Garden strawberries Asia is one of the new Italian varieties that attract our gardeners with their productivity and excellent commercial qualities. We learn how to grow this heat-loving variety in a temperate climate.
Strawberry Asia: High Yield Mid-Early Variety
The berries are large and dense.
Strawberry bush "Asia"
Where did the variety come from?
The variety was bred by Italian breeders in 2005. The patent for Asia is New Fruits. The variety was created for industrial cultivation in the climate of northern Italy, but became popular among ordinary gardeners. And not only in the north of the Apennine Peninsula, "Asia" is now actively grown in Russia, especially in its southern regions.
Description of strawberry features
Short botanical description:
- Bushes. Large, sprawling, with a moderate number of leaves and a powerful, well-developed root system. The plant forms many peduncles and rosettes. The number of whiskers is moderate.
- Leaves. Large, glossy, saturated green. A little corrugated, the edges are torn.
- Fruit. Large, one-dimensional, with a shiny, glossy surface. The shape is conical. Seeds are yellow, medium pressed. The sepal is bright green, elevated. At the stage of technical ripeness, the tip of the berry retains a white-green color. Full staining occurs upon final maturation. Berries easily come off the stalks.
Characteristics of the variety Asia:
Specifications | Value / Description |
Ripening time | medium early (first berries appear in June) |
Bloom | in the month of May |
Fruiting | uniform, about three weeks |
Productivity | 1-1.2 kg per bush |
Berry weight | the average weight of berries is 30-35 g (in the first half of fruiting, up to 90 g are found; giants usually differ from the standard berries in a modified form) |
Life cycle | 4 years |
Disease and pest resistance | resistant to spotting, fungi and diseases of the root system; susceptible to powdery mildew, chlorosis and anthracnose |
Drought tolerance | high |
Frost resistance | withstands up to -15 degrees Celsius (It is advisable to grow in greenhouses, and when growing in open ground, it is necessary to shelter for the winter) |
Taste and Aroma | the pulp is sweet and juicy, with a bright strawberry aroma (no internal voids) |
Tasting rating | 4,6 |
Appointment | universal (suitable for any purpose, including for freezing) |
Transportability | high |
Safety | high |
We also offer a video review of the harvest of this strawberry variety:
Comparison of Asia with other varieties
Compared with similar varieties - with similar ripening dates, yield and purpose, the variety "Asia" has many significant advantages:
- The main quality that distinguishes Asia from other large-fruited varieties is the absence of voids. True, subject to proper watering.
- High adaptive abilities - a variety intended for hot Italy, easily adapts to new climatic conditions.
- High productivity, transportability and safety. The variety is profitable for sale.
- It can be grown in any conditions - in open and closed ground, in bags.
- Very sweet berries. They do not lose their taste after heat treatment and freezing.
- High resistance to strawberry diseases.
In the category of medium early varieties, Asia has a leading position in taste. With good transportability, Asia is inferior in this matter to the mid-early varieties Elegans, Figaro, Raurika and Roxana. The variety yielded to them in yield.
Among the disadvantages of the variety Asia is the demanding on agricultural technology. Unlike the usual, “folk” varieties, Italian wild strawberries require a lot of care, but its crops are more generous. The minuses of the variety also include the need for winter warming and vulnerability to some serious diseases.
How can a variety be propagated?
Strawberries "Asia" propagated in any convenient way:
- Mustache. This is the easiest, most convenient and efficient way to reproduce. The variety gives a little mustache, so you should not delete everything. Reproduction order:
- Pin the outlet located near the mother bush to the soil, cut the rest of the mustache. They choose the first outlet from the bush - it is stronger than others and will give berries already next summer.
- In August, when the rosettes take root, separate them from the bush with a disinfected knife - cut the mustache. Then dig a socket with a lump of soil.
- Planted seedlings for growing - in a specially designated bed, and in the spring they can be transplanted to a permanent place.
- By dividing the bush. For propagation in this way, the best bushes are chosen - healthy, powerful, without any signs of illness. Reproduction order:
- Dig a bush, brush off the soil from the roots.
