Strawberries can be found in almost every garden area, while the Festivalnaya variety is especially popular.
It has many positive qualities, the main ones of which are high yield and unpretentiousness to growing conditions, including winter temperatures.
Description of strawberry variety Festival Chamomile
Strawberry bush Festivalnaya vigorous, but at the same time compact, the leaves are located quite high and closely.
Peduncles are thick and powerful, capable of supporting the weight of a ripe berry, most often they are on the same level with the leaves or slightly below them. The inflorescences are very neat, flowers are bisexual.
According to the description, fruiting occurs in the middle or late periods and at the same time it lasts long enough, until mid-October-early November.
The yield of the variety is very good, up to 500 grams of strawberries can be harvested from one bush. It is worth noting that the first fruits can reach a mass equal to 45 grams, while the last harvested crop will be much less (10-15 grams).
The oblong berries are bright red, the skin is shiny and even. The neck is wide and straight. Red, small achenes are located over the entire surface of such strawberries.
The pulp is light pink, tender, but at the same time dense, due to which the variety tolerates transportation and long-term storage well.
The taste of berries is pleasant, sweet and sour with a delicate aroma. You can use these strawberries for different purposes.
The Festivalnaya Chamomile variety is famous for its resistance to various diseases and pests, but still on such a plant you can see powdery mildew or verticillary wilting. Such a strawberry tolerates winter frosts well.
Breeding history and region of growth
Festivalnaya strawberry was bred in the city of Pavlovsk domestic breeders, who have been working hard for 4 years, in the period from 1954 to 1958.
The variety got its name in honor of the world festival of youth and students, which was held in 1997.
Despite the fact that Festivalnaya is considered an old variety, many hybrid species have so far failed to overshadow its characteristics.
It is customary to grow such strawberries in the Central and Northern regions., in the Urals and Siberia.
Such unusual preferences are due to the fact that the variety tolerates cold well, but at the same time is very susceptible to drought and heat, so the southern areas are not suitable for growing it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Variety advantages:
- good productivity;
- excellent berry taste;
- the resulting berries tolerate transportation well and are stored for a long time;
- the first fruits boast a large size;
- long fruiting period;
- the variety can grow productively in partial shade;
- the plant is not afraid of winter frosts, flower buds are not affected during frosts, and damaged bushes recover very quickly.
Disadvantages:
- the variety is often affected by some diseases;
- the plant does not tolerate heat and drought.
Landing rules
It is customary to carry out work on planting Festivalnaya in open ground in springwhen the threat of return frosts has passed or in early spring. In the second case, you need to ensure that the plant has time to take root and does not freeze over the winter.
When choosing a place for strawberries, you should take into account its requirements:
- Slightly acidic loamy or sandy loam soils are best suited.
- The site should be well lit, but at the same time protected from direct sunlight.
- Drafts negatively affect the plant.
- The groundwater level must be at least 80 centimeters.
In order to avoid the transfer of pests from predecessors, strawberries are recommended to be grown in those places where legumes, carrots, dill and parsley grew before them.
For the most successful growth of seedlings, in the fall, six months before planting, the soil is dug up to a depth of 25 centimeters, cleaned of weeds and the following fertilizers are applied (per 1 square meter):
- 5-6 kilograms of manure or peat;
- 50 grams of superphosphate;
- 20-30 grams of potash compounds.
Planting process strawberries in the open field looks like this:
- Initially, shallow planting holes are dug, the distance between which should be at least 30 centimeters.
- The resulting holes are watered abundantly with water.
- In seedlings, the roots are slightly shortened and the leaves are pinched, leaving 3-4 of the strongest and most powerful.
- The plant is placed so that the root collar is at ground level.
- The last step will be abundant watering.
If strawberries are planted in the fall, then it must be additionally covered.
Garden berry care
Caring for the Festivalnaya is quite simple and even a beginner can handle it.
Watering strawberries consists of several basic rules.to consider when taking care of:
- watering plantings begins in April;
- 10-12 liters of warm water are used per 1 square meter of the plantation;
- at moderate temperatures, the ridges are watered once every two weeks;
- in a hot period, it will be necessary to moisten the soil every 2-3 days;
- if there is little rainfall in the fall, watering the strawberries should be continued and repeated every 5 days;
- during the work, water should not be allowed to get on the plant that is in the flowering or fruiting stage.
Every 7-10 days, the beds must be carefully loosened and clear weeds. This will help them get as much oxygen as possible.
To prevent rapid evaporation of moisture and to stop the growth of weeds, the aisles must be mulched straw, grass or peat.
In order for the plant to form a powerful and viable root system, in the first year of life, all whiskers and peduncles are removed from it.
Festivalnaya strawberry needs regular feeding, which is carried out according to the following scheme:
In early spring, immediately after the snow melts | Complex mineral fertilizers |
During flowering, fertilizer is applied once a week. | 200 milliliters of bird droppings are diluted in 4 liters of water and watered with this mixture on one bush |
At the end of fruiting | Superphosphate, 50 grams of which is diluted in a bucket of water |
Experienced gardeners recommend feeding immediately after watering.
Reproduction
Festival strawberries can be propagated in several ways, but it should be borne in mind that vegetative methods most often end in success, and when germinating seeds there is a risk of getting a plant different from the mother.
To get seedlings from seed, perform the following actions:
- at the end of February-at the beginning of March, a fertile mixture is prepared, consisting of equal parts of sand and peat, the seeds are moistened and laid out on the surface, which are then slightly pressed into the depths;
- the container is covered with glass or foil and placed in a warm place, periodically airing and watering;
- after 2-3 weeks the first shoots should appear and the seedlings can be dived into separate containers;
- as soon as 3-4 rosettes of leaves appear on the seedlings, they can be transferred to open ground.
To obtain planting material from a mustache, it is enough to choose the most powerful and longest shoot, the rest are removed.
As soon as a root rosette forms on it, it is placed in a separate pot and dropped into the ground, after which it is looked after like a seedling. After a few weeks, the young bush can be separated from the mother plant.
You can also use the method of dividing the bush, in accordance with which an adult plant is dug out of the ground and divided into several parts.
It is worth noting that 3-4 leaf rosettes and healthy, powerful roots should be present on each cut.
Diseases and pests
Festivalnaya strawberry, like other plants, is affected by various diseases. Most often, gray rot, powdery mildew or verticillary wilting can be seen on the bushes.
Disease | Control methods |
Gray rot | In early spring, before the formation of buds, the plant is sprayed with preparations "Topsin M", "Zuparen", "Derozal", etc. If the summer is rainy, then the treatment is repeated after flowering. |
Powdery mildew | At the initial stages of the disease, the drug "Trichoderma" is effective; |
Verticillary wilting | If the treatment of the disease is started on time, biological products ("Fitodoctor", "Fitosporin", etc.) can become good means. At advanced stages, Brodsky liquid or "Fundazol" is used. |
Prevention of diseases and pests is as follows:
- In early winter, mulch is removed from the beds and the leaves of plants are removed, after which the soil is loosened to a depth of 6-8 centimeters and treated with Brodsky liquid or copper sulfate.
- At the end of September, plants and the ground around them are treated with the following composition:
- 5 liters of water;
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 1 tablespoon liquid soap
- 1 tablespoon ash;
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- After 2 weeks, the treatment is repeated using Brodsky liquid.
Festivalnaya strawberry is a well-known variety of domestic selection, which has not lost its popularity for over 50 years.
Such plants bring a rich harvest, consisting of large and very tasty berries.