Eliane Strawberry: variety description and characteristics, planting, growing and care with photo

In 1998, a new variety of strawberry Eliane was bred in Holland. She almost immediately won the love of gardeners, then wide distribution throughout Russia brought her immense popularity. Strawberries are very valuable in taste and useful properties. The Eliane variety is rich in ascorbic acid, which helps to strengthen the immune system, in addition, it has a wide list of other minerals. Another feature of the variety is long fruiting. The crop can be harvested throughout the entire period of strawberry growth. What else is this berry valuable for?

Description and characteristics of Eliane strawberries

The early-ripening strawberry variety Eliane is bred for private cultivation, in some European countries it is cultivated for industrial purposes. Designed for cultivation in areas with a continental climate.

A rather powerful strawberry bush with miniature white flowers that rise a few centimeters above the bush. The variety is self-pollinated, belongs to the early ones. The first strawberries begin to ripen at the end of May, and fruiting continues until the end of July. With proper observance of the conditions of agricultural technology for the season, you can get up to 2 kg of ripe berries from one bush.

Strawberries are bright red with dense pulp. The shape is correct cone-shaped, has no irregularities. Fruit weight reaches 90 g. Ripeness is determined by the presence of a whitish tip. It has yellowish seeds that are slightly pressed into the juicy surface of the berry.

The taste is excellent. Strawberries taste more sweet than sour, but the sourness is still there.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

All opinions about the Eliane strawberry variety can be divided into positive and negative. Even if this strawberry suits some gardeners, there will be those who will be against this variety. The split of opinions is more dependent on the place and climate of cultivation.

Good qualities:

1. Due to the high density of berries, Eliane's strawberries feel good during export and then on store shelves.
2. The variety is resistant to various fungal diseases and pests.
3. Does not impose special requirements on soil composition.
4. In one place, bushes can grow up to 10 years.
5. Distinguished by friendly maturation.
6. Excellent winter hardiness with proper cover.
7. Strawberry self-pollination promotes growing in a greenhouse or on a window sill where there are no bees.

In addition to the positive aspects, there are also negative ones that were identified in the process of cultivating the crop:

• cannot stand the heat;
• not suitable for large scale cultivation;
• not drought tolerant;
• with poor shelter for the winter, plants die;
• excess moisture spoils taste;
• berries not hidden under the leaves spoil from the scorching sun.

Such features of growing strawberries are observed only in regions to which the climate is not adapted. These are areas near Moscow, Samara region, northern latitudes with rather low winter temperatures.

The nuances of planting strawberries

The technology of planting and caring for the Eliane hybrid is similar to the general rules for growing garden strawberries, but there are still some discrepancies.

Pick up time

The optimal time for planting strawberries is from April to May. By this time the severe frosts have already passed, the sunny day will become longer. The earth has not yet had time to dry from melt water.

Eliane's strawberries are also planted in autumn, from mid-August to mid-September. There will be enough time for the young seedlings to get stronger and gain strength before the onset of the first cold weather.

Seedling selection

Future yields depend on the quality of strawberry planting material, so this stage of agricultural technology should be taken seriously.

What you should pay attention to when choosing seedlings:

1. You should buy young strawberries from July to September. It is better to do this in July, since by planting young seedlings, the gardener will receive a harvest the next year. July seedlings will get stronger, its root system will fully take root. Even before the first frost, a flower bud will have time to emerge.
2. Autumn seedlings of strawberries will take root less favorably, and the next season may give little or no harvest.
3. When planting in the spring, seedlings can be purchased both with a closed root system (in containers) and with an open one. In autumn, it is better to choose strawberries in pots, with a fully formed root system. It will be enough to dig into the ground.
4. It is important to ensure that there are no spots on the leaves of Eliane's young strawberries, various points from which the disease can subsequently develop. Foliage should be bright green with not withered edges. Excessive pallor and wrinkled leaves indicate the presence of an earth mite.
5. The central, unopened bud should be thick and firm. On closer examination, hairs or pubescence are visible on it.
6. The roots are also inspected for integrity and absence of rot. Roots should not be dry.

If the gardener decided to buy strawberries of the Eliane variety, then decide on the seller. You need to choose those gardeners who have been growing this variety of strawberries for many years. They will definitely sell quality seedlings.

Select site

Here it is important to be guided by the botanical features of the plant. The land on the site should be moderately light and loose, pass moisture well, and be away from the occurrence of groundwater. Stagnation of water can negatively affect the quality of the crop.

Important! The beds should be placed in snow-covered places, away from direct sunlight, but the plant does not like shade either.

The best option would be a place on a slope, where there is strong illumination in the first half of the day and weak in the second. It is undesirable to place in the shade of tall trees, as well as near potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.

Planting strawberries in the ground

Before planting strawberries, the soil in the beds is dug up and fertilized. Fertilizer is applied in the amount of 5-6 kg per 1 m^{2 of organic matter and 30 mg of mineral compounds. Also, the soil is treated from powdery mildew with Bordeaux liquid.}

Wait 1-2 days until the loosened and fertilized soil settles, then mark the beds. Seedling planting scheme: between rows from 40 to 60 cm, between adjacent bushes up to 20 cm. To prevent the plantation from overgrowing, the mustache is cut three times during the season.

