Juicy and fragrant strawberries are a welcome guest in any garden. Unfortunately, the fruiting of most varieties does not last long: by the middle of summer, the ripening of the berries ends. But the pleasure can be extended with the help of later varieties. These include, for example, strawberries Florence, bred in the UK. It will allow you to pamper your family with delicious fresh berries in July.
History of Strawberry Florence
Strawberry Florence appeared as a result of the work of English breeders at the East Molling Institute experimental station. The history of its breeding includes the crossing of famous species of Providence, Gorell, Tioga. The immediate predecessors of Florence are the Dutch Wima-Tarda and Vicoda. A new variety was registered in 1997.
In the original, strawberries are called Florence, this word is translated into Russian both as "Florence" and as "Florence". Therefore, sometimes gardeners mistakenly believe that there are two different varieties with similar names.
Currently, the variety is grown in Europe, in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. In principle, this strawberry can be planted indefinitely, as it can be cultivated both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions. You just need to keep in mind that this berry does not tolerate a hot climate.
Description and characteristics of the variety
Strawberries Florence are classified as late-ripening varieties. However, some Russian gardeners consider it a medium-term strawberry, since there are varieties ripening even later. Fruiting begins in the first decade of July.
Strawberry Florence is distinguished by large and beautiful berries.
Bushes Florence are large and powerful, form an average number of mustaches. Wide leaves of dark green color are collected in a socket. Peduncles long but thick, raised above the leaves. Large berries of regular conical or rounded shape are painted in intense red color. The pulp is relatively dense, very juicy, with a characteristic aroma of strawberries. The taste is sweet, but with pronounced sourness.
Variety Florence is characterized by the following quality indicators:
- high productivity - from one bush you can get 0.4-0.5 kg, and sometimes up to 1 kg of berries;
- large berries (average weight 30-35 g, maximum up to 60 g);
- good transportability and long shelf life (5-6 days in the refrigerator without loss of quality);
- resistance to adverse climatic conditions: even in very humid weather, the sweetness of the berries remains unchanged;
- low susceptibility to root system diseases and powdery mildew;
- undemanding to the composition of the soil (can grow on soils of almost any type);
- long (4-5 years) fruiting cycle.
The variety, of course, is not without flaws:
- a tendency to get sick with rot and brown spotting in too wet weather (but on average no more than other varieties);
- exactingness to watering (otherwise there is a decrease in size and a deterioration in the taste of berries);
- reduced yield in hot weather - given that Florence forms an ovary and ripens later than other varieties, this strawberry often suffers from heat.
Video: Florence strawberry crop ripened
Features of planting and care
Getting large yields depends entirely on the correct planting and care.
Landing principles
The best time for planting strawberry seedlings is considered to be the first half of September, although the timing may vary in different regions of Russia. The colder the climate, the earlier you need to complete the landing. The main thing is to have time to do this a month before the onset of frost. The bushes will take root well and will begin to bloom immediately in spring. In the spring you can also plant, but then you can’t count on the crop in the first year. In addition, young seedlings need to be covered in case of night frosts. In both spring and autumn planting, one must remember that the best rooting of seedlings occurs at soil temperature +15 ° C (air temperature + 15 ... +20 ° C). The soil should be sufficiently moist.
Strawberry seedlings will easily tolerate planting if planted on a cloudy or rainy day.
A place for strawberries you need to choose a sunny, in the extreme case, half-shaded. With a lack of light, the berries will be sour. Most successfully, strawberries develop on semi-sandy soils and loams. Clay soil is also suitable if large amounts of organic matter are added. You can not have strawberry beds in areas with stagnant moisture - this can lead to decay of the fruit.
Strawberry Seedlings Must Be Healthy, With An Unsweetened Root System
It is advisable to purchase seedlings with a closed root system. If you take plants with open roots, pay special attention to their condition: seedlings with dried roots will not take root.
Soil preparation should be done 25-30 days before planting strawberries. All weeds are removed from the site, 2–3 buckets of humus or rotted manure are brought in for each square meter, and they are dug up. Chalk or dolomite flour is required in soils with an acid reaction. If you plan to land on the beds, they are formed 3-5 days before planting, so that the earth has time to settle.
Planting strawberries consists of the following steps:
- Prepare the wells of such a size that the root system of the plants fits freely (diameter 10-12 cm). Due to the large size of the Florence strawberry bush, the distance between the holes should be at least 40 cm.
