Content
A gardener who decides to grow garden strawberries tries to choose a variety that is distinguished by an early and abundant harvest, good immunity and unpretentiousness. Of course, choosing a plant is not so easy; you need to know the description, characteristics and see a photo with strawberries. No less important are the reviews of gardeners who are seriously involved in cultivation.
The article will present Lambada strawberries in all their glory. This is an Italian variety that was discovered in 1982. Russians grow strawberries or garden strawberries not only in open ground, but also in greenhouses. Having learned the characteristics of bushes and berries, gardeners will be able to make a choice.
Description of the variety
Strawberry Lambada is a representative of very early varieties of garden berries. Fruiting, depending on the growing region, begins in the middle or late May. The plant is easy to care for and does not require daily attention.
Garden strawberry bushes are tall and spreading. Unlike other varieties of strawberries, there are few leaves. They are bright green. Strawberry flower stalks are powerful and tall. The flowering is abundant, which often surprises gardeners who grow the Lambada variety of garden strawberries for the first time. Just look at the photo, how large the snow-white flowers are with yellow centers.They attract bees.
The berries are large, the average weight of each is about 40 grams. The shape of the fruit is round-conical, not always the same. Ripe strawberries turn bright red.
Exactly the same color and strawberry pulp. There are no voids or white inclusions on the cut. The berries taste sweet, almost without sourness. The aroma of the fruits of the Lambada variety is truly strawberry.
Characteristic
According to the description, reviews from gardeners and photos presented in the article, the Lambada strawberry variety has many advantages.
pros
- Precocity. The fruits ripen early, they are all almost the same size, flowering and fruiting are extended.
- Versatility of use. The fruits of this variety are tasty not only when eaten fresh. Compotes, preserves, and jams are prepared from strawberries. Frozen strawberries are stored well, without losing their beneficial and flavorful properties.
- Frost resistance. Plants can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees without complete shelter. When grown in harsher conditions, strawberries must be “wrapped.”
- Disease resistance. The garden strawberry variety with the sonorous name Lambada has good immunity. In particular, it practically does not suffer from vertelicillium wilt, heart rot, brown rot and white spot.
- Productivity. This figure is not so high, but strawberries are still valued by gardeners for their excellent taste and large fruits, which significantly reduces labor costs during harvesting.
- Reproduction. It is not difficult to obtain new strawberry bushes to fill the plantation, since a lot of runners are formed.
Minuses
There are some drawbacks, albeit minor ones, which is why gardeners are not going to give up strawberries of Italian selection over so many years of cultivation, even in defiance of newfangled varieties and hybrids.
What can be attributed to the disadvantages:
- The Lambada variety is poorly stored, and transporting the berries is difficult: the presentation is lost. That is why the berries need to be processed as quickly as possible.
- The presence of a large number of whiskers makes care a little more difficult, since they have to be constantly torn off during the growing season. Although such growth is valuable for reproduction.
Features of reproduction
The Lambada strawberry variety is propagated by seeds and tendrils. According to reviews from gardeners and recommendations from specialists, plantings require rejuvenation after 2-3 years. It is seed propagation that makes it possible to obtain planting material that is distinguished by strength and health.
Seed method
Seeds of the variety can be purchased from specialized companies, for example: Garden and Vegetable Garden, Becker, Gardens of Siberia.
Propagating strawberries by seeds has its own difficulties: the seed takes a long time to germinate. If stratification is not carried out, then the Lambada strawberry variety, according to gardeners, may not sprout at all. Prepare seeds for planting within a month. They are mixed with sand and placed in the refrigerator.
Strawberry seeds are sown in late January or early February. It is not recommended to bury the seed: the seeds are simply laid out on the surface of the moist soil. The box is covered with glass and placed in a warm room, up to 25 degrees.
After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is not removed, but only slightly opened. When 2-3 true leaves appear, the Lambada strawberry seedlings are plucked. The work must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the thread-like root system.
Experienced gardeners advise growing seedlings in peat tablets, then when transplanting, garden strawberries will not experience stress.
Strawberries are transplanted to a permanent location in the spring, when the air warms up sufficiently. Planting care is traditional.
Reproduction by mustache
The Lambada variety, judging by the description, gardener reviews and photos above, is famous for its own planting material. Whiskers are formed during the growing season in large quantities, so the excess must be removed.
Rosettes formed on bushes can take root themselves. You need to choose those that are closer to the mother bush. Soil is added under them or transferred to a nursery to build up the root mass. The mustaches are planted in the fall.
Planting strawberries
The process of planting strawberries is an important moment in the formation of a berry plantation. Success depends on following certain rules.
Place and soil
According to the description and reviews of gardeners who have been working with the Italian variety for several years, the plant grows well in openwork shade. But in this case you cannot count on a decent harvest. Therefore, for the garden bed, choose a sunny place, protected from the wind.
Strawberries of the Lambada variety produce good results on loamy soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Although other soils are also suitable, the main thing is that they have enough nutrients.The strawberry variety is demanding on light, breathable soils.
Preparing seedlings
When using homemade planting material, the sockets do not require special preparation. If the seedlings were purchased by hand or came by mail (most often they have an open root system), they are soaked for disinfection in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes, then washed with clean water.
When planting, the heart of the seedling is not buried; it should be above the surface of the earth. Be sure to squeeze the soil to remove air pockets from under the roots. The distance between strawberry bushes of the Lambada variety is at least 35-40 cm, since they do not grow much.
Watering should be plentiful and only at the root. It is not recommended to water strawberries of any variety, including Lambada, by leaves. Immediately mulch the soil with any available material: peat chips, humus, straw or rotted sawdust.
The first version of mulch oxidizes the soil, and the second one works to increase green mass and stop the formation of flower stalks.
Strawberry propagation, secrets:
Features of care
To obtain a good harvest, the plant does not make any special requirements for care. Activities for growing the Lambada strawberry variety are traditional:
- Weeding and loosening of the soil is carried out regularly.
- The bushes should be watered moderately, but the top layer of soil should not be allowed to dry out. When garden strawberries begin to bloom, you need to water less often so as not to provoke fungal diseases. For irrigation, only warm water is used.
- Fertilizing is carried out several times per season, but at the time of ripening, mineral fertilizers are not used. The plant reacts well to organic matter: infusions of mullein, chicken manure, green grass and nettle. Fertilizing with a solution of wood ash is also a good option. Not only root, but also foliar feeding is encouraged, since the Lambada strawberry variety absorbs some of the microelements well through the leaf blades.
- As for diseases, according to reviews from gardeners and the description given by the originators of the variety, garden strawberries are resistant to many of them, thanks to their high immunity. But preventive measures should still not be neglected. Among the pests, birds and slugs cause problems.
- When the harvest is harvested, the leaves are cut from the bushes, trying not to touch the growth point, the plantings are fed, and the strawberries are prepared for wintering. During this period, it is advisable to treat the ridges with Bordeaux mixture (2%).
- If the temperature in the growing region is below -30 degrees, the strawberry plantings are covered with spruce branches.
