Strawberry Elephant: variety description and characteristics, cultivation and reproduction

To get a rich harvest of strawberries on your plot is the dream of every gardener. To date, the choice of types of delicious berries is huge, which often causes difficulties for novice farmers. The strawberry variety should be suitable for the type of soil and the climate of the region where it is planned to grow the berry. The strawberry variety Elephant is ready for cold and drought tests, suitable for the northern regions of Russia.

Description of strawberry Elephant

Elephant is a large-fruited frost-resistant variety of garden non-repairable strawberries. Unpretentious, perfect for beginner gardeners. Recommended for cultivation in the West Siberian and East Siberian regions of Russia, bred by domestic breeders.

Key Features

The main distinguishing feature of the culture is exceptional drought resistance and frost resistance. Description of strawberry variety Elephant:

• Non-repairable variety: fruiting once a year.
• Medium ripening time.
• Yield up to 2.5 kg of berries from one bush.
• Berries are large, weighing up to 40 g.
• The color of the fruit and pulp is red, saturated with brilliance.
• Forms a mustache.
• Upright, powerful bush.
• Intense aroma of ripe fruits, pronounced classic strawberry sweet and sour taste.
• Resistant to frost and drought.
• Universal purpose of the variety: berries can be consumed fresh, suitable for canning and freezing.

By the end of the season, the berries of the Elephant variety may become smaller, the variety does not differ in stable fruiting. Elephant calf is suitable for personal farming and commercial cultivation, the berries have good transportability.

Pros and cons of the variety

Despite its unpretentiousness and ability to endure natural disasters, the Elephant variety has a number of disadvantages:

• Berries are susceptible to gray fruit rot. Excessive rainfall contributes to this disease, and the berry harvest can be halved.
• Taste qualities of the fruit "for an amateur" - there is sourness in the taste, the pulp of the berries is not juicy enough, dense.
• Possibility of uneven coloration of the fruit: the tip of the berry may remain white.

Elephant is one of the most popular strawberry varieties among gardeners. It has more advantages than disadvantages:

• Large-fruited and beautiful appearance of the berry: suitable for decorating desserts.
• Undemanding to agricultural technology.
• Survives and produces a decent harvest in areas with a changeable climate.
• Winter hardiness.
• High yield.

When growing strawberry variety Elephant, the main thing is not to overdo it with watering. High humidity is detrimental to fruits. Strawberry beds are recommended to loosen and apply mulching. It is recommended to use pine needles or sawdust as mulch.

Growing garden strawberries

The success of obtaining a he althy and abundant strawberry crop depends on the choice of a place and compliance with the rules for planting and caring for plants.

When and where to plant

Seedlings of strawberry variety Elephant can be planted both in spring and autumn - "before winter". Planting in autumn is more favorable because the plant has time to form a root system.

A good place for strawberry beds is a wind-sheltered, unshaded sunny area.The more sunlight the plants receive, the larger the strawberries will grow, the berries will be bright and sweet. The best crop precursors are cucumbers, legumes and parsley. You can not plant berries after potatoes - the wireworm and the Colorado potato beetle will harm the seedlings.

Acidic soils are not suitable for strawberries, but if there is no choice, it is recommended to add lime to the soil.

Selection of seedlings

Seedlings should be chosen he althy, attractive in appearance. The bush should be sprawling, with a dense stem, have 3-4 formed branches. The color of the leaves should be uniform, without spots.

Important! The optimal length of the root of a young plant is 7-10 cm. It is recommended to cut the roots if they are longer than the required length.

It is recommended to buy seedlings from trusted suppliers: in specialized nurseries, at thematic exhibitions or grow them yourself.

Plant pattern

Having chosen the optimal site for landing, you should follow a certain sequence of actions:

1. A month before planting seedlings, fertilizers are applied to the soil - wood ash and ammonium nitrate.
2. After two weeks, the soil is dug up and organic fertilizers are applied: manure or humus. Plowing depth - 30 cm. Superphosphate is applied from mineral fertilizers at this stage.
3. After preparing the soil and applying fertilizers, they proceed to planting seedlings. A distance of 80 cm is maintained between the beds, and 20 cm between the bushes. One seedling is placed in small holes: the roots are carefully straightened and sprinkled with earth, compacting the soil with the palm of your hand.
4. Mulching the soil: each planted bush is sprinkled on top with a mixture of peat, sand and humus.
5. Water each bush thoroughly.

