Strawberry "Sonata": description, planting and care

Strawberry "Sonata" is well known to Russian summer residents.Culture differs in early terms of ripening, which is important for areas with a short and cold summer.

The variety was bred by specialists of the Dutch agrofirm Fresh Forward in 1990. As a result of breeding "Elsanta" and "Shelves", "Sonata" inherited from the parents excellent productivity and high adaptability to different weather conditions. The plant is characterized by abundant fruiting, which is observed even in dry seasons. Flowers of a plant are not afraid of night frosts and well adapt to a cold climate. Culture has good immunity and is fairly resistant to many diseases.

In addition, the Sonata, being a medium early variety, is distinguished by a long period of fruiting, which, when creating favorable conditions, can begin as early as the beginning of June.

The plant is represented by compact small-leafed bushes, forming a moderate number of whiskers. Peduncles have a dense structure that allows them to withstand the weight of large berries. The fruits of the “Sonata” are distinguished by their correct wide-conical shape and rich red color. The flesh has a dense and at the same time delicate structure, and a sweet dessert taste with mild sourness. Especially large fruits can weigh up to 50 g, reaching a diameter of 3.5 cm. The caloric content of 100 grams of berries is only 30 kcal, which makes it possible to consider this variety as a dietary product.

One of the important characteristics of a crop is high yield., so that for the season from one bush can take up to one and a half kilograms of berries. A large number of fruits is explained by the active flowering of the plant, which becomes possible due to the accumulation of a huge amount of pollen and the mass appearance of new ovaries. Berries "Sonata" after full maturity for some time may be on the bush. This is due to their excellent persistence and aversion to spreading and cracking. The productive period of the plant lasts for 40-50 days, of which the largest number of berries ripen in the second half of June.

Further, the yield is declining, maintaining low productivity until the end of July. The plant is able to bear fruit for 5 years, after which the amount of the harvest is markedly reduced and the plantation needs to be replaced. Grow and give a bountiful harvest culture can both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Commercial availability of strawberries indicates what percentage of the crop has no defects and maintains the integrity of the fruit after removal from the bush. In Sonata, this indicator corresponds to 70%, which distinguishes the variety from other garden crops and allows its cultivation on an industrial scale.

The high popularity and a large number of positive reviews of the "Sonata" are due to near indisputable advantages of this variety.

• Excellent taste and good keeping of fruits allow using strawberries for making jam, stewed fruit and jam, as well as freezing and eating fresh.
• High adaptive properties of culture provide ample opportunities for its cultivation in areas with difficult climatic conditions.
• The plant is quite resistant to many diseases of garden crops, including gray rot and powdery mildew.
• Frost resistance and a long fruiting period make it possible to reap a rich harvest even in conditions of a short and cool summer.
• Fruits tolerate collection and storage, and can also be transported in wooden boxes over medium distances.

The disadvantages of the variety include a small amount of whiskers, a predisposition to verticillus and rotting of the roots caused by an excess of moisture, as well as the need for regular fertilization and fertilizing.

Before planting strawberries "Sonata", it is necessary to carefully prepare the soil. To do this, six months before planting it should be fertilized using compost, humus and potash fertilizers. The best type of soil for growing "Sonata" are fertile, slightly acidic and sandy soils. Heavy clay compositions, as well as waterlogged, located in the lowlands places, for growing varieties are not suitable. The best option would be sunny not blown area located on a small hillock.

In the absence of favorable conditions and the presence of wet badlands on the site, it is recommended to slightly improve the bed by introducing coarse sand and equip the drainage. The best predecessors of strawberries in the garden are legumes, almost all types of grass and greens. You can determine the fertility of the soil yourself. To do this, it is necessary to determine the plants that grow in this area. For example, the presence of white clover will indicate that the soil is not fertile enough and planting strawberries and strawberries on it without fertilizer is not recommended. The presence of such herbs as nettle and woodlouse will indicate the presence of nitrogen in the soil, and the growth of coltsfoot, horsetail and sorrel will indicate the presence of heavy soils requiring dilution with sand.

