When doing gardening, many people think about how to start growing new and unusual plants... These include white strawberries. How to start growing this unusual berry will be described in detail in the description below.
What is white strawberry and its features
White strawberries are a hybrid obtained by crossing Chilean and Virginian strawberries... Such a plant grows on different continents, so over time, strawberries with an unusual color appeared. In the course of evolution of such a berry, the gene responsible for the red pigment was lost. With this, the ability of berries to cause allergies in people whose bodies cannot tolerate this pigment disappeared.
Berries of white strawberries are much smaller than that of red ones, except for the White Swede variety, which is sometimes even larger. Still unripe fruits have the same light green color as in red-fruited garden strawberries, and when ripe they acquire a slightly pinkish tint.
Varieties White Swan and Yellow Miracle have a yellowish tinge due to the many yellow seeds. The taste of white strawberries is very unusual - with notes of pineapple, strawberry, mulberry and wild honey. The berries themselves are very sweet, sometimes with sourness. In growing, they are unpretentious and grow in small bushes, not taking up much space on the site. They are not stored for long, so they do not go on sale - this is perhaps the only drawback.
Most popular varieties
Pineberry
A popular type of white strawberry is the pineberry or pineapple strawberry imported from Holland. Small berries (1.5 - 2.5 g) with red seeds and pineapple flavor... Garden strawberries are low-yielding, but they are unpretentious and resistant to various diseases.
Anablanca
The variety was brought from France. Anablanca is a rare variety because it appeared relatively recently. In terms of properties and methods of cultivation, it is similar to the previous species. The pulp is tender, pinkish due to long exposure to the sun... The variety is high-yielding, compact and, like Pineberry, is not susceptible to diseases.
White Swan and White Lotus
These varieties are imported from Japan. They reach a height of 15-20 cm, remontant... Berries of the White Swan variety, with the taste of linden honey, are weighing 2.5 - 4 g. The White Lotus strawberry is smaller and more oblong, the taste is dessert.
White Swede
Refers to large-fruited varieties. Berries reach a mass of 25 g and more... They are cone shaped with sweet and sour pineapple, mulberry and wild strawberry flavors. Bushes are squat and spreading. This variety is resistant to pests and droughts, not afraid of cold weather.
How and where does white strawberry grow?
White-fruited garden strawberries practically do not differ from ordinary ones, so they can be grown both in the garden bed and in the greenhouse. Varieties with small berries can also be grown in containers. Planting is not possible in a sunny area, does not require abundant watering... If water is abundant, the berries will become watery, but retain their sweet, rich taste.
It is impossible to plant white strawberries with seeds, only a mustache.
To propagate a plant, you need to root the mustache in plastic containers, and then separate it from the bush.
Landing rules
White garden strawberries love warmth, so it is advisable to grow in greenhouses, but you can also grow outdoors. But on the site, not in every place this berry can take root well. A good place would be where corn or legumes grew... If you previously grew cucumbers, tomatoes or potatoes, then the soil is not suitable for strawberries.
Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to remove all unnecessary dirt, weeds, rhizomes. Having dug up the ground 30-35 cm deep, it is necessary to saturate the soil with mineral fertilizers: nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. Prepare holes 10-15 cm, pour some water and place the seedlings with straightened rhizomes. Leave a distance of 20-25 cm between the bushes for their growth.
Is it necessary and how to properly cut the berry
Once a year, it is imperative to prune the bushes. Old leaves and whiskers take a lot of energy from the plant and therefore the yield of the bush decreases... This procedure can be carried out both in spring and autumn.
The best option would be to cover your garden strawberries for the winter. In this case, you should cut the bushes in the fall and be sure to remove the mustache. The mustache can also be removed as needed. During the summer, it is mainly the lower leaves of the bush that give all their strength, so they should be removed, carefully cutting off the lower leaves without damaging the upper ones, which already have buds for the next season.
After removing the whiskers and leaves, pests and infections will not get on the strawberries. If there was no pruning in the fall, you must certainly do this in the spring.... It is necessary to remove the yellowed old and diseased leaves.
Care rules
Part of the care is feeding, which is divided into several stages:
- The first feeding is done at planting.... When peduncles appear, you need to make organic feeding with the addition of ash to it.
- When blooming the plant also needs feeding, at this time energy, water and trace elements are expended for a plentiful and good harvest.
- Last dressing done during the laying of new buds for the next season.
In order for all minerals and moisture to reach only the berry, timely and constant weeding is necessary.
To reduce weeds and provide protection from the beginning of berry rotting, it is advisable to mulch the soil. A layer of dry grass spreads 8-10 cm above the soil. To protect the fruit from insects, you can tie the berries to the pegs.
Diseases and pests
Common gray rot forms a fluffy bloom on the berries. This disease is caused by frequent rains and is spread by spores. To eliminate, you should get rid of all diseased leaves and bushes.
For prevention, before flowering, you need to spray the plants with an iodine solution - 10 drops per 10 liters of water. This procedure will also relieve other fungal diseases.
Of the pests are found:
- Nematode;
- Weevil;
- Spider mite;
- Medvedka and many others.
Most insects lay eggs in the strawberry fruit.... You should not plant a plant next to a raspberry tree, many pests will begin to multiply on strawberries.
Conclusion
All these tips and tricks will help you grow an unusual berry variety. Growing properly and providing good careYou can enjoy the pleasant and delicate taste of white strawberries for many years.