Content
Strawberries are considered an early berry. Most varieties begin to bear fruit in June, and from August you can already forget about tasty fruits until next summer. However, there are later varieties to prolong the pleasure. One of them is the Holiday strawberry, which brings large and aromatic berries at the end of summer.
Breeding history
American breeders bred holiday strawberries. The varieties Raritan and New York were taken for crossing. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the culture spread in the North-West region as a strawberry of a medium late ripening period.
Description
Medium late holiday strawberry bushes grow slightly spreading medium in size. The leaves are large. The surface of the leaf blade is slightly wrinkled, covered with an edge. Leaf color is light green. Peduncles are low, powerful, located below the foliage level. Green sepals are not wide, located horizontally by the time of fruit ripening.
The first wave of the Holiday variety is characterized by a large berry with ridge-shaped tops. The average weight of one fruit is 32 g. Subsequent waves of the Holiday strawberry harvest yield smaller berries with a regular conical shape. The skin of the fruit is red, glossy. The pulp is light red, not friable, saturated with juice and sugar. Small grains of strawberries are located in yellowish achenes, not very submerged inside the fruit.
Ripening of berries is amicable. The yield of the Holiday variety from 1 are up to 150 kg. Strawberries have a sweet and sour dessert taste. The crop lends itself to transportation and storage. Berries can be frozen, processed, consumed fresh.
The video provides an overview of the strawberry Holiday:
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Positive features | Negative traits |
The variety is rarely affected by diseases. | Berries become smaller in subsequent waves of the harvest |
Amicable ripening of the crop | The variety is picky about feeding |
High yield rate | During a drought, without watering, the taste of berries deteriorates |
Good winter hardiness and drought resistance | Reduced yield when grown on poor soil |
Drought resistance is considered a positive feature of the Holiday variety. However, strawberries are very fond of abundant watering. The bush is able to survive in heat with little moisture, but the quality of the berries and the quantity of the harvest will decrease.
Reproduction methods
Traditionally, strawberries of the medium late Holiday variety are propagated in three ways: by a mustache, by seed, or by dividing the bush. Those who have no desire to engage in these works buy ready-made seedlings.
Mustache
Strawberry whiskers bring unnecessary pruning worries to the grower, but for propagation, these cuttings are the best option. To propagate the Holiday variety, do the following:
- With the last wave of the crop, the strawberry mustache grows more active. After picking berries from the garden, remove weeds, loosen the aisles.
- Strong strawberry whiskers with developed rosettes of leaves are straightened and laid on loose soil.A small yak is squeezed into the ground by hand. The socket is placed in a recess, lightly covered with soil.
- By mid-September, the rosettes will take root. You just need to remember to water them. The mustache is cut from the mother strawberry bush and transplanted to another place.
The strongest rosettes are located on the mustache first from the side of the bush. They are taken for reproduction, and the rest are immediately cut off so that they do not pull juice from the plant.
By dividing the bush
Holiday strawberries, like other varieties, are capable of multiplying by dividing the bush. The method is considered traumatic for the plant, but it allows the culture to be transplanted to another place in case of weak mustache formation. At the time of dividing, medium-late strawberry bushes should be 2-4 years old. For reproduction, plants with a well-developed root system are taken.
In early spring or autumn, a strawberry bush is dug up. The plant is divided into parts so that each horn turns out with a rosette and long roots. After dividing, strawberry seedlings are planted in a new bed.
Growing from seeds
The most time-consuming way to propagate a variety is to grow Holiday strawberries from seeds. It is necessary to properly prepare the grains to obtain strong seedlings.
Technique of obtaining and stratification of seeds
Holiday strawberry seeds are better and easier to buy at the store. When self-picking, you will need to select large, ripe berries in the garden without damage. With a knife, the skin is cut from the fruit along with the grains, laid out on any sheet with a glossy surface, and placed in the sun. After 4–5 days, the moisture will evaporate, and the strawberry seeds will dry out. They only need to be collected, and then sent to be stored in a cool dry place.
Before sowing, self-harvested Holiday strawberries are soaked, but it is better to stratify. Every gardener has his own way of hardening seeds with cold. The most common methods are as follows:
- On the fertile soil or peat tablets I pour a layer of snow 1–2 cm thick. Lay strawberry seeds Holiday on top. The container is placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The snow will melt, and the strawberry seeds will silt on their own.
- Wet cotton wool is laid inside a plastic bag, strawberry seeds are scattered on top. The bag is tied and similarly sent to the refrigerator. After four days, the grains of the medium late strawberry Holiday are sown in containers with warm soil.
- The third method is based on mixing Holiday strawberry seeds with a small amount of wet peat or sand. Hardening similarly takes place in the refrigerator for two months. As it dries, the filler is moistened.
Stratification helps to speed up seed sprouting of the Holiday strawberry variety up to 15 days. Without hardening, the grains will germinate in at least 30 days.
Sowing time
For cold regions, the optimal time for sowing Holiday seeds is March - early April. Gardeners in the south start sowing from mid-February.
Sowing in peat tablets
It is convenient to grow Holiday strawberry seedlings in peat tablets, since then the procedure for planting on a garden bed is simplified. The process consists of the following steps:
- Peat washers are placed inside the plastic container with the planting pits up. Pour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After the peat tablets swell, the remaining water is poured off, and the washers themselves are slightly squeezed by hand.
- Holiday strawberry seeds are placed inside the planting recesses. It is not necessary to fall asleep with anything. The seeds will sprout in the light and take root.
- The container with the crops of the Holiday is covered with foil. Germination of seeds occurs at a temperature of +20aboutC. Periodically open the film to remove condensation.
