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It is clear that in the modern world with an endless variety of varieties of any plant, sometimes not only a beginner, but even a professional can get confused. But such confusion that occurs with the Maxim strawberry variety is difficult to imagine even for a person experienced in gardening matters. What they don’t say about this variety and what they don’t call it. You can also find very little information about him in European and American sources. At least, he is not as popular in foreign sources as Clery, Honey, Elsanta and others. The only thing that all gardeners and literary sources agree on is the truly gigantic size of the berries of this variety. You need to understand the situation a little and understand what kind of strawberry this is and what it can be confused with.
Origin or fireworks of rumors
The full name of this variety in Latin is Fragaria ananassa Gigantella Maximum and literally translated as Garden Strawberry Maxi.
Although this is not entirely correct and is either an involuntary distortion of the Latin name, or a special commercial trick of some unscrupulous sellers who are able to pass off strawberry seedlings of the same variety as two different ones.
Many sources mention the Dutch origin of this strawberry variety. But as for his age, some discrepancies are already beginning. In most sources, the creation of the Gigantella Maxi variety dates back to the beginning of the 21st century. On the other hand, many gardeners recall that back in the 80s of the last century, Gigantella strawberries were sometimes found among planting material and even in those days they amazed with their huge size of berries, the weight of which reached 100 grams or even more.
It should also be noted that some sources indicate that there are several varieties of the Gigantella strawberry variety, and Maxi is only one of them - the most famous.
In any case, regardless of its origin, the Gigantella Maxi variety has its own stable characteristics that make it relatively easy to identify the berries of this variety and distinguish them from many others. It is the description of the Gigantella Maxim or Maxi variety, as it is more correctly called, along with its photo and reviews about it that will be presented later in the article.
Description and characteristics of the variety
It is worth paying attention to the Gigantella Maxi strawberry, if only because in terms of ripening it belongs to the mid-late varieties.This means that under normal open ground conditions you can eat the first berries starting from the end of June, and in some regions, even from the beginning of July. There are few varieties with such a late fruiting period.
Gigantella Maxi is a common short-day variety; its berries appear only once per season, but the fruiting period is quite extended and can last until August.
If you really want to speed up the fruiting of this variety, you can grow it in a greenhouse or at least build a temporary shelter on arches for the bushes.
The name of this strawberry variety speaks for itself; not only its berries are gigantic, but also its bushes. They reach a height of 40-50 cm, and the diameter of the bush can reach up to 70 cm. The leaves are also quite large in size, have a wrinkled surface, slightly corrugated, matte, and a uniform light green color. The roots of this strawberry are also striking in their thickness - they are noticeably different from other large-fruited varieties by eye.
The flower stalks are particularly strong and durable; their thickness can reach the diameter of a pencil. One bush is capable of bearing up to 30 peduncles, each of which contains about 6-8 flowers.
A lot of whiskers are formed, so there are no problems with the propagation of this variety.
Like regular strawberries, the first harvest can be carried out the next season after autumn planting. The yield of this variety can approach record levels, but only if all agricultural practices are followed. For example, in greenhouses, about 3 kg of berries are harvested from one bush in one season.
In ordinary open ground plots, you can harvest about 1 kg of strawberries or more from one bush, depending on care.Indeed, the variety is very demanding in terms of care and growing conditions, but this will be discussed in more detail below.
The big advantage of this variety is that it can grow in one place for 6-8 years. True, according to reviews from gardeners, it often turns out that over the years the berries become smaller and the yield falls, so it is still advisable to rejuvenate the plantings every 3-4 years, as is customary to do with other traditional varieties.
A positive feature of this strawberry variety is that the fruits manage to accumulate sugar content even in rainy and cloudy weather, although they are prone to being affected by gray rot in these conditions.
The Gigantella Maxi variety is relatively resistant to major diseases, but only if it is grown in a place suitable for its claims. It is quite frost-resistant, although in areas with harsh winters it is better to cover it for the winter.
Berries and their characteristics
It was the Gigantella strawberries that became the main subject of controversy among gardeners.
- Few can deny their large size, which reaches 8-10 cm in diameter, and thus the berries may well resemble medium-sized apples. The weight of the berries is 100-110 grams. But these are only the very first fruits on the bushes in the season. The remaining berries are somewhat inferior to the first ones in size and weight, although they cannot be called small either. Their weight averages 40-60 grams.
- Many opponents of this variety are dissatisfied with the shape of the berries - they consider it ugly. Indeed, the shape of Gigantella Maxi is peculiar - somewhat reminiscent of an accordion, with a ridge at the top and often compressed on both sides.
- When fully ripe, the berries acquire a rich dark red hue, which colors the fruit from the stalk to the tips.Thanks to this property, unripe berries will have a whitish top. The skin of the berries is quite rough, without gloss or shine.
- The pulp of the berries is characterized by both juiciness and density, so the Gigantella Maxi strawberry can easily withstand long-term transportation. Due to insufficient watering, cavities may appear inside the berries, and the berries themselves may become less juicy.
- The taste characteristics of the berries are assessed as very good; they have a dessert, pineapple flavor. Strawberry Gigantella Maxi is universal in use. The berries are good to eat fresh; they retain their shape and size perfectly when frozen.
Features of planting and care
Strawberry Gigantella Maxi will feel especially good in a sunny and warm place, with mandatory protection from wind and drafts. Despite its love for warmth, this variety also does not like extreme heat. Berries may get burned. In any case, Gigantella Maxi requires regular watering, especially in hot weather. The best solution would be to install drip irrigation in combination with mulching the beds.
Regular feeding is required. At the beginning of the season, you can use mainly nitrogen fertilizers, but with the appearance of the first flower stalks it is better to switch to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. However, the best option would be to use organic matter in all its forms, primarily vermicompost.
Due to the enormous size of all parts of the plant, special attention should be paid to the placement of bushes. Since Gigantella Maxi strawberries require a lot of space to grow, the distance between the bushes should not be less than 50-60 cm, or better yet 70 cm. You can leave 80-90 cm between the rows.Bush thickening is one of the main reasons for unsatisfactory yields when growing this variety of strawberries.
Strawberry Gigantella Maxi is also demanding on soil. It is best to plant it in the ground after first growing legume green manure on it. It is in this case that she will be able to show her true properties.
Finally, an important procedure is mustache removal. If you need to propagate this variety, transplant the young rosettes directly to the seedling bed, but separate them from the mother bushes as quickly as possible, otherwise there will not be a good harvest.
Reviews from summer residents and gardeners
Reviews from those who have encountered this variety are quite contradictory - it is clear that the berry is capricious and requires very careful care. But there are also personal preferences and prejudices, and it is quite difficult to argue with them, and it is not necessary.
Conclusion
Even if the strawberry Gigantella Maxi seemed too capricious to care for, take a closer look at it. After all, it has practically no competitors in terms of ripening time and yield. Therefore, if you want to extend the season of strawberry consumption not only due to remontant varieties, try planting Gigantella Maxi and then only decide whether it is suitable for you or not.
