Among the great variety of varieties of large-fruited garden strawberries, there are those that can be called megaparte. As a rule, these are plants of the remontant type of fruiting, although there are exceptions. Many of them have already become “hits” on Russian plantations. For instance, the Wim series, originated by the Dutch company Vissers Aardbeiplanten... This line includes four varieties of garden strawberries: Rina, Xima, Tanda and Zanta.
About the Wim series - in general terms
Vissers is an old and well-known breeding company, specializing in strawberry breeding since 1961. The Vissers plantations are located in the southern part of the Netherlands, where the soil is sandy and light, there is a lot of light and other natural benefits that strawberries love.
The varieties of the Wima series, although combined into one line, are genetically different. The only relatives are Tarda and Zanta. Their main common feature is the high mass of fruits. If usually the fruits of garden strawberries range within 30 gthen in Vima varieties, this indicator reaches 40-60 g, and in some cases and up to 100 g.
On the official website of the Vissers company, the varieties of the Wima series are distributed by fruiting time in this way:
Vima Zanta | Short day variety | End of May - end of June |
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Vima Xima | Short day variety | Early June - early July |
Vima Tarda | Short day variety | Early June - early July |
Vima Rina | Neutral day variety | July - early November |
An explanation is required here. In Russia, it is customary to separate the concepts of "neutral day" (or "photoneutral") and "remontant". Reparability in the domestic scientific sense is the ability to re-bear fruit. Such plants give 2-4 waves of fruiting per season. Photoneutral varieties - these are those in which there is a continuous laying of flower buds. Such strawberries will bear fruit all season without interruption.
In Europe, however, the term "day neutral varieties" combines both remontance and photoneutrality. Therefore, sometimes there is confusion when translating. It happened with Wim Rin's strawberries. In many descriptions it is called remontant. but according to gardeners' reviews, she does not have a wave-like fruiting... This is exactly the sort of neutral day.
Vima Rina
The Rina variety was obtained by chance, by free pollination of the well-known and very promising remontant strawberry Selva.
Bush | Densely leafy, semi-spreading, with strongly ribbed leaf plates of light green color. The ability to form whiskers is low. |
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Flowers | White, of medium diameter, peduncles - flush with leaves. |
Fruit | Large (45 g), conical with a pronounced neck, red, glossy. The taste is excellent, the tasting rating is 4.8. The consistency of the pulp is dense, tender. The aroma is bright. |
Yield | About 800 g from 1 bush. |
Winter hardiness | High |
Drought tolerance | Average |
Transportability | Good |
Assignment of the variety | Universal |
In this way, the advantages of the Vima Rina variety include high yield, large-fruited, transportability and winter hardiness.
The low ability of strawberries to throw away mustaches can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, it makes maintenance easier. On the other hand, it complicates the breeding of the variety.
Vima Zanta
Zanta has a royal lineage. It was obtained by crossing the super popular Korona and Elsanta varieties.
Bush | Strong, semi-spreading. The leaf plates are characteristically curled inward. Throws out a lot of mustache. |
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Flowers | Medium white. The pubescent peduncles are located on the damage of the leaves, as the fruits are filled, they go down. |
Fruit | Very high tasting ratings: juicy, medium-bodied, with hints of caramel and strawberry, with a strong aroma. Easily move away from the sepal, have a cavity inside. The shape of the fruit is generally round, flattened, but may vary from collection to collection. The color is red, without gloss. |
Yield | 600-800 g from 1 bush |
Winter hardiness | Average |
Drought tolerance | Good |
Immunity | To verticilliasis, fusarium, gray rot. May be affected by powdery mildew. |
Transportability | Average |
Assignment of the variety | For fresh consumption, conservation, freezing. |
Summarizing the data, the positive qualities of Wim Zant's strawberries are excellent taste, high yield, ease of reproduction, drought resistance and immunity to the main fungal infections.
Vima Tarda
Tarda is the "daughter" of Wim Zant's strawberries, which appeared from crossing with another hardy "Dutchman" - the Vicoda variety.
Bush | Strong, with a powerful sheet apparatus. The leaf plates are dark green, glossy. Forms a little mustache. |
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Flowers | White, medium-sized, with flower stalks at leaf level and slightly lower. |
Fruit | Very beautiful, large, without cavity, dark red, shiny, with a rounded tip. The taste is pleasant, with a delicate aroma. The pulp is firm, dark red. |
Yield | 600 g from 1 bush |
Winter hardiness | High |
Drought tolerance | Average |
Immunity | Tall |
Transportability | Excellent |
Purpose of fruits | For processing, preservation, freezing |
In this way, the main advantages of the Vima Tarda variety - large-fruited, resistance to climatic conditions and diseases, excellent transportability.
Strawberry fruits with dense pulp are very well stored and easily tolerate transportation, but they are inferior in taste to the best dessert varieties.
Vima Xima
The most "mongrel" strawberry from the series, which has managed to surpass its three "namesakes". Obtained by selecting random seedlings.
