Strawberry Fenella

More and more amateur gardeners in Russia, owners of land plots of a modest area and advocates of natural agriculture are turning their eyes to varieties of berry crops that can grow and bear fruit well in difficult weather conditions, with increased resistance to infections and not demanding on soils. These requests are answered by the novelty of the British station East Malling Research - the variety Fenella (Fiona), obtained in 2001.

The bush is dense, compact, leafy with juicy, shiny leaves. Plant height reaches 50 cm. Thick, tall peduncles need props during pouring and ripening of the crop. The mustache is strong, with large rosettes. Sepals are large, carved.

Fenella's advantages:

• unpretentiousness and ease of care;

• high productivity, transportability and keeping quality;

• versatility of application;

• winter hardiness;

• strong immunity;

• does not lose marketability during prolonged rains and during storage.

All these qualities make the Fenella variety suitable for both industrial cultivation and for amateur gardeners, there are no problems with finding markets for sale.

Garden strawberry Fenella, medium-late ripening. The harvest time is extended: the third decade of June - early August.

The peak yield is reached in the second year of cultivation. The declared yield of the variety is 1 kg per plant.

Large berries, up to 5 cm and weighing 40 g, conical shape with a blunt nose, beautiful red-orange color, shiny, almost the same size. The color becomes brighter as it matures. Class 1 berries make up the bulk of the crop. The pulp is juicy, light, extremely sweet, without sourness, with a hint of pineapple. The skin is soft, but firm, with depressed achenes. The fruits are easily, without damage, separated from the sepals.

The fruits retain their appearance and taste during prolonged rains and during transportation. Berries are consumed fresh, they are suitable for freezing, making compotes, jams, juices. The specialists of the Dutch company Vissers, one of the directions of which is the cultivation of high-quality strawberries, gave the Fenella variety the highest marks for taste, resistance to diseases and fruit quality, 2 points out of 3 - for yield.

Recommended planting scheme of the variety:

• distance 45-50 cm between plants;

• 60-70 cm between rows.

An important condition is that when planting a seedling, the growth point must remain at ground level. After planting, beds with young plants are watered, covered with mulch. If the weather is hot, the seedlings are protected from the sun for the first 10 days after planting. It is possible to improve the survival rate of seedlings by irrigating strawberry foliage with warm water in the evening, in addition to the main watering.

Adult plants of the Fenella variety do not need high-intensity watering, only in the southern regions with hot, dry summers, watering is carried out at least 1 time in 3 days. For better preservation of fruits, especially with prolonged precipitation, it is recommended to use mulching of the beds.

Fenella, like any other strawberry, loves well-sunlit areas with light, loose soils. The most suitable soil is loam with a pH of 5.2-5.5. Acidic soils can be improved with lime or dolomite flour, the application rate is 400 g / m2. Heavy soils are not suitable for the Fenella variety, but when there is no way out, they are prepared by adding sand or deciduous humus. Closely located groundwater is unacceptable, the depth of their occurrence should not be higher than 80 cm.

Before planting seedlings, the soil is enriched with organic matter, the application rate per 1 m2 of the garden:

• 15 kg of humus;

• glass of wood ash.

Fresh manure should be avoided as it acidifies the soil unnecessarily.

Fenella seedlings are planted in the spring, after the soil warms up enough, or in the fall, a month before the cold weather, so that the plants have time to take root.

The variety is self-pollinated. For better fruit setting, experienced gardeners recommend planting several varieties of strawberries in the same area. Good results are obtained by attracting pollinating insects to the garden by planting honey plants that can also improve the soil: mustard, sainfoin.

The variety is characterized by resistance to verticillium wilt, red rot of the root system, phytophthora, which allows it to be cultivated not only in open ground, but also in bags with a substrate without any soil disinfection. The culture may be damaged by powdery mildew. Subject to agricultural techniques for growing strawberries, the use of insecticides and fungicides can be avoided.

The Fenella variety reproduces with a mustache, dividing the bush and seeds. The easiest and most effective way is to root the outlets. A mother plant is selected, from which peduncles are cut off to obtain more planting material. Root sockets of the 1st and 2nd order, substituting under each seedling container with a nutrient mixture and pinning the mustache to the substrate in the container. After rooting, the rosette mustache is cut off from the mother bush, and the seedling is planted in a permanent place. It is important to constantly moisten the soil in the seedling cup.

The outstanding characteristics of the variety suggest that soon every strawberry lover will have a beautiful, tasty and aromatic Fenella in the garden and on the table.