Berries

Ostara Strawberry: description of remontant variety, planting and care with photo

Anonim

The market offers a wide range of remontant varieties with different characteristics. Moreover, both new, fashionable novelties, and old, proven "fighters". But strawberries attract gardeners, first of all, with a rich taste. And the strawberries of the Dutch breeders Ostara just in full have wonderful taste, thick aroma and high sugar content.

Description and characteristics of Ostara strawberries

This is a Dutch daylight neutral strawberry (repair). Moreover, he is rather middle-aged, his description is not a secret, and the history goes back almost 50 years. Cross-pollinated with Red Gauntlet and Masherachs Daurernte.

Fruiting terms and yields

The variety is characterized by high yields. The bush produces many flower stalks. Up to a dozen berries ripen on each of them. Plant productivity for a full season is 1.0-1.2 kilograms.

Ripens in the first decade of May in the southern regions, in the Middle lane - from the end of May to the beginning of June. The variety bears fruit before the onset of frost, depending on the region of cultivation. In the southern regions, the last strawberries are picked at the end of October.

Characteristics of bushes and fruits

Strawberry bushes are vigorous, medium high, up to 25 centimeters. But the plants themselves are compact, densely leafy. The leaves are medium in size and rich dark green in color, covered with fine hairs. Peduncles are long, thin, lie down on the ground under the weight of ripening fruits. Lots of mustaches.

Berries are medium and small, shiny, bright red, wide conical shape.The maximum size is in the range of 20-25 grams. But the fruits, as samples are taken, are significantly smaller. Berries have high taste qualities. They are very sweet, tasty, reminiscent of wild strawberries. Infused with a thick, rich strawberry flavor.

Transportability and shelf life

Transportability and keeping quality of Ostara strawberries are low. One might even say that they simply do not exist. The berries are soft, flowing immediately after picking.

Negative and positive aspects

Ostara, like other varieties of strawberries, has its pros and cons. The variety is quite “adult”, therefore, in many respects, it loses to today's promising new products, which take into account all the shortcomings of old varieties.

Positives:

  1. Unpretentiousness of the variety to soils and growing conditions.
  2. The right choice as a plant for beginners, inexperienced gardeners.
  3. Drought tolerance variety.
  4. High resistance of the variety to diseases and pests of garden strawberries.
  5. High and regular yields.
  6. Excellent taste - berries are sweet, fragrant, reminiscent of wild strawberries.
  7. Strawberries are suitable for processing, preferably directly at the place of collection.

Negatives:

  1. "Zero" transportability and keeping quality of fruits. Strawberry variety Ostara - for the consumption of berries "straight from the bush".
  2. Perhaps short-term storage of strawberries in the refrigerator or transportation over short distances in a shallow container. But the quality of the fruit itself will be low.
  3. For sale in the markets of fresh berries is completely unsuitable. The fruits do not have any presentation. The berries are quite small, although tasty, and crumple a lot.
  4. Strawberries wear out quickly, annual renewal recommended.
  5. Many gardeners and summer residents have long abandoned Ostara in favor of new varieties. They compare favorably with large, tasty fruits and do not lose their size during the season.
  6. The fruits are not suitable for freezing, drying, but only suitable for making jam. But it turns out very tasty and fragrant.

How to grow a variety

To get a generous and tasty harvest of strawberries, the grower must know how to properly grow the chosen variety. Simply put, “pick up the keys to the plant.”

Optimal planting dates

Remontant varieties are distinguished by the fact that they are able to produce berries in the year of planting. Moreover, when planting seedlings with a closed root system in the spring, from the beginning of autumn you can already get a tangible harvest.

Strawberry seedlings with open roots need to be planted from the beginning of April-May, depending on the region.

It is desirable to do this as soon as possible, so that by the summer the plant will gain strength and take root well. In autumn, OKS should be planted from the beginning of September. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted at any time of the season. When planting in particularly hot summer months, it is necessary to provide almost daily watering for at least a week.

Soil selection

It is desirable that the soil for strawberries be light, loose, breathable. Sandy soils with a neutral acidity index are best suited. Wetlands or areas where groundwater is close to soil level should be avoided. In such a bed, the root system of plants will simply rot.

Preparing the landing site

The site is carefully weeded, all the remains of weeds are removed with a rake. Organic and mineral fertilizers are applied in 2-3 weeks. Then the site is dug up or plowed and watered abundantly.

Ground landing

Planting in the summer is carried out in the morning or in the evening, when there is minimal solar activity. If planting is carried out in early spring or autumn, then strawberries can be planted throughout daylight hours.

Some gardeners plant, if necessary, even at night, using lighting fixtures.

