We all love to feast on ripe, juicy strawberries picked from our own garden on summer days. So how do you choose a berry variety to get the most out of your crop if the berry is rarely resistant to the harsh climate change in different regions? Fortunately, there are very inexpensive and resistant varieties of strawberries, such as Ducat.
Description of the variety Dukat
Ducat is a fruitful strawberry variety developed by Polish breeders, resistant to frost and unpretentious care.
According to the description, it belongs to early or early-middle varieties. The ripening period is from June to mid-July.
Usually the berry bears fruit quite abundantly.: from one bush with proper and frequent watering, you can collect almost 2 kg of berries.
Resistant to gray rot and many other diseases, which is why it has become widespread in the northern regions as well.
Ripe berry is a large round fruit. On average, the weight of one berry is about 40-50 grams.
The pulp is quite dense, juicy, bright red without a pronounced white center. There is an elastic glossy film on the surface of the berry. The stalk is easily separated from the berry itself.
Bushes of this variety grow very abundantly. They also give a lot of antennae, which allows you to quickly multiply your crop.
Large variety sheets, have a light green color, but the bushes themselves are rather low with a thick peduncle.
Flowers of both sexes with a large number of stamens, located just below the leaves.
Strawberries adapt well to various types of soil and calmly tolerates wintering, but as a precautionary measure, you should prepare a shelter for the beds in the winter.
When growing strawberries, the temperature in the ground should not be lower than -8 degrees.
Where to plant
Continental climate recommended for this strawberry variety, however, it can be easily realized on the lands of the North Caucasus.
Sometimes, for a better harvest, strawberries may “languish” in cold ground for several months, as this berry loves moist soil.
Attempts to plant this variety in arid, clayey or sandy soil can definitely fail. Limestone, saline and acidic soils will also not produce the expected results.
It is undesirable to plant strawberries in open areas, often blown by the wind.
A little life hack: in case the soil is still too wet, a small amount of sand can be added to the roots when planting. This will help prevent the spread of rot.
Planting strawberries
Landing takes place both in spring and autumn. Experienced gardeners recommend planting this variety in winter.because that way the strawberries end up with a richer flavor.
In autumn
Disembarkation begins in late August - early September... Mandatory conditions for planting in the fall are the presence of fertilizer.
Either compost or humus is used as fertilizer. Approximate consumption is 1 kg per square meter.
Before planting, the soil must be prepared: since strawberries do not grow at great depths, it is recommended to dig up the ground 25-30 cm deep, no more.
If planting is planned to be carried out in the autumn period, then preparation should be started 2-3 weeks before planting itself.
In the spring
Planting of strawberries usually begins during the period from late April to mid-May... The beds are cleaned of weeds, the soil is preliminarily slightly moistened and loosened.
If the ground itself is damp, grooves must be made around the fertile area to drain the moisture.
The ways
Strawberries are usually planted in rows... The rows are prepared at a distance of about 70 cm from each other for better further separation of the tendrils and clearing weeds. At the same time, a distance of 15-20 cm is maintained between the beds themselves.
They make holes in the ground and carefully place a seedling in it. Then they are buried at a low height, so that the apical bud is at the level of the soil, and the roots are not exposed.
It is very important not to bury the seedlings deeply and not leave them on the surface.... In the first case, the roots will be saturated with moisture and will not germinate, in the second, they will simply dry out.
After planting, the soil should be watered abundantly and mixed with straw or sawdust mulch of your choice.
Watering and further care
Dukat is not a picky variety, and therefore it does not need to be watered often.: it is enough once a week in the autumn, and in the summer, moisten the soil every three days.
Depending on the region and the weather in summer, you can additionally use sprinkling. Warm water is preferred.
When the berry is bearing fruit, it is preferable to use only sprinkling. After each watering, the soil is loosened.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Also, in the spring, strawberries will require additional feeding, especially if the soil is not rich in trace elements. There are options here:
- Top dressing with ammonium sulfur... For example, 135 grams of this "powder" is used for 10 squares.
- Complete mineral fertilizer for fruitful bushes. It depends on whether you can further propagate this variety.
- Complex feeding good because they contain trace elements, on which the size of the fruit depends in the future.
- Phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers are also required for strawberries.
- Alternatively, it can also be used as a top dressing. humus, but you can often overdo it with it.
- Nitrogen compounds are also good for soil - they are brought in in the spring.
Depending on the age of the strawberries, top dressing is applied at different times.: for young plants this is the period of organ growth, and for fruit-bearing bushes - during the abundant formation of berries.
Diseases and ways to deal with them
There are several of the most common diseases in the Dukat strawberry variety:
Black rot
Signs: berry wateriness, soft taste, darkening and rot.
Way to fight: try to eliminate the infected beds, since it is hardly possible to get rid of this, but there are chances to save the remaining shoots.
Nematode
Signs: darkening and deformation of the leaves, the formation of red spots on them.
Treatment: Treat the bushes with warm water, not higher than 45 degrees. It is possible to repeat the procedure several times.
Powdery mildew
Signs: white spots and bloom on the fruits and leaves of the plant.
Remedy: Prepare a solution of soda ash at the rate of 50 grams of substance per 10 liters of water and process the beds.
This variety is immune to other types of pests.
Overall, the Ducat strawberry is a variety known for its fruitfulness and high yield. Experienced gardeners often compare it to varieties like Lord and Zenga-Zengana.
It is unpretentious, is a good neighbor for other plants in the garden and perfect as the first experience of growing berries in the garden.