Strawberry Elvira: variety description, planting, cultivation and propagation with photo

Strawberries, or, more correctly, garden strawberries, are one of the favorite berries of Russians. On their plots, different varieties of berries are grown, which differ in yield, size and type of fruit, as well as ripening time. Relatively new varieties for Russia include Elvira strawberries, which came to us from Holland. This species was popular with European farmers, and Russian gardeners also fell in love.

Description and characteristics

What are the features of this strawberry variety, called a beautiful female name? For clarity, the main characteristics are presented in the table.

Shrub SizeMediumLeaf ShapeRound Crown density Number of peduncles 1-2 per bushRipe berry weight 30-60 grams Round Bright scarlet Smooth, shiny Flesh structureJuicy, dense Ripening timeBeginning of summer Yield 600-1000 grams per bush TasteSweet, co slight acidity Life cycle4 years

Parameter	Feature


Dense, sprawling

	Berry shape
	Flesh color
	Skin type

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Why they love Elvira strawberries and what are the benefits of this variety:

First of all, it is productivity. Under the most favorable conditions, more than a kilogram of berries can be harvested from one bush per season. As a rule, from 600 to 900 grams are harvested on average.
An important characteristic for cultivation in Russia is frost resistance. Garden strawberries of this variety can overwinter down to -20, and with additional shelter it can withstand even more severe frosts.
Resistant to fungal diseases. Any summer resident who has garden strawberries on his plot has encountered gray rot on fruits or brown spotting on leaves. These are manifestations of fungal diseases that affect plants and destroy crops. Strawberry Elvira is resistant to fungal diseases, and this applies to all parts of the plant - berries, leaves, roots.
Early ripening. The berries turn red already in late May - early June when grown outdoors, and if you plant bushes in greenhouses, you can get a harvest even earlier.
The length of the harvest season. The fruits do not ripen all at the same time, but alternately, which allows you to feast on freshly picked berries for as long as possible.
Versatility. The variety is suitable for both amateur summer residents for growing on a personal plot, and farmers for production for sale on an industrial scale. Plants are grown both outdoors and in greenhouses.
Storage and transportation. Thanks to its non-fluffy, void-free flesh and dense skin, the berry keeps well and tolerates transportation, making it suitable for commercial cultivation.
Use. The fruits of this variety can be eaten fresh, frozen, used as a filling for pies and the basis for desserts. Berries are suitable for making jam, jam, marmalade, compotes, fruit drinks and even liqueurs.
Shadow tolerance. Bushes can and should be planted in shady areas. Direct sunlight is even harmful to the plant.

What characteristic features of the Elvira variety can be attributed to disadvantages:

This variety, like any other type of garden strawberry, requires constant care. In order for the bushes to please with a bountiful harvest, they must be watered and loosened almost every day.
Plants planted in open sunny areas can burn if not covered from direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day.

Subtleties of growing strawberries Elvira

To get the maximum yield from each bush, you must follow the rules that are most suitable for this variety. There are a few things to watch out for.

When is the best time to plant new bushes?

Plants can be planted in both autumn and spring. It is convenient to plant in the fall, because the beds can be prepared throughout the summer season. Young bushes planted in autumn, under favorable conditions, will give the same harvest next summer as adult plants. Young bushes planted in spring will give a good harvest only next year.

Preparation of planting material

The most competent way is reproduction with rosettes, more about it. In order to avoid the degeneration of the variety, it is important to choose the right sockets for further reproduction. To begin with, a mother plant is determined to obtain planting material. It should be a strong bush, the leaves, stems and mustaches of which are not affected by diseases and pests. To make the mustache formation more intense, flower stalks are removed. Several rosettes can take root on each mustache, but for reproduction, they take those located closest to the mother plant.

Before planting, seedlings are carefully checked. Weak plants, as well as seedlings with damaged leaves and roots, are rejected. It is easier to eliminate non-viable material at this stage.

If you follow these nuances, then the characteristics of the variety will be preserved, and a good harvest will be obtained.

How and where to plant?