- Rinse the roots with warm water.
- Using a sharp and clean knife, divide the bush into several parts - a dividend. Each dividend should have roots and a horn.
- Sprinkle the slices with powder - crushed activated carbon.
- Plant delenki immediately to a permanent place.
- The seeds. Gardeners use this method infrequently. Reproduction order:
- Soak the seeds in melt water, place in a cool place. Seeds are laid out on a cotton pad. Soaking lasts 2-3 days.
- Prepare a substrate of turf, peat and sand. Pour the substrate into the container. Snow is above, and then seeds. Sprinkle the seeds with a substrate is not necessary - the snow will melt and pull them inland.
- Cover the container with a transparent lid. Refrigerate for 2 weeks.
- Take out the container and place in a warm place. Sprouts will appear in a week. Water the plantings as needed.
- When 2-3 real leaflets appear, open the cover.
- Seedlings seedlings in glasses.
- Plant seedlings on the bed when the danger of return frosts disappears.
Right and wrong neighborhood cultures
Choosing a site for garden strawberries, as well as planting vegetables, shrubs, flowers, take into account their compatibility with the berry. Distinguish cultures:
- Favorable Garden strawberries get along well with beans, spinach, parsley, garlic, lettuce, onions, radishes, radishes, beets, as well as herbs - sage and cucumber grass.
- Unfavorable. You can’t plant all vegetables of the solanaceous and cloves, raspberries, sunflowers, Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish nearby with wild strawberries.
It is useful to plant parsley between strawberry beds - it repels slugs well.
Site selection and soil preparation
Optimal conditions for the site for planting varieties Asia:
- Good light. Slight shade at noon is possible.
- Protection from northerly and gusty winds.
- Ground water should not be closer than 0.8 m from the surface of the soil. If there is a threat of flooding, arrange drainage or high beds (30-40 cm high).
- The site is chosen out of the blue, and if it is located on a slope, then it should have a slope of 2-4 degrees. In such areas, the soil is warming up earlier.
When the site is selected, proceed to its preparation. The soil is prepared in advance, preferably a month before planting strawberry seedlings. If planting is done in spring, then the land is usually prepared in the fall.
Soil preparation procedure:
- Dig the ground 30 cm deep.
- When digging, remove weed roots from the soil. Especially carefully - the rhizomes of wheatgrass, thistle and dandelions. If the debris is large, it is possible to treat with herbicides - Roundund, Tornado, Hurricane, etc.
- Eliminate all harmful insects that live in the soil - wireworms, larvae of May beetles, etc. If there are many pests, treat the soil with Actofit, Aktellik or another suitable insecticide.
- If strawberries are to be planted on loam or clay soils, add humus, rotted manure or compost to the soil to loosen. Norma - 1 square bucket m. To improve the structure of the soil, add sand or sawdust.
- If the soil is acidified, then add ash - 2 cups per 1 square. m
- Fertilize the soil with potash fertilizers - 10-15 g per 1 sq. Km. m, and phosphorus - 20-30 g.
- Immediately before planting, water the soil with a solution of copper sulfate. On a bucket - 2 tbsp. l Irrigation rate - 1 square bucket m
Seedling preparation
For planting, quality seedlings are selected:
- with a fibrous root system, about 5-7 cm long;
- horn thickness - 0.7-1 cm;
- 2-3 developed leaflets.
Pickled seedlings are taken out to a sunny place before planting. Plants are gradually hardened so that planting in the ground does not become stress for them. Start with half an hour, and gradually increase the hardening time to 3-4 hours. Containers with seedlings are taken out onto the street or onto the balcony. Before planting, the roots of the plants are immersed for several hours in a growth stimulator. Immediately before planting, the roots are also dipped in a clay mash.
It is recommended to disinfect purchased seedlings before planting. In a bucket of water, dissolve copper sulfate (1 tsp) and table salt (3 tbsp. L.). In the solution, the roots of the seedlings can withstand 10-15 minutes.
