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Garden strawberries or strawberries have long been considered one of the most delicious and healthy berries. Not only children, but also adults love to feast on it. The queen of the garden today is grown by many summer residents, and is attracted both by the harvest itself and by the ideal option for decorating the garden. Flowers and ripening berries can outshine strange plants with their beauty.
But gardeners are often faced with the question of what variety of strawberries to plant on their plot in order to harvest during the warm season. Strawberry Selva, according to the description of the variety, photos and reviews from gardeners, meets the requirements of any summer resident. Brought out by the Americans in 1983 of the last century. Its “parents” are the varieties Pajero, Brighton and Tufts. Today, the Selva variety is one of the popular remontant varieties.
Features of the variety
Selva is a remontant variety that bears fruit throughout the summer; it belongs to the early, even, one might say, super early varieties of garden strawberries.
- The plants stand out as powerful compact bushes, up to half a meter high. They don't spread out much. Leaves are rich green. During the season it forms many whiskers.
- There are many flower stalks on strawberries; they are located at the bottom of the bush. Powerful, with a large number of buds.Peduncles hold fruit well and do not sink to the ground.
- The flowers are large, the center is rich yellow. Fruit set is high. The berries are large, from 25 to 40 grams and above, dark red, shiny, round-conical.
- The pulp is dense, crispy, with barely noticeable sourness. The berries are aromatic, reminiscent of wild strawberries.
Look at the photo to see how many delicious berries there are on one bush.
Characteristic
If we talk about the characteristics of the Selva strawberry, it should be noted that it is fully consistent with remontancy. Fruiting occurs in waves, with good care there are 3-4 of them. As gardeners write in reviews, the increase in yield occurs due to the fact that the flower stalks are not thrown out at the same time, but due to the rooted rosettes on the tendrils.
Strawberries of the Selva variety produce a full harvest for no more than three years. In the fourth year, even a mustache may not form. Therefore, every year you need to rejuvenate the strawberry beds. There are many mustaches on young bushes. To obtain full-fledged seedlings, choose the healthiest and most prolific strawberry bush and root a mustache from it. In order not to reduce the productivity of the beds and the tone of the plants, you need to remove the excess mustache.
Fruiting begins earlier than other strawberry varieties. As soon as the first harvest has been harvested, the Selva strawberries begin to have flower stalks again - the second wave of fruiting begins. The most delicious and aromatic berries ripen in the third wave. Judging by numerous reviews from gardeners, Selva bears fruit until frost.
The density of the berries attracts gardeners who grow strawberries for sale. The point is excellent transportability.When transported over long distances, the fruits of the Selva variety do not lose their shape and remain dry. The berries are also highly valued by chefs. Delicious strawberries can be eaten fresh, prepared into compotes and jams. Frozen berries, after thawing, fill the apartment with the aroma of wild strawberries.
The strawberry variety Selva is resistant to many diseases and pests. The berries are not affected by gray rot, nor are the leaves affected by spotting.
Features of planting
There are no particular difficulties when planting strawberry seedlings in a permanent place. The same applies to planting material, because the variety throws out enough whiskers. As a rule, it is best to use seedlings with a closed root system, so it is better to root the mustaches in plastic cups. Here it is, the best seedlings, in the photo below.
The remontant Selva strawberry will give you a rich harvest if you follow some agrotechnical standards:
- Garden strawberries prefer sunny areas protected from the wind. It is not advisable to plant Selva bushes in lowlands, otherwise it will lose its elasticity and sweetness.
- The best soil is loam. Selva does not like very acidic soil.
- To plant strawberries, before digging, add nitrogen-phosphorus mineral fertilizers and organic matter - peat, manure, dolomite flour. The Selva variety prefers loose, breathable soil. Fertilizers containing chlorine cannot be applied to strawberries.
- Since the bush of the Selva strawberry variety is powerful, when planting seedlings, you need to adhere to a step between bushes of up to 30 cm. When planting in two lines, the row spacing should be at least 60 cm. Otherwise, due to the formation of a large number of mustaches, the plants will be very crowded and will not be ventilated .
- Strawberry plantings require intensive watering for at least 10 days. Then water less often.
Proper planting of seedlings is the key to harvest:
Care and cultivation
Features of watering
The Selva variety is unpretentious, but it has a special relationship with water. The slightest drying out leads to loss of harvest. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the soil during budding, flowering and fruiting of strawberries.
It is better to use drip irrigation. If there is no such system, you can use plastic bottles. Their lower part is cut off, and small punctures are made in the lid. The neck is stuck next to the Selva bush, and water is poured into the bottle. The same drip irrigation is used by many gardeners.
How to save strawberries from the heat
The plant does not like high temperatures. To prevent the soil from overheating, it must be mulched. Straw or hay can be used as mulch.
Feeding
Since the fruiting of garden strawberries of the Selva variety extends throughout the entire warm season, the plants need to be fed. Otherwise, the soil will be depleted, and the same will happen to the strawberries. Throughout the growing season, mineral fertilizers and organic matter are applied to the bushes. Fertilizers are applied simultaneously with watering.
Interesting growing options
Since the tendrils of the Selva variety are long and numerous, some gardeners grow strawberries as a climbing plant. A trellis is installed next to the bush; the Selva strawberry will cling to it with its tendrils, forming a unique corner in the garden. Imagine that on one plant, against a background of greenery, flowers sparkle white and red berries sparkle at the same time.
Strawberries of the Selva variety look good in a flowerpot or in a barrel, as an hanging plant. But in this case, garden strawberries need to be provided with adequate nutrition.
Wintering
Strawberry Selva is a frost-resistant variety. In regions with a warm climate, it is enough to cover the plantings with a layer of straw or hay, spruce branches or non-woven material. In areas with cold winters, good shelter is used. Cover the beds with a thick layer of humus or peat, and pre-mulch the soil.
To ensure that the bushes survive the winter well, they are hardened off. Before permanent shelter, plants must encounter light frosts in the open. You don’t have to remove the leaves, because they will warm the roots.
