The benefits of strawberries for the body are known to everyone - it contains a large amount of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, antioxidants. In the warm season, we enjoy refreshing fresh berries, and in winter it is so pleasant to open a jar of fragrant jam or to make tea from dried leaves. The wide spread of this garden culture makes strawberries an affordable product. And almost every gardener considers it a matter of honor to grow it on his plot. There are a lot of varieties of berries, each of them has its own characteristics. Among the most successful - strawberries with an unusual and delicate name Eliane.
The history of cultivation and description of the strawberry variety Eliana
Strawberry variety Eliana was bred in Holland in the late 90s. The originator is Albert Konnings. The variety is great for growing in a continental climate. Recommended for small private farms, although in Europe it is often produced on an industrial scale.
It has a powerful strong bush with high peduncles that are located at leaf level or higher. Eliana is an early variety: you can start picking berries at the end of May. With proper care, it gives a large crop - up to 2 kg from each bush. Continues to bear fruit until the end of July. As they ripen, the berries do not become smaller. The variety is large-fruited - the weight of the berries can reach 90 g. The fruits have a conical elongated shape, dense but delicate pulp, a bright red shiny color, easily come off the peduncle, have a pleasant strawberry aroma and excellent taste.
Eliane's strawberry fruits combine dessert sweetness and a little sourness
Grade characteristics
Like any agriculture, Eliana has a number of positive characteristics, and some disadvantages.
Advantages:
- self-pollinated. This makes it possible for the plant not to depend on pollinating insects, it allows growing strawberries in closed spaces (on the balcony, in the greenhouse);
- tolerates cold well. For example, it winters well in the suburbs and Karelia, especially with good shelter. But it should be noted that after very severe winters it can restore vegetative mass and productivity for a long time;
- has immunity to various rot, mold and fungal diseases;
- undemanding to the quality and composition of the soil;
- does not need frequent transplanting - in one place it is able to bear fruit for 8-10 years without losing yield.
Disadvantages:
- does not tolerate extreme heat. At high temperatures and water shortages, the berries are weakly gaining mass, they can dry out. A plant under such conditions poorly forms a mustache;
- with high humidity and rainy weather, the berries lose their sweet taste, excess acid appears.
Eliana fully meets the expectation of a large harvest
Features of planting and growing strawberry varieties Eliana
The planting technology of the variety as a whole meets all the general requirements for growing strawberries.
Seedling selection
You can buy strawberry seedlings almost at any time of the year, but this will affect how it will take root. Buying and planting young plants in late summer or autumn is not considered the most favorable period, as strawberries will have little time to root. Bushes may not survive the cold winter. More favorable for starting strawberry cultivation will be the spring period. With the right choice, competent planting and favorable conditions, plants will quickly take root and have time to produce crops. However, the best time to land is considered mid-summer. Of course, you won’t have time to remove the berries this season, but ask a great start for future harvests, as young bushes will have enough time to settle in a new place, develop the root system and flower-bearing buds.
When choosing seedlings, special attention should be paid to the appearance and quality of seedlings:
- There should be no dots or any spots on the leaves. Their presence indicates that the strawberry is affected by the disease.
- Pale or wrinkled leaf blades are signs of late blight necrosis and the presence of an earth tick. Leaves should be deep green.
- Seedlings can be realized with open roots, and their length should be 7-9 cm. If the plant is sold in closed containers, then the roots should grow over the entire soil volume.
- The thicker the size of the root neck and the growing horns (their diameter should be at least 6-7 mm), the better for the plant.
Experienced gardeners carefully choose strawberry seedlings
You can additionally disinfect seedlings before planting by placing bushes along with pots in a hot one (about 50aboutC) water. This is done in two stages, keeping between them for half an hour. The stay of strawberries in water at each stage is no more than 20 minutes. This procedure will help get rid of most harmful insects that could be on the plant. And for disease prevention, immediately before planting, seedlings are placed for 5 minutes in a solution of copper sulfate and salt (1 and 3 tsp., Respectively, per 10 l of water). After this, the bushes must be washed with plain water.
Site selection and planting strawberries in the ground
The most successful would be a windless area with good lighting. It should be flat or with a minimum slope. Not the best choice would be the lowland, as it can accumulate excess moisture and cold air. Do not break the beds in the shade of large trees or buildings, and also not far from solanaceous ones - potatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, peppers. These plants will deprive strawberries of nutrients, taking them in large quantities from the soil. In addition, the risk of infection of the berry culture with late blight increases, since solanaceous plants are quite susceptible to it.
Eliana is not too demanding on the quality of the soil. However, the better and richer the nutrients in the soil, the more abundant and tastier the strawberry crop. The most favorable will be land with low acidity, sandy loam or loam.
A land rich in nutrients will enable strawberries to bloom and bear fruit abundantly
Before planting, it is necessary to dig in the beds well and deep in advance, as well as to fertilize. Their number will depend on the area of future landings. The proportions are as follows: 1 m2 5-6 kg of organic fertilizers (humus) and 30-35 g of mineral fertilizers are required.
It will also be useful to treat the soil with a 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid to prevent possible damage to plants by fungal diseases.
The marking for rows of strawberries is carried out after the excavated earth settles. It is possible to plant seedlings at a distance between rows from 40 to 60 cm, and between bushes - from 15 to 20 cm. In this case, the appearing antennae must be removed in a timely manner, but no less than 3 times during the season.
