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Strawberries are a berry familiar to everyone, and every owner of at least a few acres of land necessarily strives to grow it on his plot. Of course, to get a good harvest, you need to make an effort, because strawberries are not a berry for the lazy; they require attention and constant care. Therefore, the desire of every gardener to find and plant a variety of strawberries that would delight them with a good harvest and excellent taste of the berries is understandable. But it also happens that a person makes every effort, but the result is that the cat is crying, or the berries turn out to be sour and are only suitable for jam.
One such variety that is unlikely to disappoint anyone, especially with proper care, is the Asia strawberry.
This variety, despite its relative youth, has already won the hearts of not only many summer residents and gardeners, but also professionals. What did many lovers of this delicious berry find so attractive in the Asia variety?
In this article you can find not only a description of the Asia strawberry variety, but also its photo, as well as reviews from gardeners who have had experience growing it in their garden plots.
Description of the variety and its characteristics
Asia strawberries come from Italy. It was obtained by breeders from the New Fruits company in Cesena. This happened more than 10 years ago in 2005.
- Asia strawberries are characterized by a powerful root system that can easily tolerate Russian frosts, therefore, although without shelter it can survive at -17 ° C, under good snow cover it will also withstand harsh Siberian winters. If in your region the winters are characterized by a small amount of snow, then the strawberry bushes must be covered for the winter.
For these purposes, you can use both non-woven material and a variety of organic matter: straw, coniferous spruce branches, fallen leaves. - The bushes of this variety are distinguished by their large size, medium foliage, few tendrils are formed, but they are strong and thick. The leaves are quite large in size, slightly wrinkled, rich green in color. The shoots are thick, tall, and form a large number of peduncles.
- The Asia strawberry variety is mid-early in terms of ripening, that is, the first berries appear around the beginning of June; in the southern regions, the beginning of fruiting may even shift to May. The fruiting period is quite extended - within a month.
- The variety can be called productive, especially when compared with ordinary, non-remontant strawberry varieties. From one bush you can get from one to one and a half kilograms of sweet berries.
- A description of the Asia strawberry variety would be incomplete without mentioning its shortcomings. Asia strawberries exhibit average resistance to drought and various types of rot. It is poorly resistant to anthracnose, and has poor resistance to powdery mildew and chlorosis.
Fruit characteristics
Why do people love strawberries most? Of course, for her berries. And in this respect, the Asia variety compares favorably with many others in the shape and size of the strawberries.On average, the size of the berries can vary from 25 to 40 g, but truly gigantic specimens weighing up to 100 grams are quite common. And in general, the berries are rather large, and what is most important, with age there is practically no observed crushing of them, as in many other varieties.
The shape of the berries is also often unusual. As a rule, they resemble a truncated, slightly flattened cone, sometimes with two tips.
The color of the berries is rich, bright red, with a glossy finish. The pulp has the same color, but a more delicate shade. Internal voids are usually not observed, the density is moderate.
The taste characteristics of Asia berries are excellent.
Due to its wonderful taste, Asia strawberries are universal varieties. It is suitable both for fresh consumption and for freezing, as well as for preparing an endless number of preparations for the winter: preserves, jam, compote and other delicacies.
The berries are easily torn from the stalk. Strawberries of the Asia variety are quite suitable for long-term storage at low temperatures, as well as for transportation over long distances. In addition, berries can attract buyers with their appearance. From all of the above, it follows that the Asia variety may well be grown for sale and even used on an industrial scale.
In this video you can see the berries and strawberry bushes of Asia from all angles:
Planting strawberries
When planting this variety, it is necessary to take into account that the bushes are large in size, and accordingly, the distance between them should be at least 40 cm.It is better to plant Asia strawberries on level ground, with good lighting from all sides. Neither elevated places nor holes are suitable for good strawberry growth. Because in the lowlands the bushes may begin to rot from stagnant water, and on the hills the plants may constantly lack moisture.
Each term has its advantages and disadvantages.
Of course, when planted in the spring, the seedlings take root well and immediately begin to grow, but you should not count on a harvest this season. It will bear fruit only next year. Moreover, in the year of planting, it is necessary to cut off all the tendrils and flower stalks so that the seedlings have the opportunity to form a strong root system, survive the winter well and produce an excellent harvest the next season.
If you plant strawberry seedlings in the fall, then in the summer you can harvest a full harvest. But if the winter is too cold and snowless, the bushes may freeze.
For good development and full yield of the harvest, Asia strawberries require light, breathable, but fertile soil. Two weeks before the intended planting of seedlings, the ground must be thoroughly loosened, removing all the rhizomes. weed and add to each square meter of beds:
- 2 buckets of humus or compost;
- Half a bucket of coarse sand;
- 1 tablespoon of ash;
- 50 grams of urea.
All components are mixed, the surface of the bed is leveled. Its width can be about one meter.A successful way is to plant strawberry seedlings on the bed in a checkerboard pattern. At the same time, the bushes receive enough lighting and nutrition, and more bushes can be planted on one square meter.
When planting seedlings, make sure not to fill the central growth point with soil - it should be directly at ground level. After planting, moisten all bushes well and mulch with any organic matter: straw, sawdust, mown grass in a layer about 5 cm thick.
Features of care and reproduction
The Asia strawberry variety is relatively drought-resistant, so plants can tolerate a lack of moisture for several days. But if possible, then it is better not to give strawberries such tests. On hot days, it is advisable to water once every two to three days, using about 3 liters of water for each bush.
Due to the high yield, Asia strawberries require regular feeding throughout the growing season. At the beginning of growth, it needs fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. For these purposes, you can use a solution of mullein or bird droppings, diluted in a ratio of 1:10 or 1:15, respectively. You can also use watering with a urea solution with the addition of wood ash. For 1 sq. meter, use 10 liters of solution with 50 g of urea and 2 tbsp. spoons of wood ash.
Before flowering, the strawberry bushes must be fed again with manure or bird droppings in the same concentration. It is also good to use spraying with solutions of Agricola preparations with microelements and Ovary.They help ensure good fruit set even in unfavorable weather conditions.
After fruiting, Asia strawberries are fed a third time, and in the fall the bushes are covered with humus or compost.
Since Asia strawberries are not distinguished by a large number of tendrils, it is optimal to use transplantation of young rosettes for its propagation at the end of summer. They manage to take root well before the onset of frost and by next summer they will delight you with their first harvest.
Also, after fruiting has ended, you can carefully dig up and divide the largest uterine bushes. It is only advisable to do this in cloudy, cool weather.
Reviews from gardeners
As you can see, the reviews from gardeners growing Asia strawberries are quite positive; they mostly notice only positive aspects about them.
I called this berry - a berry for showing off. It is indeed very large, transports well, retains its presentation for a long time, is sweet, but has no aroma. When there are two plates with Asia berries and Festival berries on the table, the Festival berry is eaten first