Strawberry Elvira - an early ripe non-permanent berry of universal purpose. It is advised to plant it in greenhouses and greenhouses, since under these conditions it bears fruit better than in open ground. They appreciate the variety for large fruits, high productivity, good taste, immunity and much more. More details about this variety are given below.

Description of berries and strawberry bush

Elvira bush is powerful, sprawling, medium in size. He has relatively few leaves. All of them are medium in size, painted green with emerald tint. Peduncles throws strong, in the amount of 2-3 pieces, on which up to 10 white flowers appear with a bright yellow center.

Berries are tied large, on average 30–40 g. In ripe form, they are bright red with a glossy sheen. Top covered with small yellow seedimmersed in the fetus is not deep. The pulp is dense, hard, but does not crunch. The section is red, without voids. Her taste is juicy, sweet, with a slight sourness. Exudes a rich strawberry flavor. The fruits appear the same size, do not grow smaller by the end of the season. Due to the dense structure, the fruits are distinguished by good indicators of shelf life and suitability for transportation. The variety was bred by Dutch breeders.

Grade characteristics

Productivity is high. One bush gives about a kilogram of berries with the right approach to agricultural technology. Elvira has excellent frost resistance. Without shelter, it can withstand temperature drops of -18 ... -22 ° C. If you shelter a plant, it will withstand lower temperatures.

The culture responds neutrally to high humidity. Able to survive short-term drought. It has good immunity to fungal diseases, and both the underground and aboveground parts of the plant are resistant.

Important! Despite good immunity, preventive work to combat diseases and pests must be carried out.

• Qualities that distinguish the variety from others:
• early ripeness (the first crop can be obtained in mid-June);
• unpretentiousness to the soil;
• long fruiting period;
• good keeping quality, ability to carry transportation over long distances;
• suitable for growing in cold regions;
• high immunity to fungal diseases;
• the versatility of berries;
• able to grow in the shade.

• There are also disadvantages of strawberries:
• requires constant loosening of the soil;
• in sunny areas without shelter it can burn out;
• picking berries is carried out in several stages.

Breeding methods

Elvira strawberries in one place can grow for a maximum of 4 years, so in order to transplant it to a new place, you need to know in what ways it propagates. In addition, the beds need to be periodically rejuvenated. There are such methods of plant propagation: seed, rosettes and division of the bush.

Seed way

From seeds to grow strawberries is unprofitable. This is a troublesome, time-consuming and time-consuming business. And not everyone will be able to get a good, strong plant from the seeds, since the seed quickly loses its germination.

If you want to experiment, then do the following. Soak seeds for germination in a plastic container by laying them on wet discs and covering them from above. The container must be closed with a lid with holes for ventilation. In this form, the seeds should be in a warm place for 2 days, then another 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Discs should be kept wet at all times. While the seeds are stratified, you need to prepare the ground. A mixture of garden and forest soil with sand is suitable. The soil must be decontaminated in the oven for 15–20 minutes. After the earth should lie down for 2-3 weeks.

Important! If there is enough moisture, condensation will collect on the lid of the container and drain down. If there are so many drops that no seed is visible behind them, then you need to wipe the lid and slightly ventilate the container. When there is little condensate, you need to water the crops.

Sowing can be carried out in a container. The tank is filled with earth, rammed a little and well moistened with water from a spray bottle. Using a toothpick or sharp tweezers, the seeds are laid out on the surface of the earth and slightly penetrated into it. The container is covered and sent to a warm, lit place, but not in direct sunlight. The lid must have openings for ventilation. It is better not to open the container until shoots appear.

With the advent of 3 true leaves, pickling is done. She is seated in plastic or peat cups 5 × 5 cm. In open ground, seedlings are planted with 5 real leaves and in suitable weather in your area.

Dividing the bush

A more convenient and efficient method of reproduction. As soon as the buds wake up on the plant, you need to choose the strongest, most healthy bush and dig it up. Gently split into parts so that each part has a developed heart and a strong root system. The resulting parts should be landed in the holes prepared on the bed.

Did you know? In ancient times, strawberries were a universal cure for all diseases (fever, indigestion, depression, headaches, etc.).

Rosettes

The most common method of reproduction. Elvira actively forms a mustache, so there is no shortage of outlets. The main thing is to choose the right outlet for transplantation so that the variety does not degenerate. It is best to take those that are located closer to the mother plant. The bush itself, like sockets, should not have signs of damage and disease. In order for the outlet to take root, it is advisable to plant it in a separate container for the development of the root system and the appearance of young leaves. A well-rooted outlet must have at least 4 leaves before planting.

