Strawberry variety Black Swan: photos, description and reviews

Description of the variety

The description of the Black Swan variety should begin with the characteristics of the berry bush, which differ:

• leaves are slightly corrugated, glossy, medium in size;
• the shoots are strong, tall and have a fairly large number of ovaries;
• Strawberries during fruit ripening sometimes literally bend due to their weight, such is the volume of the harvest;
• A feature of the Black Swan variety is the small number of whiskers. The older the variety, the less mustache it forms in the future.

From the characteristics of the berries of the Black Swan variety, it is worth highlighting their bright, rich color. Perhaps it was thanks to him that strawberries received such a name.

• Black Swan fruits are so rich that from a distance it may seem like they are really black. Inside, the situation with the pulp is the same;
• The berries of the variety are large, often weighing up to 50 grams and have a glossy surface and a slightly truncated cone;
• the fruit pulp is rich and dense, which allows the variety to withstand any type of transportation at a reasonable level;
• The aroma of the berries gives off a little strawberry flavor, so it is easily remembered by ordinary people.

Preparing seeds for sowing

The sowing time for black strawberry seeds for growing in greenhouses and open ground is at the end of February - beginning of March. Sowing can be done a month earlier, but in this case additional lighting will be needed, otherwise there will be no seedlings. For seed germination and further development of seedlings, a daylight period of at least 12 hours is required.

You must first prepare the seeds properly. This process is called stratification. The sequence of actions looks like this:

1. a piece of cotton cloth is placed at the bottom of the plastic container;
2. then they spread the seeds without allowing them to touch;
3. spray the planting material from a sprayer;
4. the top is covered with the same natural material;
5. close the container with a lid with holes made in it;
6. keep warm for two days for swelling;
7. then put in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, which is, in essence, a stratification process.

The contents of the container are checked periodically and sprayed if necessary. You need to moisten the seeds in moderation, making sure that they do not dry out or rot.

Fruiting time

Strawberry Black Swan is considered a medium-ripening variety with a fairly long fruiting period. The first ripening of the fruits occurs in June, and they bear fruit throughout the summer. The maximum yield that could be collected from the berry is 1.2 kg. Another unique difference between strawberries is the fruiting period. If for an ordinary berry it is 5-6 years, then the Black Swan can bear fruit with quality care for up to 7 years.

Important! This type of strawberry produces mustaches only after two years. Then the number of whiskers decreases, so it is necessary to choose the right soil for the berry.

Harvest and storage

It is important to harvest on time - the berries should not become too soft or lose their shape. If they are going to be transported, it is better to harvest the crop a little unripe. The berries need to be cut together with the calyx and stalk, so they will be stored longer. It is better to use scissors, because when torn off, the fruits may become wrinkled. The harvested crop is stored in wooden boxes in two or three layers - this is no longer recommended, so that the lower berries do not get crushed.

You need to sort and sort the berries during the picking process, because spilling the harvested crop is unacceptable - the berries wrinkle very easily. It is better to collect in the morning, when the dew has subsided. This way the strawberries will still be dense and dry. The harvested crop must be cooled to 0°C without delay. At this temperature, it can last in the refrigerator for up to three, maximum four days. Strawberries do not ripen in storage and do not improve over time, so they must be consumed or sold as soon as possible.

Important! At +20°C, the freshness of harvested strawberries will remain for only a day.

Also, do not leave the berries wet. With these tips, you can grow and enjoy a variety like Black Swan yourself. It can be successfully sold; tasty and beautiful berries are in demand on the market. It is unpretentious, so any gardener, following the rules of agricultural technology, can cope with planting this variety.

Tips for choosing a place to plant strawberries

The most suitable time for planting berries is late autumn, but not later. If the climate is suitable, planting in early spring is acceptable.

The fruiting of a plant directly depends on the correct choice of soil. Ideally, loose soil with good air permeability is required. You can choose loose loam, chernozem or forest-type gray soil. If there is a priori chernozem soil on the site, it should be diluted with river sand.

Important! In heavy soils, Black Swan strawberries will not germinate due to excessively rapid rotting of the root system.

Ideally, the growing area should be well lit and protected from cold winds. If at least minimal protection is not installed, the strawberries will freeze even with a light north wind. This happens with strawberries due to the fact that in winter there are sometimes such strong winds that they tear off not only the snow cover from the roots, but also the mulch. With proper protection, the variety can withstand even the harshest winters.

Pros and cons of the variety

Before purchasing a crop for planting, you need to familiarize yourself with its advantages and disadvantages.

Due to the low appearance of whiskers, Black Swan strawberries are difficult to propagate at home.

This variety has both positive and negative qualities (presented in the table).

As a result of comparing the pros and cons, we can conclude that the Black Swan strawberry variety is very promising for cultivation in regions of Russia with a temperate climate.

