Strawberry Mara de Bois: description of remontant variety, cultivation and propagation

Remontant varieties of garden strawberries have long been the most popular among summer residents, because they bear fruit from 2 times in one season. One such fruitful hybrid is the Mara de Bois strawberry. This variety has a huge number of advantages, it is a pleasure to grow this variety of strawberries.

Description and characteristics of Mara de Bois strawberries

Mara de Bois strawberry is characterized by elongated conical fruits. The pulp is a rich red hue, the core of the berry is white. The pulp is juicy, sweet. A characteristic feature of this variety is a pronounced strawberry aroma of fruits.With proper care, berries can grow up to 30 g. At the same time, in spring and autumn they are usually larger than in summer, so the south will be the most favorable region for growing this variety. In the spring months, the yield of the hybrid is the highest.

The bushes of the plant are small, the rhizome is medium in size. Peduncles are short. The plant produces a small number of outlets. The berries are located on the same level with the foliage and, as they ripen, fall on the ground. Another feature of the variety is that even mustaches bear fruit during the growing season. The yield is high, even from one bush you can collect a lot of berries. The plant bears fruit from May to October. In a greenhouse, fruiting can stretch up to 8 months. The yield of bushes is 3 years, then it declines.

Mara de Bois varieties are suitable for growing not only in a greenhouse and open ground, but also on a balcony or loggia.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Description of the benefits of Mara de Bois Strawberry:

• High yield.
• The taste of ripe berries.
• Duration of fruiting.
• Ability to grow at home.
• Compact, medium leafy bush.
• Good transportability over short distances.
• Distinguished by powdery mildew immunity.

Among the disadvantages are:

• High yield is observed only for 3 years, then it declines.
• Poor heat tolerance.
• Difficulties in reproduction due to the formation of a small amount of whiskers.
• Shrubs susceptible to leaf spot development.
• In severe frosts, the bushes may die.

Mara de Bois is a European variety suitable for regions where winters are mild and warm. In the central regions, and even more so in the north, by the onset of cold weather, strawberry beds will have to be covered. Otherwise, the bushes may die

Growing details

Repair strawberries, although very different in characteristics from ordinary varieties, care for it is practically the same. Unless with the exception of some aspects related to cropping. Otherwise, caring for Mara de Bois is quite easy and simple.

When and where to plant

Before planting seedlings in open ground, you must choose the most favorable place. Garden strawberries are demanding on growing conditions, and Mara de Bois is no exception. First of all, the beds should be done in open sunny areas. Most of the day the bushes should be in the sun for a good yield. In the southern regions, where the sun is scorching, planting seedlings is in partial shade. For example, under the crown of trees.

It is best to make beds on a hill. Strawberries do not grow well on waterlogged soil and near groundwater.

The most favorable period for planting garden strawberry seedlings is autumn or spring.

In autumn, bushes are planted in August-September. In the spring - at the end of April. If flower stalks appear on the plants during late autumn planting, they must be cut so that the bushes can grow the root system. You need to cut the first flower stalks, even if they appear in spring.

Selecting planting material

Only he althy seedlings are suitable for planting, with no signs of damage. The leaves should be a rich green hue, without spots and holes. The root system is well developed, the roots are elastic, not dried.

When buying strawberry seedlings, gardeners should pay attention to the number of leaves. There must be at least three of them. The root neck of he althy seedlings is powerful, about 0.5 cm in diameter.

Strawberry planting technology

Planting Mara de Bois remontant strawberries is no different in technology from planting ordinary varieties. The soil for the beds begins to be prepared a few weeks before the proposed landing. The soil is dug up, all weeds are removed and rotted manure is introduced. Then they make beds and dig holes about 40 cm deep.

Boarding process:

• Saplings are planted 3 weeks after manure is applied to the soil.
• The distance between the holes is left up to 50 cm, the distance between the rows is 60 cm.
• Put a seedling in the hole, straighten the roots.
• Fill the hole with soil and lightly tamp.
• Sprinkle plenty of warm water.