Landing Features

In the process of planting Elvira strawberries, there is nothing special, but still you need to know some nuances in order for the plant to take root and give a good harvest.

The timing

In open ground seedlings can be planted from spring to autumn (September), but according to gardeners, the most favorable time for planting is spring. Landing is advisable when the threat of frost passes and the soil warms up a bit. In the southern regions, such conditions are already created in May, in the colder ones - in the middle of this month.

Site selection and materials

As mentioned earlier, Elvira is not demanding on the soil, so this indicator does not need to be guided when choosing a landing site. For her, the illuminance of the site and its protection from cold winds are more important. The bed should be formed in a shaded place so that in direct sunlight the crop does not burn out. An ideal place would be a territory lit only in the morning. In the absence of natural shade in the afternoon, you need to take care of creating it. The bed can be located in the lowland and in places where the soil is moist, so the root system of Elvira is not afraid of fungal diseases.

When preparing planting material, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of damage, defects, signs of healthier and pests on it. Carefully study the leaves and root system of the plant. If they are weak, then such a seedling is not suitable for planting.

Direct landing

Strawberries are planted in rows, with a distance between them of at least 0.3 m and the same between the bushes. You can use a different planting scheme: 40 cm between plants and 25 cm between rows, but this option is rarely used. Some gardeners plant strawberries in a checkerboard pattern, but it is more difficult to water the garden.

Before starting planting, the soil on the bed is well irrigated. Dug holes can also be partially filled with water. After the moisture is absorbed, a seedling can be placed in the hole. Its roots should be carefully spread and carefully sprinkled with earth.The central point of growth must necessarily be above the surface, otherwise the seedling will die. At the end of planting, the soil is slightly compacted so that there are no air gaps and is irrigated plentifully. A layer of mulch from sawdust or straw is laid on top.

Important! Landing work is preferably carried out on a cloudy day or in the evening, when the sun is the least active.

Subsequent seedling care

Subsequent crop care consists of timely watering, nutrient application, weed removal and soil loosening.

Watering

It is most convenient to build a drip irrigation system for irrigation events. This will save time and effort on the work being done, since the garden bed needs to be irrigated regularly as soon as the soil dries, and so that moisture does not get on the leaves and fruits. For watering it is necessary to use warm water.

Top dressing

The first time fertilizers are applied 14 days after planting the plant in a permanent place. Nitrogen fertilizers are introduced. Re strawberries fertilized during the appearance of peduncles. Potassium-phosphorus complexes are used. The third time nutrients are introduced with the onset of ovary formation. The same complex is used as in the second top dressing.

In parallel with mineral fertilizers, organic matter is also introduced. As her suitable chicken droppings, mullein, herbal infusions. After fertilizing, the crop should be watered abundantly, especially if all the manipulations are carried out in dry weather.

Loosening and weed removal

After each irrigation procedure, loosen the soil. You can fluff up a layer of earth no thicker than 8 cm, so as not to injure the root system. In parallel with cultivation, weeds are also harvested.

Diseases and Pests

Elvira is resistant to brown spotting, affecting foliage, strawberry mites, gray fruit rot, verticillin wilt and anthracnose. Slightly weaker immunity in the culture is relatively late blight (red) root rot. Poor immunity against powdery mildew. If the berries are not susceptible to attack by the pest, then they can be damaged by wasps and birds, so care must be taken to protect the beds.

Did you know? There are varieties of white strawberries with red seeds. Their berries taste like pineapple.

Saves from late blight “Gliokladin”, “Trichodermin”, “Trichocin”, and from powdery mildew - “Baktofit”, “Alinin B”. Funds are diluted and used according to the instructions indicated on the package of the drug.

As a prophylaxis for most diseases, it is enough to treat the culture with iodine solution (10 ml / 10 l of water) once every 1.5 weeks, starting in May.

Harvesting and storage

The ripening of berries begins in the last month of spring and continues through the first month of summer. Harvesting is carried out as the fruit ripens. Harvest can be stored long enough in the refrigerator. To do this, it does not need to be washed, but simply folded into a plastic container for vegetables. You can freeze the berries.

The Dutch Elvira variety is quite a decent culture to take a place on your site. It is easy to care for her, she is not very demanding in agricultural technology, and subject to all the rules for care, she is happy with a wonderful harvest. The fruits are universal, so they can be used for any purpose.