Strawberry Ali Baba: growing a fragrant berry in the garden

Description of the strawberry variety Ali Baba

The main qualities of the variety that interest gardeners relate to productivity, the appearance of the plant and its resistance to environmental factors. The description of the Ali Baba strawberry should begin with the characteristics of the bush.

The plant is powerful, spreading with good foliage. The leaves are dark green. Ali Baba grows horns very quickly and has a high growth rate. These qualities attract gardeners, and they often grow the Ali Baba variety even in flower pots as an ornamental plant. The height of the bush is 15-30 cm, it forms inflorescences in the first year and in large quantities.

The root system of the Ali Baba variety is well developed, powerful, and strong. It completely supplies the strawberry bush with moisture and nutrients.

The berries are smaller than strawberries and cone-shaped. The average weight of one is about 3-5 g, the color is bright red. With a good agricultural background, the weight of the fruits of the variety reaches 6-7 g, they taste sweet and sour, but the sugar content is above average. The pulp is light, almost white, the consistency is dense and at the same time tender. The bones are very small and cannot be felt when eating. The Ali Baba variety has a very persistent wild strawberry aroma.

A distinctive property of Ali Baba strawberries is that the variety does not form a mustache, therefore it is called mustacheless.

Growing in flowerpots: features

Strawberries of this variety can be effectively grown not only in open ground, but also in pots. If you follow the general recommendations, the bushes will be able to bear fruit all year, but they will have to be renewed more often. What is this connected with? The plant spends too much energy on continuous fruiting.

What conditions will help make cultivation successful:

• a pot for planting one bush should have a volume of about 5 liters, at least 20 cm in diameter;
• holes must be made in the bottom of the pots to drain water;
• lay drainage (up to 3 cm layer);
• fill the flowerpot with nutritious soil with a slightly acidic reaction;
• a young plant is planted.

For normal ripening, berries require additional lighting. In the summer, flowerpots can be placed on windows with a southern and eastern orientation, but in winter they will have to provide additional lighting.

Main characteristics of the variety

It is the characteristics of the crop that attract the attention of gardeners. Ali Baba remontant strawberry is different:

• high drought and frost resistance;
• unpretentiousness to growing conditions, both soil and climatic;
• continuous wave-like fruiting;
• rapid growth, because the plant’s strength is not spent on the formation and development of mustaches.

Strawberries exhibit all these qualities with a good agricultural background.

Fruiting time, yield

The peculiarity and advantage of the remontant strawberry Ali Baba f1 is continuous flowering with short pauses. Thanks to this property, the fruiting of the variety lasts almost continuously from June until the onset of frost, and the harvest is very high. From one bush you can harvest up to 0.5 kg of fragrant strawberries. According to gardeners, 10 Ali Baba strawberry bushes produce 0.3-0.4 kg of ripe berries every 3 days.

This is due to the ability of the variety to lay buds (flowering buds) in the first spring after planting, although novice farmers are not recommended to allow Ali Baba strawberries to bear fruit in the first year. To increase the yield of the variety, the flower stalks of the first wave of fruiting are broken off. This technique increases the yield of the next wave. It comes later, but the plants are already more developed during this period. The second important point is that the bushes of the Ali Baba culture go into winter with a developed root system and formed parts.

Attention! It is better to pick the berries of this variety in the evening or morning in dry weather.

Application area

Ali Baba strawberries are very good fresh. Juicy, aromatic berries leave no one indifferent. But the variety has a short shelf life. Housewives process everything that is not eaten immediately. Ali Baba's berries make amazing strawberry jam with the scent of forest, jams, fruit purees, and compotes. The small size and density of the berries allows part of the harvest to be frozen or used in baking. Cooks confirm their positive reviews of Ali Baba strawberries with photos of prepared dishes:

Resistance to diseases and pests

The variety is resistant to attacks by pests and damage by pathogens. This is also due to the inherent properties during breeding work and the natural resistance of wild strawberries.

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite rave reviews, Ali Baba strawberries have different characteristics. Below are the main pros and cons of the variety, so that the idea of ​​strawberries is complete.

Advantages:

1. Excellent adaptability to climate conditions and soil characteristics of the growing region.
2. Drought and frost resistance.
3. Resistance to damage, diseases and pest attacks.
4. Fast growth and no mustache.
5. Long wave-like fruiting.
6. The intensity of fruiting, in the first year, the Ali Baba variety is capable of producing a good harvest.

