Festival Strawberry: variety description and cultivation features

Garden strawberries are very popular among Russian gardeners. And it is not at all necessary to give preference to the most recently developed varieties.Many varieties of berries, bred relatively long, can also give a very attractive result.

If you give a general description of the strawberry variety "Festival", it will focus on winter resistance, disease resistance and a high level of fertility. Shrubs are characterized by high growth and intensive development. The foliage is very well developed and is dim green. The peculiarity of the “Festival” strawberry is the formation of a mass of red whiskers, complemented by rosettes of bright green color. Flowers give fruit without pollinators, they form small inflorescences, slightly raised above the leaves.

The berry looks dense, slightly flattened in appearance. It is painted in a bright red tone. Seed inside a bit. In the first harvest you can get big fruits (up to 40 g). From the second year the weight of the berries drops to 20 g. The taste is intermediate, between sour and sweet, for 1 season you can remove up to 0.5 kg of fruits.

"Festival" variety breeders brought out of the city of Pavlovsk. The name of culture is associated with the international student festival, which coincided with the end of its development. Even many varieties and hybrids, bred later, did not reduce the popularity of "Festival" strawberries. It is zoned for the center and north of the European part, for the Ural and Siberian regions.

“Festival” strawberries are distinguished by medium maturity., that is, the time of picking berries comes in the last days of June and in early July. The bush is quite tall and not too wide. The leaves grow thickly. The formation of the whiskers is most active in the first year, then it becomes moderate and gradually decreases with aging.

Harvest can be transported and frozen. The advantage of the variety is the ability to grow in partial shade created by trees and tall bushes. This will not affect fertility and taste. With a sufficient level of snow cover strawberries survive the cold to -30 degrees. And even if frosts fall in the spring, the flowers will hardly suffer.

In cases where the bushes are still damaged, they will quickly and easily recover. Despite the self-fertility of the "Festival", it is possible to increase its fecundity to 1.5 kg from 1 square meter. m when landing in the environment of several varieties. A serious problem in this class is the increased risk of infection with gray mold. Competent care will almost eliminate this danger. But negligent farmers often lose the crop almost completely.

Planting "Festival" strawberries compacted schemes categorically impossible. It threatens the almost complete destruction of the fruits of the disease. Rooting of the whiskers between the rows is also not recommended. It's not just a matter of sealing landings. Problems may be associated with violation of the integrity of the root complex of young strawberries.

If the climate is very harsh or the soil is bad, it is worth planting strawberries in the greenhouse. This will bypass a lot of restrictions. Even a powerful harvest does not lead to lodging of flower stalks. Mustaches appear in large numbers at the end of spring. Achenes distributed on the surface of the fruit, are colored a little darker than the main tone.

Consumers say that the Festival Festival berries have a classic strawberry flavor. The concentration of sugar in them is 7%. Per 100 g of berries account for 90 mg of ascorbic acid. The variety is somewhat sweeter and contains more vitamins than in such a highly sought-after variety as Honey. The crop will retain its shape even after freezing.

“Festival” strawberries are best grown when they are planted in early spring. It is only necessary to wait for the onset of stable heat; usually seedlings are dug out in the fall and moved to cool areas until the end of winter. If it turns out that it is impossible to plant strawberries in the spring for some reason, seedlings should be planted in the first month of autumn.This provides excellent prospects for rooting plants. Because in the coming summer it will be possible to eat strawberries.

But there are a number of points that must be considered in the preparation. The “festival” variety is most liked sandy and loamy areas, characterized by a weak acid reaction. Sun strawberry is quite important, while no less significant cover from the wind. The maximum allowable level of groundwater rise is 0.8 m. In the autumn months, the soil is dug at least 0.25 m.

When digging is done, the root parts of the weeds must be removed. Additionally, fertilizer is added, which is formed (in terms of 1 sq. M) of:

• 0.02 kg of potash;
• 0.05 kg of superphosphate;
• 5 kg of peat or manure.

Such preparation provides a stable saturation of the earth with nutrients that support accelerated development and production of fruits. The ideal cultures of previous years are:

• peas;
• dill;
• carrots and beets;
• parsley;
• beans;
• beans.

If it is necessary to plant young strawberry seedlings, in times of drought, auxiliary moistening is carried out. Holes of moderate depth are formed in the ground, the placement of grooves is made according to the system of 300x300 mm. Agronomists advise pinching the roots and pruning the foliage just before disembarking. It is necessary to leave 3 or 4 leaves, which are developed much more than other leaves. This technique helps to increase the chances of implantation bush.

Laying seedlings is required so that the roots stand vertically. The neck of the root is placed on the same level with the ground, and the excavation after backfilling of the soil is tamped and watered with a solid volume of water. When the threat of frost appears, it is advisable to cover the strawberry ridges with foil. Planting it in one place can be a maximum of 4 seasons in a row, after that you need to take a break for 2 years so that the composition of the earth will return to normal.

The reproduction of the “Festival” strawberry is most often carried out by vegetative methods. But if you germinate seeds, there is a danger that it will not be possible to reproduce the characteristics of the variety. Obtaining seedlings is a rather complicated process. In the last days of February or in the first days of March a fertile composition is formed. It is formed by the same amount of peat and sand.

The prepared composition is moistened with water and spread on the surface. Seeds require a little push inwards. Capacities cover with glass and a film, transfer to the warm room. There the container is watered and ventilated from time to time. Wait for the sprouts to appear 14-20 days.