When choosing seedlings should pay special attention to the appearance of the sprouts. Young shoots must have at least 4 clean leaves. The presence of stains and deposits on leaf blades and stem is not allowed. A good indicator of the quality of seedlings is the presence of a thick horn, the size of which should not be less than 0.7 cm. Often seedlings prepared by the “freego” technology and which has passed the stage of freezing are available.

Shoots for such material are carefully selected in the fall. Of the total number of sprouts, only the most viable ones are left, with pronounced generative buds. Next, the plants are processed by fungicides, and then sent to storage at a temperature of -1.8 degrees. The shelf life of such plants should not exceed 9 months, otherwise the shoot will lose its ability to bear fruit and will not be able to be used as a source of berries.

Before planting seedlings, roots are again treated with fungicides, after having dissolved the drug in water, and mixed it with a solution of clay. After planting shoots plentifully watered. The survival rate of such seedlings is quite high, which is explained by the peculiarities of the selection of varietal material and the method of freezing plants. Planting of seedlings should be carried out from the beginning of May to the end of July. At later planting, the plants do not have time to adapt and enter the winter period in a weakened state.

The depth of the holes for planting should be commensurate with the length of the root system of the shoots. The distance between adjacent bushes should be 25-30 cm. In the process of lowering the shoot into the well, it is required to keep the plant on weight, gently sprinkling the roots with earth. New leaves begin to grow after a week, and 10-12 days after their appearance, you can begin the first feeding. Planted bushes begin to bear fruit next year. However, if the plants did not have time to form buds before the end of summer, then it will take a couple of years to wait for the harvest.

Strawberry "Sonata" is quite unpretentious culture, but, like all plants, requires regular watering, periodic fertilizing, timely weeding and loosening.

• Watering the bushes should be carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather. Otherwise, leaf blades that have been hit by water droplets may be burned.During dry periods, especially at the time of formation of ovaries and flowering, it is recommended to pour at least one liter of water under each strawberry bush. It is necessary to water the plants twice a week, and it is recommended to use the drip system as an irrigation method.
• Plant nutrition is done 2-3 times per season and depends on the fertility and chemical composition of the soil. For poor and depleted soils, the introduction of magnesium, iron and manganese is necessary. Nitrogen based supplements are used in the spring months. For the preparation of such an additive in 10 liters of cool water diluted with 50 g of azefoski. This fertilizer is applied in the root way. Well-proven and ready-made tools for foliar and root dressings, such as "Ryazanochka" and "Sudarushka."
• Weed removal and soil loosening are carried out as needed in the evening after watering the plants.

In general, Sonata strawberries are fairly resistant to the emergence of various diseases, but the variety is still susceptible to some of them. Thus, in case of a defeat by the shoots of verticillus, it is recommended to spray the plant with “Fundazol” or “Benorado”. In the case of gray rot, it is necessary to treat the bushes with “Byleton”, “Teldor” or “Fundazol”.

But in some cases, the disease is easier to prevent than to spend money on plant treatment. For example, to prevent the appearance of a fungus, it is recommended to clean the autumn mulch in the spring, remove weeds in time and follow the planting pattern. It is necessary to cut damaged leaves in a timely manner, as well as to abandon fresh manure, using only its infusion as a fertilizer. From root rot (rhizoctoniosis) helps pre-treatment of the root system with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Summer residents and owners of personal plots speak well enough about the variety “Sonata”. There is an unusual strawberry fruit flavor, good quality and high transportability. Attention is drawn to the possibility of growing the species both in the open field and in the greenhouse. The advantages also include high yield and good survival rate of seedlings. Many summer residents note the good resistance of the variety to long-term drought and the undemanding nature of the crop to the constant presence of a person on the site.

On the cultivation of strawberries "Sonata" in Siberia, see the following video.