Minuses:

1. Low transportability due to the tenderness of the fruit.
2. The need to collect in small containers due to the delicacy of the berries, which quickly wrinkle.
3. The absence of whiskers, as a result, there are difficulties with the propagation of Ali Baba f1 strawberries.
4. A rapid decline in productivity, requiring regular rejuvenation of the bushes.
5. Susceptibility to spotting and anthracnose if there are violations of agricultural technology requirements.

Attention! Disadvantages of the variety are considered common for horticultural crops of a certain type. Therefore, strict adherence to agrotechnical recommendations allows gardeners to significantly reduce them.

Features of cultivation

Despite the fact that the Ali Baba variety is simple and unpretentious to grow, it is necessary to take into account some nuances.

Lighting

Just like wild strawberries, this variety feels best in partial shade. If the plant is planted in an area that is illuminated by bright sun, this may affect the quality of the berries: they will be hard and not juicy. In a heavily shaded area, the yield will be small.

The soil

Strawberries grow best on non-acidic and loose soil that allows air to pass through well. In addition, she loves fertile soil. Before planting seedlings in open ground, they need to be sprinkled with lime or ash.

Before choosing a site for sowing strawberries, it is important to consider such a fact as crop rotation. The plant takes root well and develops in the place where its predecessors were onions, beets, carrots and garlic. After nightshade and cruciferous crops, the plant grows difficult

After nightshade and cruciferous crops, the plant grows difficult.

Terms and rules of sowing

The strawberry variety Ali Baba is propagated only by seeds or by dividing the bush. Strawberry seeds are sown already in February, but 14-20 days before they begin to be prepared for sowing.

Seed selection and preparation

First of all, you need to take a responsible approach to purchasing seeds, since if you choose the wrong ones, they will produce poor seedlings or the plants will be weak.

You can buy strawberry seeds in a special store. Seed material is cheaper on the market, but there is no guarantee that it is of high quality. You can collect the seeds of this variety yourself. Moreover, it will be possible to collect more of them. From the entire mass of grown seedlings, you can select the healthiest and strongest specimens for planting.

A characteristic feature when growing strawberry seedlings from seeds is that they do not sprout at the same time: the time difference can be 20-30 days. In order for the seeds to sprout well, a stratification procedure should be carried out. It can be done in several ways.

1. Place the seeds on a natural fabric moistened with settled or melt water. Keep it in a warm place for 6 hours. After this, wrap it in plastic and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 3 days. The seeds are ready for planting in the soil mixture.
2. For better seed germination, they are treated with growth stimulants: Epin, Zircon, Potassium Humate.
3. Snow is placed on top of the prepared tray with the substrate and lightly compacted. Place strawberry seeds on it using a toothpick. Then the container is covered with a transparent film and placed on the windowsill. When the snow begins to melt, moisture will draw the seeds into the soil. In the warmth, they will quickly begin to germinate.

Planting strawberries

The Ali Baba variety, like many other plants, prefers nutritious and loose soil. The safest thing to do is to buy a ready-made mixture, which is sold at any garden store. An excellent option for growing seedlings is in peat tablets. But, you can prepare the desired composition yourself using some recipes:

• Mix peat, coarse sand, and humus in a ratio of 3:1:1.
• We combine turf soil, neutral peat, coarse river sand in a ratio of 2:1:1.
• Chernozem, peat, sand in a ratio of 2:2:1.

The prepared soil mixture is laid out in a tray with a layer of 5 cm. Shallow grooves are made along the entire length of the area. Leave a distance of 2 cm between them

The area is carefully moistened with a spray bottle.

Seeds, which are not covered with soil, are placed in the furrows and sprinkled with water again. The trays are covered with a transparent lid or polyethylene and left in a bright place.

It is important to constantly monitor soil moisture. When the seedlings have 2 strong leaves, they are planted in separate containers. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place after 5-6 leaves appear.

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place after 5-6 leaves appear.

You may be interested in: Planting strawberries with seeds for seedlings: how to choose seeds, soil, seed sowing technique and features of caring for seedlings

Useful information: Garden strawberries: growing from seeds with seedlings in open ground. Secrets of reproduction and care

Top dressing

To get a strong plant that will produce high yields of berries, it is necessary to feed it with special means. Typically, gardeners use the following recipe for preparing mineral fertilizer:

• 2 tbsp. spoons of nitrophoska;
• diluted in 10 liters of water.