Landing Methods
Asia strawberry seedlings are planted in three ways:
- In a checkerboard pattern. This method of planting saves area without prejudice to seedlings in nutrition and lighting. Landing procedure:
- On the formed beds, dig holes, backing 15 cm from the edge. The depth of the holes is 10-15 cm, the width is 30-40 cm. The intervals between adjacent holes are 40 cm.
- Place the next row at an interval of 25 cm from the first row. Moreover, dig holes in the second row in a checkerboard pattern with respect to the holes in the first row.
- After pinching the roots of the seedlings, plant them so that the growth point is at ground level.
- Water the planting and sprinkle with mulch - sawdust, humus, straw or mowed grass. Mulch layer - 5 cm.
- In rows. The most traditional way of landing. Procedure:
- Dig a trench along the garden bed, departing from the edge of 15 cm. Dig a second row parallel to the first, departing 40 cm from the first.
- Pour the dug trenches.
- Arrange seedlings along rows. The interval between neighboring ones is 40 cm.
- Root the seedlings with soil. Spread the roots, they should be located vertically. The growth point - the "heart", should be located at the level of the soil.
- Pour warm water over the rows. Sprinkle the soil between the seedlings of mulch - straw, sawdust, hay.
- In peat bags. The variety is successfully grown without soil - according to Dutch technology. If strawberries are grown in greenhouses, then a year they get several crops. In bags you can grow strawberries without a greenhouse.
The technology greatly facilitates maintenance - no need to loosen the soil and remove weeds, it is convenient to pick berries, they are clean, not covered with soil. Pure berries are less affected by gray rot. To use this advanced technology, you will need bags (you can use ordinary ones from flour or sugar), peat, perlite and potash fertilizers. Step-by-step instructions for planting strawberries in bags:- After mixing the ingredients, make a nutrient substrate.
- Make holes in the bags. Lateral - for seedlings, below - for the flow of water.
- Fold the substrate. Water it.
- Plant strawberry seedlings in the side holes.
- Fold the bags horizontally or vertically - at intervals of 50 cm from each other.
- When growing strawberries in a greenhouse, it is necessary to organize lighting with lamps and drip irrigation.
After landing care
Features of care for young strawberry bushes:
- Top dressing. Young seedlings do not need fertilizing during the first season - enough fertilizer has been applied to the soil before planting.
- Watering. Water the planted strawberries as needed - the soil should always be slightly moistened, but not flooded.
Subsequent agricultural technology
After planting, garden strawberries Asia needs regular maintenance:
- Watering. The variety loves moisture. But it tolerates drought well - it can tolerate several days of dryness without any special consequences. Watering is recommended infrequent, but plentiful, as the soil dries. In the hot period, plantations are watered every 2-3 days - 3 liters under one bush. You can not often and gradually water the planting - this can cause fungal diseases.
- Loosening. Weeds periodically weed and loosen the soil. If you do not want to do this, use black agrofibre for planting.
- Mulching. After watering, the soil is sprinkled with mulch - mowed grass or straw. The procedure prevents moisture evaporation and weed growth.
- Top dressing. At the beginning of the growing season, plants need a lot of nitrogen fertilizers, while fruiting - organic. Root and foliar top dressing is carried out 3 times per season. To strengthen the immunity of strawberries, it is regularly fed with mineral fertilizers and microelements. Since Asia is a non-maintenance variety that produces one crop, it does not need frequent feeding.
Dates and dosage of fertilizer application:
Period | Top dressing |
Spring. The beginning of the growing season. | Urea (50-60 g) and ash (2 tbsp.) Per 1 square. You can read more about spring feeding strawberries on the pages of our website. |
Before flowering | Mullein or bird droppings dissolved in water at a ratio of 1:15 and 1:30, respectively (1 l per bush). Foliar top dressing with special fertilizers for strawberries is recommended - Agricola or Ovary (dilution according to instructions). |
After fruiting. End of August-beginning of September. | A solution of mullein or bird droppings (1 liter per bush). Chemical fertilizers (potassium sulfate, superphosphate, nitrophosphate, etc.) - granules are scattered on the surface of the soil, loosened and then watered. |
End of September | Organic fertilizers - rotted manure or compost. |
When applying nitrogen fertilizers, it is important not to exceed the norm - excess will adversely affect the size and taste of the fruit.
