium nitrate or wood ash is used (for a 10-liter bucket of water, 2 tablespoons of saltpeter or 100 grams of ash).
- In the spring, the beds are sprinkled with organic matter: humus, compost.
Mulch also acts as a fertilizer. If the beds are sprinkled with it after planting, then in the process of loosening it will fall into the ground and re-heat it, forming organic fertilizers.
Soil mulching
Mulching is very important for strawberries. She covers the beds after planting to keep moisture from evaporation. At the time of the growth of the fruits, the ground is covered with dry sawdust or moss, so that, dropping from the severity, the berries are not rotted. After watering adult strawberry bushes, mulch saves the roots from overheating.
Weeding and loosening the soil
Watered and loosened plantings should be in cloudy weather, when the soil is slightly moistened. This will allow less trauma to the root system. With a special hoe for loosening, they pass around the bushes and in the aisles, trying to cut all the weeds. If the roots are bared during watering, they are spud.
Important! In order not to damage the roots, you can not weed strawberry beds before sheltering for the winter.
Preparation for wintering
The description of the Mashenka strawberry indicates a low resistance to winter temperatures. It cannot withstand frosts below -20 degrees, which means that it requires shelter. If a lot of snow prevails on the site, then this technique can be neglected.
If the winters in the growing region have little snow, then the strawberries need to be covered. As a covering material, you can use spruce branches of coniferous trees, straw, vegetable tops (not weeds), agrofibre.
How to propagate a culture correctly?
Any of the selected methods of propagation of garden strawberries is correct. And Mashenka is propagated in three ways. In any case, varietal characteristics are preserved.
Mustache
The most popular and demanded method. They choose the healthiest strawberry bush, leave a mustache on it. During development, the formed daughter rosettes are looked after as the main bush.
When the offspring are well rooted, they are dug up and transplanted to a new bed. The first two stepsons from the mother plant are considered the best, usually there are three of them. The extreme outlet does not have time to fully form during the season.
Seeds
The most time consuming method of strawberry propagation used by breeders to develop new varieties or improve existing characteristics. In early spring, seeds are grown for seedlings under a film. After the appearance of the first leaves, strawberry seedlings dive, and with the onset of stable warm weather, they are planted in open ground.
By dividing the bush
When the beds are heavily thickened, so as not to throw away part of the heavily overgrown bush, it is transplanted, while receiving additional planting material. It is important here to cut off the "excess" part correctly. With a sharp knife, the strawberry bush is divided so that it has roots and leaves, as well as a central bud.
Plant diseases and pests
Despite the fact that garden strawberries Mashenka are resistant to diseases and pests, they appear due to improper agricultural techniques. To avoid this, you must follow the following recommendations:
- It is better to place the garden bed on the ground where radishes, parsley, garlic, lupine, and cereals previously grew.
- Apply drugs for diseases and pests when preparing the soil for planting.
- Timely process strawberry berries with fungicides and insecticides.
- Do not leave weeds and foliage near strawberries since autumn, as they can contain larvae and bacteria.
- Do not plant strawberries near nightshades.
- Avoid contact of the fruit with the soil.
Mashenka's strawberries are very large, if they are not protected, they can rot, be exposed to late blight, gray rot. Frequent visitors to the fruit crop are slugs, snails, click beetles, which are not averse to eating sweet pulp.
Cleaning and storage
The first harvest begins in late June, early July. It should be picked in the morning, in cloudy weather, so that the berries are most juicy. For collection, use wicker baskets or plastic containers. In each of them, it is necessary to collect no more than two kilograms, otherwise the goods will be crumpled. Another condition for the preservation of the integrity of the berries is the presence of the stalk and sepals.
The berries are unsuitable for preservation, but they are perfectly used frozen for making compotes, jams, marmalade and other desserts.
Strawberry Mashenka is loved and demanded by gardeners due to its size. Some fruits are comparable in size to a chicken egg. There are no copies less than 40 grams. Simplicity of planting and subsequent care is also an important argument for planting the Mashenka variety on your site.
