Strawberry variety Elephant - description, planting, care, reviews

Description of the variety

Strawberry Baby Elephant is the result of breeding work by scientists at the Siberian Research Institute. It is not surprising that the strength of the variety is its amazing frost resistance. According to the State Register, the Baby Elephant is intended for cultivation in Western and Eastern Siberia. The harvest is formed in the middle stages of ripening.

Bushes

The Elephant's bushes match the name - large, spreading, with a rich leaf apparatus. The plant produces a sufficient number of powerful pale pink tendrils for reproduction. The leaves are concave, somewhat wrinkled, and have a green color with a bluish bloom. The beautiful edging is formed from rounded teeth. Multi-primed thick peduncles are located at the same level with the leaves. During the fruiting period, they lie on the ground under the weight of the harvest. The flowers are bisexual, white or cream in color.

Berries

The shiny, bright red berries are large, ovoid, neckless, often double. Yellow achenes are deeply pressed into the skin. By the end of the season, the fruits become very small. The former can be 30 g or more, the latter can be 8-9 g.

The pulp is red, moderate density, fleshy. There are no voids even in the largest specimens. This strawberry has more pronounced sourness than sweetness, so Slonenok is a variety that is “not for everyone.” But the aroma of the variety is bright, strawberry.

The pulp contains:

vitamin C - 875.2 mg%;
sugar - 7.2%;
acids - 0.8%.

If the summer turns out to be warm, sunny, and you don’t overdo it with watering, the Baby Elephant can be sweet

Productivity

According to the results of state tests, 71.3−87.3 quintals were obtained per hectare. strawberries Baby Elephant. The variety is responsive to intensive agricultural technology, so there are results of more than 100 c/ha. At dachas and in personal gardens, the Elephant Child produces more than 500 g per bush. The fruits can be transported over short distances, but the harvest does not last long - up to 3 days in a cool place.

Garden strawberries Slonenok are universal in use, suitable for preserves, jams, compotes, long-term freezing

Pros and cons of the Elephant variety

Bred by breeders from the Siberian Research Institute, the relatively young strawberry variety Elephant has many positive qualities:

unpretentiousness of the plant in care;
high yield rates;
large-fruited harvest;
pleasant sour-sweet taste of fruits with a delicate strawberry aroma;
fairly high level of frost resistance.

But like any type of plant, this strawberry also has a number of disadvantages:

due to high humidity, rot often appears on this type of plant;
high yield and berry size directly depend on fertilizing and the frequency of watering;
the pulp is too dense, practically without juice.

Although the positive quality of the Elephant variety is its unpretentiousness in care, improper cultivation, watering and fertilizing can have a detrimental effect on the future harvest.

a brief description of

Advantages of the variety

The variety is of little use for commercial cultivation. But on personal plots, the Elephant Calf shows good productivity and is valued for the following advantages:

drought and heat resistance;
resistance to sudden temperature changes;
one of the record holders for frost resistance;
not afraid of spring frosts;
intense strawberry aroma;
good yield with intensive agricultural technology.

Disadvantages of the variety

susceptibility to rot when waterlogged;
sour berries in the rainy season;
dependence of the quality and quantity of fruits on fertilizers and irrigation;
dense pulp.

However, these disadvantages do not frighten gardeners, who fell in love with the Baby Elephant for its unsurpassed aroma. Even farmers in cold regions often choose this variety.

Advantages and disadvantages of berry crops

Advantages of the Elephant variety:

large, glossy berries;
pronounced aroma;
sweet, rich taste;
resistance to temperature changes;
the possibility of growing in areas where cold, dry weather prevails;
high yield.

Among the disadvantages are:

high probability of bushes being damaged by rot;
frequent watering and fertilizing the soil;
dense pulp, without juiciness.

Landing

Planting of purchased strawberry seedlings is carried out in spring and autumn. In regions where winters are not harsh and snowy, it is better to plant bushes in late September - early October. Strawberries will have time to take root before frost, develop well next summer and produce a wonderful harvest a year later. If there is no confidence that there will be no early frosts, planting is postponed until spring. It is best to plant your own seedlings in the summer - at the end of July. Summer planting will allow the seedlings to develop already in the current season, overwinter with fewer attacks and bear fruit the next year.

The site is chosen to be sunny. Lowlands are excluded; the Baby Elephant will not like excess moisture. The groundwater level should be located no closer than 70 cm to the surface of the earth. A month before planting, the site is dug up, manure is added (1 bucket per m2), ammonium nitrate (according to the instructions on the package), wood ash is scattered (1 cup per m2). The increased level of acidity is reduced by adding quicklime or dolomite flour so that the pH level is no more than six. Before planting, strawberry roots are soaked for a couple of hours in a growth stimulator.

Holes for the Baby Elephant are made at a distance of 30-35 cm in a row, 50-60 cm between rows. They are spilled with water, seedlings are planted and the soil is compacted around the roots. The root collar is not buried! The heart should be located at ground level.

The plantings cannot be thickened, as the Elephant’s bushes are voluminous and love space for development. Sparse planting will avoid infection with gray rot

How to care

Strawberries of the Elephant variety love moisture, so watering should be regular and plentiful. You need to moisten the soil 5-6 times a month. It is best to use a drip irrigation system. About 12 liters of water will be needed per 1 m2. It is best to use warm liquid. How Clery strawberries are watered and how this variety is fertilized is described in detail in this article.

Mulching

To avoid constant watering, it is worth mulching or loosening the soil. In addition, it is an excellent prevention against weed formation. For mulching, you should use straw or sawdust. Mulch should be removed late in the fall and burned immediately. The fact is that this material can cause the development of various diseases.

