Among the many types of garden strawberries, the most repaired mustardless varieties are most appreciated. They bear fruit all summer, and you can cultivate them not only in the garden, but also in the apartment on the windowsill. A popular variety of strawberries Alexandria, grown independently from seeds, will give sweet fragrant berries to children and adults until the end of autumn.
Variety Growing History
So that there is no terminological confusion, it is worth mentioning right away - the berry, which is popularly referred to as strawberries, is actually a garden strawberry. Real strawberries, although fragrant and sweet, are much smaller and rare. In any case, not in the limited space of summer cottages, where there is a battle for every piece of land. It differs from garden strawberries in the form of berries, aroma, color and texture of leaves. Garden strawberries, on the other hand, are represented on sites in all the variety of shapes and colors. The strawberry variety Alexandria has been known for more than half a century. In 1964, he was introduced by Park Seed Company.
Description of the variety of strawberries Alexandria
The bush reaches twenty centimeters in height. Does not form a mustache. The leaves are bright green, with a serrated edge, folded along the central vein. The flowers are white, small, with rounded petals.
Berries of small size, without a neck, oblong-conical, sharply sharpened closer to the apex. The average weight of the fruit is 8 g. The color of the berries is red, the surface is glossy. Seeds are noticeable, painted in red. The pulp is sweet, very aromatic, with a pronounced strawberry flavor. Berries are used fresh for decorating desserts and pastries, for making jam and jelly.
The berries of wild strawberry Alexandria are small, but sweet and fragrant.
Grade characteristics
The variety is repair. For strawberries, Alexandria is characterized by several waves of fruiting from May to October, which is an indisputable advantage with a small berry size. Harvest grade. On average, 400 g of delicious miniature berries are collected from the bush. Strawberries of the Alexandria variety are characterized by frost resistance and disease resistance. The plant is propagated by seeds, since the bushes do not give a mustache. The compact size and the lack of a mustache make Alexandria strawberry a favorite when choosing a cultivar for growing on a balcony or window sill.
Features of planting and growing strawberries Alexandria
For the cultivation of strawberries, Alexandria seedlings are acquired or grown independently from seeds. Reproduction by seeds has several advantages: the resulting plants are not affected by nematodes, ticks and viruses. Often, when buying seedlings in the market, you can not guess with the variety, since sellers are not always conscientious. In addition, buying seeds is economically feasible, and if you get them yourself, then completely free.
It is better not to buy strawberry seedlings in the market, but to grow them yourself from seeds
Seed Production Technique
With the most ripe berries, with a sharp knife, carefully cut off the surface layer of the skin with a minimum amount of pulp. They are laid out on a paper towel to dry. After a few days, dried pieces are wiped with fingers, freeing the seeds. There is another way: ripe berries are thoroughly kneaded in a glass of water. The pulp in this case floats, and the seeds remain at the bottom. Water with pulp residues is poured, the seeds are decanted and dried.
Getting seedlings and planting strawberries
According to reviews, strawberry seeds quickly lose their germination, so it is recommended to start planting immediately after harvesting. However, many gardeners begin to grow seedlings in late February or early March, while receiving the first berries in the same year.
Video: planting seeds
To obtain seedlings from seeds you need:
- Prepare nutrient ground.
- Purchase a small plastic container and make holes for drainage in it.
- Fill the container with nutritious soil, compact and level.
- Water the soil liberally with a warm solution of Fitosporin.
- On the surface of the soil, lay out a thin white paper towel, also watered with a solution of Fitosporin, or a layer of snow.
- Pour the seeds into a separate saucer and carefully distribute them with a damp toothpick over a napkin or snow.
A layer of snow should be distributed on the surface of the soil and sprinkle seeds on top
- When using a napkin, you can pierce it in those places where the seeds will be planted. The main thing is not to deepen them.
- Cover with a lid or film to reduce moisture evaporation, transfer to a bright place and wait for the first true leaflets to appear after three or four weeks.
After 3-4 weeks, real leaflets will appear on the sprouts
- In phase 2-3 of these leaves, separate the seedlings into pots or peat cups.
Dive strawberry seedlings in the phase of 2-3 real leaves
- In early May, pots with seedlings can be taken out to fresh air for hardening, followed by planting in open ground.
