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The new strawberry variety Vima Zanta has not yet become very famous. However, gardeners who were lucky enough to grow this crop noted the good taste of the berries and the good frost resistance of the bushes. By its origin, the Wim Zant strawberry is a hybrid of Dutch selection. Considered a related variety Vima Tarda. The general series of Dutch varieties also includes Vima Rina and Vima Xima, but they are not related to the hybrid Vima Zant.
Characteristics of the variety
Relatives of the Vima Zanta hybrid are two well-known varieties:
- Elsanta always takes the standard. This variety became one of the parents of the Vima Zant hybrid.
- The crown is the second parent of the hybrid. The aroma and good taste of berries are borrowed from the variety. And now we will take a closer look at the photos, reviews, description of the Vima Zanta strawberry variety, and learn the rules of agricultural technology. Let's start with the characteristics of the variety:
- According to the ripening time of the berries, Vima Zanta is considered an early ripening hybrid, but strawberries can also be classified as mid-early varieties. Reddening of the fruits begins in the third decade of May or occurs at the beginning of June.
- The productivity of the variety is high. From 1 hectare you can collect up to 80 centners of berries. In terms of productivity, the Vima Zanta hybrid has surpassed even its parent, the Elsanta variety. The Vima Zanta variety will produce its maximum yield only in the second year after planting.
- The culture is characterized by a powerful bush structure. The leaves have the usual strawberry shape, but they are slightly curled inward and resemble a boat. This is a distinctive feature of the variety.
- The berries grow large. The skin color is deep red, but there is no gloss. The first fruits grow more round in shape. The berries of subsequent waves of harvest take on a conical shape with a flattened neck. This is another important feature that allows you to distinguish the Vima Zanta hybrid from other similar varieties. The weight of the fruit is small. The less watering, the lighter the berries. Due to lack of moisture, strawberries do not grow juicy, and they may even be hollow inside.
- The taste qualities are pronounced. The pulp is much sweeter than the fruits of the famous Clery variety.
- The peduncle is formed at the level of the foliage. The stems are strong and stable. The hybrid is characterized by intensive mustache growth.
- The fruits are easily separated from the sepals. Strawberries are capricious in transportation. The pulp of ripe berries is quite soft and is simply crushed during transportation in boxes.
- The Vima Zant hybrid inherited from its parents high resistance to diseases, in particular to fungus and root rot. The crop has average resistance to powdery mildew.
This is how we can characterize Wim Zant’s description of strawberries, and now let’s get acquainted with the conditions of agricultural technology.
Growing strawberries
Reviews about the Vima Zanta strawberry variety say that the crop requires good attention. Plants really do not like thickening. Each bush should have at least 25 cm of free space around it. A dense planting will result in weak whisker formation and a smaller ovary.
Strawberries are planted in rows in the garden. The optimal row spacing is about 45 cm. This is good for plants and makes it easier to pick berries.The Vima Zanta variety loves sunny areas of the garden, where the maximum light reaches. You don't have to worry about the berries. Strawberries will not bake even under the scorching rays of the sun. But in the shade, the fruits lose their natural color and taste.
The Vima Zanta strawberry variety is very demanding when it comes to soil. On poor soil, you don’t even have to try to grow a crop. Fertilizing with organic matter and minerals is necessary. The first time mineral fertilizer is applied directly into the hole when planting a seedling. Subsequent feeding is carried out with organic mixtures until the ovary appears. The last time of the season, fertilizer is applied after complete harvesting. Fertilizing is needed so that strawberries gain nutrients before wintering.
In summing up the description of the Vima Zanta strawberry variety, let's take a look at its advantages:
- early ripening of berries and versatility of their use;
- from one bush you can collect up to 2 kg of fruit;
- leaves and root system are resistant to disease;
- The berries grow weighing up to 40 g and are very sweet and aromatic.
This hybrid also has many disadvantages:
- whimsicality to the composition of the soil and terrain;
- strawberries require careful care, especially regular removal of tendrils and watering;
- in cold regions, bushes must be carefully covered for the winter;
- transportability and preservation of berries is poor.