Important! When planting a crop on a plot, it is necessary to take into account that the first harvest will not appear until July. Therefore, it is advisable to also plant early varieties in order to collect fresh berries all season long.

When grown for commercial purposes, the variety may not be very profitable, since only very early berries have a high price. During high season the cost will be average.

Preparing seedlings and beds

As mentioned earlier, if the Black Swan variety is planted and prepared for planting correctly, the harvest will be rich and tasty. In order to properly organize the strawberry harvest, you need to carry out the following work:

1. In a few weeks, it is necessary to dig up a ridge up to 30 cm. At the same time, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with humus or manure. Using manure, you can loosen the soil for planting the Black Swan variety and saturate the soil with nutrients, which will improve its fertility.
2. To make weed control more effective, you can fertilize the bed before planting using a herbicide suitable for the variety.
3. Before planting Black Swan, it is important to check the acidity of the soil. Soil with neutral or weak acidity is especially suitable.
4. A couple of days before planting the berries, they should be soaked in Epin solution. This secret can stimulate further growth of strawberries. If there is a need to disinfect the soil, a solution of potassium permanganate is suitable.

Advice! If you need to adjust the acidity of the soil, you can use available materials. For example, to reduce it, some gardeners use dolomite flour. And when acidity increases, the method using ligin has earned positive reviews.

Planting and care

Proper planting and proper care of strawberries is the key to a rich harvest. Next, we will consider the basic rules for planting and caring for the Black Swan variety. With these instructions, even a novice gardener can grow this plant at home.

Also read about how to plant strawberries under covering material.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

It is important that the site has plenty of sunlight and protection from drafts. As for the soil, the choice of most gardeners falls on light loam or sandy loam, chernozem. Clay soil, limestone and saline soils are not suitable.

Places where onions, garlic, various grains or marigolds were previously grown are suitable. It is not recommended to plant strawberries in one area for more than 3-4 years. Before the next planting, a break of 2-3 years is needed. Be sure to check the soil for acidity: a pH level of 5.5–6.5 would be ideal.

It is necessary to prepare the soil in advance, even before winter: add for digging for every 1 m² of soil:

• 1 kg of humus or 5 kg of manure;
• 100 g superphosphate;
• 50 g potassium salt.

Important! The groundwater level should not exceed a meter mark from the soil surface.

Material

One of the important points is the choice of good planting material. It is better that the seedling has fibrous roots with shoots of about 8 cm. The root collar should be about 6 mm in diameter. This mostly applies to purchased material that spent the winter in the cellar. It’s good if the seedlings have at least 5 leaves.

Landing rules

There are certain rules for landing a Black Swan:

1. The selected bed must first be dug up.
2. Dig shallow holes. The distance between bushes should be 30 cm, and between rows - 40–70 cm.
3. If humus has not yet been added, you need to pour 20 g of this fertilizer into the holes, mixing it with the ground so as not to burn the roots of the seedlings.
4. Place the bush in the hole. It is important that the roots do not bend, otherwise the bush will not bear fruit.
5. Water the hole; it should be saturated with moisture. For 1 bush about half a liter of water, if the soil is dry - 1 liter.
6. When the water is absorbed, fill the hole with soil without covering the rosette (apical bud) of the bush. It must be level with the ground, otherwise it will rot. If it is high, it will freeze in the cold.
7. Compact the soil around the bush.
8. Trim off the tendrils and damaged leaves, if any. Don't worry, the young plant will produce new ones.
9. If planting occurs in rows, make grooves between them and water further into them. Water should not be poured on the plants to avoid the formation of a crust around the bush. It will not allow the plant to breathe.
10. After watering, mulch (cover) the furrows with peat, hay or straw. Otherwise, you will have to regularly plow the furrows so that they retain moisture longer.

Strawberry planting scheme.

Watering and fertilizing

Seedlings need constant moisture. Proportion: 10–12 liters of water per 1 m². Take water at room temperature. The frequency of watering in cool weather is once every 10–12 days; if the summer is hot, then increase the amount to 3-4 times a week. In autumn, when the air is dry, moisturizing twice a week is enough. Watering is best done in the morning. Until the first flower stalks appear, it is better to use the watering method - sprinkling, and then - drip irrigation.

Important! Excessive amounts of moisture in the soil can lead to gray rot or root rot in the plant.

However, droplets should not fall on the plant. The main elements for nutrition of both the Black Swan and other varieties of strawberries are phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Phosphorus ensures the growth and strengthening of roots, affects the ripening of full-fledged fruits, as well as their quantity. Potassium and nitrogen are needed to gain green mass, but you cannot overdo it with them, otherwise the plant may not bear fruit.

Fertilizers themselves can be divided into three types:

1. Organic means all products of animal origin (manure, bird droppings, ash and all kinds of composts).
2. Minerals - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.
3. Microfertilizers - used for spraying (magnesium, copper, boron, iodine).