Planting in open ground

Strawberry seedlings are planted on the plot in rows, between which the distance should be about 30 cm.

The bushes are placed at a distance of 20 cm from each other. First, the plant is covered with plastic wrap.

How the strawberry variety Ali Baba propagates

The main methods of propagating strawberries of this variety are dividing the bush and growing from seeds. The method of propagation with a mustache, which is very convenient for gardeners, is unacceptable, since Ali Baba does not form a mustache.

Growing Ali Baba strawberries from seeds

Propagating strawberries or strawberries from seeds is quite troublesome. This method is often used by experienced gardeners who have knowledge of agricultural technology for growing in this way and their inherent patience.

Sowing is scheduled for the end of January or beginning of February. If it is not possible to properly illuminate Ali Baba’s seedlings, then the deadline is postponed to March.

Containers for seedlings can be boxes, containers or cups. Many gardeners prefer sowing in peat tablets.

Seeds must be prepared before sowing. For quality preparation you need:

1. Soak the planting material for several days in water. For these purposes, it is good to use melt or rain water. Thus, germination increases and substances that suppress the development processes - inhibitors - are destroyed.
2. Place a layer of dampened strawberry seeds on thin paper to dry.
3. After absorbing moisture, place the still slightly damp seeds in a plastic bag and wait until they hatch.
4. Plant the sprouted seeds of Ali Baba.

The second method of preparation is called stratification. It involves keeping Ali Baba seeds in a cool room for a month. A regular kitchen refrigerator will do. Then the planting material is moved to a warm room with a temperature of + 20 ° C and germination is waited for.

The soil mixture should be prepared from humus and sand (5:3), placed in a container, and moistened. Distribute Ali Baba seeds on top, then sprinkle with soil in a very thin layer.

Important! The first layer in containers should be drainage (1/2 volume).

Cover the container with glass. Raise it periodically and moisten the soil as the soil dries out.

A month later the first sprouts appear, and after 14 days the strawberry seedlings are ready for picking. Maintain a distance between plants of the variety of at least 2 cm, but no more than 4 cm. The strawberries of the Ali Baba variety are picked for the second time in the phase of 4-5 leaves, and when 6 leaves develop, they are ready for planting in open ground.

Important! Strawberry seedlings begin to be hardened from the moment of sowing, and 2 weeks before planting they are taken out into the air.

How to propagate Ali Baba garden strawberries by dividing the bush

Since propagation by mustache is unacceptable for the Ali Baba variety, the second method is to divide the bush.

The most prolific and largest bushes will do. You can start dividing only after harvesting. The procedure is quite simple:

1. Dig up the selected strawberry bush.
2. Divide into parts, each of which has a heart with 3 leaves.

Important! Each division must have at least 2-3 white roots; dark brown roots are not suitable.

Many gardeners prefer to divide Ali Baba bushes in the spring so that they can reap the first harvest the following year.

Trim the roots of the variety to 8 cm and plant it in a prepared bed. Be sure to trim the leaves.

Sowing seeds

Seeds can be sown in the soil or in special peat tablets; we will briefly consider both methods.

Sowing in the soil

The pre-prepared soil is poured into a wooden or plastic box, the layer thickness is approximately 5 cm.

Preparing a box with soil for seedlings

The top layer is leveled, grooves are made at a distance of 2 cm. To make them, it is better to use a ruler, the edge of which is slightly pressed into the ground.

Furrows for sowing seeds

The soil is moistened abundantly with a sprinkler. The seeds are carefully placed into even grooves using tweezers, a match or a toothpick and moistened again.

Sowing seeds using tweezers

Under no circumstances should they be closed; strawberries cannot tolerate such conditions. There are often cases when several varieties of strawberries are planted in one box at the same time. Make beacons with the names of varieties against each groove, do not rely on your memory. Next, the earth is tightly covered with technical or cling film.

You can close the box with film or a lid

Planting and caring for remontant strawberries Ali Baba

Purchased seedlings of varieties with a closed root system take root best, although its condition in this case is very difficult to assess.

As a place for strawberry beds, you should choose sunny areas without excessive shade. Overmoistening and shading are not suitable for bushes. Therefore, high beds will have to be formed in the lowlands.

Be sure to follow crop rotation requirements. Ali Baba strawberries are recommended to be planted after legumes, root vegetables, onions, and dill. It is not advisable to plant the crop after cruciferous, pumpkin, and nightshade crops. Pre-fertilize the soil with organic matter.

