Strawberry Marmalade

Garden strawberries are found in almost every summer cottage. This juicy and bright berry can become a real decoration of both the vegetable garden and the garden. Sweet and sour varieties with large and beautiful fruits are especially popular. Strawberry Marmalade can boast of such characteristics.

Marmalade was obtained thanks to Italian breeders in 1989. Two other good varieties were used to breed it: Holiday and Gorella. The original name of this garden strawberry is Marmolada Onebor. In Russia, it is called Marmolada or Marmalada, which is even more harmonious.

Marmalade is a universal variety. The plant stretches well upward, its bushes are large, spreading, powerful. The foliage is erect, dark green, effectively spread out to the sides. There are quite a lot of peduncles, and they are located above the leaves. Marmalade blooms very profusely, always attracting a lot of insects. It is worth noting that the peduncles are quite strong, so the fruits will not fall on the ground. The variety forms a lot of whiskers, so you need to remember to eliminate them in time.

Marmalade belongs to varieties with an average ripening period. Large and beautiful berries are harvested in mid-June. Strawberries are not repaired, but the overwhelming majority of gardeners claim that they may well give a crop a second time, you just need to apply a few tricks: remove the leaves and intensively fertilize the bushes. Thanks to such simple manipulations, strawberries can bear fruit again, and this will happen at the maximum in early September.

Since this is an Italian strawberry variety, it certainly feels best in Italy. However, the culture will grow successfully in other places with a continental climate. For example, it will easily take root in the areas of gardeners in the middle lane and southern regions of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. Other southwestern and southeastern regions can be excellent cultivation areas too.

The yield of Marmalade is quite high: with proper agricultural technology, from one bush you can collect from 700 to 800 grams of strawberries, and from one hectare - up to 14.3 tons. view. The crop is transportable, so it can be grown on an industrial scale.

Marmalade berries are distinguished by a bright red color and a shiny surface, which attracts many buyers. The shape is regular, conical, the tip is slightly pointed. By weight, they can reach 30 grams, so the fruits are considered large. The pulp is bright red and dense, the seeds are there, but they are not felt when eaten. The aroma of garden strawberries is moderate, and the taste is sweet and sour. Sugar predominates, but if there is an excess of water, the sourness will be felt much stronger. Experts gave Marmalade a tasting rating of 4.2 points out of 5.

Caring for the Marmalade is not particularly difficult, but it must be done. So, with insufficient watering, the fruits become small, lose their taste. But you cannot tolerate excess moisture, otherwise the strawberries will not be able to collect enough sugar.It is not recommended to thicken the planting either. Lacking oxygen, the berries will become small and tasteless, and the risk of developing fungal diseases will increase. After watering, the soil should be loosened, going deep into the ground by 4 centimeters.

It is important not to forget about the renewal of the plantation. Every 3-4 years, garden strawberries need to be transplanted to a new place, otherwise the bushes will degenerate, weakening with each season.

Marmalade is a rather moody variety and needs the right soil. Soils with neutral acidity are suitable - about 6.5-7 pH. The site must be well lit. The location of groundwater too close to the surface is unacceptable. Before planting, you need to prepare the site: remove old roots and leaves, fertilize the ground. Saplings must be treated with antifungal compounds to enhance immunity. When planting bushes, you need to observe a distance of 30x60 centimeters.

Important: in the first year of strawberry growth, it is better to immediately remove the early ovaries. This will give the variety a lot of strength, making the harvest richer.

Marmalade has bisexual flowers and is quite capable of pollinating on its own. Nevertheless, experienced gardeners recommend having at least 2 additional varieties on the site. Their pollen will allow for larger and more unique berries.

Those dressings that were introduced during planting are quite enough for the first year of Marmalade's life. Then the crop is fertilized twice a season. In spring, wood ash is used, which is scattered around the bushes and dug into the ground. After harvest, cow dung or chicken manure is used. The substances will need to be diluted in advance with water in standard proportions (1: 10).

Marmalade can withstand frosts up to 15 degrees. It must be covered for the winter, even if there is snow. Shortly before the shelter, watering is carried out, and the water must penetrate half a meter deep into the soil. Spruce branches, branches, straw, sawdust are used as mulch. From above, the plantation is covered with agrofibre. It should be partially breathable. Film cannot be used.

Marmalade is generally resistant to many diseases, but fungi attack it often. The culture is especially susceptible to brown and white spots. The first is treated with strong fungicides, and treatment with potassium permanganate will give a good result. To combat white spot use the drug "Horus", Bordeaux liquid. Strawberry mite can also parasitize on Marmalade. In the initial stages, it can be removed with onion tincture.

It should be noted that with proper agricultural technology and timely preventive measures, the likelihood of a disease in garden strawberries is reduced to zero.

There are several ways to propagate Marmalade.

• Mustache. For them, it is recommended to create a separate bed where only queen cells will grow. To get a good harvest, take the first 3 outlets. The shoot is rooted in a plastic glass, planted in the garden at the end of summer.

• Division of the bush. Select a strong 4 year old bush and dig it out. The rhizome is cut into pieces, the wounds are treated. The resulting shoots are planted directly in the open ground, and later they are hilled.

Reproduction by seeds is also possible, but the method is complex, time-consuming, and therefore almost never used.