Strawberry "Elephant": characteristics of the variety and characteristics of cultivation

Most people love strawberries and plant them in their summer cottages. Currently, many different varieties of this berry are bred.Today we will talk about the variety "Elephant".

Today, experienced gardeners give a detailed description of the strawberry "Elephant".

• The maturation periods of such plants are average. They have one-time fructification (not remontant).
• Bushes in the variety "Elephant" erect and powerful. Their education is high. The mustache has a pale pink color. Leafy plates on medium-sized seedlings of bright green color. The leaves have a slightly concave shape and a light gray bloom.
• On each leaf plate there are narrow not acute cloves. Flowers on strawberries of medium size, flower stalks of the same size. They are formed a lot on each bush (on each of them appears 14-18 berries). These bisexual parts are white or creamy. The inflorescences on the bushes are half sprawling and many-flowered. Leaf formation on the bushes is intense.
• Berries varieties "Elephant" large. The mass of one fruit can reach 30 grams. Each of them has an ovoid shape, although some berries grow double or comb-shaped. The strawberry neck is completely absent.
• The surface of each berry is bright red with glossy skin. The flesh of such strawberries is also rich in red color. The taste of this variety is sweet and sour. "Elephant" has a pleasant aroma of garden strawberries. Small seeds on the surface of the berries are slightly pressed into the pulp.
• The yield of such strawberries is high. With a total of one hectare of land, you can get up to 90 centners of fresh berries.
• Fruits of the “Elephant” sort contain many substances useful for the human body. So, in their composition you can find a considerable amount of vitamin C. They also contain various nutritional acids and sugars.

It is possible to plant the seedlings of the "Elephant" variety either in spring or in autumn. But still, most gardeners advise planting plants in the autumn, because only at this time of the year all the necessary conditions for the normal development of such young plants are created.

For planting should select the bushes, which have at least 3 or 4 young leaves. The root should reach a length of no more than 10 centimeters. If the root system significantly exceeds this value, then it is permissible to trim a little. Previously it is better to leave it for a short time in a special composition to stimulate growth and development. Choose a suitable place for planting strawberries. Remember that it should be sufficiently illuminated by sunlight. Also, it must be fully protected from strong through winds.

It is recommended to plant strawberries in the places where beans, cucumbers or parsley were previously grown. But on such a bed you can plant fruit plants only a few years.

Two weeks after fertilization it is necessary to dig up the selected places. Do it to a depth of at least 30 centimeters. After that, manure or a lot of humus is introduced into the soil (15 kilograms of humus per 1 square meter of land). In addition, some superphosphate and potassium chloride should be added to the soil. If the place on which you want to plant strawberries is too acid, then you should add lime a year before planting (5 kilograms of lime per 1 square meter).

After that, you can start planting strawberry seedlings. It is recommended to do this in the evening or in cloudy weather. Dug holes carefully watered with liquid.

Soil carefully tamped. This is followed by mulching the soil.Do this with a mixture of peat or humus. Young strawberry seedlings moisturize.

To strawberry "Elephant" could fully grow and develop, it is necessary to carry out certain procedures:

• watering;
• mulching;
• pest and disease control.

Remember that the Elephant variety requires a high level of humidity, so watering should often be done in large volumes. In a month, young plants abundantly water 6-7 times In this case, the most effective is the drip irrigation system.

In order not to irrigate too often, the soil must be loosened and mulched. Also, this procedure is a preventive measure against the formation of weeds.

For mulching use straw or sawdust. Remove the layer of mulch from the ground in late autumn. After harvesting, it is completely burned, because such natural material can become a favorable environment for the development of microorganisms harmful to plants.

Coniferous plants are often used for mulching. In this case, the layer can not be removed in the fall: it can keep warm in winter. In the spring, this shelter will allow air to enter the ground.

Most often, harmful microorganisms settle in the upper part of the soil, because there they can develop even at low temperatures. To neutralize the soil and avoid the development of parasites, treatment with Bordeaux mixture (solution with blue vitriol) should be done. Many gardeners in the fight against pests immediately apply effective chemicals. Especially such substances help with fungal diseases.

When combating pests, it is permissible to use solutions prepared at home. Thus, the most effective of them is considered to be a decoction with the addition of wood ash (40 grams of wood ash per 10 liters of water). For the best effect, some vegetable oil, vinegar and liquid soap are poured into the resulting liquid. Such a solution must be mixed for a long time. After that, it should turn into a homogeneous mass. They wipe the leaf blades and soak the earth.

Strawberry "Elephant" boasts many positive qualities:

• unpretentiousness;
• large fruit size;
• beautiful appearance of berries;
• excellent taste of strawberries;
• good level of frost resistance;
• high yields;
• good drought resistance;
• excellent aroma of berries.

Despite such a rather big list of important advantages, the Strawberry Elephant has some disadvantages:

• too thick flesh;
• complete dependence of a good harvest on the amount of mineral fertilizers and fertilizing;
• high susceptibility to rot due to waterlogged soil.

Today you can see a considerable amount of positive feedback from gardeners about strawberries "Elephant". So, many have noticed that this variety adapts well even to the harsh climatic conditions. In severe frosts and heavy rains, the plants still developed normally and produced a high yield.

Also, some gardeners said about the high level of yield. So, from one strawberry bush you can collect up to 2.5 kilograms of fresh fruit. The berries themselves also deserve positive feedback: they have excellent taste, and their flesh is juicy and dense. Most noted that even after long-term storage in the refrigerator, the berries do not lose their amazing taste and appearance.

Some have said that fruits of this variety ripen quickly, so they can be assembled earlier. In addition, the full harvest can be obtained in the first year of planting. At the same time, many noticed that removing the antennae and planting bushes should be immediately, without delay. Otherwise, the berries will grow much smaller in size, and their appearance will cease to be so attractive. Bushes, in turn, grow too large, and at the same time they do not crawl.

Today you can find negative reviews about the variety "Elephant". So, some gardeners said that the berries are too watery, which significantly spoils their taste. In addition, such strawberries more often than other varieties exposed to gray rot. Because of this, dark spots appear on the fruit. To cure plants from this disease is difficult.

In the next video you can take a closer look at the strawberry variety "Elephant".