Peat tablets need to be moistened. When dry, the peat shrinks and can damage the strawberry root system.When mold appears on the washers, the plaque is removed with a cotton swab, after which it is treated with Previkur.
Sowing into soil
To grow Holiday seedlings in soil, you will need cups, crates, or flower pots. The container is disinfected and then filled with fertile soil. Gardeners use two sowing methods:
- Self-collected strawberry seeds are sown in the ground, deepening about 5 mm. A 10 cm layer of snow is poured on top for hardening. The container is covered with foil, placed in the refrigerator, where stratification takes place. After the snow has parted, the crops are put on the window. Further, the seedlings of the Holiday variety germinate at a temperature of 20-25aboutC. The film is opened daily for ventilation.
- Purchased factory-made seeds do not need to be hardened. Holiday grains are scattered on a damp napkin, spread on a saucer, and placed on the window. To reduce evaporation, the grains are covered with a film on top. When strawberry seeds hatch, they are sown in a container with soil.
Seedlings of the Holiday variety are grown at room temperature, by organizing artificial lighting.
Picking sprouts
With the appearance of 2-4 leaves in Holiday sprouts, the seedlings dive in separate cups. There are two ways, depending on the density of the seedlings:
- Transfer. The easiest and most painless method for the plant. Holiday seedlings should not grow densely so that a shoulder blade can enter between them. The plant is removed from the ground and, together with the lump, is transplanted into another container.
- Transfer. A rather complicated and painful picking method for a plant, used with a strong sowing density. Strawberry seedlings are removed from a container with a clod of earth and immersed in warm water. When the soil becomes limp, the Holiday strawberry seedlings are carefully removed so as not to damage the tangled roots. Weak plants are thrown away, and strong plants are planted in separate cups.
When picking, it is imperative that the root collar remains at ground level after transplanting.
Why seeds don't germinate
The problem of non-germination of seeds of the Holiday variety often lies in non-compliance with the rules for growing seedlings. Gardeners ignore stratification, disturb the temperature regime, improperly harvest grains or overcook them in the sun.
Landing
When the seedlings of the Holiday variety have already grown, have passed the stage of hardening in the fresh air, an important process begins - planting.
How to choose seedlings
To get a good harvest, you need to select healthy seedlings of the Holiday variety. The plant must have at least 3 adult leaves and a horn more than 7 mm thick. The color of the foliage is bright, juicy, the plates are without visible damage. An open root system for a good strawberry seedling at least 7 cm long. If the plant is in a cup, then the roots should braid the entire clod of earth.
Site selection and soil preparation
The medium late Holiday variety is planted in a sunny area. The hill is not the best place. During a drought, the roots of the strawberry will bake. The soil is prepared a couple of weeks before planting. The bed is dug onto the bayonet of the shovel, adding 1 bucket of compost per 1 m2... If the soil is heavy, sand is added when digging. With increased acidity, chalk or another antioxidant is added.
Landing scheme
The Holiday variety is grown in rows. The seedlings are planted in the holes in 30 cm increments. The row spacing is made about 40 cm. After planting, the seedling is watered, shaded with an agrofibre shelter from the sun until complete rooting.
Care
For the Holiday variety, traditional care is required, including watering, feeding, weeding and other work.
Spring care
In early spring, after the snow melts, the bed is cleared of foliage and remnants of a winter shelter. The row spacings are loosened to a depth of 3 cm so as not to damage the roots. Immediately, the plantings of the Holiday variety are fed with a solution of manure 1: 3, chicken manure 1:10 or wood ash 100 g / m2 beds. After watering and weeding, the soil around the Holiday bushes is mulched with peat or sawdust.
Watering and mulching
The frequency of watering depends on the composition of the soil. With loose soil, the procedure is more frequent. Clay soil keeps moisture longer. In such areas, you can water after 1–2 days. Before flowering, strawberries can be watered once a week. With the appearance of peduncles, water is served at the root. Arrange drip irrigation. It is possible to pour water from a hose along the aisles, but there is a threat of root leaching. After watering, to retain moisture, the soil is mulched with sawdust, straw or peat.
Top dressing by month
The Holiday variety needs more than organic fertilizing. In early spring, before flowering and after harvesting, mineral complexes containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are introduced. Application times and drug names are shown in the table.
Preparing for winter
For the winter, the Holiday strawberry plantation is covered with straw or hay. On top, you can lay pine branches or simply cover with needles. Previously, the bushes are covered with peat. Organic matter will become an additional insulation for the roots, as well as fertilizer.
Diseases and methods of struggle
For the Holiday variety, a particular danger is posed by verticillary wilting and gray rot, but with timely prevention, strawberries will be healthy. The table shows a list of drugs used for different types of diseases.
Pests and ways to deal with them
Pests cause great danger to strawberries. Ways to combat them are shown in the table. You can also add snails, slugs and ants that eat berries to this. To fight the enemy, they use folk methods. Smooth nettles on the garden bed, sprinkle salt or ground hot pepper.
Harvesting and storage
The crop is harvested in the early morning after the dew melts. The berries are picked together with the stalk. Small but wide boxes or baskets are considered the best containers for fruit. In the refrigerator, fresh berries can lie for up to 7 days. For long-term storage, the fruits of the Holiday variety are frozen.
Features of growing in pots
To enjoy the sweet fruits of strawberries in an apartment, the plants are grown on the window. Any flower pot with a height of at least 15 cm will do. During flowering, artificial pollination will be required with a soft brush or cotton swab. With the onset of summer, pots of strawberries are taken out to the balcony.
Outcome
The American medium late Holiday variety can be grown in any region of our country. The culture is not capricious in its care and adapts well to the local climate.