As soon as they come to the surface, it is time to move the seedlings in separate containers. Transfer to the free ground is carried out with the formation of 3 or 4 sheet rosettes. Recommend to use the most developed and elongated shoots, everything else is removed. After waiting for the formation of the rosette of the root, the seedling is added dropwise in a separate pot, and the bush can be separated from the original plant even after 2-5 weeks.

In the first 12 months after planting, the flower stalks should be removed from the bushes, as well as the whiskers. This will help create the most advanced root complex. Principles of care for the "Festival" grade are relatively simple and can be performed without problems even by novice gardeners. As soon as the earth dries out in the spring, you want to remove all the foliage and old mulch. Together with them, the remains of other vegetation are removed, which allows to get rid of hibernating harmful insects.

In the last days of September, strawberries and the ground around it are processed for preventive purposes with a special solution. On 5 l of water it is required:

• 30 g of liquid soap;
• 30 grams of wood ash;
• 30 g of vinegar;
• 60 grams of vegetable oil.

When it takes 10-14 days, the land is supposed to be saturated with Bordeaux liquid. Watering strawberries will have in April, for 1 m2 spend 11 or 12 liters of warm water. The intervals in case of the onset of cool weather range from 10 to 13 days, and if the heat comes, watering should occur every 48-72 hours. For the "Festival" is recommended, as for other varieties, morning watering.

Water should not fall on flowering and fruiting shrubs. Sprinkling is carried out only to the formation of flowers. When they are formed, drip irrigation is preferable. An alternative to him is watering at the root. Since the last days of August and the whole of September, if the autumn is dry, strawberry beds are watered twice every 7-10 days.

Intermediate ground must be loosened immediately after drying, to eliminate the appearance of a strong crust. Weeding the land is necessary whenever weeds are found. When strawberries are in the growing season, it is necessary to loosen and remove weeds at least 7 times, preferably more often. Then the root system will be better ventilated. Even if the beds were initially properly fed, new portions of fertilizer are added regularly.

Immediately after the end of the snow melt, 3-5 liters of the combined mineral mixes are poured on the earth to one capable crop. In the process of flowering to use organic need several times. The most common option for fertilizer at this time is dung birds. After diluting 1 manure fraction with 20 shares of water, 3 or 4 liters are poured onto 1 bush.

In the last part of summer, strawberries prepare buds for flowers, which will be the source of the next harvest. In order for them to form correctly, “Festival” must be helped. Assistance is provided by spending 0.05 kg of superphosphate per 10 liters of water. Before feeding, it is best to pour warm water on the root. But the contact of water with the surface parts of the bush is still unacceptable. For mulching the gaps of the rows are used:

• reed stems;
• straw;
• peat.

“Festival” strawberries, like other varieties, cannot guarantee total immunity to all diseases. The main danger is powdery mildew and gray mold. A very serious challenge to gardeners throws and verticillous wilting. The fight against the appearance of gray rot begins in early spring, when strawberry plantings are processed:

• "Euparenom";
• "Topsinom M";
• "Derozalom".

Repeated use of protective equipment should be carried out in rainy summer. You just need to wait for the flowering to end. The mildew in the initial phase can be quenched by Trichoderma. But with the great manifestation of the disease will need to save the situation of multifunctional fungicides.

In case of infection of strawberries with verticillary wilting, first of all, biological preparations help. If the farmers have started the process, they will have to carry out the treatment with Fundazole or Bordeaux liquid.

It is worth thinking about using "Euparena" when powdery mildew appears. This drug can be used even during budding. But it is impossible to mix it with other synthetic means. The prohibition also includes the introduction into the solution of substances that increase the stickiness. It:

• synthetic detergents;
• liquid and diluted solid soap;
• glue;
• shampoos;
• milk products.

Both for prevention and for the elimination of the earliest signs of illness help:

• "Alirin B";
• "Fitosporin";
• "Planriz".

As for pests, their danger varies within fairly wide limits. Their activation depends on the weather and on the specific features of the site. Weevil attacks primarily on the edges of the leaves, on flowers, buds and shoots. Externally, the pest looks like a black beetle of 0.2-0.3 cm in length. Insect winters in the upper layer of the earth, gnaws the stem when laying eggs.

You can save the crop by processing "Fitoverm". Agronomists recommend removing strawberries from raspberries and at the beginning of the season to get rid of mulch. Strawberry tick is impossible to notice, but the result of its activity is clearly visible. Miniature insects pull out plant juices, which threatens to grow slowly and freeze in winter. The main variant of the struggle is the heat treatment of the planting material; synthetic drugs are almost ineffective.

It is impossible to detect the invasion of nematodes with the naked eye. They are not just very small, these insects also live inside the strawberry itself. The stalks and leaves swell, the tissues die off. To eliminate the danger, you must strictly observe the norms of crop rotation. Biological protection is provided by planting a number of calendula and marigold.

Opinions of summer residents about the variety “Festival” are generally favorable. Many people, including those in the Volga region, have grown it for several decades in a row. The plant gives a decent result even with poor care. The variety is growing steadily where other species will not survive. It suffices only to water the planting, so that the annual harvest is enough for both summer consumption and jam.

Some gardeners complain about the consistency of the grown fruit. At the same time, the appearance and taste of the crop do not cause any complaints. But when transported for a fairly long distance, the berries show themselves from the best side. In addition, even the worst weather conditions will not spoil the result. Other varieties, even the latest breeding achievements, rarely allow to achieve such fecundity.

Review of the Festival variety strawberry in the next video.