Strawberry Vima Tarda

The main advantages of the Vima Tarda strawberry variety - versatility, unpretentiousness, the ability to successfully endure cold snaps, short-term heat, lack of watering while maintaining the excellent taste of its fruits - have determined the popularity of the variety in Russia.

The qualities of large-fruited and late ripening of the Vima Tarda strawberry were obtained by scientists from Holland, who successfully crossed the Vikoda and Vima Zanta varieties. Culture has been in the State Register of the Russian Federation since 2018. The excellent adaptability of the plant to relatively constant soil and weather changes determined its distribution throughout almost the entire Central region of Russia.

Vim Tarde is characterized by voluminous bushes with dense and lush foliage, intensive growth of stems. Forming vigorous plants produce many peduncles. Dense-leaved bushes. Leaves of dark green shades are large, with a characteristic shine, with concave-ribbed plates, not intensely pubescent, with wrinkles. The main part of the leaves is rounded in shape, with a pointed base. Stipules pinkish, widened, short.

The flowers of the culture are bisexual, white, of considerable size. Inflorescences widely spreading to the sides, located below the foliage on strong peduncles. The berries are kept in weight without touching the ground.

The culture bears fruit in a very extended period. The first harvest begins in early July and ends in about a month. If the climate permits, then the culture bears fruit until autumn. On average, this is 6-8 collections of gradually ripening fruits.

The variety perfectly adapts to climate fluctuations and, along with the southern regions (Ukraine, Moldova), it is successfully grown in the Central region of the Russian Federation and in Belarus.

State tests showed the average yield of Vima Tarda strawberries in Russia - 7.4 tons per hectare of plantings, and in Belarus - 7.6 tons. On average, 1 bush gives up to 1 kg of fruit. On an industrial scale, up to 10 tons per hectare are often obtained.

After 3-4 years from the moment of planting, the yield of the variety decreases, an update is required. When growing crops by farmers, plantings are renewed every 2 years.

The fruits of the variety are large, orange or dark red. The largest mass of berries reaches 45 g with a competent agricultural background. The fruit is cone-shaped in shape. Individual berries take on a comb-like shape. The fruits of the initial harvest receive the greatest weight, in the next harvest - up to 35 g. Glossy, with an uneven skin color, the berries look extremely appetizing. Seeds are yellowish, densely embedded in soft flesh. The pulp is juicy and gives off a thick aroma. Tasting score 4.3-4.5 (out of 5). The fruit is sweet to taste, with a slight sourness. The cloud of scent is persistent and strong, reminiscent of the aromas of wild strawberries. Ripe fruits are well covered with leaves, which complicates the collection.

The fruits are traditionally eaten fresh. However, they are also used for freezing, drying, preserves, jams, compotes and juices.

The transportability of the variety is good, which is facilitated by the dense structure of the fruit.

Planting varieties are made:

• in the spring, when the soil warms up to +10 degrees Celsius, the seedlings develop excellently and strengthen the root system;

• in the fall, planting is carried out in the second decade of September, during this period the culture may not adapt very effectively, requires systematic feeding;

• it is important to choose the planting time successfully - the roots of the plants should have time to harden before the onset of frost.

The plant is sun-loving, in shady places its yield decreases. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant strawberries near trees and tall bushes.

Features of the selection of seedlings:

• the roots are selected light brown, without compaction, with 3-4 separate processes, between which smaller ones are located;

• seedlings are selected with 3-6 dense dark green leaves;

• the main bud should be pink.

The landing algorithm is traditional. In terms of care, the variety is unpretentious, but it is necessary to adhere to proper watering and fertilization. Recommendations:

• the plant should be watered every 3 days; when waterlogged, its roots begin to rot;

• weeding is used only by hand;

• before watering, loosening is required.

Moistening and loosening of the soil is carried out exclusively in the evenings, when there is no sun.

The culture negatively accepts significant amounts of fertilizers, therefore, their application is carried out gradually.

When purchasing planting materials, they focus on a number of nuances:

• lack of flaccid leaves;

• the presence of at least three leaves with a bright color and no spots;

• the root collar should be about 6 mm wide;

• the length of the roots of healthy seedlings is more than 7 cm.

Places for planting varieties are selected sunny, not windy, they are freed from debris, dug up, add humus and superphosphate. The soil should be neutral acidic. The development of culture will go well if previously there were plantings of onions, garlic, legumes, oats, parsley and mustard in place. These plants reduce the risk of pests and feed the soil well with beneficial ingredients.

The variety adapts well and develops on light and not very moist soils. High rates are obtained when growing crops on sandy, fertilized soils, with a humus composition of over 3%. It doesn't matter that strawberries grow in poor and alkaline soils.

Vima Tarda negatively responds to the oversaturation of the soil with carbonates.

Farmers often and reasonably carry out additional measures for pollination of the variety. Otherwise, the appearance of "gnarled" berries and an unsatisfactory level of yield are possible precisely because of poor-quality pollination. Pollination of crops with other varieties is possible (even with neighboring strawberries) with the help of pollinating insects.

It is usually sufficient to feed the variety 3 times a season:

• minerals - before the beginning of the appearance of flowers and at the end of the collection;

• during the summer period, once a month by adding bird droppings (solution 1: 20) or mullein (1: 10).

The frequency of application of these solutions depends on the fertility of the soil.

Vima Tarda is a frost-resistant plant, the temperature limit is -22 ℃. In warm areas, culture does not hide. In cold, where snowy winters, the culture overwinters safely, but if there is a shortage of snowfall, it can die. Before the cold snap, the bushes are covered with hay, straw, pine needles, spruce branches. They are used for insulation and agrofibre, having previously installed special arcs.

The high resistance of the variety to diseases gives a real opportunity to obtain an environmentally friendly harvest. Among the preventive measures, they use planting near the culture of marigolds, calendula, garlic, onions and others. Processing with garlic and onion compositions is also carried out.

Aphids are afraid of hozmyl, rubbed and diluted in water (½ piece per 10 liters of water).

The optimal breeding options for the variety have become two ways.

1. By transplanting outlets, when they are separated from the mother bush with roots and a native earthy lump. Fertilizer is placed in the hole, and then the outlet itself. The acclimatization period is 3 days.

2. Mustache. The culture produces few layering, but the method is less traumatic. The shoots are carefully separated, placed in a jar with an aqueous solution of phosphorus fertilizer, and when roots appear, they are transferred into a glass with prepared soil. In a couple of weeks, the young will be ready for planting in the garden. The term for a mature bush to appear is 1.5 months.

Seed reproduction is a laborious and time-consuming process, and is not used for Wim Tarde.