Holes are made in the garden, a small mound is poured into each of them. The root is carefully laid out on this mound and sprinkled with earth. It is very important that the central bud is not covered with soil and is not too open. Otherwise, it will wither or rot.

After planting the seedlings, the beds are sprinkled with a layer of humus or mulch so that the earth does not crack. Water abundantly.

How to care

Further care for strawberries is the timely implementation of all the necessary actions for favorable growth.

Soil loosening

This is a familiar job for everyone. Thanks to loosening, the top layer of soil becomes airy, air is provided to the roots, moisture does not linger on the surface and does not stagnate inside. Loosening allows you to remove weeds that are in the ground.

Important! The procedure should be performed before the appearance of the mustache and during their appearance. The mustache is trimmed, and the ground underneath is loosened so that the roots of the mustache do not catch on the ground.

Water and mulch

Watering is carried out depending on weather conditions. If the earth ball is dry, small beds are watered with a watering can to wash off the dust on top of the leaves.

During flowering, you should avoid getting water on the flowers so as not to wash off the pollen, so you need to moisten at the root. In summer, when it is hot, Eliane's strawberries are watered 1-2 times a week. When the ovary appears, irrigation is reduced.

Mulching is a favorable procedure for the Eliane variety, it reduces the development of weeds and retains moisture in the soil. For any variety of strawberry, chopped straw or sawdust may be the best mulch material. Cover the soil around the bushes with a thin layer of mulch. In autumn, this layer is dug up with the ground, in which case it acts as a fertilizer.

Today, many gardeners cover the beds with black film, which acts as a mulch. Film or agrofibre are sold in specialized stores for materials for summer cottages and gardens.

Feeding

Another important procedure on which the yield of Eliane berries depends:

1. The first top dressing is applied during the formation of plants, that is, after planting seedlings.
2. The second feeding is done during the ovary period.

Complexes of minerals are used as fertilizers. How and in what quantity minerals are added is usually indicated in the instructions, the rules of which are mandatory. So mineral fertilizer per 10m^{2 goes up to 25kg.}

Depending on the condition of the soil, it is necessary to add organic matter, which can be humus or peat. The variety is very responsive to organic fertilizers, so bushes are sprinkled with humus twice a season, then the soil is loosened. Do it in autumn and spring.

Preparing for winter

With the onset of low temperatures, weeding strawberry beds should be abandoned so as not to damage the root system. Otherwise, the plant will simply freeze. Better leave them until spring.

Preparation for winter is to cover the strawberry beds. Suitable as a covering material:

• soft branches of shrubs;
• straw;
• tops of grass or flowers;
• any leaves;
• raspberry trimmings;
• covering material or agrofibre.

Strawberries are pre-covered with agrofibre, and mulch is laid on top with a thick layer. Before you cover Eliane, the main thing is not to forget to spread out any means to combat rodents on the soil. Shelter is carried out in November, with the onset of severe frosts.

Cutting tendrils

Antennae are lateral shoots of strawberries, on which young seedlings are formed for subsequent reproduction. They are removed as needed, if the mustache strongly thickens strawberry plantings, and during fruiting, so that they do not draw nutrients from the mother bush.

Pruning is carried out with sharp scissors, a knife or secateurs. In the early morning, the shoot is cut off from a long stem, leaving a base of about 4 cm. After fruiting, the greens of the bushes are cut off at the root, all whiskers are removed with them.

Important! Mustaches should not be cut when it is raining or on cloudy days.

Propagation of the variety

Hybrid breeding with whiskers is the easiest way. During the growing season, the most he althy and largest strawberry bush is chosen, from which the shoots will not be cut. During the summer, up to three daughter bushes are formed on one tendril. They are dug in with earth and watered. In autumn, the mustache is cut, and new seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

Another way is with seeds, but it is very laborious. With any method of reproduction, all characteristics of the variety are preserved.

Pest and parasite control

Resistance to pests and diseases is one of the advantages of the Eliane strawberry variety. But still they can be:

1. Grey rot affects bushes and berries. Affected plants are discarded or treated with a fungicide solution.
2. Late blight - gray spots on foliage and rot on berries. Bordeaux liquid will cope with the disease.
3. Powdery mildew is the most common disease of all strawberry varieties. A solution of copper sulfate will help.

From pests, earth mites and ants attack strawberries. Parasites can be destroyed by folk methods. For example, a decoction of onion peel or garlic against a tick. Of the funds purchased, Fufanon, blue vitriol, Aktellik will help.

Collection and storage

Harvested is easy to store. Stocks for the winter are being prepared from strawberries:

• jam and jams;
• compotes and juices;
• candied fruits and dried fruits.

In addition to heat treatment, strawberries are frozen. In this form, the product is stored for a very long time.

According to gardeners, the Eliane strawberry variety is distinguished by high winter hardiness with good shelter, unpretentiousness in cultivation, and high resistance to disease microbes. In addition, the value of the crop lies in high yields and long-term fruiting, which is why it is actively cultivated in private garden plots and agricultural land.

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