Strawberry Portola

When choosing a strawberry variety for their site, more and more gardeners are focusing on new, not yet too well-known varieties. Portola, launched in the USA in 2009, can be considered one of them. This variety has already won the love of Russian gardeners.

Strawberries are remontant, so they will bear fruit repeatedly. The bushes are tall, but they do not differ in spreading, so they look quite compact. The leaves have a dark green color, the surface is glossy, shiny. Peduncles can be found above the leaf blades. There is a mustache, but in an average amount.

Portola berries ripen fully by June. The harvest can be removed several times, since the berry actively bears fruit until October. Experts recommend growing Portola in a continental climate. The best yield is observed in early autumn.

Portola is considered a high-yielding variety. With proper care and good conditions, 1–2 kg of berries can be obtained from one bush. But if the crop does not receive enough nutrients, then the amount of the crop can sharply decrease. This is considered one of the main disadvantages of the variety.

Portola bears fruit with bright red, wide-cone-shaped berries. The fruits are rather large: their weight is 35–45 g. The surface is distinguished by a beautiful glossy sheen.

Experts rated the taste as harmonious, but sourness is clearly audible in it. The first Portola berries are quite sweet, but in subsequent harvests the fruits become less sugar-free. The aroma is pronounced, the flesh is firm, but not tough. There are no voids inside.

Plucked fruits have a long shelf life and can be transported over long distances. This is why Portola is often grown commercially. The berry has a universal purpose, which means that it can be eaten fresh, cooked compotes and preserves from it, and frozen.

Portola is considered a rather capricious variety, so it cannot be recommended to beginners. Plant care must be intense and correct.

Particular attention is required to be paid to watering. In drought, it is carried out every 3 days, in rains it is completely stopped. The day after watering, the soil is loosened, removing weeds. Experienced gardeners note that drip irrigation is the best option for this variety.

Mulching is worth mentioning separately. Swelling, the berries fall on the ground, and the process of decay can begin. In order not to lose the harvest, it is recommended to use a covering material. It can be black agrofibre. In addition to protecting it, it also inhibits the growth of weeds.

Portola can be grown in different places: in a greenhouse, in an open field, on a balcony. The plant is planted in early spring or early autumn. The site should be well lit throughout the day. The soil is preferable loamy or sandy loam. The permissible acidity level is 5.2–5.5 pH. If the acidity is higher, you can correct the situation with dolomite flour or wood ash.

It is possible to plant Portola by the bush method (30X30 cm), but recently gardeners are inclined to planting using the 2 tape method. The technique is simple: strawberries are planted in 2 rows, the distance between rows is 40-50 cm, and between strawberry bushes in a row is 25-30 cm.

When planting, it is important to ensure that the root collar does not go deep into the ground. Young seedlings in the first weeks are sheltered from sunlight and watered more than usual.

Portola is a self-fertile strawberry variety, therefore it is able to pollinate on its own. However, if you want to grow larger berries or experiment, you can use other varieties as pollinators.

Portola's strawberries need regular feeding. There is a standard scheme for the variety.

• They feed the first time as soon as the snow melts. Use nitrogen, such as mullein. A liter of liquid substance is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 10. A liter of solution is poured under the bush. If you take a chicken, dilute with water 1: 20.
• At the beginning of flowering, you will need potassium nitrate. Stir a teaspoon in a 10 liter bucket. 1 plant will take 0.5 liters.
• When Portola begins to bloom, you can apply complex strawberry mixes. Also, a good result will give an infusion of nettle, previously settled for 3 days.
• In the fall, use mineral formulations intended for strawberries.

In addition, when planting, wood ash is introduced into the ground. You need 1 glass per square meter.

The culture has high winter hardiness. If in winter the temperature does not drop below -15 °, and there is fresh snow, there is no need to cover the plants. But if there are frosts, and there is little or no snow at all, it is better to close the beds with straw, non-woven materials or spruce branches.

In general, Portola is quite resistant to diseases and pests.It is practically not subject to wilting, powdery mildew. To keep the plant healthy, just a few preventive measures are enough.

• It is recommended to grow Portola on non-woven fabric. Thanks to this, the berries will not fall on the ground.
• Before flowering, they are treated with Bordeaux liquid. An iodine solution will also give a good result.
• We must not forget that there must be sufficient distance between the bushes.
• Finally, you can protect the beds with marigolds or garlic growing nearby.

Portola can be propagated by a mustache or by dividing a bush. The second method is much more in demand. To implement it, you need to take the strongest and tallest bushes. The material is planted in plastic cups filled with soil. Such sprouts take root quickly and grow well. When breeding with a mustache, the sockets should be of the first or second order.