Strawberry Alba

There are a huge number of the most diverse varieties of strawberries that have been bred by breeders from all over the world.

Some varieties are excellent presentation, but not too sweet. Others are great in taste, but poorly transported, others are sweet and lingering, but have a weak immunity to diseases and pests. What are the benefits of strawberry Alba? You will learn about this in this article.

Strawberry Alba: full characteristic of the variety

strawberry alba

Some strawberry varieties are best for growing in a small summer cottage, while others are good for industrial purposes. Breeding has reached the point where many of these positives come together in one strawberry variety.

Breeders from the north of Italy (New Fruits company), working since 1996, decided to create strawberry varieties that are intended for commercialization.

Their ideal varieties had to meet many requirements: have a high degree of yield, have a strong immunity, have good transportability and keeping quality, have an excellent aroma and taste, and also have a beautiful appearance.

And they did it. New Fruits is a company that consists of two high quality nurseries.

They became famous thanks to such strawberry varieties as Syria, Roxana, Asia. These varieties have conquered many countries. It is worth noting that almost all strawberry varieties, including the ones listed above, like to grow in warm climatic regions.

However, the Alba variety grows well in a continental climate. In order for Alba strawberries to grow well, there must be a sufficient amount of cold temperatures during the winter.

When growing Alba strawberries, be sure to pay great attention to the thickness of the snow layer in winter. If it is not thick enough, then there is a risk that the strawberry bushes will simply freeze.

There should be at least thirty centimeters of snow. If this amount is not there, then add snow to your strawberry plantings from other places.

The Alba strawberry variety is a fairly versatile variety. It can grow in different conditions: both in the open field and in greenhouse or greenhouse conditions.

Film tunnels are also suitable for Alba strawberries, in which you will receive berries a couple of weeks earlier. Under such conditions, the fruits are usually larger, and the overall yield becomes higher.

Strawberry variety Alba, in terms of ripening time, belongs to the early varieties. As a rule, Alba dies a few days earlier than the American Honey, which is also an early commercial variety.

Flowering of the Alba strawberry variety occurs in such a way that the risk of catching cold spring temperatures is minimized. The Alba variety ripens fairly evenly. The berries appear in a fairly short period of time.

The fruits of Alba are quite large; as a rule, one berry weighs about thirty grams. Berries in their size are usually standard throughout the entire harvest period, they do not become smaller. When harvesting, the use of equipment is allowed.

The fruits have a sweet pleasant taste with a slightly sour component in the aftertaste. The Alba variety is quite fruitful. In the Italian climate, one plant usually produces about 1.2 kilograms of fruit.

In the climatic conditions of our country, the number of berries is usually less. About eight hundred grams per bush. The Alba variety has a fairly strong immunity to major diseases and harmful insects. It tolerates low temperatures well.

The Alba strawberry variety has a rather nice appearance, the bushes are quite large, about thirty centimeters in height. Peduncles, as well as leaves, are also large in size. Due to the fact that the berries are quite heavy, the peduncles are sometimes laid on the ground.

This can lead to the fact that the fruit can get sick or just go bad. Therefore, it will be better if you mulch the soil in the beds. You can use fruit coasters.

The berries of the Alba strawberry variety also have a beautiful appearance, they are a bit like a spindle in shape, have a beautiful rich color, the surface is slightly shiny. The size is almost the same, even.

As for the taste, many gardeners and farmers find it too sour. But this is a very controversial issue, since the result is very much dependent on external factors. From the composition of the soil, weather conditions, compliance with agricultural technology and others.

With good growing conditions and taste, a high level can be achieved. In order to achieve the maximum result in terms of the taste of berries, it is recommended to use dressings based not only on macronutrients, but also with microelements.

Alba strawberry variety - planting and growing rules

strawberry alba

The Alba strawberry cultivar prefers open areas where sufficient light and warmth can penetrate.

What's important is what grew in the area before your strawberry. Solanaceous plants should not appear among the predecessors. Do not plant it where peppers, eggplant, potatoes, and tomatoes used to grow.

The bad predecessor is raspberries. All these plants have one disease in common - late blight.

Corn and sunflower are also not good precursors for strawberries. During the period of their growth, they take maximum nutrition from the soil, depriving it of fertility.

Do not plant your garden strawberries after legumes. They are dangerous with a disease such as strawberry nematode. Interestingly, legumes are not susceptible to this disease, but are carriers of it.

