The Kimberley garden strawberry is very popular with gardeners. This is due to the fact that it does not require long-term attention to itself and brings an early harvest of juicy and sweet berries, which can please with their excellent taste at the end of May.
Kimberly strawberry variety description
Let's start with a description of the variety. Kimberly strawberry was bred in Holland, by crossing varieties such as Chandler and Gorella. The bushes of this plant are quite small, squat, but very powerful and persistent. Leaves are medium in size, round in shape and with a glossy, even surface. Fruits are strong, capable of supporting the weight of the berries, while not leaning to the ground.
Fruiting of Kimberly strawberries begins in late May - early June and lasts only 15-20 days, but even in this short time, from one bush you can collect from 1.5 to 2 kilograms of ripe berries.
The largest amount of harvest can be harvested for 2-3 years of plant life.
Quite large fruits, weighing 50-60 grams, are colored bright red and have a conical shape that resembles hearts from afar. The berries are very juicy and sweet to their taste. This variety is characterized by the presence of light notes of caramel in the taste.
It is also worth noting that there are no empty cavities inside the fruit, which increases their shelf life and transportability.
Region of natural growth
Kimberly's garden strawberry is best suited for growing in regions with a warm and mild climate, but due to its good frost resistance, this variety can also be grown in the central region of Russia.
In this case, it should be borne in mind that the plant will need additional shelter for the winter period and timely protection from recurrent frosts.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Variety advantages:
- Unusual, caramel berry taste;
- Attractive fruit appearance;
- Good frost resistance, allowing Kimberly to be grown in areas with cold and changeable climates;
- Strong and persistent peduncles;
- Early fruiting;
- High productivity;
- Berries are suitable for long distance transportation;
- The variety is resistant to a wide range of diseases.
Disadvantages:
- Kimberly strawberries do not tolerate drought and can quickly die without timely watering;
- Fruiting lasts only 2-3 weeks;
- Weak immunity to pests and insects.
Planting and caring for the plant
In order to get a rich harvest, first of all, you need to properly plant garden strawberries.... These works are recommended to be performed in early April or early September. For strawberries, sunny areas are chosen, protected from drafts and gusty winds. A suitable place is weeded and cleared of stones, after which the following fertilizers are applied to 1 square meter:
- 6-8 kilograms of humus or rotted manure;
- 30 grams of wood ash;
- 50 grams of superphosphate.
After 7-14 days, after the fertilizer has been infused a little, you can begin to perform the main work:
Before placing the seedling in the planting hole, you need to choose one, the healthiest leaf, and cut off the rest. This procedure will help slow down the process of moisture evaporation.
- To begin with, they dig shallow holes, which should be at a distance of 60-80 centimeters from each other;
- Then the bottom of the hole is watered abundantly with water and a small mound is formed there;
- A small bush is placed on the resulting mound, the roots are spread and buried in such a way that the central kidney remains outside.
At the end of all work, the plant must be watered and mulched with improvised materials.
Planting care
Kimberly garden strawberries are very moisture-loving, therefore, in the absence of watering, the bushes can very quickly begin to wither and die. Immediately after planting, the plant is watered daily using a small amount of water. As soon as the strawberries get stronger, watering is carried out once a week, but on dry and hot days, the amount of moisture introduced must be increased to avoid drying out the soil.
During the ripening of the fruits, watering is carried out more often, once every 4-5 days.
Timely loosening and removal of weeds is very important for strawberries. Another useful procedure is mulching, with which you can retain moisture in the soil, slow down the growth of weeds and protect the plant from pests. Dry foliage, sawdust, needles, etc. can be used as mulch.
Kimberly is very responsive to fertilization. Experienced gardeners recommend using the following scheme:
In early spring, before the formation of new leaves | Under each bush, pour 500 milliliters of a solution prepared from 1 tablespoon of urea, 1 tablespoon of sodium humate and 10 liters of water. |
Before flowering, immediately after the first leaves appear | 500 milliliters of nitroammofoska solution is poured under the root, 1 tablespoon of which is diluted in 10 liters of water; · The green part of the plants is sprayed with urea. |
During fruit formation | 2 tablespoons of ash are diluted in 1 liter of boiling water and the solution is infused for 24 hours, after which garden strawberries are poured over them. |
Preparing for winter | · In mid-September, a bucket of rotted mullein and 100 grams of ash are poured under each bush; · After 10-14 days, strawberries are poured with a solution prepared from 1 liter of water, 2 tablespoons of nitrophosphate, 1 tablespoon of feces sulfate and 200 grams of ash. |
In order to prepare strawberries for winter, it is necessary to lay mullein or humus under the bushes, and cover them on top with spruce branches or non-woven material.
Every 4-5 years, the planting needs to be updated and transferred to another place.
Reproduction methods
There are several ways to propagate strawberries.
Using seeds
Seedlings begin to sow in late winter and early spring:
- The soil, consisting of 3 parts of sand and 5 parts of humus, is placed in a container, moistened and the seeds are spread on top, slightly burying them into the soil;
- Then the container is covered with foil and placed in a room with an air temperature of 20 degrees;
- Seedlings are ventilated daily and the soil is moistened;
- After 10-14 days, the first shoots should appear, after which the film can be removed;
- With the appearance of several true leaves, the seedlings are moved into open ground.
Growing strawberries from seeds is an extremely risky process, because very often the resulting plants do not retain their original varietal characteristics.
Mustache
For this type of reproduction, adult, 2-year-old plants are well suited, on which a developed and powerful mustache is left. The sockets formed on them are pressed into the ground and watered abundantly, after which they are looked after like a seedling. After the formation of the central bud, the daughter bush can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent place.
By dividing the bush
A healthy bush is dug out of the ground and divided into several parts, each of which must have a central bud. The resulting seedlings are placed in the holes and continue to grow as individual plants.
Features of fruiting
Like many other varieties, Kimberly strawberries have a number of distinctive features that must be considered when growing them:
- Despite the fact that the variety is already considered early and you can get ripe berries already at the beginning of June, this period can be significantly reduced if bushes are grown in special tunnels;
- To improve fruiting, antennae are recommended to be removed;
- Ripe fruits are harvested only in dry weather in the early morning or evening. In this case, the berries retain their freshness longer.
Diseases and pests
Kimberly garden strawberry has good resistance to various diseases, but you can still find a nematode or gray rot on it.
- In order to get rid of the nematode, it is necessary to cut off the affected parts of the plant as soon as possible and treat the bush with a 1% solution of Brodsky's liquid or Topaz;
- You can cure gray rot by spraying strawberries with an iodine solution prepared in a ratio of 1k10.
Unfortunately, this variety is often affected by pests and in order to get rid of them, you must adhere to the following instructions:
- Large insects that can be seen with the naked eye are collected by hand;
- 500 grams of dandelions are placed in a bucket of warm water and left there for 3 hours, the resulting solution is sprayed with strawberries;
- The head of garlic is crushed and poured with 3 liters of water and then infused for 1 week. Such an infusion will help to effectively get rid of pests;
- If the methods of traditional medicine are powerless, you will have to use special drugs, such as Fitoverm or Actellik.
All chemicals must be used exclusively in accordance with the instructions.
The most important preventive measure against insects and diseases will be proper care, which includes timely watering and feeding, removal of weeds and affected plant parts.
Kimberly strawberries can delight everyone with a delicious and juicy harvest of early berries. In addition, such a shrub does not require complex maintenance and tolerates a variety of weather conditions.