Growing and care

It is advisable to follow standard agricultural techniques so that the taste and quality of the fruits do not suffer.

Watering

Garden strawberries Elephant's Baby will withstand even a long drought, but the fruits will be small and tasteless. To correctly calculate the amount and frequency of watering, you need to consider the following factors:

excess moisture leads to rotting of the plant;
Chronic lack of moisture reduces yield, berries become dry and small.

The solution is dosed watering with a drip system. The water should not be very cold. The time for watering is preferably in the evening. The frequency of watering in dry, hot weather is 2 times a week.

Loosening, weed control

A mulch layer when growing strawberries Elephant's Baby solves many problems associated with the agricultural technology of this crop. It reduces the frequency of watering, prevents moisture from quickly evaporating, preventing fruits from coming into contact with the ground and rotting, and inhibits the growth of weeds. In addition, there is no need to loosen the soil.

If the gardener is against mulch, then it is necessary to break up the soil crust after each watering. Loosening must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots, which are located at a depth of 5-7 cm.

Removing a mustache

The Baby Elephant has quite a lot of whiskers, so the strawberry beds will quickly become overgrown if you don’t pay attention to them. This will lead to shredding and even complete disappearance of the fruit. Whiskers must be removed regularly using a knife, pruning shears, or scissors. If you pull out the bushes, you can damage the mother bush.

Top dressing

The baby elephant responds well to feeding, which is done at least 3-5 times per season, starting in early spring. If you ignore them, the berries will not reach their size and the taste will deteriorate. You can use organic matter and ready-made universal mixtures from the store.

In spring and summer, manure, compost, bird droppings, and mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other microelements are suitable. Strawberries can be fed not only by applying fertilizers to the soil, but also by adding fertilizers to the leaves.

Standard scheme:

in the spring, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. For example, infusion of mullein (1:10), bird droppings (1:20), urea;
during flowering and at the beginning of fruiting, complex fertilizers with a high potassium content, which has a good effect on the taste of the fruit. The form is either along the leaf or at the root. You can use the drug Plantafol, AVA or any mineral complex with trace elements. Strawberries will respond well to fertilizing with wood ash in liquid or dry form (about 1 cup per m2);
in early autumn you can add rotted manure (1 bucket per m2) and ash (1 cup per m2);
It is useful to use herbal infusions several times a season. Most often, nettle is infused, but any other options will do.

In late autumn, nitrogen fertilizing is excluded, otherwise the plant will begin to grow and winter hardiness will decrease.

Pest and disease control

Early spring treatment with 1% Bordeaux mixture will help prevent strawberries from becoming infected with rot and fungal diseases. Chemical insect control agents are used before flowering or after the fruits have been harvested. Folk remedies successfully replace poisons: tobacco, mustard, onion peel decoction or biological products. Of the most famous and accessible: phytosporin and fitoverm.

Preparing for winter

In the fall, straw mulch used over the summer is removed and burned to prevent overwintering of pest larvae and the development of mold. Cover the beds with coniferous spruce branches. It promotes snow retention, while protecting the roots from freezing, but does not interfere with air exchange during the thaw period. The phytoncides released by the needles prevent diseases from developing and repel pests.

A good covering material is agrofibre. It is pulled at a low height above the strawberry beds using low arcs.

Baby Elephant is a winter-hardy variety, so shelter is required only in cold, snowless regions

Harvesting and storage

Strawberries of the Elephant variety are a perishable berry crop. The fruits spoil quickly and produce juice after picking. Rules for preserving the presentation of strawberries of the Elephant variety:

It is recommended to begin harvesting strawberries the day before the berries are fully ripe.
You cannot water the bushes before harvesting the fruits - the fruits will soften and instantly release juice.
There is no need to peel the berries for storage; you can remove the sepals from them; you can leave the stalks.
The best time to harvest is early morning or late evening.
Avoid direct sunlight on already picked berries.

Important! When picking strawberries, it is necessary to sort the berries: rotten or spoiled specimens should not fall into the general basket.

It is better to store the harvested crop in wooden boxes or wicker baskets with gaps: the berries must be ventilated. The top of the strawberries is covered with gauze or other soft cloth. It is not recommended to sort and peel strawberries before transporting or storing them. It is better to do this before directly eating the berries.

Baby Elephant is an excellent variety of domestically selected strawberries. It can easily survive the vagaries of the Russian changeable climate and please a novice gardener with a decent harvest. The main thing is to water correctly and maintain the moisture balance in the strawberry beds.

Reproduction

Strawberry Baby Elephant reproduces in several ways:

Dividing the bush. The beds are watered, the plants are dug up and divided into 2-4 parts with a sharp knife. Each should retain a leaf apparatus and a good root lobe. Too old bushes with woody roots are not suitable for this purpose.
Usami. The surest way. Peduncles on mother bushes are cut off in the spring, and plastic containers are placed under the rosettes. Seedlings are cut off after they have taken root well.
Seeds. Sowing is done under glass cover in containers in mid-February. The seeds are not buried. The soil is constantly moistened. After germination, the glass is removed. When 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings are transferred to greenhouses or hothouses. Planted in open ground when warm weather sets in.

For propagation, only high-quality material is used. There should be no mold on the mother bushes. Seeds must be pickled in a manganese solution.

Reviews

I decided to get rid of the variety. In our region, summer is often rainy and cold. In such weather, the baby elephant is quickly affected by gray rot, and the berry becomes watery and sour. What we have no complaints about is the size of the fruit - the berries are very large.

The variety shows good productivity when grown in regions with a cold, capricious climate. Does not require additional pollination, winters well. Care is not difficult - do not over-water it, feed it more often. Caring gardeners will be pleased with the Baby Elephant with a good harvest of fragrant berries.