- Pour a little (200-300 ml) of warm water into each well.
- Place seedlings in the wells with straightened roots, sprinkle with soil and compact with your hands. The growth point (also called the heart) should be at ground level.
When planting strawberries, you need to remember that the heart should be at ground level
- Water the planting and mulch the earth around the plants with humus or sawdust.
If you have to plant in the hot season, remove the lower leaves, and after planting, cover the plants with non-woven material for a week. It is advisable to periodically spray it on top with water.
Video: proper strawberry planting
Watering
Strawberry Florence requires regular and fairly plentiful watering, otherwise the berries are smaller and lose their taste. Humidify beds in the summer should be about once every two weeks (in hot weather - once a week). Before flowering, it is useful to sprinkle strawberries, this accelerates the growth of foliage. In October, the last watering is carried out to recharge.
While there are no flowers and berries on the strawberry, it is good to water it by sprinkling
With strawberry watering, Florence is important to keep a middle ground: with a lack of moisture, the quality of berries deteriorates, and with excess, the roots can rot.
Top dressing
Any strawberry variety responds well to top dressing, but Florence is especially demanding on them. Without the proper amount of fertilizer, the berries become sour.
- From the second year after planting in early spring, 3-4 kg / m are applied to the soil2 compost or humus, as well as compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (1 tablespoon nitroammophoska and a glass of wood ash in a bucket of water). This contributes to the formation of the plant and the formation of ovaries.
- The second top dressing is carried out after collecting the main part of the crop (in late July). You can add a solution of chicken droppings (0.6 kg per 10 liters of water) or a solution of two tablespoons of nitrophoska and a teaspoon of potassium sulfate in a bucket of water (0.4-0.5 liters for each bush).
- In autumn, they give the last top dressing from humus or rotted manure or mullein solution (1:10) with the addition of a glass of ash to provide plant nutrition for the winter.
One of the best nutrition for strawberries is bird droppings.
Soil care
The first spring work to care for strawberry beds is to remove garbage and old mulch using fan rakes. Then weeding is carried out and soil loosening between rows.
Subsequent weeding with loosening should be carried out regularly after each watering. The depth of processing in the aisles is 10-12 cm, and near the bushes themselves 2-3 cm.
The soil around the bushes should be loosened regularly, especially after watering
Plant care
In the spring, they inspect plants, free hearts from soil and debris, and sprinkle bare sections of the root system. Remove all dead bushes and replace them with new ones. To protect the berries from touching the ground and rotting, they cover the ground under bushes with straw, pine needles or special non-woven covering material.
Traditional straw mulching keeps berries from contact with the soil
To increase productivity during the summer season, you must periodically cut off the mustache. You need to remove them before they grow too much. Mustache and rosettes are not cut off from the uterine plants. After harvesting, you need to inspect the beds and remove all dried leaves.
For the winter, Florence needs shelter, since its frost resistance is not too high. If in winter the temperature in the region drops below -8 ° C, in autumn you need to prepare strawberries for the cold. To do this, in late August weed beds and remove old leaves, in September, plants are cut and fed. When the first frosts begin, you can cover the plantings. Use agrofiber or lay on top of plants with a thick layer of straw.
Pest and Disease Control
Strawberry Florence is resistant to a number of common diseases (powdery mildew, root rot), but can be affected by gray rot and spotting. Preventive treatments can begin immediately after the snow melts.
To prevent diseases, it is recommended to add Fitosporin solution (4 l / m2) to irrigation water.
Table: Disease, Prevention and Treatment
| Disease name | Signs of defeat | Prevention | Treatment methods |
| Gray rot | Brown berries with moldy patches appear on the berries, which spread rapidly. Leaves and peduncles turn brown and dry. Crop losses can be 50-80%. |
|
|
| Brown spotting | The onset of the disease manifests itself in the form of red-brown spots on the leaves. They look like tan marks, located along the edges of the sheet. Later, spore pads appear on the upper side. When the petioles and mustaches are damaged, indented dark spots appear on them. The formation of fruiting kidneys is deteriorating. | Fight with thickening of landings. |
|
| White spotting | Leaves, sometimes petioles and peduncles are covered with small specks of purple or red-brown. Later, the spots on the leaves turn white with a reddish-brown border, then the white center sometimes falls out. |
| Before flowering and after harvesting, spray with a 1% Bordeaux mixture. |
Photo Gallery: Strawberry Disease
- Brown-spotted leaves seem to be scorched.