Plants should be planted after sunset or in cloudy weather so that the active rays of the sun do not burn fragile seedlings.

Subtleties of care

The he alth of the bush and their productivity will depend on compliance with the rules of care.

Irrigation

Elephant is very fond of moisture, but this parameter must be measured. This is the main feature of the Siberian variety. Excess moisture will lead to disease, and lack of moisture will lead to crushing of fruits.

Plants should be watered once a week, plentifully, under a bush with warm water. Watering is especially important during the period of fruit ripening: berries take a lot of strength from the bushes. Lack of moisture during this period can lead to yellowing of the leaves and weakening of plant immunity.

Fertilizers

Garden strawberries respond responsively to all types of fertilizers. If the soil for strawberries becomes poor in nutrients, the yield drops sharply, the berries become smaller.

For planted seedlings in autumn, it is recommended to water the bushes with azophos in the ratio of 100 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. In spring, plants are fed with urea - 50 g per 10 liters of water. But you should not get carried away with feeding this fertilizer, an increased growth of foliage of bushes can be provoked, fewer berries will be tied.

Organic fertilizers in the form of overripe manure, peat are applied at the preparatory stage for planting seedlings. They are dug up together with the soil and brought directly into the dug hole for the plant. In order not to burn the root system with a high content of organic matter, it is recommended to add a little sand.

Mulching

Prevention of weed control - mulching. It should be carried out regularly, this will make the soil loose and reduce the amount of watering.

Sawdust, needles, straw are excellent material for mulching strawberry beds. Needles are recommended to be left for the winter, it will protect plants from the cold, pests will not start in it.

Pests and diseases

Strawberry variety Elephant is resistant to common diseases. Most susceptible to infection with gray rot. Do not allow excess moisture in the beds. Chemical preparations can be used to prevent fungal diseases. From folk remedies, you can treat the berries with a solution of iodine and brilliant green at the rate of 10 drops of brilliant green and 5 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water.

Strawberry Baby elephant is slightly affected by pests. As a fight against them, it is enough to use folk remedies, for example, it is recommended to sprinkle plant leaves with wood ash: pest prevention and mineral fertilizer application at the same time.

Cultivar Breeding

The strawberry variety Elephant is bred with a mustache. After fruiting during the summer, shoots are formed on strawberry bushes, on which rosettes are tied - future strawberry bushes. Strong plants with no signs of disease are selected as mother bushes.

The mustache is cut from the mother bush with scissors, making an oblique cut. The rooted socket is dug up and planted in a new place. Mustache trimming should be done in the evening, after sunset.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Elephant Strawberry is a perishable berry crop. The fruits spoil quickly and give juice after picking. Rules for preserving the presentation of Elephant Strawberries:

• It is recommended to start harvesting strawberries the day before the berries are fully ripe.
• It is impossible to water the bushes before harvesting the fruits - the fruits will soften and instantly give juice.
• Berries for storage do not need to be peeled, removing the sepals from them, you can leave the stalks.
• The best time to harvest is early morning or late evening.
• Avoid sun exposure to already picked berries.

Important! When picking strawberries, it is necessary to sort the berries: rotten, spoiled specimens should not fall into the general basket.

It is better to store the harvested crop in wooden boxes or wicker baskets with gaps: the berries must be ventilated. Top strawberries covered with gauze or other soft cloth. It is not recommended to sort and clean strawberries before transportation or storage. It is best to do this before eating the berries.

Elephant is an excellent variety of domestic selection of strawberries. He can easily survive the vagaries of the Russian changeable climate, please a novice gardener with a decent harvest. The main thing is to properly water and maintain the balance of moisture in strawberry beds.

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