Content
Florida Beauty Strawberry is a new American variety. Differs in very tasty and beautiful berries with pronounced sweetness. Suitable for fresh consumption and for all kinds of preparations. Good keeping quality and transportability make it possible to transport fruits over long distances.
Breeding history
Strawberry Florida Beauty, developed in the United States at the University of Florida and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The variety was successfully tested in 2015–2016. in central and western Florida. Received patents PP20,363 and PP25,574.
The variety appeared in Russia in 2019.The novelty immediately spread in different regions. Florida Beauty strawberries are neutral day varieties - you can get 2-3 harvests per season. The variety is not included in the Russian register of breeding achievements.
Florida Beauty strawberry variety description and characteristics
Florida Beauty strawberry is little known in the Russian Federation. The variety has good winter hardiness, so it can be grown in regions with different climatic conditions. The culture is resistant to a number of diseases.
Characteristics of fruits, taste
Florida Beauty strawberries produce attractive berries with a bright red color. The shape is correct, conical, the color is uniform, the skin is shiny. It is thanks to this that the variety got its name (translated from English "Beauty of Florida").
All berries are large (including the last harvest), the average weight is 50 g. The taste is balanced, dessert, with a delicate sourness and pronounced sweetness. The pulp is juicy, without voids, the consistency is dense.
Ripening terms, yield and keeping quality
Florida Beauty - early ripening strawberries: flowering begins in late May, ripening occurs in the last decade of June. The main fruiting wave occurs in the first summer month. The originator claims the ability to harvest 3-4 times per season. In the conditions of central Russia, 2 collections are possible, in the southern regions - 3 waves.
The yield is high - from 1 to 1.5 kg are removed from one bush. All fruits are suitable for transportation, keeping quality in a refrigerator or in a cool room for up to seven days.
Florida Beauty has a high yield
Growing regions, frost resistance
The originator claims a high winter hardiness of strawberries. But in Russia, the Florida Beauty variety has not been grown for a long time. Therefore, as territories, you can choose the middle zone, Chernozem region, the Volga region and the south. You can try planting bushes in other regions, for example, in the North-West and the Urals.
In regions with cold winters, it is advisable to cultivate the crop under a film - thanks to this, you can achieve maximum yields.
Disease and pest resistance
The persistence of Florida Beauty strawberries is quite good. There is immunity to root rot and phytosporosis. To a lesser extent, the culture tolerates anthracnose. The variety is not sufficiently resistant to berry rot. It is affected by powdery mildew, therefore, it needs mandatory preventive treatments, which are carried out in May-June, that is, before the start of the formation of berries. Any effective fungicide can be used:
- Bordeaux liquid;
- Signum;
- Horus;
- Fitosporin;
- Teldur;
- "Maxim" and others.
Florida Beauty strawberry bushes can be affected by slugs, weevils, aphids, spider mites and other pests. They need to be fought with folk remedies, for example, insects are treated with solutions:
- tobacco dust;
- wood ash with soap;
- cloves of garlic;
- onion peel;
- mustard powder.
During the fruiting period, processing can only be carried out with biological preparations, for example:
- Fitoverm;
- "Vertimek";
- "Bitoxibacillin".
In extreme cases, chemical insecticides are used, for example, "Akarin", "Karbofos", "Inta-Vir", "Aktara" and others. Berries can be picked only 3-5 days after processing.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Florida Beauty strawberry is a new variety, but some summer residents have already appreciated its benefits. The bushes give very tasty and large berries with a glossy surface. Subject to agricultural technology, the yield reaches 1.5 kg per plant.
Strawberries Florida Beauty large, regular shape
Pros:
- excellent taste with pronounced sweetness;
- high yield in 2-3 waves;
- large berries;
- attractive presentation;
- good immunity;
- transportability;
- keeping quality up to 7 days.
Minuses:
- bushes give too much mustache;
- in the northern regions, yields are low.
Reproduction methods
The main breeding method of the Florida Beauty variety is by rooting the mustache. The plant produces many shoots. As soon as they appear in early summer, they can be immediately cut off and planted in moist, fertile and light soil to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Adult bushes can and should be separated - the procedure is repeated every 3 years. This allows you to get new seedlings and maintain high yields. The division begins at the end of May or in the last days of August, after the harvest.
Florida Beauty strawberry bushes are dug up and placed in jars with settled water. After a few hours, the roots are separated, cutting off the tangled hairs with a knife. Then the seedlings are transferred to a new place, watered. With the onset of the first frost (below 0 degrees), they are carefully mulched and covered with agrofibre or other materials.
Planting and leaving
In the case of the Florida Beauty variety, three planting dates are allowed:
- in late April or early May, as soon as the soil warms up;
- in the last decade of July;
- from 20 to 31 August or in the first ten days of September, 1–1.5 months before frost.
The site requirements are standard - it must be completely open, well lit. The landing site is chosen not in a lowland, but on a small hill. If possible, the site should be protected from strong winds. A suitable type of soil is loamy or sandy loam with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction (pH from 5 to 7). The land should be light and fertile. A month before planting, you need to prepare it by adding a bucket of humus and 200 g of ash per 1 m2... If the soil is clay, then add 500-800 g of sawdust or sand to the same area.
The landing pattern is standard:
- placement order: chess;
- the interval between the bushes is 30 cm;
- row spacing 50 cm;
- the orientation of the beds in the direction "north-south".
If the weather is cloudy, then gardening can be done in the daytime. Immediately after this, the soil should be mulched with sawdust, straw, agrofibre or other material.
When planting, the root collar is recommended to be left flush with the surface, and also to ensure that the roots do not break
Agrotechnology for growing strawberries Florida Beauty includes several important rules, on the observance of which the yield directly depends:
- Watered regularly, from mid-April to the second half of September.Care must be taken to keep the soil moderately moist to the depth of the little finger (5 cm).
- Loosening (especially after watering and rains) and weeding are carried out regularly.
- In May and June, a lot of mustaches appear - they need to be cut off, but not immediately, but as they grow. Strong rosettes are left for reproduction.
Top dressing is applied 4 times per season - the scheme is described in the table.
Term | Development phase | Fertilizer required |
April 1-10 | The beginning of active growth | 2 kg of manure per bucket of water insist for 3 days, measure 0.5 liters per bucket; watered with 1 liter of such a solution per bush |
May 20-31 | The appearance of peduncles | Potassium nitrate (10 g per 10 L): 0.5 L solution per bush |
July 1-15 | The end of the first ripening wave | Mullein (1:10) with superphosphate (50 g per 10 L) and wood ash (100 g per 10 L): 1 L solution per bush |
August 20-31 | Harvesting the last harvest | 250 g ash per 10 l: 1 l solution per bush |
Preparing for winter
To grow healthy and tasty Florida Beauty strawberries, as in the description of the variety and in the photo, summer residents in reviews recommend insulating plantings for the winter. If in the south it is enough to cut off old leaves and lay a small layer of mulch at the end of November, then in other regions it is necessary to create a full-fledged shelter.
Thermal insulation of strawberries Florida Beauty with agrofibre creates an optimal microclimate in winter
When the first frost occurs (slightly below 0 ° C), the mulch layer is changed - sawdust, small chips or spruce branches are well suited. Then cover with spunbond or other material.
Conclusion
Florida Beauty strawberry is a new American variety that will surely be appreciated by lovers of sweet berries. It is characterized by good yield and winter hardiness. The berries are large, marketable, so you can grow both for yourself and for sale.
Florida Beauty strawberry reviews