In the case of summer or late spring planting, it will not be superfluous to shade the plants with agrofiber or shade net. This will significantly improve the survival rate of strawberry seedlings. The duration of shading the variety is 1-2 weeks.

Features of care

Like any remontant, ever-bearing strawberry, Ostara needs more care.

Irrigation

Watering is carried out in the early morning hours or in the evening.An effective method is to install a drip irrigation system for strawberries with a distance between droppers of 10-15 centimeters. It can be watered without problems by sprinkling using Golden Spray hoses. Or just a garden watering can if there are few plants.

Feeding

Strawberry Ostara is a remontant variety that constantly produces a large number of fruits. Therefore, he needs regular and balanced feeding. Moreover, it is correct and effective to alternate spraying with fertilizers on the leaf with top dressing at the root. The results will not keep you waiting.

Weeding and mulching

Regular mulching of the soil will help retain moisture, protect the root system from overheating, and improve soil structure. Suitable straw, mowed weeds without roots and seeds, black film, agrofabric and agrofiber. Moreover, agrofibre will suit both black, two-layer, black-and-white, and ordinary - dense white.

When mulched plantings, loosening and weeding of the soil are carried out mainly in the aisles. Without mulch, it is advisable to weed regularly, about once every 2 weeks.

Preparing for wintering

In the northern regions from August, and in the more southern regions - from September, it is necessary to start preparing plantings for winter. It consists of sanitary cleaning, weeding, pre-winter moisture recharge, treatment with chemicals, fertilizing and sheltering strawberries.

Disease and pest control

To prevent outbreaks of fungal diseases, it is necessary to prevent overcrowding of plantings. Also regularly sanitize. It is important to maintain the he alth of the bush. And timely carry out agricultural practices. Strong and he althy plants are much more successful in resisting infections and pests.

Grey rot (Botrytis)

Partly due to soft, perishable berries, Ostara strawberries are prone to gray rot. This common disease is caused by a harmful fungus - Botrytis cinerea. All aerial parts of the strawberry bush are affected: flower buds, berries, peduncles and leaves.

To prevent the berries from rotting, especially in cool and rainy weather, it is advisable to mulch the soil. Regular sanitary cleanings are also required, with the removal of fruit residues, diseased and dried parts of the plant. To fight, systemic and contact fungicides are used: Horus, Topsin, Copper Vitriol, Infinito.

Powdery mildew

This fungal disease of strawberries appears as a thick white coating on all parts of the plant. And it will easily lead to death. To combat it, spraying with fungicides is used: Quadris, Topsin, Thiovit Jet.

Root Rot (Rhizoctoniosis)

As a result of the defeat, the roots first become stained, and then turn black and die. Sick plants are destroyed. For prevention and treatment, soil is spilled with fungicides (Maxim, Fundazol, Quadris) and green manure is planted in the ground. In particular, take white or yellow mustard. Planting he althy and strong seedlings is important to combat black root rot.

Strawberry and spider mites

Ticks develop en masse in dry, hot weather. Affected leaves are removed and destroyed. And the plants are sprayed several times, with an interval of 7-10 days, with Actellik, Aktofit, Neoron, Masai.

Strawberry nematode

The most dangerous pest of strawberries, in 90% of cases it is a sentence for plants and the entire site. With a nematode it is difficult, sometimes impossible to fight. But it doesn't happen very often. Infected plants are destroyed, and the site has not been used for a couple of years, regularly spilled with chemicals and smelled with green manure.A line of drugs to combat the nematode has appeared on the market, for example, the drug Nematofagin.

Snails and slugs

Snails and slugs develop rapidly in dense plantings and high humidity. Control measures - placing a number of traps, for example, bowls of beer. And, of course, manual collection or application of Metaldehyde.

Propagation of Ostara variety

Ostara variety produces a lot of whiskers during the season, so there will be no problems with reproduction. An effective way would be rooting vegetative whiskers in cups. Suitable sockets of any size. But it would be more expedient, in order to obtain strong seedlings in the shortest possible time, to take only sockets of the first and second orders. This strawberry, planted in a large flowerpot, will decorate a balcony or loggia. And after the growth of the mustache, reproduction is carried out without leaving the city apartment.

Collecting and storing strawberries

Strawberry picking in autumn and spring is best done during the day when the berries warm up in the sun. First, the berries will be dry, without morning dew. And secondly, the taste of the fruit will improve. In summer, on the contrary, morning collection is preferable. Collected in small dishes, plastic booties, cardboard boxes. The shelf life in the refrigerator is a maximum of 1 day, then the strawberries drain heavily and are affected by rot.