Strawberry Fairy

Domestic varieties of strawberries, tested by experience and time, continue to enjoy stable demand among gardeners, despite the annually appearing foreign novelties. One of such reliable "oldies" is the Fairy variety.

The hybrid arose as a result of crossing the Scarlet Sail and Reward varieties in 1970. Bred by E. V. Koltsova - the leading breeder of the Zonal Experimental Station of Horticulture in Kuibyshev. Today, the legal successor of this institution is the Samara Research Institute "Zhigulevskiye Sady". Fairy entered the register of the State Variety Commission in 1988, after undergoing lengthy variety trials since 1980.

A high-yielding non-repairable large-fruited variety Feya of universal purpose bred for Russian climatic conditions. Differs in unpretentiousness in agricultural technology and resistance to frost, diseases and pests. From the 80s of the twentieth century to the present day, it is considered one of the best achievements of Soviet selection.

Fairy has medium terms and a rather long fruiting period: the plant begins to bloom in mid-May, and the berries appear almost at the same time as the Festivalnaya strawberries - in mid-June. A large number of peduncles is formed: 10-15 pieces.

The variety was recommended by the developers for cultivation in the Volgo-Vyatka region, in the west and east of Siberia, but it takes root well and gives a high-quality crop almost everywhere, for example, in the South and Central regions. Over the years since its appearance, the Fairy has spread to the territory of its closest neighbors - the CIS countries.

This strawberry has semi-sprawling, multi-flowered inflorescences; about 50 berries are tied on the bush. The fairy pleases with a rich harvest: more than 500 g per bush, although by the last harvest the berries become smaller. When using intensive agricultural technology, you can get more than 1 kg of berries from a bush. After testing, it was found that the industrial yield of the variety can range from 105 c / ha to 189 c / ha.

The first berries are usually large and may have an irregular comb-like shape, then they flatten and grow round or wide truncated-conical. The berry has no neck. The seeds are very small and numerous. The fruits of the first harvest reach a weight of 40 g. But the main harvest fluctuates at the level of 10-15 g.

The berries of the Fairy have a deep dark red color, with a shiny surface, with a very juicy, but dense, without crunch, bright pulp. Very aromatic, on the palate - sweet with sourness. The tasters rated the fresh fruits on a five-point system at 4.3 points. The berries contain 9.5% dry matter, 6.06% sucrose, 0.98% acids and 55.11 mg vitamin C.

Fairy is not a very easy-to-eat variety, so its transportability is average.

Growing this hardy variety is not at all difficult; even not the most experienced gardeners can cope with this. The fairy adapts to any climate and produces a consistently good harvest. Young bushes take root easily, and for more than 3 years the plantation does not need to be rejuvenated.

The variety is unassuming, but grows best on fertile, light to medium soils with an acidity of pH 5.0-6.5 and in the shade. The best time for disembarkation: late July - early August.

It is advisable to choose a sunny place and dig it up, clearing it of weeds. You can feed the soil with ash, manure. It is worth making high beds, or taking care of good drainage, since the Fairy does not tolerate stagnant moisture well. Between the bushes you need to provide 25 cm, between the rows located from north to south - about 40 cm. The root collar of each seedling should not be lowered too deep. The root zone is necessarily mulched.

The plant is well pollinated on its own, as it produces many white large bisexual flowers.

Fairy is a winter-hardy variety, and there is no need to cover the plants, but in a snowy, very frosty winter, you can use spunbond, apply vegetable mulch.

The fairy resists diseases and pests very well: she is resistant to powdery mildew, brown and white spots, and with gray rot, no more than 1/10 of the seasonal collection is lost. But preventive measures will not be superfluous, so you can treat the plants with Fitosporin and Fitoverm. In early spring, it is recommended to spray the bushes with 1% Bordeaux liquid if the site has undergone an outbreak of fungal diseases.

The variety reproduces by dividing the bush and mustache. Seed germination is low, so this method is not used. Peduncles are plucked from the plants selected for propagation to obtain high-quality seedlings. The bushes are divided in spring or autumn into several parts, which consist of more than 3 leaves and roots. The old processes are removed. Once the strawberries have developed a mustache, they can be used to replace obsolete outlets and to create new beds.