Important nuances of planting and caring for Eliane strawberries
Both children and adults love juicy and delicious strawberries. The Eliane variety is one of the most successful, due to the high level of fruiting, excellent taste of fruits, excellent immunity to diseases and pests. The culture can often be found in garden plots, because planting and caring for Eliane's strawberries is not particularly difficult.
Eliane strawberry variety was developed in 1998 in the Netherlands by breeder Albert Konings. The culture is zoned for areas with a mild climate, in which too high or low air temperatures are not observed. Therefore, gardeners consider this variety to be capricious and whimsical.
Description of the variety
Berries weighing from 20 to 90 g have dense flesh and bright red color, cone-shaped elongated shape and tender juicy flesh, which after full ripening becomes pink. Ripeness can be judged by the white tip of the berry and easy tearing off the stalk.
Advantages and disadvantages
The popularity of Eliane strawberries is due to the large number of cultural merits:
- high and stable yield rate (up to 2 kg from each bush);
- the fruits are attractive in appearance and excellent taste;
- immunity to fungal and bacterial diseases;
- early ripening;
- long fruiting period;
- safety of the presentation during transportation over long distances;
- undemanding to the composition of the soil;
- no need for periodic transplants to a new place: strawberries bear fruit in one place for 10 years without losing productivity;
- versatility of use, berries are suitable for fresh consumption, as well as for all types of processing and freezing.
When describing the Eliane strawberry variety, it is important to identify its disadvantages.:
- the yield and quality of fruits decreases in conditions of extreme heat and a lack of moisture;
- the sweetness decreases and the acidity in the taste increases with increased humidity.
Residents of the northeast point to poor wintering of the culture, freezing, so you need to cover it for the winter. And gardeners from Samara and the Moscow region warn about the baking of fruits under the influence of the scorching rays of the sun, they advise to carefully choose the planting site.
Planting and caring for Eliane strawberries
Planting and caring for Eliane strawberries do not differ from the agricultural technology of growing other crop varieties. But they have some nuances that should be taken into account when cultivating to improve the quality and quantity of the crop.
The optimal period for planting strawberries is from July to September. The main thing is to avoid hot weather: the temperature indicator should be no more than 25 degrees.
You should not plan planting work in the spring, the seedlings will not have time to adapt and will start to hurt when the heat comes.
The choice of planting material
When buying seedlings, give preference to the following specimens:
- lack of dots, spots on foliage;
- open root system from 7 to 9 cm;
- the thickness of the root collar and horns is not less than 6-7 mm.
Before planting, additionally treat the plants in hot water (50 degrees) for 20 minutes in two stages with an interval of half an hour, then place for 5 minutes in a solution of 1 tsp. copper sulfate and 3 tsp. salt diluted in 10 liters of water.
Determining the landing site
It will be possible to get healthy and strong plants with abundant fruiting only in well-lit areas, protected from strong northern winds.
When choosing a place, give preference to areas with loamy, sandy loam soil or black soil. Pre-feed heavy soil with river sand and compost.
Before planting seedlings, free the area from weeds. Then enrich the soil with organic matter and dig it up.
Stages of the planting process
Eliane strawberry planting technology includes several stages:
- Prepare a hole for each seedling, depending on the root system, but no more than 35 cm. Cover with humus and pour plenty of water.
- Place the seedlings and cover with soil, so that the growing point is not covered with soil, in order to avoid decay of the root bud.
- Tamp and water liberally.
- Mulching, this will ensure the preservation of nutrients and the required level of moisture.
Maintain a distance of 25 cm between plants.For convenience in caring for strawberries, when trimming the mustache, it is better to leave 40 cm between the rows.
Watering and mulching schedule
Strawberries are a moisture-loving plant, but liquid stagnation can adversely affect its immunity to fungi. Adjust watering according to weather conditions. On average, moisten the soil 2-3 times a week. Use warm, settled water, after watering, be sure to loosen the soil.
One of the important care measures is mulching, which will retain moisture in the soil, enrich the soil with nutrients, and also prevent weeds from germinating. Advice! Use sawdust, straw, pine needles, cut grass as mulch.
Top dressing
When breeding Eliana strawberries, it is recommended to use the standard feeding scheme. In the spring, for the full development of the root system, apply nitrogen-based fertilizers. At the time of the formation of fruits, complex fertilizing is suitable for the prevention of diseases, and after harvesting it is important to enrich the soil with potassium, phosphorus substances, and rotted compost.
Preparing for winter
Before the onset of cold weather, carry out a preventive examination, remove dry, damaged leaves, free the plant from unnecessary whiskers, old foliage. If the roots are bare, sprinkle them with a fertile substrate to protect them from freezing. Then cover the bushes with a layer of sawdust mulch or agrofibre.
Ways to protect against diseases and pests
The Eliani variety is resistant to diseases, but if the care requirements are not followed, gray rot may occur, powdery mildew, late blight. To prevent them, you need to create and maintain an optimal microclimate: adhere to a moderate density of planting strawberry bushes, remove weeds, remove dry leaves in the spring, and ensure proper watering.
An ardent fan of strawberries is the transparent strawberry mite. To prevent the garden from becoming the center of the accumulation of insects, it is important to carry out protective operations in a timely manner. In spring and autumn, remove and burn old foliage. Also, regularly inspect the bushes, and if a problem is identified, resort to mechanical, chemical methods.
Correctly carried out planting and caring for Eliani strawberries in compliance with all recommendations will ensure excellent berry quality, a high yield and extended fruiting.