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

For cultivation in central Russia, special varieties of strawberries are bred. They tolerate cold winters well, bear fruit in any conditions. Among these varieties, garden strawberries Tsaritsa, obtained by Russian breeders, are distinguished.

Description and characteristics of strawberry Queen

Strawberry variety obtained by crossing Venta and Red Gotlenta. A group led by Professor S. Aidzhanova worked on breeding the hybrid. From the parents, the plant took the best qualities associated with:

drought and low temperature resistant;
strong immunity against infections;
excellent berry taste.

The strawberry variety is valued for its unpretentiousness in care. But in order to increase the yield of berries, you need to take care of the strawberries correctly.

Bushes

The plant has small compact bushes 20 centimeters high. The leaves are medium in size and have a smooth glossy surface. Their color is dark green. The tendrils on the shoots are formed dark red with slight pubescence.

Flowers and berries

Strawberry Queen blooms in June. The bushes are covered with white petals. The diameter of the flowers reaches 3-5 centimeters. Bisexual flowers do not require pollination. The fruit has a conical shape. From above, the berries are smooth with dense pulp of rich red color. Their weight reaches 40-50 grams with good care and favorable weather. But over time, the shrinkage of the fruit begins, when they barely reach 15 grams.

Tsaritsa is distinguished by an excellent sweet taste of false berries with a slight sourness and a unique aroma. Berries are suitable for fresh consumption, and for making jam, marmalade.

Yields

Fruits on the bushes of the hybrid are few, but they are large. From 1 plant in a good year, you can collect up to 600-700 grams of berries. Yields are lower if the summer is cold and rainy.

Vegetation of a crop, its yield depends on the observance of the agricultural technology of the plant.

Transportability

Dense berries of the variety are valued for their long shelf life. The crop can be transported over long distances, and it will not wrinkle. Therefore, they choose strawberries for growing on an industrial scale. Moreover, berries appear at the end of June - July, when the main varieties of the crop were already bearing fruit.

Region of natural growth

The Queen owes her qualities to breeders. Since the variety was bred in the Bryansk region, it was zoned in various regions. It bears fruit well in the middle lane, in the Siberian and Ural gardens. In the southern regions, it is also not ignored.

If you cover the bushes for the winter, they can easily withstand 40 degrees of frost. In the steppe, the plant endures drought and heat.

Pros and cons

The advantage of choosing this strawberry variety is its ability to:

be fruitful for 15 days;
carry well;
not be damaged by frost, heat;
be resistant to pathogens;
fruit in one place for 4-6 years.

The disadvantages of the hybrid include its average yield. To increase it, you have to plant more plants.

The nuances of growing a variety in a garden plot

Growing garden strawberries Queen in the country is easy. Requirements for planting and care are not much different from the usual rules of crop farming.

Preparation of planting material

He althy seedlings play a big role in the development of strawberries in the future. It is necessary to choose seedlings with a strong root system. In this case, the length of the roots should be within 7-10 centimeters. The number of leaves on the stems is 3-4 green, shiny.

It is preferable to purchase seedlings with a closed root system. They quickly adapt to new conditions.

What should the soil be like

Strawberries have increased demands on the soil, its nutritional value. Therefore, before planting, it is necessary to increase soil fertility by introducing semi-rotted manure (5-7 kilograms) or chicken manure (1-2 kilograms) per 1 square meter.A replacement can be a mixture of 2-3 kilograms of humus and 30-50 grams of superphosphate. Plowing of the site is carried out in advance: either in autumn or early spring.

How to plant correctly

The planting pattern for the Tsaritsa variety requires a distance of 30-40 centimeters between seedlings. The rows are separated from each other by 70-80. It is best to use the cord by pulling it between the pegs so that the rows run straight.

Holes for plants are made 7-10 centimeters deep. It is necessary to straighten the roots by placing them in the holes. Sprinkle seedlings with earth, holding them with one hand. It is important to ensure that the growth point is at ground level.

