Climbing varieties of strawberries, like the best varieties of strawberries, are grown for fruit production and as a decorative decoration for plots. Thanks to its unusual shape, it is used for decorations in garden plots, apartments and loggias, and at the same time brings a large harvest of berries.
Characteristics
With proper care, strawberries can produce consistently high yields.
Features and benefits of climbing strawberries:
- buds of peduncles are formed in addition to rosettes also on the mustache;
- vertical beds do not require frequent weeding;
- hanging berries do not touch the soil and do not rot;
- the berries are not accessible to some crawling pests, such as slugs;
- remontant (bearded) varieties predominate.
Climbing bushes with hanging red berries look very beautiful in the garden.
Vertical beds of various structures and flowerpots allow you to grow berries even on a terrace or in an apartment . Cons:
- if care and cultivation do not require special work, then preparation for wintering has a number of rules;
- the vertical arrangement of the beds requires more watering - once every 4 days, while regular strawberries can be watered once a week.
- Climbing strawberry varieties require frequent fertilization.
Preparing a climbing plant for winter
If the vertical beds of strawberries are not high, you can make a special protective structure for the winter from wooden slats, burlap, roofing felt, lutrasil or agril.
To prevent climbing strawberries from dying in the harsh conditions of the Russian winter, before the first frost, you must perform the following steps :
- If possible, the best way to overwinter such plants would be to move them to a cool room ;
- When growing strawberries in hanging pots , they are removed, dug into the ground and covered with burlap, spruce branches, hay or other material;
- If the strawberry grew on a vertical structure , it will need to be removed and the tendrils laid on the ground. Then it is also covered with any available material.
When tying plant tendrils to a trellis or fence, you need to think about their mobility in advance, because if they remain overwintering in an upright position, they will most likely die.
Best types: 5 varieties
All types of this climbing berry belong to ampelous plants - crops that can grow in hanging pots, flowerpots, and cache-pots. I will describe the most popular varieties and reviews about them:
| Temptation Appearance:
Fruit:
Bears fruit throughout the summer and early autumn. High yields are maintained for up to three years. High-yielding variety. During the season it produces up to 1.5 kg of large berries. Brief characteristics of the variety:
“Temptation not only grows in my dacha, I planted it in my apartment, in pots. Growing strawberries this way turned out to be very simple, due to the fact that the variety is unpretentious and takes root well.” | |
| Fresco Appearance:
Fruit:
It bears fruit for a long time - from June to the end of September. High yield. In the first year - 1 kg of berries per bush per season, in subsequent years - up to 2 kg. Brief characteristics of the variety:
“The variety is absolutely unpretentious to growing conditions and soil type, and adapts perfectly to any climate. Requires standard care for strawberries. Only fertilizing should be more abundant and frequent, since the plants spend a lot of energy on constant fruiting (remontant variety).” | |
| Queen Elizabeth Appearance:
Fruit:
Productivity - up to 2 years. The fruiting period is from the end of May to the end of September. In closed ground it can bear fruit throughout the year. Large harvest - up to 4 kg per season, in protected greenhouse conditions - up to 10 kg. Brief characteristics of the variety:
“I’m growing this variety for the first season. So far I like everything. The bush is powerful, densely leafy. There are no diseases or pests. The learning ability is good. The berry is very large, dense, good taste" | |
| Tarpan Appearance:
Fruit:
Bears fruit from June to October. Productivity is high - the first fruiting is large berries. Ampelous appearance, can be grown in hanging baskets in an apartment. Brief characteristics of the variety:
“Good for preservation. It does not crack either on bushes or in a jar. Quite unpretentious, not painful. The binding in hot weather is good. Fruit until frost. Keeping quality is good" |
Planting schemes
- One-liner.
Similar to the previous one, with the exception that instead of two lines in the row there is one. Each line must end with two bushes. The optimal scheme for small areas and first planting. - Three-line.
This time the row contains three lines. Suitable for large areas.
rules
- looking at the area, imagine where the lines will go;
- Place stakes at the beginnings and ends of the presented lines (one, two or three, depending on the chosen pattern);
- stretch ropes (cords, etc.) between the stakes, preferably in light shades;
- Mark the places of future bushes on the stretched ropes with a marker.
Strawberry care: 5 rules
Climbing strawberry is not a particularly picky berry. But without following certain rules, you will not get a good harvest:
| Rule 1. Watering Young seedlings need frequent watering:
A convenient method of constant water replenishment in small portions is drip irrigation. To prevent the soil from drying out quickly, it needs to be mulched after watering. | |
| Rule 2. Feeding Remontant climbing garden strawberries (strawberries) constantly bear fruit. She needs a lot of nutrients to maintain her strength. It is necessary to replenish microelements in the soil by regularly applying fertilizers:
Fertilizers are applied at the root after watering once a week. | |
| Rule 3. Trimming mustaches and peduncles Cut off all flower stalks of first-year seedlings. The plant will devote strength to the formation of roots, and prepare for fruiting next year. For mature bushes, leave no more than 5 flower stalks. After the last harvest, cut off all the leaves; this procedure will renew the berry bush. | |
| Rule 4. Pest and disease control Climbing strawberries are not so susceptible to attack by insects and animals, since they are not on the ground. The berry can be “attacked” by:
Attention! For preventive purposes, irrigate the soil with copper sulfate in spring and autumn. | |
| Rule 5. Protection in winter Preparation for winter is carried out in several ways. Method 1:
Method 2:
Method 3:
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Important! Weeding and loosening are not the main thing in caring for strawberries of hanging varieties, but it is necessary to remove emerging weeds. At the same time, fluff up the compacted soil to give oxygen access to the roots. Carry out actions after watering.
