Strawberry Cinderella

Many people look forward to summer so they can enjoy strawberries. Garden strawberries are a foreign guest that appeared on the territory of Russia only at the end of the 19th century. As a result of selection, many varieties have emerged that are adapted to Russian regions. The variety of remontant garden strawberries “Cinderella” was obtained as a result of crossing “Festival” and “Zenga-Zengana”.

Description of the variety

Strawberry "Cinderella" belongs to the mid-late varieties; although it is vigorous, it is a compact bush that grows well in diameter. The leaves of "Cinderella" are dark green in color with a waxy coating. The location of the peduncles is at the level of the leaves, but may well be lower.

The number of flowers is small, but they are large with slightly curled petals. The fruits are blunt-conical in shape, weighing about 25 g. The color of the berry is orange-red with a shine.The berry tastes sweet with a slight sourness. The fruit pulp is bright red, dense, and therefore tolerates transportation well.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like all berries, Cinderella has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Reproduction methods

Garden strawberries “Cinderella” are propagated in several ways:

• Usami.
• Dividing the bush.
• Growing from seeds.

Reproduction by mustache

“Cinderella” produces few shoots, on average from 3 to 6. There are three possible options for its propagation by mustaches:

• Strawberry shoots with rosettes are sprinkled with earth or fixed with staples.
• The rosettes, without separating them from the shoots, are planted in pots.
• The rosettes separated from the mustache are planted in the garden bed.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

Young bushes of garden strawberries “Cinderella” have one growth point (heart). By autumn, their number increases to 8-10 pieces, this allows you to divide the strawberry bush into the same number of small bushes.

Growing from seeds

A slightly more labor-intensive process of growing Cinderella strawberries from seeds. The advantage of this method is that there will be a lot of seedlings.

Seed production technique and stratification

Cinderella strawberry seeds are collected only from selected berries from varietal bushes. There are two ways to obtain seeds:

• Using a knife, carefully remove the outer skin from the strawberries and leave them on a plate to dry for a couple of days.
• Grind the berries in a blender, after adding a glass of water. The resulting mass is placed in a sieve and washed with water.

The best way to help Cinderella strawberry seeds germinate is:

• Soak strawberry seeds in water for three days.
• Place on plates, wrap in damp paper towels.
• Wrap in a plastic bag, making several holes for ventilation.
• Place in a warm and well-lit place for a couple of days.
• Place in the refrigerator for two weeks before planting.

This process is called stratification.

Sowing time

The first flower stalks of “Cinderella” appear five months after planting. Based on this, sowing is carried out in February. The temperature regime is maintained above +23°C, the duration of daylight hours should be about 12-14 hours, which can be done using a phytolamp.

Some tips from the author of the video:

Sowing in peat tablets

Hatched seeds of Cinderella strawberries can be planted in peat tablets. The landing process is quite simple:

• Place the tablets in a container and fill them with water.
• When the tablets swell, drain the water and squeeze them lightly.
• Cinderella strawberry seeds are put into tablets.
• The container with tablets is covered with film.
• Place in a well-lit place.
• Maintain a temperature no higher than +18°C.
• If necessary, add water to the container.

The first strawberry shoots will appear in 10 days, the rest will appear within 20-30 days.

Sowing in the soil

“Cinderella” seeds can also be planted in the ground:

• Take boxes filled with loose soil.
• Make shallow furrows at a distance of two centimeters.
• Lay out the strawberry seeds.
• Lightly spray with water from a spray bottle.
• Cover with a film in which holes are made.

Picking sprouts

Picking is carried out when 2-3 leaves appear. It doesn't take much time:

• Sprouted seedlings are watered abundantly.
• Strawberry seedlings are carefully removed.
• Excessively long roots are trimmed.
• Plant, making sure that the growing point is above the ground.
• Water moderately.
• Place in a warm and bright place.

Why don't the seeds germinate?

Sometimes, after sowing the Cinderella seeds, it happens that the long-awaited sprouts do not appear. The reason is simple - improper care:

• Poor quality seeds were selected for planting.
• No stratification has been carried out.
• Wrong choice of soil mixture.
• Violations of care standards (watering, lighting, temperature conditions).