Video: growing seedlings
Good lighting is the main condition for obtaining healthy, not elongated seedlings. In order for the seedlings to be strong, it is recommended to feed the seedlings after the appearance of the third true leaf, using humus or other prepared top dressings. For example, Gumi-20M Rich, which, in addition to a complex of fertilizers, also contains Fitosporin, which effectively suppresses the development of fungal and bacterial diseases of plants.
Gumi-20M Rich - fertilizer containing macro- and microelements, provides nutritious nutrition of plants
Landing
For planting seedlings in open ground in May, a small area is cleared, soil rich in fertilizers or rotted compost is added to it, which is sieved and leveled. Seedlings are planted at a small distance from each other for growing. Some gardeners cover seedlings with cut-off plastic bottles to reduce the stress of transplanting.
To ensure a good harvest of strawberries, it is recommended to mulch the soil. There are two types of mulch: organic and inorganic. Organic mulch - rotted sawdust, peat, hay, needles. It fertilizes the soil well, but is short-lived. She has to be changed once or twice a season.
Organic mulch fertilizes the soil well, but is short-lived
Inorganic mulch - spandbond, plastic film. It is more durable, but does not improve the composition of the soil and with excessive moisture can cause root decay. Its advantages include the fact that it retains moisture better, inhibits weed growth, and the soil under such a mulch warms up faster and retains heat.
When using inorganic mulch, seedlings of strawberries are planted through cross-shaped incisions in the material
To land on a permanent place you need:
- Prepare a bed 100-110 cm wide. Dig the soil and level it.
- Regardless of the mulch chosen in the bed, dig holes of 25x25x25 cm at a distance of 30 cm from each other and 50 cm between rows.
- Water the holes and plant the seedlings, trying not to deepen the apical bud.
Strawberry seedlings need to be planted at a distance of 30 cm from each other and 50 cm between rows
- Cover with earth enriched with humus, and mulch with rotted sawdust or dry peat. If an inorganic mulch was used, then fix the edges of the material along the perimeter of the garden bed.
The edges of the film must be fixed around the perimeter of the beds
After transplanting seedlings into the open ground, it is recommended to break off the first flowers that appear so that the plants grow stronger and take root better.
In most cases, by the end of the summer they manage to try the first crop of berries. Strawberries of the Alexandria variety tolerate low temperatures well, so further care for it will not cause much trouble. It is recommended that plantings be renewed every three years to obtain a stable, aromatic and healthy crop.
Grade Reviews
Review: Seeds of strawberry remontant Gavrish "Alexandria" - It's just some kind of fairy tale! Pluses: Unpretentious, fruiting all summer Minuses: no minuses A few years ago we switched from growing strawberries to strawberries and never regretted. We grow several varieties, but the main Alexandria ... Strawberries are unpretentious, perfectly surviving frosts and heat. Fruits from June to September continuously. And frankly, it is much tastier than strawberries! The plant is perennial, after 2-3 years you can plant a new one, or you can just divide the old bushes.
Meg452//otzovik.com/review_3594196.html
It gives berries that same year, last year I grew strawberries of the Alexandria variety from 2 companies - I did not notice the difference, although they were different in the pictures of the bags - from RO round. The berries are delicious, fragrant. Another planted Baron Solemacher, but later - in March. The baby fell out of the bowl on the bed with a rug. This variety produced only a couple of berries at the end of summer.
Tatyana//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/93593/page-27
As for the varieties: Alexandria, Baron Solemacher, Ruyan, Rozeya, some white (I don’t know the varieties, donated seedlings), Ali Baba tried from small-fruited. Most liked Ali Baba and white. The most fragrant, sweet and large. Alexandria is easier to taste, but more productive. Rozeya and Ruyan - there are practically no berries, and the taste is not very good. Some of them mustachioed with a mustache!
judgia//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/93593/page-27
Today, thanks to the wild strawberry Alexandria, I visited paradise, called the MOTHERLAND. Today, she plucked the first few berries from bushes grown in seedlings since February. And remember how, in the cartoon "RATATUY", after tasting the berries, I somehow miraculously moved in time 40 years ago, when my parents and I every summer in the Urals collected this fragrant berry in the forests teeming with buzzing cameras that time mosquitoes seemed huge monsters.
222bagira//forum.vinograd.info/archive/index.php?t-4761.html
Wherever you decide to grow strawberries - on a plot or in a pot on the balcony, a small miracle will not leave you alone. The tantalizing aroma of sweet berries will settle with you, promising a tart sweetness.
