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In recent years, many gardeners have become interested in garden strawberries. This should not be surprising, since the berries have a special taste and aroma. In addition, strawberries have healing properties. To ensure a happy harvest, you need to select the right variety.
You need to know that the plant is capricious, but if you follow the rules of agricultural technology, there will be a lot of berries on the bushes. To make your search easier, let's introduce the Firework strawberry variety. In addition to the description, characteristic features, and reviews from gardeners, the article will contain several photos that will allow you to get to know the variety visually.
Description
The first description of the Firework strawberry was given by its creators, employees of the All-Russian Research Institute of Genetics and Selection of Fruit Plants named after I.V. Michurin. The plant was included in the State Register of Russia and recommended for cultivation on personal plots in the central regions of our country.
Bushes, appearance
Strawberry Fireworks is a mid-season variety according to the description. The plant is represented by powerful, erect bushes resembling a ball. There are few dark green, flat and shiny leaves. The middle part of the strawberry leaf blade is shaped like an egg. These features of the variety are clearly visible in the photo.
Garden strawberries bloom abundantly.The flower stalks are not too tall, but powerful, capable of supporting ripening berries, which hang on the inflorescences like fireworks. Peduncles do not rise above the leaves. The cultivation of strawberries of the Firework variety is average. The mustache is green.
The white buds of garden strawberries are large (the petals do not curl) and attract attention from afar (see photo). Flowers on Fireworks are bisexual, which has a positive effect on berry set.
Features of berries
Garden strawberries of the Firework variety are not too large, the berries weigh about 13 grams. Shiny strawberries have the correct shape, and when biologically ripe they turn dark red, even cherry. On a large complex cup there is a berry with a short neck, as in the photo.
According to descriptions and reviews, the fruits of the strawberry variety are dense, rich red in color when cut, without any inclusions. The pulp is fleshy, tastes sweetish-sour, because they contain 7.3% sugar and 1.2% acid. Tasters highly appreciated the aromatic and tasty berries, giving them 4.8 out of 5 points.
Advantages of the variety
Based on the description, reviews from gardeners and photos sent by them, the Firework strawberry variety can be called one of the best.
It has many advantages that make the variety attractive:
- High and stable yield year after year. All berries of the Firework variety are almost the same in size, only the last ones are slightly smaller. But this does not change the taste.
- Multi-purpose fruits. They are not only eaten fresh, but also used for preparations. Jam, marmalade, juices, compotes and even homemade wine - this is not a complete list. If the harvest is large, then some of the berries of the variety can be frozen: all vitamins are completely preserved.
- Strawberry Fireworks, according to reviews and descriptions, has excellent transportability, therefore the variety is highly valued by farmers. After all, from one hectare, if agricultural practices are followed, up to 160 centners of tasty sweet and sour berries are harvested, which are in demand among consumers.
- Strawberries of the Firework variety can be grown in one place for no more than four years, although experienced gardeners advise changing the bed every three years. The fact is that in the fourth year, diseases and pests accumulate in the soil.
- Fireworks are a capricious, but still unpretentious plant, because resistant to drought and frost. In addition, thanks to good immunity, the bushes and berries of garden strawberry varieties rarely get sick.
Gardeners do not note any particular shortcomings worthy of attention in the reviews.
Breeding rules
Like any variety or hybrid, Firework strawberries are propagated:
- seeds;
- mustache (rosettes);
- dividing the bush.
Seed propagation is the most labor-intensive and requires the right approach. It will be discussed below.
Growing seedlings
Garden strawberry seeds of the Firework variety can be purchased at a specialty store or ordered by mail or online. Sowing and planting materials are supplied by companies that are popular among gardeners: Sedek, Seeds of Altai, Gardens of Siberia, Becker and others.
Seed preparation
Before planting, seed material must be specially prepared. The fact is that, according to the description of the variety and reviews from gardeners, the seeds of the Firework strawberry germinate rather slowly or do not germinate at all. That is why they need to be soaked and stratified.
The best containers for soaking are cotton pads or paper napkins, as they retain moisture well.For the procedure, raw, settled water is used, to which stimulants are added according to the instructions: Healthy Garden, HB-101, Epin or Zircon.
For stratification, the seeds of the Firework variety are placed in the refrigerator, covered with another disk circle for 3-4 days.
You can sow seeds for seedlings at different times, but most often, to obtain high-quality seedlings by spring, work begins in January-February.
