Strawberry Mara de Bois

Recently, remontant strawberry varieties are gaining more and more popularity due to their advantages over other types. One of the cultivars close to their wild relative is the Mara de Bois strawberry, which means "wild berry".

The variety was bred in France by the breeders of the Andre company at the end of the 80s of the twentieth century. Already in 1991, he was granted the first patent. Mara de Bois appeared when crossing Gento, Red Gauntlet, Corona and Ostara. It was from them that she took her best characteristics.

The strawberry has a short, sprawling bush that grows to a maximum height of 20 cm. Light green, slightly lodging leaves barely cover the fruit. The good development of the plant is evidenced by its yield with a large number of peduncles. With a favorable care of strawberries, you can get good and large berries. The main thing is that unfavorable weather conditions do not affect the quality of the fruit, and this is very important for agronomists.

This remontant variety is known for stable fruiting, which begins in June and lasts until the very frost.

The most suitable regions for growing strawberries are countries with continental climates. It has taken root quite well in central Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The plant grows beautifully on the sunny side of the balcony or loggia, on the street side of the windowsill. Thanks to it, you can beautifully decorate the exterior of the building. This method can be used by residents of the northern regions, since thanks to the suspended beds, the soil warms up much better.

Fruiting usually occurs two to four times per season. It all depends on the care and characteristics of the content. On hot days, the berries become smaller, and at the beginning and end of the growing season they give the largest fruits. Despite the average yield, up to 0.85 kg of delicious berries can be obtained from the bush during the season.

Depending on the region and growing conditions, the variety has a large berry size, and the weight varies from 40 to 60 g. The red fruit of a pronounced conical shape has a sweet nutmeg taste with a bright strawberry-strawberry aroma. Usually they are eaten fresh. The berries are highly marketable, keep refrigerated for a long time, are suitable for long-term transportation, therefore they are often used for sale in the markets.

Mara de Bois is a standard plant in agricultural engineering, but the better you take care of it, the more tasty and juicy fruits you will get. Strawberries do not need any complicated care, but standard activities must be carried out on time and with high quality. The plant loves abundant watering, especially it needs it during the growing season. To do this, it is better to use warm water, which acts more delicately, and to avoid sunburn, you need to water it in the evening. It is very important to understand that if your beds are densely planted, then the plant needs more moisture. A drip irrigation system would be ideal.

Planting must be carried out with an interval of 25 cm between the bushes. A distance of about 40 cm must be maintained between the rows.With this planting scheme, strawberries are easier to care for, the bushes can be loosened, and, if necessary, new seedlings can be rooted.

Strawberries Mara de Bois have been growing in one place for about 3 years. After this period, it is necessary to do anti-aging plantings. They are held in early September or late August, it all depends on weather conditions. And also this can be done in the spring, at the end of April, when the earth has already warmed up a little.

For planting, choose a well-lit area, partial shade and shaded beds. In regions where there is a lot of sun, it is better to choose a place in the shade. The best place would be on a hill, without groundwater and constant soil moisture. This variety loves acidic soil, it must be fertilized with manure or nitrogen-containing mineral mixtures.

Mara de Bois is a bisexual plant, therefore self-pollinates and does not require additional varieties nearby.

As soon as the bushes have taken root and released young leaves, you can start feeding. For this, it is good to use complex fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, since they have a beneficial effect on the growth of the green mass of the plant. In order for the buds to form strong, it is better to spray them with fertilizer mixtures in which nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are evenly distributed. It is important to know that it is potassium that contributes to the good and high-quality development of flower stalks, which means that it has a beneficial effect on the fruiting process.

It is better to use mullein infusion (1 liter per bucket of water) as a natural fertilizer. They fertilize the plant at least 2 times a month. If you have sandy soil, then once a year it must be treated with a light aqueous solution of boric acid. For calcareous soils, it is better to apply a solution of potassium permanganate once a year, thanks to which the required level of soil acidification is achieved, which is very important for growing this variety.

This plant is distinguished by good frost resistance, it can withstand frosts down to -29 degrees, but in regions where the winter has little snow, or there is no snow at all, the bushes can freeze, so it is better to cover them for the winter as a safety net.

Despite the fact that the plant has a fairly high resistance to diseases and pests, especially resistance to powdery mildew, sometimes it is still better to carry out regular preventive measures. The cultivar is susceptible to various types of leaf spot and chlorosis. Root rot can develop due to high humidity. To prevent diseases, they can be treated in early spring with 1% Bordeaux liquid, and to control pests, use a solution of laundry soap with ammonia or a decoction of onion peels. These formulations will not harm the plant, but they can be used for preventive measures without hesitation.

Strawberry bushes give a small amount of whiskers, thanks to which the planting area can be increased several times. Mustache propagation is very simple: for this you need to cut off the process from the main bush and, if it has not yet taken root, transplant it to a further place of growth.

And also reproduction can be carried out by dividing the bush. As young shoots appear, they are transplanted into moist fertile soil, deepening 3-4 cm.

Having carefully studied the reviews of gardeners, we can say that, despite the fact that strawberries have an average degree of yield, and berries require preventive measures against diseases and pests, it covers all these shortcomings with its large, very fragrant and sweet berries with wonderful commercial characteristics. And thanks to a small amount of formation, it does not overgrow, and this is a very big saving in time for care.