What factors to consider when choosing a landing site:

The site should be slightly shaded - direct sunlight can burn out the plants. Well suited beds that are illuminated in the morning, and in the hottest time remain in the shade. If there is no natural shade, the bushes must be covered from the sun during the daytime.
With regard to the humidity of the site, the variety is unpretentious. Since the root system of the plant is slightly susceptible to rot, moist soils, as well as lowlands, are suitable for laying out beds.
Soil fertility does not play a big role for these undemanding plants. Despite this, in order to get a good harvest, special attention will need to be paid to the correct and timely feeding if the soil is poor.

How to properly plant prepared seedlings?

Seedlings are placed in a prepared, well-moistened hole. The root system must be carefully straightened. The more water in the hole, the better the roots will spread. After sprinkling the roots with earth, the soil is gently slammed for a better fit and to eliminate excess air. The growth point cannot be filled up.

The wells are placed at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, the distance between rows is at least 30 cm. There are checkerboard planting patterns, but this arrangement is less convenient for drip irrigation.

After planting in open ground, the soil can be mulched with sawdust or other suitable material.

How to care

To achieve maximum yield, you must not forget about the rules for caring for plants.

Feeding

During the season, top dressing is applied repeatedly. It is recommended to adhere to the following order for the timing of application and types of fertilizers:

Before landing. Mineral and organic fertilizers are used in preparing the beds for planting rosettes. Humus or compost is added under the wells, as well as wood ash.
Two weeks after planting. In order to help the bush grow green mass, nitrogen fertilizers or ammonia are used.
During flowering and fruit formation, the plant needs phosphorus and potassium. At this stage, nitrogen compounds are avoided so as not to provoke the growth of green mass.
When preparing strawberries for wintering, plants are again fed with phosphorus-containing fertilizers.

Water, weeding, loosening

Despite the unpretentiousness of the Elvira variety, the main requirement for care is almost daily watering and loosening. Water the plant under the root. After irrigation, the soil is loosened to a depth of no more than 10 cm, so as not to damage the roots. Loosening contributes to the saturation of the soil with oxygen, prevents the evaporation of moisture, and helps to eliminate small weeds.

Weeding beds is required as needed. It is important to remove weeds in time so that they do not interfere with the growth of cultivated plants and do not favor the spread of diseases and pests.

Cutting

Fruit-bearing plants need to remove all whiskers to improve fruit formation and, accordingly, obtain maximum yield. If the mustache is left, the plant will grow, and the bed will take on a sloppy and neglected look.The bushes selected for reproduction, on the contrary, are removed flower stalks. In this case, the plant forms a strong mustache that can produce rosette varieties that are promising for maintaining the best characteristics.

Mulching

Mulching is required to retain moisture in the soil, prevent the growth of weeds, and in winter save planting from freezing. Also, in some cases, it is used to improve the survival rate of plantings and to combat diseases. Sawdust, humus, straw are most often used as mulch.

Shelter for the winter

Strawberry Elvira winters well down to -18 degrees without additional shelter. If there is little snow in the region, and the frost is severe, it is necessary to cover the bushes either with natural material (as a rule, spruce branches, straw, tops are used), or with special agricultural coatings with the manufacture of an auxiliary frame.

Diseases

According to foreign and Russian experts, the variety is resistant to brown leaf spot and strawberry mites, sensitive to powdery mildew, moderately susceptible to late blight (red) root rot, relatively resistant to gray fruit rot and verticillium wilt, neutral to anthracnose .

Pests

The variety is considered to be little affected by pests characteristic of garden strawberries. However, the berries can be damaged or completely destroyed by birds or wasps. The methods of dealing with them are standard.

Types of reproduction

Strawberries are propagated in the following ways:

seeds;
dividing mother bush;
mustache.

The last way is the most correct.

Harvesting and storage rules

Berries ripen in stages, starting from late spring - early summer. Collect them as they ripen. The collected fruits are stored for a long time, subject to the rules standard for garden strawberries.

When a new variety is developed, they try to improve its characteristics, adapt it to climatic conditions, make it more attractive for those who will grow and those who will consume the final product. Despite the fact that the Elvira strawberry was bred in the Netherlands, the Russians also liked it. No wonder gardeners affectionately call the variety Elechka.