Strawberry Aromas: variety description and characteristics, planting and care rules

Remontant varieties of garden strawberries allow you to enjoy the taste of fragrant and sweet berries twice during the summer season. With proper care, such crops bear fruit in one place for three years, after which the bushes need rejuvenation. The development of Californian breeders - Aromas strawberry, belongs to varieties of medium ripening and continues to bear fruit until the first significant temperature drops in autumn.

Description and brief characteristics of the variety

To decide whether the Aromas variety is suitable for growing on a particular site or not, it is worth studying the description and characteristics of garden strawberries declared by breeders.Strawberries got their name for the delicate and pleasant strawberry aroma that ripe berries have, and the second wave of the harvest has a richer smell than the first.

The description indicates the following characteristics of Aromas strawberries:

1. Garden strawberries are remontant, that is, they yield twice a season - the first time in early June, and the second - starting from the first days of August.
2. The height of the bushes with a raised habit reaches 40 cm, they are upright, grow compactly, so they do not require much space on the site. The root system is well developed.
3. The leaf plates of the variety have a slightly rounded shape, framed along the edge with small teeth. They do not lie on the ground, but are raised, which prevents them from rotting in rainy weather. Strawberries grow new leaves intensively, in addition, a large number of mustaches are formed every season, which allows Aromas to propagate independently.
4. Emerging peduncles are quite large, up to 50 berries are tied on one.
5. The average weight of one garden strawberry is 30 grams, but there are specimens weighing 40 grams. The fruits are conical or heart shaped.
6. At first, the color of the berries is bright red, when fully ripe it becomes dark red. Strawberry pulp does not have voids, it is quite dense, therefore, under certain conditions (breathable packaging), the crop is transported over long distances without loss of quality.
7. The yield depends on agrotechnical care, one bush per season gives from 700 to 1000 grams of fruit.
8. Resistance to infectious and viral diseases at an average level, preventive treatments are recommended.

Pros and Cons of Strawberry Aromas

European and domestic gardeners have recently begun to grow the California variety on their plots, but have already been able to appreciate the advantages of strawberries and note some disadvantages.

They attributed the following to the advantages of Aromas:

• possibility of cultivation throughout the year in greenhouses;
• aroma and taste of ripe berries;
• elevated habit, which facilitates agrotechnical care of plants and prevents decay in wet weather;
• opportunity to grow berries for subsequent sale on the market due to high transportability;
• strong immunity to most diseases that affect garden strawberries, as well as to spider mites;
• high yield from one bush with proper care.

Like any variety, California strawberries have their drawbacks:

• probability of chlorosis damage when grown on carbonate soils;
• hard pulp when harvested at technical maturity;
• The taste declared by breeders is manifested only if the growing conditions are observed and proper agrotechnical care is provided;
• demanding for watering, otherwise the fruits begin to sour.

The nuances of cultivation and care rules

Fragrant and sweet Aromas garden strawberries can only be harvested if you take care of the variety responsibly.

Irrigation

Strawberries of any variety love moisture, and the California variety is no exception. If there is a strong heat, the beds with garden strawberries are irrigated every other day, making sure that the soil is wet to a depth of at least 5 cm. With sufficient rainfall, once a week is sufficient. To moisturize, use separated water, slightly warmed up in the sun.

Loosening, weed control

If the aisles are not mulched when planting strawberry bushes, you will have to loosen the soil and fight weeds after each irrigation. The first procedure is necessary to ensure soil aeration and oxygen supply to the root system of plants. Weeds take away nutrients from the crop, and as a result, fruiting is poor, and the berries are small. It is not recommended to use herbicides on strawberries; weeds are removed mechanically.

Moustache removal

Since the variety produces a lot of whiskers during development, it is advisable to divide the bushes into two groups:

1. Fructifying, in which the whiskers are completely removed.
2. Mother, where they leave the mustache of the first order, but tear off all the flower stalks to prevent the formation of berries.

Feeding

The declared yield cannot be achieved without the addition of nutrients. Fertilize the variety several times during the season. In early spring, compositions with a high concentration of nitrogen are applied, it can be both store-bought fertilizers and organic substances, for example, mullein or bird droppings, dissolved in water 1:10 and 1:20, respectively.

The second top dressing is carried out at the flowering stage, with complex fertilizers, such a drug as Plantafol has proven itself well.Every two weeks, funds are introduced in which there is a sufficient amount of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The last time the bushes are fed after the second wave of fruiting, with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Disease and pest control

The variety has sufficient immunity to resist the main diseases of the crop. For prevention, only folk remedies are used so as not to pollute the berries with chemicals.

Preparing for winter

Features of preparation for cold weather depend on the region where the variety is grown. In the south, strawberries do not need additional shelter, while in the northern regions it is necessary to mow all the foliage, cover the stumps with mulch, and lay spruce branches on top.

Features of reproduction

Thanks to the intensive growth of mustaches, it is not difficult to propagate garden strawberries with their help. It is recommended to rejuvenate beds with strawberries at least once every 3 years.

Collecting and storing strawberries

Aromas berries are harvested twice a season - the first harvest is eaten or used for freezing, the berries of the second wave are harvested for the winter in the form of compotes and jams.

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