Avoid planting strawberries in areas where cucumber and cabbage were previously grown. They have common enemies: verticillium wilting and stem nematode.

Good precursors for strawberries are carrots, onions, beets, garlic and dill.

Let's say a little about what kind of soil Alba strawberry prefers. It should be fertile enough, allow air to pass through well, while retaining water. As for the level of acidity of the soil, the best option is a slightly acidic reaction.

An important condition for a plentiful and tasty harvest is the preparation of the site for planting strawberries in advance. The fact is that strawberries have been growing in one place for at least three years. And in order for her to feel in the best possible way on the site, you need to try.

Sandy loam soils and loams are best suited for garden strawberries. They must contain a sufficient amount of nutrients. You need to start preparing the soil in advance, optimally - a couple of weeks before planting.

First you need to dig up the area, remove the rhizomes of the weed. This is very important for future plants. Better, of course, if you attend to the preparation of the soil in the fall or spring, depending on what time you have chosen for planting.

To avoid the appearance of weeds in your garden beds in the summer, you can sow siderat plants before planting strawberries.

During the digging of the site, be sure to apply fertilizer. The following composition is suitable for this: humus (one bucket), fertilizers in the complex (fifty grams), superphosphate (thirty grams).

In principle, complex fertilizers are sometimes replaced with wood ash (half a glass). This amount of fertilizer is enough for one square meter.

Avoid applying fresh manure to the soil as it may contain unnecessary bacteria and weed seeds.

Provided that you prepare the site for planting in advance, you can use manure, but it must be semi-rotten. In this case, be sure to additionally water the earth with such preparations as Radiance or Baikal.

They contain the necessary amount of the necessary microorganisms that are able to turn organic matter into substances that are easy for plants to assimilate, while making your land healthy.

Choose a flat area for planting the Alba strawberry variety. Low or high ground will not work, as the plants should not suffer from excess or lack of moisture.

If the groundwater in your garden is too high and the soil is too wet, then it is better to place the strawberries on high beds. This is necessary so that the root system of the plant does not rot, and the fruits do not undergo any diseases.

Let's talk a little about what rules you need to follow when planting your strawberries. As a rule, this culture is planted in two lines. The distance between rows is usually thirty to forty centimeters.

A space should also be left between the plants, about twenty to twenty-five centimeters. This distance is quite enough for the Alba variety, there are more spreading varieties, as a rule, more space is allocated for them.

How to plant strawberries? Let's consider everything in stages:

1) First you need to dig the landing holes. The depth should be about twenty to twenty-five centimeters.

2) Add nutrient mixture to each planting hole. It should look like this: humus (one handful) + wood ash (tablespoon) + fertilizers based on minerals and trace elements (one pinch).

3) Pour over half the norm of water (half a liter). The rest will need to be refilled after you plant the plant, and then compact the soil.

4) Choose young bushes for planting. Best of all, if they are obtained from tendrils no more than 1 year old.

5) Before planting, soak your strawberry bushes in the shade for about six hours, while placing the root system in a special solution, which consists of the following ingredients: humate (half a teaspoon) + heteroauxin (one tablet) + root (one sachet) + phytosporin ( two-thirds of a tablespoon). Dissolve all this in two liters of water.

6) Keep a close eye on the roots of your strawberries when planting. They should not roll up. Arrange them vertically.

7) Do not cover the growth bud with earth, which is located in the center. Place it at ground level. At the same time, completely fill the rhizomes with soil.

The choice of the date for planting strawberries is an important factor affecting the yield of your strawberries. Spring planting is carried out, as a rule, in late April - early May. It depends pretty much on the weather conditions.

In summer, landing starts in mid-July and ends a couple of weeks before the first low temperatures. During this time, your plants should have time to root before frost.

Too delay planting strawberries in the summer is not worth it. The best option if you finish it before the twentieth of July.

Do not forget that the Alba strawberry variety requires additional feeding. They are carried out three times per season. The first time fertilization is applied in the first days of March, the second time during the formation of buds, and the third after the completion of your harvest.

Always make sure that there are no weeds in your beds. Water your plants as needed, but avoid waterlogging the soil.

The Alba strawberry variety is a godsend for those summer residents and farmers who live in not the warmest climatic conditions. This is a good variety that is suitable for industrial purposes, has a good presentation and, with proper agricultural technology, has a high quality of fruit.

The Alba strawberry variety has a good yield, as well as strong immunity against various diseases.

Strawberry Alba photo