Bush | Dense, powerful, with bright dark green leaf plates. The formation is low. |
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Flowers | White, peduncles are carried out above the level of leaves, thick. |
Fruit | Very large, weighing 60 g or more. The shape is conical or comb-shaped, the color is dark red. The pulp is very juicy, sweet, tender, but does not flow. The aroma is bright. |
Yield | 700-800 g from 1 bush |
Winter hardiness | Good |
Drought tolerance | Good |
Immunity | High to almost all fungal diseases. In a rainy summer, it can be affected by gray rot. |
Transportability | Average |
Purpose of fruits | Universal |
According to the responses of many gardeners, the Xima variety is the best in Wim's line. The size of the berries, especially the first picks, amaze the imagination, and the taste is beyond praise... Decent resistance of the variety makes it easy to adapt it for cultivation in most regions of Russia.
Care for varieties of long-term fruiting
The longer the strawberries bear fruit and the larger they form the fruits, the more food they need. The repaired and photoneutral varieties do not have enough atmospheric precipitation, soil resources and their own strength to continuously produce record yields. therefore when growing such strawberries, watering and fertilizers come to the fore.
Intensive feeding are required during the entire growing season, including flowering, setting and pouring fruits, ripening and leaving the plant to rest. A monthly application of complete NPK complexes is required, as well as magnesium, calcium, boron, iron and manganese. Of course, such an intensive use of mineral fertilizers has negative consequences. In pursuit of crops, you can “kill” the soil on the site in a few years.
In such a situation, modern technologies are able to help out - fertilizers with prolonged action. For instance, APION... This abbreviation stands for automatic feed osmosis pump... This is a complete fertilizer, which is contained inside soft dosing balls. One ball is buried under a strawberry bush, and fertilizers are released in strictly metered doses throughout the season.
The most correct irrigation regime is created using drip systems. For the successful cultivation of long-term fruiting strawberries, the installation of such a system is simply necessary.
Wim's strawberry pests
Vima strawberry varieties, like any others, can be attacked by pests.
Strawberry mite
Females of this insect make clutches on young, not yet unfolded leaves. Tick colonies suck out cell sap, leaves curl, fruits are poorly set and become smaller.
To combat strawberry mites in early spring, when the leaves are just beginning to unfold, they are treated with Karbofos, and before flowering - with Neoron.
Strawberry nematode
It is a roundworm that lives in the root system of a plant. The affected plant is strongly oppressed, weakens, deformed and soon dies... Nematodes multiply very quickly, so if you notice a diseased bush on the site, you need to immediately dig it up and burn it.
There is no specific treatment for the nematode, but for prevention you can plant marigolds around the perimeter of strawberry beds.
Weevils (elephants)
Females of the insect lay eggs in strawberry buds, and the hatched larvae eat them from the inside. Therefore, if the plantation is attacked by a weevil, you can lose the crop already at the flowering stage.
A solution of Fitoverm, which needs to treat plants in the bud phase and during flowering, helps well from elephants. According to the observations of gardeners, remarkably scare away pyrethrum weevils - garden daisies, planted on strawberries.
Aphid
Another sucking pest and carrier of viral infections. Aphids can be defeated with the same Fitoverm or folk remedies... For example, an ash-and-soap solution. Grate a piece of household soap, or better tar soap, mix with a glass of wood ash and dissolve in 3 liters of water. All strawberry bushes are well washed with the resulting composition.
Reviews about varieties of Wima strawberries
Anna: I know Rina and Tanda well, they have been growing on my site for 5 years. In the heat last summer, Tanda got baked, but Rina survived and bore fruit until mid-October. The removed green berries ripened in 2 days.
Victoria: from large-fruited strawberries planted in one year Gigantella, Chamora Tarusi and Vima Ksima. Only the latter did not disappoint. Among all the giants - the latest, but the most delicious.
Sergei: Rina, Zantu and Tardu were planted on plantations in the Republic of Mari El. In our region, we had to abandon them. They ripened poorly, did not gain sugar content, and were poorly pollinated. Perhaps in other regions they are better at unleashing their potential.
Valentina: Vima Zanta is a very tasty variety! In the first two years after planting, the berry was very large, but then it was crushed, the yields decreased. Sorry, but had to be removed.
Nikolay: Zanta is just a godsend for a home site. The taste both fresh and processed is excellent! Resistant to gray mold and root diseases. But it is not very suitable for industrial cultivation, it is removed without sepals, it is poorly transported.
Michael: Vima Xima is a super variety! The bushes are powerful, the berries are beautiful, tasty, not crunchy, sweet. Some copies were filmed and joked: not strawberries, but strawberry apples! The mass reached 100-120 grams. A real giant.
Conclusion
Large-fruited varieties of garden strawberries of the Vima series are not suitable for summer residents who visit the site with rare "raids". They require a lot of attention and care.... Sometimes they are “capricious”, poorly adapting to local conditions. But if you manage to make friends with them, the Vima varieties compensate for all the efforts with a rich harvest of excellent berries.