Strawberry Festival

Festivalnaya strawberry is always popular among summer residents and greenhouse owners. It has been successfully cultivated for over 60 years without loss of flavor and other characteristics. The variety is considered one of the best in the group with medium and late ripening periods, and is valued for its high frost resistance.

Festivalnaya strawberry was bred in 1954 in the Leningrad region at the Pavlovsk experimental station of VNIIR by the breeder Yu.K. Katinskaya. When crossing, the varieties Abilnaya and Premiera were used. The name was given to the new variety in 1957, timed to coincide with the festival of youth and students. This variety was entered into the State Register in 1965 as a large-fruited garden strawberry.

Bushes reach 20 cm in height. The rosette is densely leafy, slightly spreading. The leaves are green, dull, with a pronounced ribbing surface. The variety forms a mustache of medium intensity and is reddish in color. You can get up to 30 outlets on one plant.

Festivalnaya strawberry does not belong to remontant varieties. The life cycle of a plant is 3-4 years.

Ripening of berries in this variety occurs at the beginning of July. In terms of early maturity, it belongs to the mid-late varieties.

Festival strawberries are successfully grown in different climatic zones. It is cultivated in the north and northwest of Russia, in the Central and Central Black Earth regions, in the Volga region, in the North Caucasus and in Siberia. In the south, the variety ripens in June. In the northern regions, the harvest should not be expected until July.

Very high, 1-1.5 kg / m2, the variety has good transportability. From 40 to 50 ovaries are formed on the bush. Fruiting lasts until autumn. On an industrial scale, you can get a harvest of up to 180 centners of berries per hectare.

Festivalnaya strawberry bears fruit in large, weighing up to 50 g, shiny red berries. They are characterized by a regular shape, close to ovoid. Berries are used for processing, canning (juices, preserves, jams), eaten fresh, they are frozen. Strawberries have a pleasant characteristic taste, juicy pink flesh. The sugar content in fruits reaches 7%.

Festivalnaya strawberry belongs to a weakly drought-resistant subspecies, it needs abundant watering during periods with a lack of atmospheric moisture. In northern regions with short daylight hours, cultivation in greenhouses and greenhouses is recommended. Bushes need protection from the wind, do not grow well on soils with a high groundwater table.

Suitable soil is fertilized, loose and light. When planting, the recommended distance of at least 30 cm is maintained. Bushes can successfully develop both in the sun and in partial shade. When choosing a landing site, it is better to give preference to loamy, sandy loam areas with low acidity.

You can use the beds on which legumes, root crops, dill and parsley were previously grown. It is not recommended to plant strawberries of this variety after tomatoes, potatoes, raspberry bushes or next to these species. The break between cultivation of the Festival in one place should be at least 6-7 years.

Before planting, the site is prepared, carefully weeded from weeds, shovels are dug onto a bayonet with a careful selection of roots. After that, the soil is fertilized with 5-6 kg of peat or manure per 1 m2 with the addition of superphosphate (50 g / m2), potassium (20 g / m2). Before planting, it remains to punch through the bed with a rake. You can transfer seedlings to a permanent place at any time during the entire warm season, but for the Festival, the first decade of April or September is considered the best period.

Blooming Festival strawberry begins in June. Up to 15 strong, dense peduncles are formed on the bush. When grown in open ground, greenhouses, greenhouses, the variety does not need additional pollination. On the shoots, male and female flowers with snow-white petals are formed at the same time.

Festivalnaya strawberry belongs to the highly winter-hardy varieties, withstands a drop in atmospheric temperatures down to -30 degrees. The bushes do not need a special shelter in most climatic zones. It is enough to carefully spud the bushes with the surrounding soil. In severe frosts, it is recommended to additionally build a shelter from metal arcs and agrofibre.

The variety has medium resistance to gray mold and powdery mildew. It is affected by strawberry mites, verticilliasis. Not resistant to nematodes.

Young plants of Festivalnaya strawberry are often affected by root rot, covered with black spots. The most common cause of the disease is the planting of bushes after nightshades. Infected plants will have to be destroyed. Black rot is detected already during fruiting, the affected berries should not be eaten or left in the beds.

Among pests, the greatest danger for Festivalnaya is the strawberry leaf beetle and weevil. They actively destroy the green mass of the plant. Necessary preventive insecticidal treatment, spraying with iodine. May beetle larvae eating the root system of strawberry plantings can also pose a danger.

Festival garden strawberry is characterized by a high intensity of whisker formation. It is they who provide the sockets for subsequent planting. To avoid depletion of the bushes, excess shoots must be cut off, leaving them only in the required amount. Growing from seeds is possible.

According to the majority of summer residents, Festivalnaya is one of the best varieties of garden strawberries with large fruits and long fruiting. It is noted that the plants demonstrate a high survival rate, intensive growth of green mass. The taste of the berry, its usefulness, good preservation during harvesting, fresh storage are especially noted.

Negative reviews are mainly associated with the plant's instability to a number of fungal diseases. If the plantation is defeated, all plantings have to be destroyed. In addition, with the carpet growing method, a strong crushing of the berries is noted.