Instructions for growing strawberries of the Mara de Bois variety
The Mara de Bois strawberry is a hybrid of French selection. The culture is the tastiest among the remontant varieties. Therefore, it can be cultivated outdoors in garden beds, greenhouses and even flower pots on windowsills and balconies. This method will allow you to decorate your house, apartment in an original way, and also get a nice bonus in the quality of delicious berries.
general description
This is a perennial plant with a developed root system and creeping, shortened shoots. Bushes up to 20 cm in height, characterized by compactness, medium density, moderate vigor. The foliage is dark green, small in size, with slightly raised edges. The flowers are white, bisexual. Peduncles are short, thin, slightly pubescent, bearing 5-7 inflorescences.
The berries are in the shape of a cone, medium density, red-orange in color, located at the level of the foliage. The pulp is juicy, red-orange, and has a pleasant texture. Dessert taste with pleasant light sour notes and strawberry aroma. With good care, the fruits grow up to 20-25 grams in weight.
Fruiting begins in the second decade of June and lasts until mid-September.
Pros and cons of the variety
The advantages thanks to which the berry culture deserves its place in the garden:
- unusual taste;
- good indicators of frost resistance;
- long and continuous fruiting;
- powdery mildew resistance;
- high decorativeness of the bushes;
- the ability to cultivate both in open soil and in greenhouse conditions;
The description of the Mara de Bois strawberry variety also provides for the designation of shortcomings:
- poor tolerance to drought and high temperatures;
- the need to apply a complex of mineral fertilizers for good fruiting results;
- heterogeneity of the shape and size of berries
- average transportability.
The crop is poorly stored, which is why it is advised to use refrigeration units during transportation. The variety is not suitable for large-scale production.
Planting Mara de Bois strawberries
To obtain a good harvest, it is required to take into account all the varietal characteristics of the berry crop when planting. It is important to create comfortable conditions for active germination, flowering and ripening of delicious berries.
Site selection and soil preparation
High yields will be observed in beds located in a sunlit place protected from cold winds.
The variety prefers slightly acidified and well-fertilized soils. Therefore, before planting, the soil must be enriched compost, inorganic substances. Then dig up the site.
It is necessary to prepare a place for spring planting in the fall. When planting seedlings in autumn or summer, do the work a month before the event so that the soil has time to sink.
How to choose planting material
It is advisable to buy seedlings from trusted suppliers.
When choosing seedlings, it is important to consider some points:
- plants should not have damaged, yellowed leaves;
- the presence of at least 3 green leaves on the seedlings;
- fibrous root system, roots, at least 7 cm long;
- do not take sluggish bushes, as well as seedlings with wrinkled leaves.
The presence of dots on the leaves of seedlings signal a fungal infection.
Timing and technology of planting seedlings
It is recommended to plan the planting of seedlings in April or May, in the northern regions - in June.
The compactness of the bushes of the plant allows them to be planted in one or two lines, while maintaining the distance between the planting units of 30 cm, and the row spacing - 40 cm.
In the process of planting, straighten the roots over the moist soil. The growth point of the rosette should be at ground level. After the strawberries are planted, water well and mulch hay, straw or sawdust.
On one site, you can cultivate a berry culture - 4 years. After it must be transplanted.
Subtleties of strawberry care
The variety is whimsical to growing conditions, so you need to make a lot of effort. Carrying out all agricultural techniques for caring for Mara de Bois strawberries will allow the plant to begin bearing fruit in the shortest possible time and form yields of tasty fruits for a long time.
Watering and feeding
Water the strawberries generously as they suffer from drought. Moisten around the perimeter or using drip irrigation, preventing moisture from getting on the fruits and into the center of the outlets.
As the seedlings take over and begin to release new leaves, you can fertilize them. During the growing season, water the bushes 2 times a month with mullein infusion (1 liter per 10 liters of water). At the time of bud formation, use fertilizers containing the same amount of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. For bushes that have been growing in the garden for more than one year, you need to apply complex fertilizers, which include nitrogen.
If the culture grows on sandy soil, then it is important to spray once a year using a weak solution of boric acid. It is recommended to treat strawberries growing on calcareous soil with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Weeding and loosening the soil
In order not to overload the soil with chemicals, while ensuring the ecological purity of the fruits, you need to fight weeds on the site by weeding.
Exclude weeding during flowering, so as not to chicken pollen from the flowers.
Such a care measure as loosening will help the soil to enter the amount of air necessary for root growth.
Mulching
When cultivating in an open bed, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the bushes using straw, sawdust, film. This technique will preserve moisture in the soil, prevent the spread of weeds and protect the plant roots from freezing. The fruit will stay clean and will not rot due to excess moisture during the rainy season.
Preparing for winter
Mara de Bois is a winter-hardy variety, so in the southern regions it can do without shelter. In the northern regions, it is important to cover the strawberry bushes with a layer of mulch made from sawdust, straw, peat, compost. Also, to protect plants from frost, you can use a material such as agrofibre, lutrasil.
Protection against diseases, pests
Mara de bois strawberries are resistant to fungal diseases. With poor care, the variety can pick up powdery mildew, leaf blight, chlorosis, and root rot. For preventive purposes, the plant should be sprayed with Bordeaux liquid (1%) in early spring. If symptoms of disease are found, strawberries should be treated with chemical or folk remedies.
Strawberry beds also do not pass by pests: whiteflies, leaf beetles, aphids, weevils. A mixture based on a solution of laundry soap, ammonia and a decoction of onion husks will help prevent the appearance of insects.
Experienced gardeners protect strawberries from the invasion of pests by planting calendula and marigolds around the beds.
Reproduction methods
It is customary to breed strawberries Mara de Bois in three ways: by dividing the bush, seeds and rosettes.The main thing is to choose the right planting material, excluding specimens with traces of mold and wilting.
Seeds
The process of multiplying strawberries of the Mara de Bois variety by seeds is long, requiring special attention and appropriate efforts.
Procedure technology:
- Select seeds, add water and leave for 12 hours at room temperature.
- Fill the container with universal soil and sprinkle sand on top with a layer of no more than 1 cm.
- Spread the planting material evenly over the surface, water with water and cover the container with foil. For 3-4 weeks, remove the film for 2 hours a day.
- When 2 leaves appear on the sprouts, transplant into more spacious separate containers.
- Planting in open ground is carried out after the seedlings grow 10-15 cm.
In addition to the container, you can use peat tablets, which are first soaked, and then put one seed on each.
By dividing the bush
Throughout the season, evaluate the fruiting of each bush, and mark the most productive specimens. In late summer or early September, dig them up and, trying not to damage the horse system, divide them into several parts. You can take up to seven new seedlings from one bush.
Outlets
To obtain high-quality seedlings, cut the rosettes with peduncles located close to the mother bush. Choose an individual container for each young plant.
Growing and cultivating Mara de Bois strawberries in the garden is not as difficult a task as it might seem at first glance. The main thing is to adhere to all agrotechnical methods for growing and recommendations for care, then you will be able to enjoy a tasty and healthy berry.