Dishes and soil
To sow strawberry seeds you can use:
- transparent containers;
- disposable plastic cups;
- regular boxes;
- cake pans with lid;
- peat cups or tablets.
New plastic containers are washed with hot water and any detergent; previously used containers, especially wooden ones, are doused with boiling water with potassium permanganate or boric acid.
The bottoms of the containers for planting strawberries should have holes for watering the seedlings. The fact is that it is not advisable to water a small strawberry under the roots. Water is poured into the pan, and it saturates the soil from below.
Soil can be bought at the store. There are special soils for strawberries, compositions for begonias or violets are suitable, they are also good for strawberries. There are different options for self-composed soil.
Option 1:
- peat – ¼ part;
- river sand – ¼ part;
- garden soil - 2/4 parts.
Option 2:
- river sand – 1/5 part;
- vermicompost – 3/5 parts;
- peat – 3/5 parts;
Option 3:
- Sand – 3/8;
- Humus – 5/8.
Regardless of the composition, the soil is sterilized before sowing strawberry seeds of the Firework variety. This procedure can be performed in different ways:
- Heat the soil in the oven at 100 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Microwave at full power for no more than 5 minutes.
- Pour boiling water, dissolving potassium permanganate in it.
Features of sowing
The seeds of the Firework strawberry, like other varieties of crops, are not sprinkled with soil, but are laid on top of moist soil. The fact is that it is difficult for small sprouts to break through the layer of soil, and they die.
Immediately after planting the seed, the container is covered with glass or film and placed in a warm place, up to 25 degrees, with good lighting. Stratified seeds begin to germinate in 2-3 weeks. Sometimes they stay in the ground longer.
An unconventional way to sow strawberry seeds in a jar:
Seedling care
When the garden strawberry shoots appear, the covering is not removed, but simply opened slightly. For successful growth, as gardeners write in reviews, greenhouse conditions are necessary. The photo shows that planting strawberry varieties needs to be ventilated.
There should be at least 10-12 hours of daylight, so sometimes, when there is insufficient lighting, seedlings of the Firework strawberry variety are artificially illuminated. The best option is special phytolamps. The temperature is also maintained around 18-22 degrees.
Seedlings need to be watered only if the top layer of soil dries out in minute doses. Heavily moist soil can lead to diseases of the root system, including blackleg.
Features of watering at different stages of development of seedlings of the Fireworks garden strawberry variety:
- after sowing the seeds, the ground is irrigated with a spray bottle;
- with the appearance of the first shoots, moisten the soil once a week;
- When the first true leaves appear on the Firework strawberries, the seedlings need to be watered after 3-4 days.The soil should be soaked to the bottom. Bottom watering from a tray is just what you need.
Experienced gardeners water strawberry seedlings with melt water: they bring in snow and wait until the liquid warms up to room temperature. An excellent option for irrigating Fireworks strawberries is rainwater.
Picking and care
Seedlings dive if they are planted in a common container when 1-2 true leaves appear. The work must be done carefully, since strawberry seedlings have thin, thread-like roots.
The composition of the soil must be identical to that used during sowing. Strawberry seedlings of the Firework variety are immediately watered with warm water. The moisture should penetrate to the very bottom of the container.
If the seedlings were grown in peat tablets, then they also need to be transplanted into larger containers. It is convenient to work with seedlings, because their root system is closed. It is enough to remove the film from the tablet, place the strawberries in a new container and water.
During cultivation, seedlings (with 3-4 leaves) are fed with complex fertilizers, for example, Mortar, Kemira Lux or Aquarin once every nine days. The rules for diluting the drug are indicated on the packaging.
Strawberries in the ground
Seedlings of the Firework variety are planted in open ground after the onset of stable positive temperatures. But before this, the seedlings are hardened off and prepared for new conditions: they are taken outside, gradually increasing the time spent in the open air. You need to place containers with seedlings in the shade.
After planting, further care of strawberry seedlings consists of regular watering, loosening the soil, and weeding weed, as well as fertilizing and preventive treatment of plants against diseases and pests.
Rules for planting strawberries in the ground can be found here:
The berries of the first harvest are very large - up to 9 cm in diameter and weighing more than 100 grams, very sweet, dense, dark red flesh. The berries are clean and healthy, of the correct shape. One of the rare varieties that retain sugar in rainy summers. The strawberry variety Gigantella is resistant to gray rot of fruits and strawberry mite.