Strawberry Molling Centenary

The range of strawberries on the Russian market has changed over time. The first Soviet varieties were bred in 1924 and dominated until the end of the 20th century, displacing foreign ones. But today the introduction of varieties of European and American selection is being widely developed. One of the best imported varieties is the relatively new Molling Century.

The Malling Centenary (M100) variety was born in 2006 under the number EM 1754. It was tested for several years and launched into commercial use in 2013 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of East Malling Research Station, the oldest research station in the UK. Research Center for Horticulture and Agriculture. This experimental station was created in the English county of Kent at the dawn of the 20th century at the initiative of local gardeners. They have been engaged in the cultivation and selection of strawberries there since 1983 and have already created more than 40 varieties.

Strawberry Molling Century has rapidly conquered the European markets, competing with the popular developments from Holland - Elsante and Sonata, and even surpassed these reference varieties in a number of indicators (a higher percentage of fruits of the highest category and better transportability). British supermarket chains have preferred this particular variety. The geography of sales of the novelty quickly expanded - the Malling The century was enthusiastically received by the gardeners of the USA, South Korea and Russia.

Developing this extraordinary "anniversary" variety for such an important date, its creators took into account international experience and endowed Molling Century with excellent properties. It is a hardy and high-yielding early-maturing variety with medium-sized red juicy fruits. The pulp is firm, with a harmonious sweet taste without acid and a delicate aroma. The plant forms powerful shrubs with dark green foliage and tall, straight peduncles with 5-6 berries each. Ripening berries do not touch the ground and are covered with large leaves, therefore they remain clean, do not rot and do not burn from the sun. When the fruits grow larger, the peduncles fall under their weight.

Molling Century strawberries are characterized by early fruiting: already in early June, the berries, planted in open ground, are ready to be harvested. In the southern regions, the crop can be harvested at the end of May. In terms of ripening, the described variety is comparable to the well-known Alba variety from Italy, and the culture overtakes Elsantu by 4-5 days. The fruits ripen together, turn red evenly and have the same size.

Strawberries Molling Century have been successfully grown throughout Russia, in regions with different climates. It grows well, bears fruit and winters in the rather harsh conditions of the Urals. The cultivation of the variety in northern European countries also gave excellent results. In areas with dry, sultry summers, it is necessary to pay attention to timely, increased watering.

During the tests, British breeders paid special attention to the yield. Molling Century "joined" in the real competition with the unpretentious industrial variety Elsanta and won it, due to the fact that about 93% of the berries at the output met the requirements of first-class products. Elsanta's figure is 86%. About 1 kg of Molling strawberries are usually harvested from the bush.

And also an important positive point for commercial cultivation is the less time and labor costs for picking strawberries from the Malling Century. Plantation workers do not have to sort the berries by size due to their one-dimensionality.

The fruits have excellent keeping quality, retain their presentation for a long time, remaining bright red and glossy. Transportability is also high due to the sufficient density of the berries (7.5 points out of 10): they do not wrinkle or flow during transportation.

The fruits of Molling Century have in the bulk of the average size and weight of about 20-30 g. In the first harvest, the mass of each strawberry is slightly higher - about 35 g. A remarkable feature of the variety is practically calibrated berries: symmetrical, conical, with a smooth shiny skin. The very sweet pulp without voids has a tint of duchess and a strawberry aroma. Even an unripe berry has a high sugar content.

Proper watering is one of the main factors for a good harvest at Molling Century. Only cold, settled water is used, and the process itself must be carried out in the morning or in the evening. After planting, the soil and sockets are watered by sprinkling. With the beginning of flowering, you need to switch to drip irrigation in the root layer. With excessive watering, there is a danger of fungal diseases.

The soil must be regularly loosened gently or mulching material must be applied.

When choosing a landing site for the Century Mall, the following conditions must be met:

• the site must be protected from the wind;

• location of the site from north to south;

• no shadow from buildings and trees should fall on the beds;

• the level of groundwater is important - the territory should not be swampy;

• strawberries feel bad in the lowlands;

• every 2-3 years, the place for the berry must be changed so that the soil "rested".

The optimum soil pH should be in the range of 5.5-7.5. You can increase the acidity with a limestone solution, and lower it with organic additives.

The beds should be cleared of weed roots and dug up a month before planting. Fertilizers will saturate the soil with nutrients: compost, manure, humus and ash. The best choice of soil is loam or sandy loam.

Strawberry flower stalks Molling Century are large, with a lot of pollen and do not need artificial pollination.

Top dressing is desirable for the variety, especially immediately after planting.Nitrogenous (manure, urea) are responsible for the formation of roots and bushes. Potassium assists in the absorption of nutrients and the development of ovaries and fruits. Phosphorus improves endurance.

Today, gardeners have access to numerous complex mineral and organomineral fertilizers created specifically for this berry crop.

Molling Century tolerates wintering well at moderate subzero temperatures, but requires shelter (spruce branches, hay, dry leaves) if the winter is frosty and with little snow.

The root system of the variety is not too strong and branched. The susceptibility of the variety to late blight is noted. Sometimes the plant is unable to resist the Xanthomonas fragariae bacteria that causes leaf spot. Initial tests showed that Molling Century was inferior to Sonata in resistance to powdery mildew. But modern reviews speak of Molling's good resistance to this disease.

From insect pests (weevil, nematodes, ticks), the bushes must be sprayed in a timely manner (before flowering), for example, with preparations: "Iskra", "Heterophos", "Karbofos", 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid. Folk remedies also help: ammonia, potassium permanganate, boric acid, a mixture of ash, soap and vinegar.

The variety is distinguished by good tendency formation. For reproduction, strong formed rosettes are chosen, which take root perfectly.