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

Early varieties of garden strawberries are invariably popular with gardeners, because plants are able to produce berries that ripen first. Consider the characteristics of honey strawberries, the rules of cultivation, the features of care, how to treat plants from diseases, and prepare them for wintering. How to properly propagate a variety, when to pick ripe berries, where and how to store them.

History of selection

The variety Honey, or Honey, was bred in America in 1979 by crossing productive varieties Vibrant and Holiday. On the territory of Russia it was zoned relatively recently.Introduced into the State Register of Fruit Crops in 2013. It is recommended to cultivate this strawberry variety in the central regions and in the North Caucasus.

Description and characteristics of the Honey variety

Medovaya plants are large, with large or medium-sized leaves. Petioles are long, not less than 10 cm, there is a rare pubescence on the surface. After flowering, berries of a cylindrical-conical shape are formed on the bushes. The color of the pulp is saturated, red, with a shine. The berries are moderately juicy, very sweet, have a bright aroma, which justifies their name. There are no voids inside the berries. A feature of the variety is considered to be an increase in taste as the berries ripen, so the last berries on the bush are tastier than the first.

The fruits ripen early, already in the first days of summer you can collect the first fruits. Fruiting lasts up to 3 weeks, the first berries weigh up to 30 g, the ones following them reach a mass of 15-17 g.The fruit weight is influenced by the climate and the number of sunny days per season. It has been noticed that in the south the Medovaya strawberry is larger. Yield per bush - up to 700 g

Rules for growing strawberries

Medovaya variety is resistant to disease and cold, undemanding to care, takes root in the garden. It tolerates heat and drought well, but is not resistant to waterlogging, fruits saturated with moisture quickly lose their presentation.

Strawberry of this variety prefers flat elevated areas, fertile soil, loam or sandy loam with a neutral reaction.

Preparing the beds for planting: remove all weeds, crop residues, dig up, add a bucket of organic matter per meter, 2-3 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and superphosphate or 0.5 kg of ash.The layout of the bushes in the garden: at least 30 cm from each other. Planting time for new beds: in spring (April) and autumn (September-October), at least a month before the onset of cold weather.

Features of plant care

Cultivation of strawberries of the Medovaya variety takes place according to the classical technology. The main thing to remember when growing is that you will have to provide plants with moderate moisture, as they do not like waterlogging or moisture deficiency.

Watering, loosening

Young seedlings of Honey before rooting are watered so that the soil is constantly moist, then the frequency of watering is reduced, and the volume is increased. After the berries ripen, watering should be reduced as much as possible so that they do not crack. Pour water under the roots, do not pour on the berry.

Loosen the soil after each watering, when it dries out a little. Loosen shallow so as not to catch the roots.In addition to loosening, in the beds, between the bushes and between the rows, weeding must be carried out. Mulching helps to solve several issues at once: the plants are provided with moisture, the soil remains soft, breathable, weeds do not interfere with the growth of strawberries.

Feeding

For pouring berries into honey strawberries, you need food that will be supplied to the plants constantly. During the growing season, at least 3 top dressings should be carried out: the first - in early spring, when the plants start growing again, the second - after the start of flowering and the third, when half of the berries have already ripened. The fourth top dressing is done in the fall, before the bushes leave for the winter. It is desirable to use organic matter for top dressing, but mineral fertilizers can also be used.

Preventive treatment

Prophylactically treat honey strawberries with fungicides, at the stage of bud formation, before flowering and after the berries are harvested. It is advisable to use biological products that have a short period before picking berries.

Preparing for cold snaps

Under the snow strawberry Medovaya can withstand frosts down to -20 °C. Where winters are colder and there is little snow, plants should be covered with sawdust, leaves, needles, other natural mulching material or agrofibre. Mulch should cover the bushes completely. Before shelter, the strawberries are cut off - all diseased and damaged leaves, old flower stalks are removed.

Crop protection from diseases and pests

When signs of diseases caused by fungi appear, the plants should be sprayed 2 times with fungicides containing copper.If pests appear, spraying is carried out with insecticides. As in the case of fungicides, insecticides are applied 2 times with an interval of 2 weeks.

Propagation of the variety

Propagate honey strawberries with rooted mustaches or, in extreme cases, with divisions of the bush. Young plants bear fruit for 2-3 years, after which they need to be replaced. Mustaches are transplanted to a permanent place in autumn or spring, a month before the onset of frost or drought.

Cleaning and storage

The berries are harvested as they ripen. Put in plastic food containers, wicker baskets or paper bags. Store in the refrigerator at a low positive temperature for a maximum of 1-1.5 weeks. Without cooling, honey strawberries are not stored for more than 2 days. You can freeze the berries in the freezer, the shelf life is six months.

Honey strawberries are distinguished by their sweetness and strong aroma, they are grown according to standard technology. But special attention should be paid to the amount of moisture entering the plants. The berries are suitable for eating fresh, they are used to prepare delicious homemade preparations.

Recommended