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Garden strawberries, or strawberries, as they are commonly called, are very popular among Russians due to their unique taste and aroma. Among the varieties of this berry grown in household plots and summer cottages, there are old, but time-tested varieties that have not yet lost their position. One of them is the Mitze Schindler strawberry. Read about this variety, its characteristics, advantages, method of cultivation and propagation in this article.
Description
Strawberries of the Mitze Schindler variety were obtained in Germany a little less than a century ago - in the 30s of the 20th century. Its full name is “Frau Mieze Schindler”. The variety was bred from the then popular varieties Lucida perfecta and Johann Moller. As a result of their crossing, late-ripening strawberries were obtained, characterized by drought and frost resistance.
Description of strawberry variety Mitze Schindler and its photo:
- low bush, weakly leafy;
- the leaf is medium-sized, dense and smooth, its upper part is dark green, leathery, with a slight shine, the lower part is silvery;
- peduncles moderately tall, rising above the leaves, thin, branched;
- forms many tendrils; on some bushes they can be remontant;
- the berries are small or medium-sized, flattened-round, red, ripe - dark cherry, shiny;
- the weight of the first berries is 10-20 g, the average weight of subsequent berries is 5-10 g;
- the seeds are dark red, deeply embedded in the pulp;
- The pulp is light crimson in color, sweet, soft, tender.
In terms of taste, this old variety is still considered one of the best. Its yield is average (up to 0.8 kg of berries per 1 sq. m). Strawberries of this variety are consumed mainly fresh; they are less suitable for making juices, canning and freezing.
Choosing a landing site
According to the description of the variety, Mitze Schindler strawberries are undemanding to growing conditions, grow well in almost any soil, and are resistant to major crop diseases.
For bushes of this variety you need to find an open, sunny place on the site. The soil should be light, loose, breathable, moisture-absorbing, but not waterlogged, and rich in nutrients. Strawberries cannot tolerate dense and heavy soils; in them, their roots are deformed and cannot penetrate deeply, as a result of which the plant’s nutrition deteriorates and its growth stops. Sandy soil, which does not retain moisture well, is also unsuitable. It follows from this that it is not recommended to plant strawberries on clay and calcareous soils, and sandy loams and loams are best for them. Acceptable soil acidity is slightly acidic (pH 5-6).
Good predecessors for strawberries include legumes (peas, beans), cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, radishes, radishes and mustard), garlic and herbs. Less suitable in this regard are nightshade and pumpkin crops. You can plant this berry after green manure: alfalfa, lupine, clover, etc.You cannot plant it after sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke, as well as flowers of the ranunculaceae family, for example, columbine, anemones, clematis, delphinium.
Planting in beds
Planting of young strawberry plants can be done in early spring, as soon as it gets warmer, or in late summer - early autumn. It is not advisable to plant in late spring and late autumn: poorly rooted seedlings may dry out or freeze. Immediately before planting, the bushes should be carefully examined and those that have dried roots or leaves with traces of disease should be discarded. For prevention, it is advisable to treat planting specimens with Fitosporin.
It is best to plant Mitze Schindler strawberries in the evening and in cool weather. Approximate planting pattern: 20 cm between bushes and 50 cm between rows. This feeding area allows you to get maximum yield from each planted bush. The depth of the hole should be such that the root system of the strawberry seedling fits into it without any problems. Before immersing the bush in the hole, you need to add a little humus with wood ash to provide it with nutrition for the first time. The seedling needs to be buried up to the root collar. After transplanting, each plant must be watered with warm water. It is advisable to add rooting and growth stimulants and humate to it. It is better to mulch the soil around the strawberry bushes with straw, dry grass, leaves, or cover the ground with black agrofibre.
At first, while the seedlings are taking root, the soil under them must be kept constantly moist: it must be watered daily or every other day. After rooting, the frequency of watering should be reduced.
Vertical beds
There is another option for planting strawberries - not in ordinary horizontal beds, but in vertical ones. To create such beds, large, dense plastic bags or pieces of plastic water pipes are suitable (you will need 2 pipes of different diameters, the narrower one will be needed for watering the plants). In bags and wide pipes you need to make holes in a checkerboard pattern - bushes will grow in them, and in narrow pipes - many small holes through which water will penetrate to the strawberry roots. They need to be inserted into wide pipes.
You can fill bags and pipes with ready-made substrate, purchased at a vegetable grower's store, mixing it with peat and perlite. To irrigate strawberries in such containers, it is best to use drip irrigation.
Growing
Reviews from gardeners about Mitze Schindler strawberries show that they are quite unpretentious and can get by with standard care. Productivity does not suffer.
Here's how to care for these strawberry plants:
- Water in the morning or evening with settled and warm water as soon as the soil becomes dry. Strawberries should not be overwatered, because despite the fact that they love water, waterlogging has a bad effect on them - susceptibility to infection by rot and powdery mildew increases, winter hardiness decreases and few generative buds are formed, which leads to a decrease in yield for the next year. You can water manually, but it is better to install a sprinkler system on the beds or lay drip irrigation hoses.
- After watering or heavy rain, loosen the soil (if there is no mulch).Loosening will not only prevent growth weeds, the presence of which next to strawberries is unacceptable, but will also not allow the formation of a crust that does not allow air to pass through to the roots.
- You can fertilize plants with organic matter (mullein, bird droppings, nettle infusion) or mineral complex fertilizers intended for berry crops.
- Treat with fungicides if diseases appear and with insecticides when pests appear. To protect strawberries from weevils, you can sow marigolds near the beds.
- Collect berries as they ripen on the bushes. There is no point in keeping them on the bush for too long; overripe strawberries quickly become soft and disappear.
- In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, bushes of this variety, despite the fact that it is considered cold-resistant, must be covered for the winter.
Mitze Schindler strawberries need to be replanted in a new location every 4-5 years. This will increase the yield of bushes and minimize the likelihood of diseases.
Reproduction
Mature strawberry bushes should not be kept for more than 5 years - after this age they age, deplete the soil, quickly lose productivity, and accumulate diseases. To create a conveyor of vitamin berries, you can plant a new bed every year and at the same time remove the oldest one. It looks something like this:
- 1 year – new planting;
- 2nd year – strawberries of the 1st year of fruiting (with still a small harvest);
- Years 3 and 4 – productive bed;
- 5th year - after harvesting, the strawberries need to be removed and vegetables should be grown in this place the next year.
A new plot can be obtained from the whiskers, which are formed in sufficient quantities in strawberries of the Mitze Schindler variety. They need to be taken from the most well-developed, healthy and fertile plants on which berries ripen, which in all respects are characteristic of the variety.As soon as mustaches appear on the mother bush, they need to be buried for rooting, and planted in a permanent place in the fall.
Review and video
Strawberries of the Mitze Schindler variety have long been known to gardeners, so there is no need to wait for reviews about them.
Conclusion
Mitze Schindler is an excellent strawberry variety that can be recommended for cultivation to any gardener. It has the main characteristics that are valued in this culture, so it will not disappoint its new owner.
I have been growing Mitze Schindler strawberries for many years. The site is located in the north of the Moscow region, the land is thin, I do not have the opportunity to provide the recommended care for strawberries. Despite such spartan conditions, strawberries bear fruit well every year and suffer very few diseases. Once every five years I update it, replanting it in another place. I rate this variety as very good.