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Strawberries of the English selection Florence can often be found under the name Florence and are listed as garden strawberries. The variety was developed almost 20 years ago, but is considered a novelty in our country. The parents of the crop are two varieties of garden strawberries. This is where the second name came from. Fruitful varieties were taken for crossing Vima-Tarda And Vikoda. After the appearance of strawberries, Florence immediately fell in love with many gardeners because of the good taste of the berries.
Characteristics of the variety
To get a complete picture of the culture, now we will look at the description of the strawberry variety Florence, photos, reviews and learn the rules of agricultural technology. The culture received its main recognition among gardeners due to the subtle forest aroma and excellent taste of the berries. The variety is in demand for industrial cultivation, as it has good endurance and a high yield. Florence received all these qualities from her parent strawberry varieties.
According to the timing of ripening of berries, Florence is considered a late-ripening crop. The fruits begin to ripen when other varieties of early strawberries have already given up their harvest. This period lasts from the end of June to the third decade of July. Under good growing conditions, you can get about 1.5 kg of berries from a bush per season. The fruits are characterized by dense pulp. When ripe, the skin acquires a rich red color. The weight of one berry is in the range of 20–60 g.The shape of the fruit is conical.
Strawberries are very tasty fresh. The berries are used for canning, preparing sweet dishes, and freezing. Florence’s big plus is that after defrosting, the fruits retain their shape, taste and aroma.
Looking at the photo and description of the strawberry variety Florence, it is worth noting that the bush grows powerful, but compact. That is, the plant does not fall apart on the ground. Peduncles stand on strong stems and protrude above the level of foliage. This is a positive characteristic of the variety, since it is easier for the gardener to treat plants with preventive drugs against pests.
From its parents, the Florence variety took good immunity to common diseases. However, moisture accumulation under plants can lead to root rot. This is often observed in rainy summers or when strawberry bushes are densely planted. Root rot can be prevented by arranging wide row spacing. Moreover, they need to be loosened more often. If strawberries are grown under a film cover, frequent ventilation will help get rid of rot.
The strawberry variety Florence is characterized by a small number of whiskers. For the gardener, this indicator is positive, since it becomes easier to care for the plantings. A small number of whiskers does not prevent strawberries from reproducing well. They grow strong and quickly take root when planted in another place.
Winter hardiness of Florence strawberries is high. The plant can withstand frost down to -20OC. The variety was bred in England, and the climate there is humid and cool. Adaptation of the plant to such weather allows it to survive the cold, stormy summer.
Video review of the Florence variety:
To summarize the description of Florence strawberries, let's look at the disadvantages of the variety:
- In hot summers, with a lack of moisture, productivity decreases. There are few berries set and they are all small.
- In stormy summers, there is a threat of late blight affecting strawberries. Gray rot or brown spotting often appears. Such symptoms are observed in areas where a humid climate predominates, for example, the Moscow region. The extent of disease spread depends on the growing conditions of Florence strawberries. The more humid the climate of the region, the wider the row spacing is for better ventilation of the bushes. It is necessary to avoid overgrowing the bed with grass. You may have to discard mulch, as it will retain moisture under the strawberries.
- In cold regions and the Moscow region, the late variety Florence will not have time to fully yield its harvest. Covering the beds with agrofibre will help correct the situation a little.
Despite the large number of shortcomings, the variety has many positive qualities:
- The late appearance of flower stalks in Florence occurs when the night frosts have completely passed. The gardener does not need to cover the strawberries at night. If the stray frost returns, the flowers will not freeze even without shelter.
- Strawberries tolerate hot, dry summers well with regular watering. The berries do not bake in the sun and remain saturated with juice.
- In stormy summers, the sugar content in the pulp does not decrease.
- Florence fruits tolerate transportation well and can be stored.
Knowing the description of the strawberry variety Florence, its positive and negative qualities, the gardener will be able to clearly determine whether such a crop is suitable for him.
Planting strawberry seedlings
The timing of planting Florence strawberry seedlings differs in different regions, but usually they fall at the beginning of September. In this matter, gardeners take into account the climate. The colder it is, the earlier the strawberries are planted so that they have time to take root before winter. A well-established plant quickly grows in the spring and immediately throws out flower stalks.
