Tips for growing Victoria outdoors

Previously, only strawberries were grown in Russia - a fragrant and tasty berry, but small and not very fruitful, so today this plant is almost never found in garden plots. It was replaced by large-fruited strawberries brought by seafarers to Europe from America. One of its varieties, called "Victoria", began to spread with particular speed, and soon all strawberries were called Victoria. To get a rich harvest of tasty and healthy berries, you need to know the rules for planting and growing Victoria in areas with open ground.

Victoria boarding time

The best time to plant strawberries is spring or autumn. In spring, plants are planted as early as possible - immediately after warm weather sets in and the threat of return frosts disappears. In the fall, Victoria should be planted from the second half of August to September 15, and then next planting season will please the first berry.

Seedlings with a closed root system, purchased in cassettes or containers, can be planted as early as mid-July. The main thing is to choose a cloudy day for planting and moisten the soil well. Seedlings planted in summer will have time to take root well before winter and will give a full harvest next spring.

Some gardeners grow planting material with their own hands, although this is a long and laborious process. Indeed, it will take at least three years to get a full-fledged independent plant. Therefore, experts advise buying seedlings from well-known nurseries, and preferably in cassettes or containers. This is the safest and fastest way to grow crops.

Site selection

The Victoria site should be sunny and level with a slight southwest slope. It is not worth choosing steep slopes for planting this culture, from which the wind blows off the snow in winter, and the spring waters carry away part of the fertile layer. Lowlands and depressions, where melt water lasts for a long time, are unsuitable for growing strawberries.

The soil on the site should contain a lot of organic matter. Light loam, black soil, or gray forest soil are best suited for growing this berry outdoors. Groundwater should lie at least 1 m to the surface of the earth.

Victoria grows well after herbs, cereals, onions, garlic, petunias, marigolds. You should not plant a berry in the beds where tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers previously grew. After 3-4 years, the plants are transferred to a new location.

Spring planting

For the spring planting of Victoria, the soil must be prepared in advance, even before the beginning of winter. The site must be carefully dug up, weeds must be removed and the following fertilizers must be applied for each square meter of area:

• humus - 9-10 kg;
• superphosphate - 100 g;
• potassium salt - 50g.

Seedlings for planting in the spring must be selected strong and healthy. Before planting in the ground, it should be hardened for several days by placing in a cool place.

Between the plants located in the same row, leave 25-30 cm. To ensure ease of maintenance, the beds are separated by aisles of 40-50 cm wide.

Before planting, the roots of the plant are cut to 10 cm and holes are dug to such a depth that the root system fits vertically. When planting Victoria, special attention should be paid to the location of the neck of the bush.

Important!

The neck of the bush should be flush with the soil surface. At a high planting, the roots can dry out, and at a very deep depth, the plant can rot.

The planted plant is abundantly watered and covered with a special material for frost protection or sunburn.

Planting in autumn

Autumn planting of strawberry seedlings is considered optimal, since a full harvest can be collected from young bushes in the spring of next year. Plants planted in early spring will also start bearing fruit next season, but will have to be cared for all summer.

Before the autumn planting, the site should be processed and prepared in early spring, adding the necessary fertilizers. If every piece of land is valuable in the garden, these beds can be temporarily occupied with onions, garlic or celery, that is, early ripening vegetables.

Before planting seedlings in open ground, the roots should be treated with a preparation against the fungus (fungicide) and young plants should be kept in a cool place for several days.

Growing Victoria

In the first year after planting Victoria in the ground, do not strive to get a large harvest. On the contrary, in order for the plant to strengthen and grow the root system, it is necessary to remove the antennae and flowers that appear.

Caring for adult plants involves a number of activities.

1. Processing of a plot with strawberries. In early spring, as soon as the growing season begins, it is necessary to collect old mulching material from the beds and row spacing, remove dry and damaged leaves, and loosen the soil between the plants.
2. Watering. Large juicy fruits cannot be obtained without organizing correct, balanced watering. There should be enough moisture for the normal growth of the plant, and at the same time, strong waterlogging of the soil can provoke rotting of the root system. Victoria is watered once every 10 days at the rate of 10-12 liters per 1 sq. m starting from mid-April. In the summer, with the onset of heat, the frequency of watering can be increased to 4 times a week. In autumn, in August and September, the number of waterings is reduced to 2 times a week. It is better to carry out watering work in the morning, trying not to get water on the leaves and peduncles. During flowering, drip irrigation is used.
3. Loosening. After the next watering, the soil around the plants and between the rows must be carefully loosened, trying not to damage the adventitious roots that lie at the surface of the earth. This is necessary in order to make the soil breathable and facilitate the flow of oxygen into the root system.
4. Weeding. Planting maintenance involves regularly removing weeds from beds and aisles. Weed grass not only depletes the soil, taking away most of the moisture and nutrients, but also is a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and pests. To stop the emergence of weeds, you can cover the planting area with mulching material: sawdust, wood chips, dry needles - or cover it with agrofibre.

These are the main activities that every gardener who grows Victoria in open areas should regularly carry out.

Leaving during flowering

The first flower stalks appear in mid-May. It is during this period that the future harvest is laid, the quality and quantity of which depends on the correct care. To feed the plant during this period, potash fertilizers, humus and ash are introduced into the soil. You can increase the number of inflorescences using a boric acid solution prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. on a bucket of water, which is sprayed with green bushes.

It is especially important to weed and loosen the area, preventing the appearance and growth of weeds. To get a large berry, you need to use a pruner to remove all excess antennae and leaves that absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.

Fertilizing Victoria

Caring for Victoria cannot be imagined without feeding this plant. Fertilizers should be applied at least three times per season.

• In early spring, after processing the area allotted for the berry, nitroammophoska is introduced into the soil. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which make up this fertilizer, are the most essential substances for plant development.
• During budding, potassium is added to the soil, a large amount of which is contained in ash, infusion of chicken manure, and potassium nitrate.After harvesting the berries, the plants are fed again with nitroammophos, dissolving 2 tbsp. l. in 10 liters of water.
• And the last time Victoria is fed with urea in August. This contributes to the formation of new flower buds and more abundant fruiting next year. The solution is prepared at the rate of 30 g of urea per 10 liters of water.

Important!

On sale there is a complex fertilizer developed specifically for strawberries and increasing yields by 30%.

Growing Victoria is an incredibly rewarding and interesting activity, although it requires certain skills and knowledge. After studying the advice of experts and providing proper care for the plants, it will not be difficult to get a decent harvest of this delicious berry.