Content
Strawberries are the earliest berries and probably one of the most beloved. Breeders are constantly working to improve its commercial and nutritional qualities. In recent years, the Cardinal strawberry has become widespread, the description of the variety, photos, reviews of which indicate its undeniable advantages.
The Cardinal variety is an excellent result of many years of work by American scientists, which has the best characteristics for cultivation.
Description of the bushes
The Cardinal strawberry is easily recognized by its tall bushes with many rosettes and an original leaf shape. The height of plants can reach 0.5 m. Strawberry leaves with red scales are shaped like a boat. The upper part of the leaf has a rich dark green color, and the bottom has a blue tint. The long tendrils of strawberries produce many rosettes, which bear fruit in the fall, more abundantly than in the spring.
Due to the fact that unrooted rosettes can bear fruit, strawberries can also be grown on vertical trellises. The Cardinal variety is characterized by high yields even in the first year after spring planting - each bush can produce up to 1 kg of fragrant berries. The Cardinal strawberry tolerates frosty winters well, so it can be cultivated beyond the Urals.With good care, the variety is resistant to most diseases.
Characteristics of berries
The Cardinal strawberry variety produces large juicy berries, the weight of which reaches, on average, 60 g. Before their final ripening, the sepals fit very tightly to the base of the fruit. The berries of the Cardinal variety stand out:
- oval-conical shape and glossy dark red surface, strewn with shiny golden seeds;
- pleasant sweet and sour taste and wonderful strawberry aroma;
- dense crispy consistency with small voids;
- excellent keeping quality, thanks to which the berries can be stored for a long time;
- high transportability, which allows them to be transported over long distances.
The autumn harvest of strawberries is noticeably higher than the summer one and can reach 1 kg per bush, and the berries are larger in size. But if you remove the extra tendrils, the bushes will direct their forces to the already formed ovaries, and the Cardinal strawberries will become larger.
It should also be noted some weak characteristics of the Cardinal variety, which do not reduce its advantages:
- the need to combat powdery mildew, to which the variety does not have resistance;
- inability for fruiting rosettes to take root - the next ones after them must be selected for seedlings.
If you take these features into account when growing, caring for Cardinal strawberries will not cause any difficulties.
Planting sockets
Cardinal strawberries are propagated in various ways. Typically used:
- rooting of tendrils;
- dividing bushes;
- sowing seeds.
According to gardeners, the tendrils coming from the mother bush will become an excellent planting material.After spring planting, they should be covered with newspapers for insulation for the first time.
Description of strawberries When choosing seedlings, Cardinal advises taking a closer look at the leaves - they should have red scales. Each bush should have well-developed roots and at least three full leaves. You need to check the bushes for traces of powdery mildew. If high-quality sockets are selected, then there will be no problems with their survival.
It is important to prepare fertile soil for planting bushes. Strawberries love slightly acidic sandstones or loams. Seedlings can be planted both in spring and at the end of summer - already from the second half of August. The advantage of autumn planting is that the Cardinal strawberry variety will have time to adapt to the characteristics of the new location and take root before frost.
There are two main schemes for planting strawberry seedlings. When planting the Cardinal variety in autumn and spring, they prefer to use a single-row method: leave 15-20 cm between the bushes; in row spacing – 65-70 cm.
With the two-row method, Cardinal strawberries are planted in two-row rows spaced at a distance of 0.7 m. 0.3 m is left between rows, and 0.4 m between rosettes in a row. Description of the Cardinal strawberry variety and reviews from gardeners recommend compacting the plantings. In the future, this will help to reject low-quality material without damaging the harvest. However, we must remember that too much thickening can cause powdery mildew to damage strawberries.
Strawberry care
Reviews of the strawberry variety Cardinal indicate high yields when the rules of agricultural technology are followed in a timely manner.
Watering rules
First of all, you need to provide the strawberries with plenty of water. Lack of moisture affects the size of the berries and their quantity. When watering, it is recommended to follow some rules:
- the water temperature must be at least 20 degrees;
- it must first be defended;
- carry out the procedure early in the morning, before sunrise;
- Before strawberries bloom, you can sprinkle the beds;
- during flowering and fruiting, water the soil around the bushes - you can use grooves or flexible tubes;
- After watering the strawberries, loosen the soil under the rosettes.
Mulching will help reduce the evaporation of moisture from the beds. It is made using various materials:
- dark colored films;
- straw or sawdust.
When mulching berries:
- will remain clean;
- will not rot due to excess moisture during rains.
Feeding
The peculiarities of the Cardinal strawberry, as evidenced by the description of the variety, photos and reviews, include the need for periodic feeding of the bushes with organic and mineral substances throughout the season. In early spring, ammonium nitrate is added to the soil along with loosening to develop the root system. Do not forget that excess nitrogen will promote intensive growth of shoots and rosettes, having a negative impact on fruit set and the yield of the variety.
Complex feeding is required during the period of berry formation. They are also useful in preventing diseases. After harvesting, in the fall, Strawberry bushes are fed with phosphorus and potassium salts, as well as rotted compost.They are necessary for the formation of buds for next year's harvest.
Agrotechnical measures depending on the growing season
At different times, Cardinal strawberries require certain measures. For convenience, they are differentiated by month.
In April, caring for strawberries consists of the following procedures:
- trimming dried leaves and tendrils using sanitary scissors;
- removing unviable sockets and planting new ones in their place;
- Preventive spraying of bushes against pests with Bordeaux mixture.
May is characterized by the following measures:
- weeding strawberry beds while loosening the soil;
- slight hilling of rosettes to stimulate new root shoots;
- second treatment of strawberries with Bordeaux mixture;
- mulching the soil.
In June you will need:
- removal of peduncles and tendrils to increase yield;
- irrigating the beds after sunset and picking berries;
- fertilizing with complex fertilizers;
- treatment of bushes from pests and diseases.
The following activities are typical for July and August:
- on planting and rooting rosettes;
- on fertilizing strawberry bushes with mineral and organic compounds;
- for protective treatments of bushes, if necessary.
Disease Control
Despite its high resistance, with insufficient care, the Cardinal strawberry variety can be affected by a fungal disease - anthracnose. Of the factors favoring the development of fungal microorganisms, the main one is excess moisture. In the initial stage, the disease manifests itself as gray spots covering the stem and leaves. Later they merge, and the shoots and berries dry out. At this stage the disease is incurable.If you detect it at the initial stage, you can save the plants by treating them with antifungal drugs. 16
Powdery mildew appears as a fluffy white coating covering all parts of the plant. Typically, this disease affects strawberry plantations growing in greenhouses where there is high humidity and temperature. The plant stops growing, the leaves begin to curl into tubes, and the fruits acquire an unpleasant taste.
Under the influence of unfavorable factors, strawberries can also be affected by other diseases, such as gray mold, various types of rot and spotting. Therefore, timely preventive treatment of strawberries is very important.
Reviews from summer residents and gardeners
Strawberry Cardinal has numerous reviews from gardeners and summer residents who are satisfied with the purchase of this variety.
Conclusion
The strawberry variety Cardinal today is considered the best for planting on the site and is very popular among gardeners. If you carry out the necessary care measures on time, a harvest of sweet, juicy berries is guaranteed.