If everything is done correctly, then the Cinderella strawberries will definitely delight you with abundant shoots.

Landing

Not everyone has the opportunity to grow their own seedlings. Then you can simply buy “Cinderella” strawberries at the market or in garden stores.

How to choose seedlings

When choosing strawberry seedlings you need to be very careful:

• If there are dots on the leaves, these are fungal diseases.
• Pale leaves of "Cinderella" may indicate late blight necrosis.
• Wrinkled leaves indicate the presence of strawberry mites.
• The thickness of the horn (one-year shoot) must be at least 70 mm.
• There should be at least three leaves on a Cinderella seedling.

Having chosen healthy Cinderella strawberry seedlings, you can begin planting.

Recommendations for site selection and soil preparation

It is best to plant “Cinderella” in areas with a flat surface and good lighting. The soil for planting strawberries is prepared in advance:

• In the fall, enrich the soil with calcium using fluff lime.
• The earth is dug up to the depth of a spade bayonet.
• Remove roots weed and pest larvae.
• Fill the bed with water at the rate of a bucket of water per square meter of land.
• The soil is watered abundantly with a solution of copper sulfate for disinfection.

Planting scheme

The most suitable methods for planting strawberries: single-row and checkerboard.

Single line landing:

• The gap between plants is at least 0.15 m.
• Row spacing is 0.40 m.

The advantage is high productivity with long-term use of the site without renovation.

Checkered landing:

• Cinderella seedlings are planted at a distance of 0.5 m.
• Row spacing is 0.5 m.
• The rows shift relative to each other by 0.25 m.

The advantage is that it creates good ventilation, which prevents diseases.

Care

During the first year, “Cinderella” seedlings need special attention and care:

• If the weather is too hot, the bushes need to be shaded.
• Watering is done as needed.
• Young seedlings of “Cinderella” are fertilized together with adults, but the norms are halved.
• At the end of November, the bed is covered with fallen leaves.

In general, the Cinderella strawberry is not capricious and does not need excessive care.

Care in spring

After the snow has melted, preparations for “Cinderella” begin for the new season:

• The beds are cleared of last year's mulch.
• Dead leaves and unnecessary tendrils are cut off from strawberries.
• The soil is loosened.
• New bushes are planted in place of frozen strawberries.
• Treated with pest control agents.
• Fertilizers are applied.

Watering and mulching

Without regular watering, you may not expect a good harvest. Recommendations from experienced gardeners for irrigating Cinderella garden strawberries:

• After planting, the seedlings are watered daily.
• 10 days after planting, “Cinderella” seedlings are watered 2-3 times every 6-8 days.
• For further watering, the sprinkling method is used.
• Water the Cinderella strawberries in the morning or evening.

To reduce the number of waterings, they resort to mulching. For this purpose, sawdust, straw, and rotted leaves are used. The mulch layer should be at least 4 cm, but not more than 7 cm.

Preparing for winter

Preparation for winter begins in October:

• Cinderella strawberries are fertilized with superphosphate (to increase frost resistance).
• Mulching is carried out using sawdust or humus.
• Dry and diseased leaves are cut off.

Diseases and control methods

Like all plants, “Cinderella” is susceptible to diseases. But if you take timely measures, then nothing bad will happen.

Pests and ways to combat them

No less than diseases, “Cinderella” is plagued by pests.

Harvest and storage

Cinderella strawberries begin to be harvested two days before they are fully ripe; they are collected in the morning or before sunset. It is cooled to 0°C, at this temperature it is stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, after placing it in containers with a lid. For longer storage, freeze.

Features of growing in pots

If you still want to enjoy fresh strawberries in winter, then in the fall you need to choose a healthy plant and transplant it into a pot, the height of which should be about 20 cm and the diameter 16-20 cm. The roots of the strawberries can be trimmed a little so that they do not bend when planting. Since there are short daylight hours in winter, you need to take care of additional lighting.

Bottom line

It may seem that growing Cinderella strawberries is too difficult and time-consuming, but there is no need to be intimidated. Of course, you will have to make an effort, but it's worth it.“Cinderella” will definitely thank you for your care with sweet juicy berries.

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