The optimal time is the end of May. It is important to pay attention to the weather. It is good to plant strawberry seedlings in cloudy weather.

The planting pattern for the variety is 20x15 cm or 40x25 cm. Do not bury the heart, water the bushes after planting.

Aftercare

You need to care for productive strawberries efficiently and regularly.

Ali Baba's drought resistance is convenient for summer residents who can rarely come to their plots. Mulching further increases the period that strawberries can survive without moisture. Watering must begin after the bushes begin to flower. Water consumption – 20 l per 1 sq. m. The most profitable option is installing drip irrigation.

Important! Do not use the sprinkling method, which will lead to rotting of the fruit.

Fertilizing of the variety begins in the second year of strawberry life. It is recommended to alternate organic and mineral formulations. Organics are added:

• in early spring, when the snow melts;
• during the formation of flower stalks;
• at the moment of flowering;
• after harvest.

The best time for mineral complexes is:

• spring March-April;
• after the end of fruiting.

Weeding is an important undertaking. Removing weeds will protect Ali Baba strawberries from many diseases and pests that prefer to reproduce on herbs.

Warning! Loosening row spacing cannot be carried out at the time of fruiting; the rest of the time it is a very necessary procedure.

Preparation for winter consists of high-quality hilling and mulching of strawberry bushes. If the winter is snowless, then additional cover with spruce branches, brushwood or agrotex is required.

According to gardeners, remontant strawberries of the Ali Baba variety respond very gratefully to timely and regular care.

Why don't the seeds germinate?

The answer to this question worries many inexperienced plant growers. Let's try to indicate some of the most important reasons and ways to eliminate them.

The problem is with the seeds, they were of poor quality (initially low germination), stratification was not done, the soil was incorrectly selected and prepared. If the seeds are defective, nothing can be done. Continue to grow what has sprouted. If stratification is done incorrectly or not at all, it’s not a problem. You will have to wait longer, the time for emergence of seedlings may additionally increase by two to three weeks. Such late shoots bring with them another problem - obtaining a harvest this year becomes problematic. If the land is not disinfected, the consequences can be very sad. All that remains is to carefully monitor the condition, eliminate mold that has appeared as quickly as possible, and be sure to treat the places where it grows with special preparations. At the same time, prepare for a sharp decrease in the quality of seedlings and deterioration in survival rate. The boxes are kept in dark conditions for a long time. Sunlight is one of the factors that triggers seed growth processes. Immediately after sowing, place the boxes on the windowsills; to maintain the desired temperature and humidity, use only transparent materials.

Seedlings require good lighting

Temperature has a huge influence on the growth process. The optimal value is +18°C, and it is advisable to maintain such parameters around the clock until the first shoots appear. Low temperature - you will have to wait a long time for seedlings to appear; elevated - there is a high risk of various diseases appearing

Don’t be lazy to monitor the temperature several times a day and take measures to maintain it at the required values.

It is important to maintain optimal air temperature

Normal development is hampered by too dense seedlings; pick them up in time and plant them according to the schemes recommended by professionals.

Video - Picking strawberry seedlings

As you can see, most problems do not have tragic consequences. Everything is solved using ordinary agrotechnical techniques.

Ways to combat diseases and pests

Among the dangerous lesions of strawberries are fungal infections. The disease manifests itself by the appearance and spread of spots, then the bush dies. Burn infected plants and treat the beds with Fitosporin (15 ml per 10 liters of water). Preventative treatments of the variety begin on July 15, alternating once every 14 days.

The main pest is the tick. Its presence is manifested by a change in leaf color. The anti-tick remedy is Bitoxibacillin (60 g per 10 liters of water). Spraying of leaves is carried out on both sides. Preventive treatments are done from the beginning of the growing season according to the instructions.

FEEDING AND WATERING TIPS

It is better to combine the supply of nutrients with watering. This should be done no more than once every two weeks; you can use ready-made medications. They have proven their effectiveness in practice, the main condition is compliance with the instructions for use. The proverb “You can’t spoil porridge with butter” does not work when growing seedlings.

Humatized fertilizer GERA for strawberries and wild strawberries

Blank leaf mineral fertilizer for strawberries and wild strawberries

Ruby. Complex fertilizer for strawberries and wild strawberries

Seedlings need uniform light for at least 12 hours; watering should be moderate but constant. Make sure the top layer never dries out.