Disease, treatment and prevention
The variety Asia is resistant to most diseases of strawberries. And if you provide the culture with proper care, then the risks of disease are minimal. For prophylaxis, plants are occasionally treated with infusion of garlic, and in spring and autumn they are watered with potassium permanganate.
Common diseases of the variety Asia and the fight against them:
Disease | Symptoms | How to fight? |
Powdery mildew | The whole aerial part of the plant is affected. The leaves curl, turn purple, become covered with a coating. The berries are deformed, smell like mushrooms. | Before budding - spraying with a solution of copper sulfate and laundry soap (on a bucket - 20 g each). They are also treated with fungicides - Topaz and Azocene. |
Anthracnose | Petioles and mustaches are covered with pressed red-brown ulcers, then they blacken, the plant fades. | Processing by Horus (according to the instructions). |
Chlorosis | Leaves become pale, then yellow, dry out. | Heterophos soil treatment - granules are scattered across the soil and then watered. |
For the purpose of prevention, only healthy seedlings are planted, previously matured in a fungicide solution - the roots are lowered for half an hour, for example, in Horus (6-8 l - 2 g).
Pests and the fight against them
The variety Asia is most often affected by mites - strawberry and spider. Strawberries nematodes and weevils can also crop the Vedas.
Common pests of the variety Asia and their control:
Pests | Harm | How to fight? |
Strawberry Nematode | Small worms - up to 1 mm long, parasitize on the plant, leading to metabolic disorders and the almost complete disappearance of berries. The leaves are deformed, the flowers become dirty green, the fruits are small, ugly. | Before landing - a contrast shower (48 ° C - for 10 minutes, cold - for 15 minutes). |
Weevil | Larvae eats pedicels. | Processing at the stage of budding Inta-Vir. |
Straw Mite | Suck the juices from the leaves - they become shriveled and oily. | Treatment with colloidal sulfur or Karbofos - in early spring. 2 weeks before flowering - Neoron. |
The main preventive measure to prevent the defeat of strawberries by pests is to observe crop rotation. All diseased bushes must be dug up and destroyed.
Strawberry wintering
Italian strawberries are not very frost-resistant, it is not for nothing that they are grown mainly in the southern regions. In an area with severe winters, shelter is indispensable. Landings shelter when a negative daytime temperature is set on the street. If you cover strawberries earlier, it will just sopret.
The easiest way is to cover the planting with straw. But this method has a serious minus - they like to climb rodents into the straw, which can damage the bushes. The best option is lapnik or spanbond. You can also build mini-tunnels - put over the beds of arc of plastic, and when it gets colder, pull agrofibre on them. The minimum density of agrofibre is 50 g per 1 square. The microclimate, ideal for wintering, is formed in the shelter - the bushes will not sap and will not freeze.
How to harvest and maintain the crop?
The berries are picked a bit unripe, and immediately placed in a container for storage or transportation - in one layer. Pick fruits with sepals. Shelf life at a temperature of 0-2 ° C - three days.
Reviews about the grade "Asia"
Anton P., Simferopol. Planted several Italian varieties. Roxanne and Adria took root normally, but Asia blundered. I had to restore my seedlings. Minus - affected by chlorosis. The berries themselves are beautiful, tasty and transportable.
Victoria, Moscow Region. Asia turned out to be much tastier and sweeter than Alba. It has a special strawberry aroma, and the berries are large, there are practically no trifles. Well propagated by its seedlings. Very interesting variety - early, tasty, ideal for sale.
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The variety Asia, having recently appeared in Russia, is rapidly gaining popularity. Having slightly adjusted agricultural technology, our gardeners and farmers can successfully grow this delicious Italian variety in a temperate climate.
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