Strawberry Salsa: variety description and characteristics, planting and care rules with photo
Strawberry Salsa is one of the most common and unpretentious varieties. It will take some effort to enjoy these juicy and tasty berries in the summer. This is important not only for Salsa, but also for other varieties of strawberries. To get a good harvest of this berry, you need to know how to care for it - from choosing bushes for planting and soil preparation to harvesting.
Description and characteristics of strawberry Salsa
Strawberry variety Salsa - late. It was bred in the Netherlands in 1988. It has a good yield, unpretentious. Strawberries are tall, upright. Her mustache is strong, they grow in large volume. The foliage is light green, the flowers and anthers are large.
The yield of Salsa is large, the fruits are large, their peel is thin, bright red. The flesh of the fruit is light pink in color, moderate density, fleshy, releases a lot of juice. The fruits can be consumed fresh, as well as for making something sweet or for freezing.
The berry can only be transported over short distances - it is poorly stored. By weight, fruits can reach 25-35 grams, some can weigh 50 grams. The yield reaches about 1 kilogram from one bush. The variety is highly resistant to powdery mildew, verticillium wilt, prone to late blight, gray rot also greatly harms the plant. Approximate fruiting time - 3-4 years.
Strawberry Description Salsa: Strawberry bushes are tall and strong. The leaves are light green in color, the flower stalks are tall. The fruits are voluminous, red in color, the shape is rounded-conical or leveled.
Negative and positive aspects
Positives:
- high yielding variety;
- late maturing frost resistant variety;
- tolerates well various weather conditions;
- the presence of immunity to diseases - verticillium and powdery mildew are not dangerous for this variety;
- large fruits.
Ripe berries have a pleasant smell, characteristic shine, rich, pleasant taste. With good care, the fruits can have an average weight of 35-37 grams. Strawberries also contain vitamins, enriched with minerals and trace elements. Fruits can be consumed not only in canned form, but also fresh. Heat treatment and freezing of the product do not violate their beneficial properties.
Negatives:
- fruits are not suitable for transportation over long distances, but are quite suitable for sale in the local market;
- variety is not resistant to chlorosis.
Features of growing varieties
In order for this variety to grow well and bring a harvest, you need to choose the right place to plant it.
Choice of time and place
Strawberry Salsa can grow and produce well in any soil. But, despite this, the yield is completely dependent on fertilizer. A good harvest can be expected in the country, where the soil is light or medium, and has an acidity of 5.0-6.5 pH.
Preparing the site for planting, organic matter is added to the soil - on average, 5-6 kilograms, and mineral fertilizers - on average, 40 grams per 1 square meter.
Preparation of planting material
For planting, you need to select bushes with developed roots, so that there are more than 7-10 branches. The ground part should contain 2-3 young, developed leaves. It is possible to roll the roots before planting in a mixture of soil with peat or humus at the rate of 0.5 parts of humus (biohumus, peat) and 0.5 parts of black soil or clay.
You need to prepare a mixture, the density of which resembles the consistency of sour cream. Next, the seedlings are placed in a box covered with polyethylene, and sent to the basement for a couple of days, where the temperature is +3-+5 degrees. So that the seedlings do not dry out, they are also covered with polyethylene on top.
Fitting technology
Planting plants should already be in prepared soil, which settles after digging. An experienced gardener will be able to correctly determine the time for planting a crop. The most suitable is August.
You don't need to plant often. There should be a distance of 30 centimeters between plants, and up to 40 centimeters between rows. On one square meter, on average, there are 4 bushes. Due to this planting, the plant is well blown, moisture does not stagnate, does not have dampness and warms up well.
Nuances of culture care
Proper care is needed to get a good strawberry harvest. Includes:
- watering;
- weeding;
- loosening;
- mulching;
- feeding.
Select site
Strawberry is an unpretentious plant that grows on various soils. But for a good harvest, obtaining excellent taste, increasing disease resistance, you need a soil that is most suitable for the life of the plant. These soils include: sandy, sandy, light, fertile. The least suitable are peat and sod-podzolic.
Ground water should be located no deeper than 70 centimeters. In areas with a higher groundwater level, it is advisable to drain the soil or raise the beds. In the lowlands, growing strawberries is not desirable. The pH of the soil should be 5.0-6.6. If the acidity level in the soil is minimal, the gardener conducts liming of the soil.