Suitable mixture
When planting hanging strawberries, be sure to take into account the fact that they will have to grow with a minimum amount of land. That is why the soil must be loose, breathable and contain all the necessary nutrients and minerals so that the berry bushes do not need anything. But this should not be a problem, since modern stores offer a huge range of different earthen mixtures. You can simply opt for a soil mixture that is designed specifically for growing strawberries.
But it happens that some stores do not deliver such mixtures, but a way out of this situation is easy to find. You can simply choose soil that is similar in composition. It must necessarily have a neutral reaction and contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal parts.
But experienced gardeners who have been growing these varieties of strawberries for many years now recommend preparing the soil mixture yourself. To do this you need to mix the following components:
- Ten parts of peat soil.
- Ten parts of black soil (can be replaced with turf soil).
- Ten parts of humus.
- Four parts of specially prepared sawdust.
- One part coarse sand.
It is worth paying attention to sawdust, which can only be beneficial if it is prepared using special technology. They are soaked for several hours in a urea solution, where for one liter of water you will need two tablespoons of fertilizer. You also need to add a glass of wood ash or chalk there and mix the resulting mixture well. Only sawdust prepared using this technology can benefit strawberries.
After all of the listed components have been mixed, they need to be poured with the Fitosporin solution and left for a while so that the mixture can soak well.
Reproduction: 2 ways
| Method 1. Reproduction by mustache To produce young trees, strong bushes with good fruiting are used:
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Method 2. Reproduction by rosettes
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Transfer
An important point when growing strawberries is their replanting, which is carried out every 4 years.
In the spring, 1-2 of the strongest tendrils are plucked off from the most “lush” flowering plants and transplanted to a new plot or another vertical bed.
When transplanting, the following points should be considered:
- the core of the bush cannot be covered with earth;
- After planting the plant, it is recommended to mulch the area around it with grass or sprinkle it with grass; this procedure will help the soil retain moisture longer;
- Two weeks after transplanting, the strawberry bushes should be fertilized.
Remember
- Select good seedlings. When choosing planting material, do not skimp. It is better to buy strong seedlings that can take root well. Discard dry, wilted seedlings - these are diseased plants.
- For propagation, take tendrils from plants that are 2–3 years old. Old bushes are not capable of producing good planting material.
- Renew the beds. Replace 3-4 year old strawberry bushes with young plantings to get a bountiful harvest.
- Know how to reproduce. There are two ways to get new strawberry seedlings - by separating rosettes and tendrils.
Diseases and pests
Any variety of strawberry - garden or ampelous - is subject to attacks by the same pests, microbes, viruses, and fungi. Thanks to growing at altitude, ampel strawberries get sick less often. Table 2 shows common diseases and pests of hanging varieties, and measures to combat them.
table 2
| Pests/diseases | Harm/symptoms | How to fight? |
| Powdery mildew | The edges of the leaves curl, the berries become covered with an ashy coating. | Cleaning up dried and damaged leaves. In the spring, they are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 3, and after harvesting, the plantings are treated with a 1% solution. For prevention, plantings are sprayed in the spring with a solution of sulfaride (per 10 liters - 2 tablespoons). |
| Strawberry mite | The fruits of the affected bushes are deformed, the leaves are weakened. | In spring - preventive spraying with Nero, Aktelik, Fufanon. Plantings are also sprayed with one of these preparations after harvesting and before cold weather. If a tick infestation has already occurred, spraying is carried out every 3 weeks. Mandatory - before flowering and before the formation of ovaries. |
| Nematodes | Transparent microscopic worms up to 1 m long. They suck juices from leaves and stems. The foliage wrinkles, the stems shorten, the berries harden. | The affected bushes are watered with a bleach solution, then they are pulled out and burned. The remaining bushes are sprayed with a solution of phosphamide or mercaptophos - 2-3 times with an interval of 4-5 days. |
| Strawberry weevil | Holes appear in the leaves and larvae appear in the buds. | The plantings are sprayed with Decis, Iskra, and Karbofos. |
| Gray rot | A fungal disease that develops at high humidity. Light brown fluffy spots appear. The disease can destroy 90% of the crop. | For prevention, plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 3%. After harvesting the berries, use azotene (20 g per 10 liters of water). |
| Late blight | Withering and drying of leaves. Dying of roots. | After harvesting diseased bushes, disinfect the soil. Treatment with copper preparations - oxychloride or Bordeaux mixture. When signs of disease appear, spray with Ridomil, Horus or other fungicides. |