Despite all the shortcomings, the Dutch hybrid is popular among private gardeners. Many of them claim that caring for the Vima Zanta variety is no more difficult than caring for any other strawberry.
Strawberry care
Caring for any variety of strawberry involves performing the same steps. However, there are still some nuances. When caring for the Vima Zanta hybrid, you need to take into account the characteristics of both parent varieties. This is the only way to achieve a good harvest. The rules for caring for the Vima Zanta variety require the following actions:
- The hybrid loves abundant watering so that the berries are full-bodied. You will have to do this often. Moreover, during flowering it is impossible for water to get on the flower stalks. Watering plants at the roots is difficult, especially on large plantations. The only way out of the situation can be the arrangement of drip irrigation.
- The bushes of the Vima Zant hybrid are powerful, but they may not survive in thickets of grass. Weeds draw a lot of nutrients from the soil. It is better to do weeding in a timely manner, preventing the appearance of grass.
- If you want to get an early harvest, you will have to work hard. In the long spring, frosts are often observed. To prevent them from destroying young shoots, strawberries are covered with agrofibre at night. Such actions will help you get the first ripe berries about 10 days earlier.
- The Vima Zanta strawberry is considered a winter-hardy hybrid, but there is a threat of freezing. In the absence of snow, severe frosts or frequent thaws with freezing of the soil, the root system of plants suffers. You can ensure reliable insulation by covering strawberries with mulch for the winter. Straw, leaves, sawdust and other natural waste are suitable. Agrofibre can be used as mulch for winter shelter.
- Mulch is useful not only in winter, but also during the growing season. It will prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, protect plants from pests, and will also serve as an additional organic fertilizer.Sometimes gardeners even use pine tree needles for mulch.
- Recently, technology has gained widespread popularity growing strawberries on film. The bed is covered with a black cloth, and windows are cut with a knife in the places where the seedlings are planted. The film prevents moisture from evaporating from the soil and prevents the growth of weeds.
The mustaches are removed from the strawberries so that they do not weaken the mother bush. However, the plant needs to reproduce. To obtain young shoots, 2-3 whiskers are left, and the strongest ones are chosen, and all weak little things are cut off with scissors.
Spring protection against pests
Studying the reviews, the description of Wim Zant's strawberries is worth focusing on protecting the crop from pests. With the onset of spring, larvae of various insects awaken in the ground. Weevils, ticks and other pests wander on the surface in search of food. All of them are not averse to eating the juicy leaves and roots of strawberries. In spring there comes an important moment when the gardener must have time to protect young plants.
There are proven recipes for controlling strawberry pests and diseases, and now we will look at some of them:
- Gray rot appears on berries in spots of a similar color. It is better to prevent the disease using prophylaxis. Before flower stalks appear, plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. You can use copper oxychloride. In any case, a weak solution is needed for prevention.
- Powdery mildew causes enormous damage to strawberries. You can prevent the appearance of fungus by preventatively spraying the bushes with a pale potassium permanganate solution. Colloidal sulfur dissolved in water shows good results.
- Purchased strawberry seedlings may contain mites invisible to the eye on the leaves. Over time, the pest will destroy not only new but also old plantings. To destroy the mite, purchased strawberry seedlings are immersed for 15 minutes in water heated to a temperature of +45OWITH.
- At night, a special contingent of pests appears that love berries. Woodlice, slugs and snails can be controlled with pine needle mulch. A solution consisting of 1 bucket of water, 1 cup of sunflower oil and 2 cups of vinegar will help get rid of an ant invasion. The prepared solution is simply poured over the strawberries, and the ants will forever forget the way to it.
- Copper sulfate continues to be a universal remedy for combating all parasites. Even before the buds appear on the strawberries, blue powder is mixed with slaked lime and sprinkled between rows in the garden bed.
- An infusion of tobacco or wormwood will help fight spider mites on growing strawberries. To catch woodlice, a simple folk method is used. You need to soak a lot of birch brooms in water and lay them out in the evening on the bed near the strawberries.
When trying to protect strawberries from various enemies, you need to learn one truth: it is better to take preventive measures than to later try to cure half-living plants.
The video talks about caring for strawberries:
Reviews
Now let's read reviews from gardeners about Wim Zant's strawberries.