- Gray rot spreads particularly fast in wet weather
- Leaves affected by white spotting die off, as a result, the yield of berries decreases
It is undesirable to treat strawberries with copper preparations more than 3 times per season, this increases the copper content in the soil. As a result, the leaves become covered with brown spots and die off.
Pest control
Sweet strawberries Florence attract various insects. Against sucking and gnawing pests, you can use Karbofos or a decoction of tomato tops (2 kg of tops are boiled for 3 hours in 3 liters of water, 5 liters of water are added after cooling).
Slugs can cause significant damage to the crop by eating berries and leaves.
Especially a lot of trouble is caused by slugs that spoil both berries and leaves. The fight against them is as follows:
- On the site, you need to lay out the moistened pieces of boards or rags, under which the slugs are taken during the day. Then they need to be collected and destroyed.
- In the evening, when the slugs go out to the beds, they pollinate with ash, trying to get on the bodies of pests.
- To prevent slugs from reaching the berries, you can mulch the soil under the bushes of spruce needles, lemon balm, tansy.
- Treat plantings with granular metal hydride, powdered kieselguhr or iron sulfate.
Harvesting and storage rules
Harvesting is carried out 8-10 times as it ripens, usually after two to three days. Berries should be picked in the morning when the dew has descended. In rain or extreme heat, collecting is not recommended. Picking strawberries must be carefully, together with the stalk and put in shallow boxes.
Strawberries make unusually tasty liqueurs
Strawberries Florence has a significantly longer shelf life (5-6 days) than other varieties (usually 2-3 days). If you did not have time to use it fresh, you can make jam, jam, compote or liquor. Very well, Florence berries tolerate freezing - after thawing, their taste practically does not change.
Video: strawberry harvest Florence
Gardeners reviews
I grow Florence the first year from seedlings of A + class frigo. I left it to bear fruit. Berry of burgundy color (like cherry). Rounded (more correctly oval) shape. The taste is simple, without a twist, with a raspberry flavor). The bushes themselves are handsome: powerful, densely leafy, with dark green foliage. Since the variety is late, it was very fond of wasps and crows. I liked the resistance to disease. I did not like the color and shape of the berry.
Boyton//forum.vinograd.info/showpost.php?p=894225&postcount=36
in my conditions, Florence froze, although all varieties were covered with Lutrasil 60. 10%
Boyton, Kamchatka Territory//forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=6991
Florence is late, large, comes out of winter with absolutely green leaves, is moderately resistant to rot, but sour
Ladoga, Leningrad region//www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php?topic=7393.0
The main advantage of the Florence variety is that it is late ripe. In spring, vegetation begins later than the other varieties, flowering is also later, which means that the flowers of this variety are guaranteed to go away from spring frosts. In the conditions of the Leningrad region, the beginning of fruiting of the Florence variety occurs on July 10 and ends in early August. No other variety bears fruit so late. Variety Florence prolongs fruiting for 10 - 15 days. The first berries are large and very large (twin), sometimes even hollow. Productivity is high. Transportability is good. In the context of the berry is brightly colored. The berry is slightly aromatic. The taste is sweet and sour, I would describe it as mediocre.
Sirge, St. Petersburg//forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=6991
Florence is a late-ripening variety. Rounded red berry with a very interesting hue. There was no small berry until the end of the harvest. Bushes are powerful, plants give a lot of mustache (sometimes it is very tiring). The variety is like disease resistance. Spotting is not even in very wet weather. Transportability and palatability suit me.
Svetlana (Kharkov)//forum.vinograd.info/archive/index.php?t-3196.html
the variety is quite tasty, but sick and fills with a mustache
Liarosa, Tatarstan//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1165
This variety was brought from Germany in 2006 from the famous strawberry Stefan Krege. Really worthy variety. Especially in the first year I was struck by very large flowers and, accordingly, berries. But Florence is demanding of a high level of agricultural technology, and after appearing in the collection of Vicat, who is not so capricious, he lost the championship. I note the great susceptibility of Florence to spotting.It forms large bushes, especially in the second year, and it is better to plant less often.
Nikolay//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1165
They tasted Florence berries, really liked both the taste and the look!
Nadin Sadistka, Orenburg//club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1165
Strawberry Florence will require regular care from the owner - weeding, top dressing, watering. But the labor expended will pay off with a plentiful harvest of unusually tasty and fragrant berries.