Application procedure:

1. The first fertilizing can be carried out at a soil temperature not lower than +8...+10°C, otherwise the root system will not absorb and assimilate fertilizers. It is at the moment when new leaves appear that the plant needs a lot of nitrogen.
2. Next time you need to fertilize when the strawberries have buds.
3. The third feeding is carried out when the strawberries bloom and bear fruit. During this period, it is necessary to fertilize with potassium and phosphorus so that the berries accumulate mass and are tastier.
4. The fourth and final feeding is carried out closer to autumn, when the fruits have already been collected. This allows you to strengthen the plants before winter.

You will be interested to know how to use boric acid for strawberries during flowering.

Mulching and loosening

Covering the soil of seedlings with various materials is called mulching.

This provides a number of advantages:

• water from the soil evaporates more slowly, which reduces the number of waterings;
• the ground around the strawberry bushes does not heat up;
• weed growth slows down;
• there is protection against pests such as slugs and snails;
• soil structure improves;
• the fruits do not touch the ground - there is less risk of becoming infected with gray rot.

This procedure must be carried out twice a year: in May and October.
Straw, hay, pine needles, sawdust, humus, as well as agrofibre and cardboard are suitable. In hot weather, the mulch must be loosened. If parts rot, they must be replaced. Important! The needles will gradually increase the acidity of the soil due to the tannin content. It can only be used on slightly acidic soils.

It is important that the material does not lean against the stems of the plant. The black swan needs frequent loosening, preferably after rain or when weeds appear, at least seven times during the growing season.

Preparing for winter

Black swan is frost-resistant and can tolerate down to -25°C, but it is still necessary to take measures to protect the plant before winter. If the winter is snowy, then the snow itself will protect the plants from the cold - the soil under it will not freeze. If there is no snow, then you can make a shelter for the beds - leaves, hay, pine needles. The greatest danger is that such a shelter can accumulate moisture, which will cause the plant to rot and may even die. It is important to mulch and fertilize the seedlings before winter.

Video: preparing strawberries for winter

The nuances of planting strawberries Black Swan

Holes for planting shrubs are planted at a distance of 30 cm. A gap of 50 cm or more is left between the rows. Thickened plantings of the variety are unacceptable due to dense greenery and tall growth.

There are also other features, namely:

• Each hole is watered with water in a volume of 0.5 liters. The roots of the seedlings must be straightened and carefully planted in the hole;
• then compact and then moisten;
• after complete absorption of water into the holes, it is necessary to mulch with straw;
• in the next 3 weeks, strawberries need additional abundant watering.

These recommendations will help you learn how to grow and care for the Black Swan strawberry variety.

Diseases and pests

Even the Black Swan variety, resistant to major diseases, is often affected by diseases and pests. Next, the most common of them will be discussed, with methods of their treatment and prevention.

Diseases:

Parasites:

1 - Nematode on strawberries; 2 - Main signs of the presence of strawberry mite; 3 - Aphids on strawberries; 4 - Earthy weevil; 5 - Bronzovka.

There are also general methods for preventing diseases and pests:

1. Growing only strong and healthy Black Swan seedlings purchased from trusted places.
2. Cultivation in one place for no longer than 2 years, not taking into account the year of planting. The older the berry plant, the more diseases there are.
3. The width of the planting strip should not exceed 25–30 cm, since the leaves need sun and an influx of fresh air.
4. Constant weeding of weeds and grass. They are the ones that cause most diseases.

Did you know? The world's largest producer of strawberries is the American state of California, where up to 1 million tons of these berries are harvested annually. Moreover, the entire world strawberry market is 4.3 million tons.

Features of dark-fruited strawberries

Dark-colored varieties of strawberries are those whose berries, upon reaching full ripeness, acquire a dark burgundy, cherry, or ruby ​​color. Usually they not only look original, but also have a pronounced sweet taste with various fruity shades.

Don't believe these photos, there are really no black strawberries

At the same time, the agricultural technology for growing such varieties is standard. It is no different from the rules for growing familiar red varieties. Some care features may be related to the origin of the variety, its adaptability to climatic conditions, but not to the color of the skin and pulp. However, this applies to strawberries of any color.

Types of strawberries by daylight hours

There are several types based on daylight hours:

1. Long daylight (LDD) is a species in which the buds are formed at an average temperature of about 15 degrees, when daylight hours last approximately 15-17 hours. For such plants to bloom, daylight must last at least 16 hours. Popular ones include: Miracle of the World, Albion.
2. Short daylight (SDD) is a species that begins to bear fruit early. Flowering and bud formation begin with a short daylight hours - about 12 hours. The following varieties are known: Alba, Clery, Honey.
3. Neutral daylight (NDD) is a species that is otherwise called remontant. Buds are laid every two to three months, and they develop in about 2 weeks. Temperature and day length do not affect bud formation and flowering. The most popular varieties: Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II, Selva and others.

Remontant varieties are the most popular.