The seedling is planted correctly, if it passes the test: pull the leaf, it will come off, and the plant will remain in place.

After planting, seedlings are watered and shaded with a layer of straw, hay.

How to care for the Queen variety

In the first year after planting, strawberry bushes are carefully looked after. Watered, fed, sheltered for the winter. Then the farming technique changes a bit. After 4-5 years, it is necessary to change the plot for garden strawberries.

How to water and feed

Plants after being planted, moisturize up to 5 times over the summer. 20-30 liters of water are required per square meter of plantation. In winter, they try to take measures to keep snow on the strawberry garden. The snow that has fallen on the thawed ground is compacted.

In the 2nd year, the bushes are watered more abundantly and more often, up to 8 times. It is better to water before the plant blooms, during the period of filling the berries and after picking them. It is necessary to soak the ground well to a depth of 10 centimeters.

For the first time, plantings are fertilized with ammonium nitrate, superphosphate. As flower buds appear, you need to water the bushes with mullein at the rate of 1 part of manure to 6 parts of water.

After the fruits are harvested, the culture is fed with mineral complexes. So ensure the laying of flower buds next year.

In the third year of the plantation's life, an additional 2 kilograms of humus must be applied per square meter of the bed. At the same time, the fertilizer is covered with a shovel to a depth of 6-8 centimeters.

Weeding and loosening the soil

It is necessary to loosen the soil in the garden after each watering. If it rains, then the procedure is also carried out regularly. Weed the plantation as weeds appear. Together with these procedures, the removal of the mustache is carried out. Leave only a part for reproduction.

To increase plant nutrition, bushes are hilled after picking berries.

Mulching

After watering the newly planted bushes, the soil between the rows is mulched. To do this, lay a layer of 6-8 centimeters of sawdust, needles, straw. It is necessary to leave the tire on all summer. It is harvested after harvesting, planting it in the aisle.

If mulching was not carried out in the spring, then a layer of straw and sawdust is placed under the bushes before the berries ripen. This will retain moisture and protect the crop from rotting.

How to prepare strawberries for winter

In November, strawberries are prepared for wintering:

watering;
hilling bushes;
overlaying spruce branches or last year's foliage, brushwood on top.

Don't close the plants until the soil is frozen. Otherwise, the berry crop will start to get wet and rot under cover.

Strawberry propagation

To grow Queen strawberries from seeds, you need to purchase quality ones in a specialized store. They are planted first for seedlings. To do this, you need a container with nutrient soil.Seeds are laid out on the surface, slightly pressing into the moist soil. Then cover the boxes with foil, leaving in a warm place. Seedlings will appear soon. But they immediately remove the shelter and put it in a place lit by the sun. During the growth of seedlings, they are watered, the soil is loosened. Planted when the roots are strong and 4 true leaves appear on the stems.

Mustache is easier to propagate strawberries. As soon as a socket forms on them, it is pressed to the ground. Then spud earth, watered. After rooting, you can transplant the bush to a new place, separating it from the mother plant.

Many use reproduction by dividing the bush. The main thing is not to damage the part separated by a knife. She should have a growth bud and roots 5-7 centimeters long.

Disease and pest control

Variety Tsaritsa rarely gets sick with infections. If pathogenic fungi appear on the leaves, they can be destroyed with fungicidal preparations. Treatment with a solution of Bordeaux liquid will also help.

Of the pests, planting berries are most often damaged by the larvae of the May beetle, wireworm. If you spill the soil well with a solution of ammonia, it will scare away insects.

As a repellent, you can plant a garden bed with lupine next to it. If a transparent mite or aphid damages plants, then it is necessary to spray the bushes with Karbofos.

Harvesting

Berries begin to be picked in July. It is necessary to tear off the fruits with the stalk. Harvest is stacked in baskets with a volume of 2-3 kilograms. It is not recommended to pour the berries, as it will wrinkle. Store fresh strawberries for 1-2 days. Fruits are processed a few hours after harvest.