In those ancient times, when botanists were not yet subject to the desire to classify all the vegetation growing on Earth, there lived either a shrub or strawberry grass. She was known as fragaria, which in Latin meant "fragrant". Over time, it has been divided into species such as nutmeg strawberries (Fragaria moschata), wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca), oriental strawberries (Fragaria orientalis) and wild strawberries (Fragaria colliana). At the same time, dioecious strawberries, that is, those in which female and male flowers are located on different bushes, were called strawberries. The round shape of the berries of this species gave her the name: club - ball - nodule - strawberry.
A trip to history
Somewhere in the beginning of the XVII century. from the eastern part of North America, meadow strawberries, later called virgin strawberries (Fragaria virginiana), were brought to Europe. A century later, the Frenchman A. Frezieu brought to Europe from Chile several bushes of wild strawberries (Fragaria chiloensis) with sweet, fragrant, light pink berries. One of the bushes was donated to the Parisianbotanical garden, where he crossed with a species of virgin strawberry. As a result of such crossing, that garden strawberry appeared, which is well known to us from our personal plots and is mistakenly called Victoria. The name "Victoria" took root and became a household name for all cultivated strawberries.
Thus, not every strawberry is a strawberry, not every strawberry is a Victoria, but the beautiful Victoria herself is a strawberry, as well as any other, in fact, a strawberry. In fact, Victoria is a strawberry variety named after an English monarchical person. It was one of the first brought to Russia at the end of the 18th century, and therefore acquired the meaning of a common noun. In fact, over two thousand are isolated within the species of these varieties! Among them are Alexandria, Baron Solimacher, Yellow Wonder, Lord, Victoria, Zenga Zengana, Queen Elizabeth, Bagota, Red Gauntlet, Festival.
What is the difference between strawberries and Victoria
Victoria variety is cold hardy and resistant to pests and other diseases. Plants are decorated with wide leaves of deep green color, form large and strong bushes. The berries are large, sweet, fragrant, bright red.
Victoria (strawberry) bears fruit with a frequency of 1 time per year. On the territory of Russia, the strawberry variety is widely distributed in the southern part, cultivated in household plots and horticultural farms for a long time.
Due to its rich taste, it is actively used in cooking, and the ability for a long timepreserve useful substances became the reason for popularity among hostesses during the conservation period
Soil preparation
Strawberry transplantation begins with land preparation. Seedlings should be planted in previously dug up soil. For planting, choose a flat area, preferably with a slight slope to the west. The site should not be blown by the winds, otherwise in winter there will be little snow on the garden bed, and the plants themselves will freeze in the spring.
Victoria (strawberry): breeding secrets
For the ripening of berries on the bushes, as well as to avoid their decay, seedlings are recommended to be planted in rows at a distance from each other. You can mark the beds with a rope attached to pegs on both sides, so that the beds will be even and neat. Holes are made along the rope, in which selected sockets are planted. For convenient plant care and picking berries, planting is done in a comb 10-15 cm high.
Experts recommend breeding Victoria in May, and not in August, when a flowering rosette is planted in the ground.
In order to get large berries in the summer, it is necessary to select rosettes with large inflorescences. Empty flowers do not need to be used.
The socket is dug up with a clod of earth in order not to damage the root system of the plant. Thanks to this, the plant does not get sick and takes root faster in a new place. The first two or three rosettes from the mother plant are among the best for propagation.
Strawberry Victoria: description of careplants
Victoria (strawberry-strawberry) is very fond of watering, it is necessary to water it at least 10 times during the season. To get a good harvest, beds with seedlings need care and processing, namely the removal of weeds during the weeding process.
It is better to mulch the land around the bushes with straw, sawdust or wood shavings. This technique will keep the berries from contamination and infection with gray rot. Be sure to loosen the soil around the plants, to produce hilling in the event that their root system is bare. Strawberry care consists in digging and planting rosettes with large inflorescences, throwing out unsuitable rosettes with a small inflorescence, no inflorescence or rosettes with a stiff root. Following the recommendations of experienced gardeners, every year you and your family will enjoy a bountiful harvest of homemade fragrant strawberries!