Spring planting of Florence strawberries is allowed, but then the first harvest will only be the next year. Although many gardeners advise picking flowers even from autumn seedlings in the first year in the spring. From this, all the nutrients are used to strengthen the plant, and the next season the yield doubles. Strawberries planted in spring have not yet had time to take root and need to be protected from night frosts.
The place for the garden bed is chosen to be bright with frequent exposure to sunlight. Light shade is allowed, but then the acidity in the berries increases. Florence loves soil with a lot of sand or loam. If the site is located on clay soil, then it is advisable to add a lot of organic matter to the garden bed. You shouldn’t even try to plant strawberries on swampy soil. The fruits will constantly rot.
When purchasing Florence seedlings, you should immediately pay attention to the roots. If they are dried out, then there is a 90% guarantee that the plant will not take root.It is better to buy seedlings in cups where their roots are covered with soil.
The soil in the garden begins to be prepared a month before planting the strawberries. The first step is to remove all weeds. For every 1 m2 The beds are filled with 3 buckets of humus. The organic matter is leveled evenly over the area and then dug up with soil. If the soil is highly acidic, chalk is added. The bed itself begins to be formed 5 days before the strawberry seedlings are planted. During this time, the soil will have time to settle.
The landing process consists of the following steps:
- Holes are dug in the garden bed for the seedlings. Their dimensions must correspond to the size of the root system. Usually a hole with a diameter of 12 cm will be sufficient. The minimum distance between holes is 40 cm. It cannot be reduced, since the Florence variety is characterized by a powerful bush structure.
- The soil in each hole is moistened with warm water. It is enough to pour in about 300 ml.
- A strawberry seedling is lowered into the hole. The root system is straightened, then sprinkled with earth and lightly pressed with hands. In a properly planted seedling, the growth point should coincide with the ground level.
- The planted Florence strawberry seedlings are watered again. To retain moisture, the ground around the bushes is covered with mulch. Sawdust or well-rotted humus will do.
In the southern regions, it is still hot outside when planting seedlings. To prevent excess foliage from drawing in a lot of nutrients, the lower tier is trimmed with scissors. The bed with planted strawberries is covered with agrofibre and the top is periodically sprayed with water.
Rules for caring for strawberries
According to numerous reviews, strawberries of the Florence variety are a strong crop, but do not bear fruit well in unfavorable conditions.If there is a lack of moisture, constant watering is required, otherwise the fruits will grow small and sour. Florence can easily tolerate heavy rainfall if the soil has good drainage. For the full development of the plant and timely ripening of the berries, long daylight hours are needed, which is not typical for the northern regions. Here it is better to give preference to other specialized varieties.
Based on reviews from gardeners, Florence strawberries are grown taking into account the following nuances:
- The density of bushes affects not only the occurrence of diseases. This further reduces productivity. You can avoid thickening by removing the mustache. For propagation, it is enough to leave two shoots and then after harvesting.
- The Florence variety loves feeding. In spring, nitrogen is added to plants. This substance promotes the rapid development of the bush. With the appearance of buds and the first ovary, the plants are fed with potassium and phosphorus. Before wintering, humus is added to the garden bed. You can top the strawberries with a solution consisting of water and fermented manure.
- The Florence variety is more adapted to the English climate. In the southern regions, plants will not be comfortable in the heat. They will have to be covered or shaded from the sun.
- It is advisable to cover strawberry plantings for the winter. Any straw, thin branches, pine needles will do. The shelter will protect the root system from freezing if the winter turns out to be without snow.
Pests must be constantly combated. Most often, Florence is affected by root rot and powdery mildew. You can prevent the disease by following the rules of care, as well as carrying out preventive treatments. In the spring, starting with the first watering, the drug Fitosporin is added to the water. Water the bed with the prepared solution at the rate of 4 l/m2.
The berries are picked as they ripen. Typically there are 8 to 10 harvest waves per season. The fruits are picked along with the sepals and stalk. To prevent the berries from becoming wrinkled, they are placed in small boxes.
In the video you can see how the harvest takes place:
Reviews
There are quite a lot of reviews about Florence strawberries, and now we will get acquainted with some of them.