The most favorable for planting strawberries is evening time or a cloudy day. This is necessary in order to prevent plants from withering, since the roots are still unable to bring water to the leaves, and the heat will provoke excessive evaporation. The soil should be moderately moist. Each seedling bush should leave no more than 3 leaves and shorten the roots to 9-10 cm if they are too long. Landing is carried out on an earthen mound, on which the roots are evenly distributed, after which the hole is covered with earth, making sure that the upper kidney is slightly above the soil level. Strong penetration can cause decay, and too high, on the contrary, drying out. When the planting is completed, young plants are watered and cover the planting site with an additional layer of soil or humus to avoid drying out.
Video: planting strawberry seedlings in the ground
Watering and mulching
The first few days after planting, the bushes should be watered with a moderate amount of water. After 1.5 weeks, you can increase the portion of moisture, but you should reduce the frequency of watering. It should be borne in mind that strawberries are a moisture-loving plant, but do not like an excess of water. Therefore, watering should be adjusted depending on what the weather is like. On average, it is necessary to carry out water procedures 2-3 times a week.
Water should not be allowed on flowers and fruits.
Do not forget to loosen the ground for better penetration of moisture to the roots. Water used for irrigation must be warm. For strawberries, mulching is very favorable, since this makes it possible to retain moisture in the soil for longer, and prevents weeds from growing. Mowed grass, sawdust, straw, needles can act as mulch.
Top dressing
When feeding, the age of the plants should be taken into account. For young people, enhanced nutrition is necessary during the period of growth and formation of the green part, in older adults - at the time of ripening of berries. For fertilizer, you can use complex preparations, as well as organics, diluting it with water: bird droppings in a ratio of 1:14, manure mixed with hay or straw - 1: 7 (depending on the initial composition of the soil and the general condition of strawberries, it is used from 15 to 25 kg fertilizer per 10 m2) After harvesting, you should also feed the plants so that they can stock up on nutrients before the winter season.
Wintering strawberries and preparing for the new season
Before sheltering strawberry ridges for the winter, a routine inspection of plants is carried out. At the same time, dried and diseased leaves are removed. Then the strawberries are fed and additionally mulched, including falling row spacings, as well as the soil between the bushes. As the main material for shelter use agrofabric or a double layer of agrofiber.
With the advent of spring, cover material and mulch are removed, the plants are inspected again, dead or deformed parts are removed. In order for the soil to warm up faster, several centimeters of earth are additionally removed.
Video: warming strawberries for the winter
Possible diseases and treatment
Eliana is a disease resistant variety. However, there is no 100% guarantee that the disease will be avoided. Pests can also infect plants.
Table: Common Strawberry Disease
| Disease | Signs | Treatment Methods and Prevention |
| Gray rot | This fungal disease spreads to both the green parts and the fruits. They are the first to be struck. Depressed dimples of gray color are formed on the berries, which are then covered with a gray fluffy coating. Subsequently, it spreads to other parts of the plant. As a result, the bush dries. |
|
| Powdery mildew | A whitish coating appears on the plant, which looks like a cobweb. The whole aerial part is affected. The bushes change color, becoming bronze-brown. The leaves curl and dry. Fruits turn white and may crack and mold. | For treatment, Topaz, Bayleton, Euparen are used according to the instructions. They process plants several times, excluding the period of flowering and ripening of the crop. It is also advisable to use different drugs to exclude the addiction of the fungus to the active substance. |
| Late blight | Called by a fungus. First, the leaves are affected, then the petioles, peduncles, fruits, especially immature. Brown or brown spots appear on the plant, the leaves rot, the berries dry out. | To combat this disease, it is possible to use Abiga-peak, Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate. |
| Strawberry (transparent) tick | It is difficult to see this insect with the naked eye. Lives on young leaves, which suffer greatly from the activity of the tick - turn yellow, wrinkle and die. This affects the yield: the berries grow much smaller than the possible size or dry out ahead of time. The plant becomes less cold resistant. |
|
Photo gallery: external signs of strawberry disease
- Gray rot can kill most strawberries
- Powdery mildew as if enveloping a bush with a silver spider web
- Blight can be transmitted to strawberries from potatoes or tomatoes
- The strawberry mite may not be visible, but the damage it causes cannot be hidden.
Reviews
For me, this variety has shown its best side - in terms of productivity, taste and resistance to disease, as well as Donna and Alba. And they gave so many mustaches that there’s nowhere to plant and it’s a pity to throw it away.
Sergey IP//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=4465
We grow it the 3rd year. The bushes are large and healthy, it begins to vegetate early, the berries are large, conical in shape, very sweet.
Siberian Swallow//forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=6993
Really cool variety. Growing up with my sister in Germany. The variety is very early. Berries of medium density, but transportable. The berry is tasty, aromatic. It tastes a little better than Clery. Productivity, in my opinion, is at the level of the Marmolada variety.
Tezier//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=4465
If desired, a couple of Eliana bushes can be grown even on a loggia. The variety is self-pollinating, therefore, it is possible to guarantee the formation of berries even indoors. Despite the fact that strawberries can relieve symptoms of headaches, participate in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, anemia, use it in moderation. This will allow not to get a side effect in the form of an unexpected allergy, but to use all the beneficial properties of a wonderful berry in full.
