Strawberry Tuscany: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Description of the variety
2 Basics of agricultural technology
3 Reviews from gardeners
4 Conclusion

Nowadays it is difficult to surprise fans of growing garden strawberries with anything, but still strawberries blooming with bright pink flowers are a certain exotic. After all, the sight of bushes at the time of flowering can fascinate even an experienced gardener. And Tuscany strawberries can simultaneously ripen berries and bloom buds on the bushes. Of course, such a phenomenon is hard to resist and many really can’t believe whether this miracle really exists or is just another Photoshop trick.

Description of the variety

Actually, Tuscany strawberries are not a variety. This is an F1 hybrid, bred by ABZ seeds in Italy in 2011. The main consequence of this fact is that it is useless to germinate seeds from Tuscany strawberries to obtain the same characteristics as the mother bush. But Tuscany reproduces quite well with its tendrils, so in terms of reproduction, everything is quite possible, if you don’t have your own seeds in mind.

Attention! If you are a fan of seed propagation, then it would be better to buy the seeds of this hybrid in a store from an official supplier.

Almost immediately after its release, the strawberry hybrid Tuscany became the winner of the FleuroStar World Competition.

Tuscany strawberry bushes are indeed distinguished by their powerful growth. Not exceeding 15-20 cm in height, they can grow up to 40-45 cm in width.At the same time, the length of the shoots can reach one meter. This property allows the strawberry hybrid to be used for planting in hanging baskets, flowerpots and other vertical structures.
Hybrid belongs to ampelous remontant varieties of garden strawberries. This means that in addition to flowering and fruiting almost throughout the warm season, from spring to autumn, Tuscany strawberry bushes are capable of forming long shoots with flowering rosettes on them. That is, this hybrid is capable of blooming and producing tasty berries on its shoots, even without rooting the latter. It is this phenomenon that helps create the effect of an ampelous plant, strewn with flowers and berries at the same time.
The leaves are dark green in color and have a characteristic shine.
Flowers of a bright ruby hue are soon replaced by scarlet, medium-sized conical berries.
The berries weigh on average about 35 grams, are quite dense, sweet, juicy, and have the aroma of wild strawberries.
In one season, you can collect about 1 kg of tasty and sweet berries from each strawberry bush.
Tuscany strawberry seeds are characterized by excellent germination, and the resulting bushes are uniform in size.
Hybrid Tuscany is resistant to high temperatures and drought. It also quite successfully resists unfavorable growing conditions, including many fungal diseases: spotting, root rot, etc.

Basics of agricultural technology

In general, Tuscany strawberries are a representative of ordinary garden strawberries, so all the basic rules of agricultural technology do not differ from ordinary varieties.

Tuscany hybrid bushes are planted in spring or autumn.

Advice! If you are using purchased seedlings, it is better to prefer spring planting - in this case, already this season you will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and delicious taste of strawberry bushes.

If you want to grow Tuscany strawberries from seeds, then they are usually sown at the very end of winter, and the seedlings survive in the ground in the spring and summer. Of course, by the end of summer you will be able to enjoy the first flowers and berries, but in this case you will reap a full harvest only next year.

If Tuscany strawberries are planted in the ground, they will look ideal as a ground cover plant along paths in the garden or on an alpine hill. Much more often it is used for planting in various vertical and hanging structures. In both cases, it is necessary that the soil in which you plant it is at the same time light, breathable and fertile. You can use ready-made strawberry mixtures from stores, or you can make your own. The following recipe works great:

Peat – 6 parts;
Sod land - 3 parts;
Humus - 3 parts;
Sand or vermiculite - 1 part.

The main thing in the process of planting seedlings of this hybrid is to plant the plants at a fairly considerable distance from each other. There should be about 80 cm between them, and it is better to even increase the distance to 120-150 cm.

The fact is that Tuscany strawberries actively form mustaches, which easily take root in the first weeks. Therefore, if this process is not controlled, then by the end of summer the entire space around the bushes will be filled with tendrils with flowering and fruiting rosettes.

When planting Tuscany seedlings in hanging or vertical containers, each bush should contain at least 2-3 liters of soil.

Watering Tuscany should be regular: quite abundant at the beginning of the growing season and moderate from the moment the first fruits form. In hot weather, watering is necessary twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.

Important! It is necessary to water Tuscany strawberries during flowering and fruiting strictly at the root, in order to avoid the spread of rot.

But the most important secret to successfully growing this hybrid is regular feeding - after all, plants spend a lot of energy on flowering and producing berries. Feed ampel strawberries Tuscany is necessary every 14-18 days. It is best to use a complex fertilizer with a maximum content of microelements in chelated form. The content of macroelements should be approximately in the following ratio N:P:K = 1:3:6.

To ensure that the berries have the opportunity to ripen for a longer period of time, it is recommended to cover the plantings with film at the beginning and end of the growing season. In autumn, when temperatures drop significantly, you can bring baskets or pots of strawberries into the house. By installing additional lighting, you can extend the ripening period of berries by another one to two months. Then it is advisable to place the strawberry bushes for the winter in a room in which the temperature in winter does not drop below -5°C.

Comment! If you have a warm greenhouse or winter garden, Tuscany can become a real decoration during the long winter months.

Reviews from gardeners

Reviews of the Tuscany strawberry, the description of the variety and photo of which are located above, are mostly favorable, although many gardeners talk more about its decorative qualities than its taste.

Svetlana, 38 years old, Smolensk

I bought remontant strawberries of the Tuscany variety as small seedlings.They planted it in the spring, it didn’t even have time to get stronger yet, but it was already blooming. The flowers are, of course, very beautiful, and if you let them grow, you get a whole pink bush. Even my neighbors asked me what kind of unusual flowers I got. And when they found out that it was strawberries, at first they didn’t believe it, and then they asked for seedlings. Its berries are small, but sweet, suitable for jam, or eaten straight from the bush. It propagates by means of its mustache very easily. I’ve been growing it for two years now, so in the second year I first cut off the first flower stalks so that later there would be a larger harvest. So, from May to the end of September she practically delighted us with both flowers and berries.

Maria, 29 years old, Lipetsk

In the spring, I bought two Tuscany strawberry bushes that were already blooming at the shopping center. I planted them on the balcony - the first berries were already picked in May. Strawberries bloomed and bear fruit all summer. There were no mustaches this year, but there were a lot of flowers. By autumn, the berries have become smaller in size, but what I like most about it are the flowers - they are so unusual and attract attention.

Alina, 32 years old, Moscow

For several years now, a unique variety of Tuscany strawberries has been living on my balcony and in my room. It produces berries almost all year round - in winter I bring it into the room, hang a lamp over it, and in spring, summer and autumn it feels great on the balcony. From spring to autumn I feed it every two weeks with complex fertilizer and water it regularly. My kids are very happy when the next berries ripen, and I am delighted with the flowers - they are so cute. At home, you have to pollinate strawberries by hand - but this is not at all difficult - pass the brush over the flowers and that’s it.I also try to ensure that the resulting rosettes take root immediately, otherwise it will be difficult for the mother bush to feed all its “children.” And I don’t leave more than five mustaches on the bush - I cut off all the rest. That's all the tricks.

Conclusion

Strawberry Tuscany is a bright and original representative of the strawberry kingdom, so if you are passionate about growing this tasty and healthy berry, then you should try growing this hybrid.