Strawberry "Alexandria": description of the variety and characteristics of cultivation

One of the best remontant strawberry varieties is Alexandria.Its berries have an excellent rich taste, and many other plants can envy frost resistance.

This culture is also called small-fruited strawberries. The seeds of this variety were bred in 1964 by Park Seed, that is, more than 50 years ago, and this strawberry is known and popular so far.

"Alexandria" is remontantny wildless strawberry variety. The beginning of fruiting is in June, and the end is in October – November. In one season, up to 500 grams of berries can be harvested from a single plant.

This variety can be distinguished from others by the following characteristics.

• Bushes of such strawberries are very powerful, semi-sprawling, with a large number of foliage. Plant height ranges from 30 to 35 centimeters.
• Green leaves with small incisors at the edges. Mustache absent. The flowers are small and white, they are located on high and thin legs.
• The fruits of Alexandria are shaped like a cone. The berries are quite large, their weight can reach 15 grams. They have an elongated shape with a pointed tip. Strawberries are covered with shiny red skin with small seeds. The taste of berries is quite pleasant, tart.

When planting "Alexandria" you can pick the first berries in a half or two months. If all the rules of care are carefully observed, the plant can bring from 800 to 1100 berries. Fruiting can occur up to three to four years from the time of planting, after which the bushes must be changed. Due to the small size of the bushes "Alexandria" the plant can be grown on the windowsill or balcony. For the full formation of all flowers and ovaries will need from two to three months.

The undoubted advantages include the following.

1. A bountiful harvest. As mentioned earlier, with proper care, strawberries can bear fruit very generously.
2. Compact plant. The small size of the bush allows you to grow it right on the windowsill, which is a big plus for those who do not have their own garden plot.
3. Delicious berries. They are distinguished by excellent taste and quality, but this can only be achieved with honest care.
4. Prolonged fruiting. Ripening of berries occurs in a rather extended period of time, which allows you to enjoy such strawberries for a long time.
5. High disease resistance.
6. Excellent transportability. This property allows you to transport the product over long distances without damaging it.

The only disadvantage is the high price. Due to the fact that the variety is very popular, the price has increased several times.

The most popular method of cultivation is growing from seeds, and the seed can be obtained independently. To do this, it is necessary to select the ripest berries and cut the top layer from them. The main thing is that there are bones in this layer. The resulting material must be dried and milled.

If the gardener on the site has a greenhouse, then sow the seeds should be in the summer. If it is a question of sowing in an open area, then it is necessary to sow "Alexandria" before winter. With the onset of the first frost plants should be covered. During wintering, the process of stratification of seeds under the snow cover will occur, which will significantly facilitate the further development of the plant.

In late January or early February, the seeds should be prepared for sowing. This is done through hardening.

Arrange the seeds of "Alexandria" should be on a damp cloth, after which it should be rolled up and placed in a plastic bag.It must be put in the refrigerator for 12-14 days. After this time, the napkin is taken out, and the seeds are laid out on the substrate. All this is placed in a container and stored in a place where the temperature is not higher than 22 degrees.

Seed germination from the moment of sowing takes place in three to four weeks. All this time, the plants must be carefully looked after as follows.

• Thin shoots require highlighting fitolampoy. This should be done before two in the afternoon.
• In order for the bushes to become more robust, they should pour the substrate, which was mentioned earlier.
• Watering is required to carry out regularly and only with warm water.
• From the moment of the emergence of two or three formed leaves, the bushes must be dived into separate pots.
• Fourteen days after the picking, seedlings of the strawberry "Alexandria" should be fed with special fertilizers. Perfectly suitable "Gumi-20M Rich" or any other feeding with the content of "Fitosporina-M". This substance can prevent the development of fungal diseases.
• As soon as five or six leaves appear, the bushes should be transplanted a second time. Landing place can serve as a balcony or a separate section.
• Before planting on a permanent place, seedlings should be hardened. To do this, gradually leave it in the fresh air.
• The following sign may indicate a lack of light: the leaves of the plant begin to turn in another direction. In this case, strawberries should be transplanted to a more illuminated area.
• Planting in open ground.

It should be noted that the place should be sunny. To the ground you need to mix a little humus and four hundred grams of wood ash per hole. The best way of growing is considered to be the two-row placement of bushes on the garden, the width of which should be at least 1.1 meters. Between these rows, the interval is half a meter, and the size of the holes should be 25x25x25 centimeters.

It is important to know that the very first flower stalks must be removed - this will allow the plant to grow stronger. On average, there should be five peduncles with five berries each. In the second year after planting, about twenty peduncles form on the bushes. In August, it is necessary to remove absolutely all reddened leaves.

Important is the process of mulching. It is necessary to carry out it only after the soil in the garden is compacted. To create organic mulch you need to take straw, sawdust, peat or needles. The selected material should be shed with water - this will not allow it to collect moisture from the soil. After two to three months, the mulch should be replaced with fresh.

Mulching can occur with the help of a film or agrotextile. The material used should be carefully placed on the bed and cut in places where there are holes. This method will help prevent the emergence of weeds. However, this method should not be used in the period of heavy rainfall, as this may cause the formation of rot.

Since the landing of "Alexandria" it should be watered about two to three times a week. Water should be warm. At the time of formation of young leaves strawberries need to be watered no more than once a week. It is worth remembering that this variety does not tolerate excessive moisture. In addition, watering must be correlated with weather conditions.

This type of strawberry should be fertilized with a solution of humus or bird droppings. The proportions here are 1: 15. This procedure should be done from the moment of formation of the ovaries. Feed can be purchased at the store. Perfectly fit "Baikal", "BakSib" or "East".

As mentioned earlier, strawberry variety "Alexandria" is very resistant to fungal diseases. However, in case of contamination, the plant should be treated with fungicides after harvest.

It is possible to protect strawberries from pests with the help of spring tillage. For this process, Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate solution is used. In the case of vitriol, the soil should be sprayed as carefully as possible, without falling on the plant itself.

For seedlings of this variety are perfectly suitable containers with a diameter of twelve to twenty centimeters. They must have a pallet. It is necessary to water a plant twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. So the soil does not dry out. We should not forget about loosening the soil. This should be done several times a week with a small stick.

This variety can be propagated only with the help of seeds or by dividing a bush. In the third to fourth year of the life of the plant, it should be dug and divided. It should be planted in the same way as regular seedlings.

According to the majority of reviews left on the Internet, small-fruited strawberry "Alexandria" is a rather unpretentious and disease-resistant variety. It is perfect for growing on the balcony - to care for it is quite simple.

The Alexandria strawberry is an excellent variety that does not require any special care in relation to itself. But certain rules of agricultural engineering should be observed both when grown on the site and on the balcony, only in this case, the berries will be able to grow really high-quality and tasty.

For information on how to dive seedlings of strawberries "Alexandria", see the following video.