Preparing the site for planting
In autumn, the territory is dug up for planting on a spade bayonet. In the spring, before planting the berries, the soil is loosened by 15 centimeters. Next, the presence of a harmful neighborhood is checked, especially in those places where there are many dense bushes and fresh dunghills. If "harmful" residents are found, the territory is treated with ammonia water. Weeds are destroyed by herbicides.
Pick up time
The planting time depends on the climate. In the spring, strawberries are planted after the earth receives a sufficient amount of heat. Autumn - from August to September.
Water, weed and loosen the soil
Watering: within 2 weeks after planting, the land is watered every day, then once every 2 days. Then watering is done depending on the weather.
Weeding is very important for Salsa. The soil must be periodically loosened so that the plant develops well and does not overgrow with weeds. It is also important to loosen the soil immediately after planting.
Mulching strawberries
In some regions there is no snow in winter, so the ground freezes. So that strawberries do not freeze out, the soil must be mulched around the bush itself in preparation for wintering. For this, straw manure is used, applied in a layer of 5-7 centimeters.
Mulching keeps the soil from drying out. To protect the rhizomes, laying mulch between the rows of strawberries helps. In the south, in the summer, the plant suffers from extreme heat. Therefore, many gardeners have been sowing sorghum backstage between rows since spring. It also helps increase the yield of this variety. Salsa can be mulched with needles, sawdust, straw.
Fertilization
When top dressing, fertilize the plant no closer than 5 centimeters from it. Things to remember:
- 4 top dressings are enough: 14 days after Salsa was planted, superphosphate (30) grams, wood ash 0.5 cups are diluted in 10 liters of water.
- When the plant blooms: dilute the mullein in water 1:6; chicken manure - 1:20. All this is infused for 7 days. Ashes are also added - 0.5 cups.
- Mullein + water (soaked) 1:6 + ash (0.5 cups) + superphosphate (50 grams) + 20 liters of water.
- Mullein is bred in a ratio of 1:6, chicken manure - 1:20. Infused for a week. Ash is also added.
Treatment from diseases and pests
Strawberry pests are:
- raspberry-strawberry weevil;
- strawberry mite;
- stem and strawberry nematode;
- root weevils.
Diseases:
- grey rot;
- powdery mildew;
- white spotting;
- root rot;
- witch's broom.
Processing the plant with chemicals from these pests should not be done often. Processing time: spring-autumn.
- Spring. Plant residues, frozen and dried leaves, dead plants are removed. Next, the soil is loosened, fertilizer is added. Strawberries are not always treated for pests, only when the plant requires it.
- Autumn. After the crop is harvested, the bushes are inspected. Immediately weed out bad, diseased and damaged plants. If a strawberry is affected by a nematode, the entire berry must be eliminated. Plants are burned, and the soil is shed with a solution of iron sulfate. Concentration - 5%.
It is also not necessary to give a chance to overwinter under the snow to the earth mite. If there are no chemicals at hand, you can use a solution of onion peel. A bucket of water needs 200 grams of husk. Insist 3-4 days.
There are more popular solutions and methods for processing strawberries:
- ammonia;
- iodine;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- Bordeaux liquid;
- boric acid;
- ash;
- hot water;
- fire.
Here are the main pest and disease protection options.
Propagation of Salsa variety
Strawberries can reproduce in two ways: by mustache, by dividing the bush.
- Usami. This is the most common way. Reproduction occurs as follows: rosettes and a root system are formed on the formed mustache for a certain time. After careful strengthening of the roots, the shoot dries up and separates from the mother.
- Division. In this way, only he althy plants reproduce. Before dividing, the bushes are inspected for pests and diseases.Reproduction in this way is carried out after 2-4 years. From one bush you can get 5-15 plants. Each bush should have a "heart" and several roots. The best time for this type of breeding is August.
These are the most popular breeding methods. With the correct implementation of all recommendations, the harvest will be plentiful.
Collecting and storing strawberries
Every gardener knows how to pick and store strawberries properly.
Harvesting is done a few days before the berries are fully ripe. Due to this, it can be stored up to 2 days. If the grown strawberries are stored, frequent and abundant watering is not desirable. It is better to harvest in the morning, after the dew has dried, or before the sun rises. When collecting, crumpled and spoiled fruits should not fall into the basket.
Storage.The crop is placed in wooden or plastic boxes, lined with paper or cloth along the bottom. Strawberries are laid in one layer. The berry is stored at a temperature from 0 to +20 C for 3-4 days. If from +20 C - 1 day. If stored at home, the container should be made of glass or plastic. Berries should not be washed before storage.
With proper collection and storage, you can enjoy juicy berries for a long time.
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