After planting, the beds are covered with agrofiber or warm cloth for the night. This will protect strawberries from sudden frosts, which often occur in the spring after warm weather sets in.

Berry care

To increase the yield of garden strawberries, you need to constantly look after them. Minimal maintenance includes watering, fertilizing and removing weeds from the site.

Irrigation and tillage rules

During the growing season, strawberries need abundant watering. For irrigation use only warm water. It is worth watering the beds in the evening so that burns do not appear on the leaves. Fertilizers are applied to the soil 3-4 times per season. In the first half of spring, organic fertilizers and nitrogen are added to the soil. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers promote active growth.

After inflorescences and ovaries began to appear on the bushes, phosphorus and potassium are added to the substrate. Such fertilizers not only increase the yield, but also improve the taste of the berries. From organic fertilizers, dolomite flour, wood ash, compost, rotted manure and bird droppings are added to the soil.Before the onset of cold weather, the earth in strawberry beds is mixed with manure.

Mulching

Mulching the soil in strawberry beds will solve several problems with growing garden strawberries at once. First of all, the soil will always be sufficiently moist. A layer of mulch also prevents weeds from growing. Peat, sawdust, straw are used as mulch. The layer must be at least 15 cm.

Pruning leaves and tendrils

Until now, there are disputes among gardeners - you need to cut strawberries in autumn or spring. Many people prefer to completely cut off the deciduous part in the fall, arguing that all the nutrients go to the rhizome. But this method has a significant disadvantage - in the spring, instead of accumulating nutrients for fruiting, the bushes increase their deciduous mass. Because of this, the timing of fruiting is shifted.

In the spring, it is especially not recommended to cut the foliage. It is best to remove dry and damaged leaves in the fall, and leave everything else. Whiskers can be cut off during fruiting. During flowering, they should not be touched.

Preparing for wintering

Before the onset of cold weather, all dry and damaged leaves, as well as mustaches, are cut off from strawberry bushes. Then the beds are covered with spruce branches or dense agrofibre.

Possible diseases and pests

Common strawberry diseases include:

• Fusarium wilt of the bush. Foliage begins to turn brown and dry up. It is impossible to cure the disease. If there are signs of Fusarium wilt, then the bushes will have to be dug up and burned.
• Grey rot. With gray mold, the berries begin to become moldy during ripening. A disease appears if the weather is wet for a long time. As a preventive measure, the bushes are treated with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or a weak solution of iodine before fruiting.
• White spotting. Appears as small brown spots. As the disease progresses, the spots become larger and the leaves die off. To destroy fungal spores, the beds are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

Slugs often appear among insects on strawberries. You have to collect them manually, or plant marigolds in the beds. The smell of these flowers repels many insects.

Another pest is the weevil. It can be destroyed by spraying with a solution of laundry soap.

In the same way they destroy aphids on the bushes. Spraying with soapy water is carried out twice - before flowering and during the formation of ovaries.

Reproduction rules

Mara de Bois produces few whiskers, so this propagation method is not the most efficient. Another way is to divide the bush. An adult bush is cut with a shovel into several parts and planted.

You can also try to propagate strawberries from seeds, but this is a long and also not the most effective method. For planting beds, it is best to purchase ready-made seedlings from trusted sellers.

Collection and storage

The Mara de Bois remontant strawberry variety is harvested throughout the fruiting season, starting from the end of May. You need to remove the berries as they redden. Due to short peduncles, ripe berries lie on the ground, and this leads to the fact that they quickly become moldy. Harvested early in the morning or in the evening after sunset, when it is cool outside. If you pick garden strawberries in the heat, they will not be stored for a long time even in the refrigerator.

The collected fruits are stored in the refrigerator. The lower the temperature, the longer the berries will stay fresh. The optimum storage temperature is from +4 to +6 degrees. It is better if the strawberries lie in one layer. So it stays fresh longer.You can increase the shelf life by freezing the berries or grinding them with sugar.

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