Remontant strawberry
“Remontant strawberries” are a miracle - a crop that can bear a harvest several times a year. Depending on the variety, it is capable of laying buds at different periods of daylight for subsequent harvest. Also, it is unique in that its harvest period lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October. Moreover, if you plant several varieties in one bed at once, you will be able to achieve much higher yields.
But do not forget that this crop, in terms of care and planting technologies, is somewhat different from the classic one, and the reason for this is the weakening of the bushes during the season. Even experienced gardeners have had cases of plant death after planting. But this does not mean that the culture is too capricious and should be forgotten and never remembered, in this way you will only deprive yourself of the pleasure of receiving ripe berries throughout the year.
Soil for remontant strawberries
Remontant strawberries must have fertile soil, drainage and a neutral composition - all this will contribute to the normal growth and health of the bush. And all this is not in vain, because for such a strawberry harvest you need a lot of nutrients, otherwise planting will only give poor results. Also, you can use dilution, if the soil on your site is quite heavy, sand will do its job perfectly. It will be ideal if you plant strawberries where crops like parsley, mustard, beans or radishes previously grew.
If planting began in the autumn, you should make sure that the soil is prepared earlier. It’s optimal if everything happens from August to early September, so the bushes will have time to take root before the first cold weather.
The area for planting strawberries needs to be prepared in the fall to make caring for the plant easier in the spring and further cultivation. The preparation is as follows: first you need to dig up the entire future area for strawberries and pull out the weeds, then, using phosphorus fertilizers and humus, feed the soil. In this form, the site is left for the winter. Only when spring arrives do you need to continue preparations - feed the soil with manure three weeks before planting the strawberries.
Cultivation of remontant strawberries
Remontant strawberries can be planted both in spring and autumn, this is its main feature. In addition, there are many planting options, one of them is the “nest” method, preferable for varieties with tendrils. With this method, rooting will be much easier and bushes that are ready to bear berries will do so right away. In addition to this, there are a couple more ways that a gardener definitely needs to know about:
Carpet method — Strawberries are planted over an area of 20 by 20 centimeters. In other words, you need to maintain a distance of approximately 20 centimeters between bushes and rows. With this method, the bush will overgrow the remainder on its own over time.
Method “Private” — In this method, when planting, you need to maintain a distance of about 20 to 25 centimeters between the bushes, and about 70 centimeters between the rows. This method also relies on the fact that the bush will grow in diameter, which, by the way, is typical.
Planting remontant strawberries
It’s also worth talking about how to properly plant strawberries themselves, the process is as follows:
First of all, you need to choose one of two planting methods, then you need to dig some kind of holes, 12-14 centimeters each. Of course, how deep the hole will be depends on the length of the plant itself; this is necessary so that the root system is not damaged.
It is better, of course, to make humps in the holes in order to seat the entire bush neatly, without damage. Professionals also recommend sprinkling plant root powder inside the holes. After all operations, sprinkle the seedlings with soil, but do not forget about compaction and that the root neck of the bush is at ground level or slightly higher. All that remains is to water it with a small amount of water and do not forget about care.
Speaking of care, do not forget that the miracle of strawberries requires a lot of attention and knowledge about the culture from you. In short, caring for remontant strawberries is:
- Frequent loosening of the soil or mulching
- Regular, abundant watering of bushes
- Feeding
- Protection against possible diseases and parasites
- Cutting off reddened leaves, as well as tendrils.
Types of remontant strawberries
Even in cold climates, most of the numerous varieties of remontant strawberries can grow, moreover, with a bountiful harvest. In total, this crop has two types: large-fruited and small-fruited, but they also have their own unique varieties. Gardeners like to call this small-fruited species strawberry because of its size and certain similarity with this crop; it also does not have a mustache and reproduces using seeds, but there are also large remontant varieties of strawberries. The great advantage of this species is that they are able to bear fruit for a long time, until the onset of winter. Types of small-fruited remontant strawberries and their short description:
“Rugen” — gives a harvest, unlike others. The berries are cone-shaped, light red, yellowish inside and have an excellent taste and smell. It has a sophisticated look.
“Forest Tale” — It has medium-sized bushes, blooms continuously, and produces a rich harvest. The berries have a classic shape, taste sweet, weigh about five grams.
“Baron Solemacher” - the berry weighs about 4 grams, has a red color, a very pleasant taste and several inclusions. Resistant to parasites.
“Ruyana” - has compact bushes, survives the winter well, produces a harvest much earlier than other species. The berries are large, light red, juicy and sweetish, have a strawberry smell, grow small bushes.
“Alexandri” - this species is characterized by neat bushes, it tolerates diseases and cold well. The fruits are quite large, red in color, and weigh approximately seven grams.
Large-fruited varieties of remontant strawberries are named after their berries, since their weight can reach up to 100 grams, but this is rare, most often within 60 grams, but at the same time, they bear fruit only 3 times per season, unlike small-fruited ones. The most common varieties:
“Capri” - unique in the large number of berries per harvest. The berry has a conical shape and weighs approximately 35 grams.
"San Andreas" - has large, strong bushes. The berries are quite large, about 30 grams, sweet taste, dense flesh.
“Temptation” – decorative variety – hybrid. The berry has a nutmeg flavor, weighs about 30 grams, the flesh is dense and juicy.
“Albion” - a berry about 28 grams, dark in color, the flesh is dense, sweet and aromatic. Resistant to cold and disease.
“Moscow Delicacy” - has large, spreading bushes, resistant to frost and disease. The harvest bears a large number of berries. The berry is smooth, symmetrical in appearance, sweet and slightly reminiscent of cherries, weighing from 14 to 36 grams.
"Evie 2" - a variety with English roots, resistant to drought. The berry is juicy, sweet and soft, weighs approximately 20 grams.
“Diamant” is a variety with American roots, has the ability to grow tendrils, and is resistant to pests and diseases. The berry is light in color, weighs about 25 grams.
Variety “Monterey” is a variety with American roots, has large bushes, and bears a lot of fruit. The berry is cone-shaped, with sweet and juicy pulp, weighs about 30 grams.
And as you can already understand, there are quite a lot of varieties of remontant strawberries so that you can plant what you like.