Pineberry Strawberry (Pineapple)

Pineberry is a dessert subspecies of strawberry, also known to gardeners as Pineapple, White Pineapple and White Dream. An unusual combination of flavoring shades allows you to use the berry not only fresh, but also to prepare delicious jams and sauces from it. This hybrid of garden strawberries is not of interest to birds, which favorably distinguishes it from most analogues, and its high winter hardiness allows cultivating strawberries with unusual white berries in a wide range of climatic zones.

Breeder Hans de Jong from Holland is considered to be the author of the Pineberry strawberry. The Dutch originators presented it to the public in 2009, under the name Ananaserdbeeren. To obtain a hybrid, Chilean strawberries and Virginia strawberries were used. The South American mother plants were derived from a critically endangered wild species. Pineberry is considered the first cultivated white-fruited strawberry subspecies.

The Dutch Pineberry hybrid belongs to the category of remontant, during the season you can take 2 crops. Bushes are larger than average, grow up to 20-30 cm in height, leaf rosette is green, pubescent. The seeds are burgundy red.

Pineberia is characterized by medium ripening times. The first berries ripen no earlier than the end of June. Ripening is determined by the acquisition of bright red seeds.

High, does not tolerate transportation, therefore not suitable for industrial cultivation. From 1 m2 of area, about 1 kg of fruit can be harvested. Indoors, these indicators increase. Ripe berries should not be left hanging on the bush - they strongly bend it to the ground, rot or dry out.

Pineberry is famous for its excellent taste, has a pronounced pineapple flavor. In the aroma, it can also be traced along with the sweetness of tropical mango. Small berries, weighing up to 30 g, reach a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm. The skin is white, the flesh is creamy, and may have a light orange color.

The sweetness in the taste is not pronounced. The main emphasis is placed on the unusual shade of pineapple. The pulp is somewhat watery, this property is enhanced with excessive watering.

The hybrid needs regular watering, replanting every 4-6 years. The bushes can be grown in a greenhouse, since they are thermophilic; in cool and damp weather, they are actively affected by various forms of rot. It is recommended to normalize moisture intake during rainy periods. Pineberry's sensitivity to soil acidity is noted. It should not exceed 5.0-6.5 pH values.

Since the bushes are not too large, the permissible distance between individual plants when planting in rows should be from 20 to 25 cm, for row spacings a range of 70-80 cm is recommended. The desired type of soil is light or medium density. In the presence of a closed root system, planting dates vary from mid-spring to early autumn, in other cases, periods in April-May or August are chosen.

For Pineberry, choosing the right landing site is of great importance. She is sensitive to the amount of incoming sunlight, soil temperature. It is optimal if a dry, well-warmed place, slightly shaded, is allocated for the placement of the bushes. With excessive contact with the sun, the berries can turn pink.

It is necessary to prepare the soil for the Pineberry bushes in advance, since the yield directly depends on the fertility of the environment in which they grow. It is recommended to apply 40 g of mineral and 5-6 kg of organic substances per 1 m2 before digging up the site. After that, the soil is allowed to settle.

The flowering dates of this hybrid of garden strawberries are in April-May. The flowers on the shoots are self-fertile, they are formed quite abundantly. Pineberry, when grown, does not require planting in close proximity to other varieties of garden strawberries that provide cross-pollination.

After fertilizing the soil during the preparation of the soil, fertilizing will be needed already during the formation of the ovaries, in June. Strawberry bushes are sprayed with a solution of boric acid - 5 g of powder are diluted into 10 liters of water. During the season, you can feed organics 1-2 times, diluting bird droppings at a concentration of 1: 20 or mullein 1: 10. Also, Pineberry responds well to the introduction of dormant coffee grounds under the root.

Pineberry tolerates frosts down to -25 degrees. It winters best in a shelter. In its absence, it can freeze out, preventing young growth in spring. When cultivating outside the southern regions, it is best to practice planting indoors. If this is not possible, the leaves are left on the strawberries, the whole bush is covered with spruce branches, a thick layer of straw and agrofibre.

One of the main disadvantages of Pineberry is susceptibility to most common diseases of garden strawberries. It is affected by white and gray rot, powdery mildew, and various spots. As a spring preventive measure against pests and pathogens of fungal infections, watering the ridges with a hot solution of 5 ml of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water is shown. After 14 days, you can water the lower leaves with manganese, diluted to a dark cherry hue.

The most common way to get young pineberry seedlings is to detach the whiskers. In this case, several healthy shoots are kept on the bush for rooting. After the formation of the leaf rosette, you can separate the new plants from the main one, transfer them to a new place. Self-cultivation of a hybrid form from seeds practically does not bring results.

According to those who are already successfully growing Pineberry strawberries on their site, this exotic berry deserves the highest marks. Delicious homemade desserts and ice cream are made with it, and the absence of red pigment in the skin reduces the risk of allergic reactions. Pineberry has received excellent reviews for use in baby food, suitable for freezing for the winter. In the reviews, there is a mention that the hybrid is not very capricious in growing, with the right choice of the planting site, it bears fruit all summer without problems.

There are negative opinions, but they are mainly associated with attempts to grow bushes from seeds on their own. Those who succeeded note that the fruits obtained from such plants lose a lot in taste, acquire a different shade of skin and pulp.