I want to tell you about one fragrant and sweet garden culture. This is Strawberry Alba. Description of the variety, photos, reviews of gardeners, as well as methods for its cultivation will be described below. Almost every summer resident has his own favorite variety. But I am sure that at least once a year we think about which variety to plant, and breeders each year bring out more and more new species. How to understand them?
We used to call this delicious berry strawberries, but to be precise, nothing but garden strawberries grows on our beds. This confusion occurred a long time ago, but since in those days people were not very knowledgeable in the botanical subtleties, this generalized name stuck. Moreover, these berries are very similar in shape of fruits and foliage, as well as in taste. Be that as it may, this guest in our open spaces is known to gardeners as strawberries.
Description Alba
This early-ripening (in some sources - ultra-early) variety was bred in Italy by the selection company New Fruits. It belongs to the elite category, it is equally successfully grown both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions.
Strawberry Alba has a good yield - 1.3 kg per bush, but this is the maximum. The average yield of 700-800 g per bush. It is unpretentious, resistant to heat, and also has immunity to most "strawberry" diseases (powdery mildew, bacterial burn, etc.). But strawberry Alba is vulnerable to anthracnosis (black spotting), in case of a disease, it is necessary to treat the bushes with fungicides as early as possible (“Quadris”, “Anraktol).
The bushes are medium in size, compact, the berries are characterized by a slightly elongated shape, a bright rich red hue and luster.
The fruits of this variety have fragrant soft flesh with a sweet and sour flavor, they are quite large, the weight of each berry starts from 20 g and often reaches 50 g.
Alba garden strawberry is perfectly stored and tolerates transportation, retains its useful and taste qualities when frozen. This variety can be safely used for canning, as well as processed in any way you like - confiture, jams, juices, sauces, etc. The berries begin to redden around the second week of May.
Gardeners reviews strawberry variety Alba
Yesterday, we picked the first berries of Alba, the size of the first - impressive! Neither taste nor smell lag behind! Generally: I really liked the variety, a really tasty berry! There are practically no small ones, the first are very large, the next are medium, and most importantly, the transportable berry. Of course, not so that it was possible to throw into the wall, but rather plump. View of 5+. I think the variety will become one of the most beloved!
furika
http://forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3195&page=5
For me, Alba is one of the best varieties. When the frost-free year happens, and at least half of such years, it is Alba on your list that will begin the berry season. Moreover, a minimum of 5 days earlier than the rest, and most likely a week.
Question
http://forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=7377
Yes, the flavor is not really. The color is bright crimson, the gloss is as if plastic. The taste is ordinary, but for the early one it will.
ALEXEY TORSHIN
http://club.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=1585
We have been growing Alba for 2 years. This year in our region, she was a favorite in the market for marketability and price. After the berry turns red, you need to stand on the bushes for 2-3 days, then it gains the appropriate taste.
Alexander Krymsky
http://forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3195&page=3
Whatever is written here, but Alba has the first long-awaited berry. And it’s worth a lot .. Yes, it’s huge, with strawberry aroma and a very decent taste. I have. In the sun and on the span.
Irina Mirnaya
http://forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3195&page=23
The variety has great potential. Ripening early. The berry is very large, bright red, shiny, beautiful in shape. Transportability is very high. Productivity should be high. Resistance to diseases and pests is high. Bushes are powerful. I have not figured out the shortcomings yet, I have been growing it for two years, I haven’t noticed any special ones, but I definitely have one - the flower stalks do not withstand the weight of the berries and lie down. But Alba, I think is suitable for industrial cultivation. It is difficult to find a variety of such early ripening, with such a large and beautiful berry.
Oleg Saveyko
http://forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3195
Pros and Cons of Strawberry Alba
After reading the reviews of summer residents and gardeners at various thematic forums, about strawberry Alba you can get a general, very positive picture.
Pros:
- Ripens early and pleases with a generous harvest.
- Prolonged fruiting.
- Berries do not grow smaller throughout the ripening period.
- Having reached a state of full ripeness, Alba can remain on the bushes for a rather long time, without losing the “salable” appearance and taste.
- It can be grown even in flower pots.
- It reproduces without problems through the removal and subsequent rooting of the mustache. The cut mustache maintains germination for a long time.
- Drought-resistant, frost-resistant, disease-resistant, practically undemanding to agricultural technology.
- Great variety for greenhouse cultivation.
- It shows a very good result when landing on covering material (spanbond, lutrasil, agrospan). Most positive reviews were noted when landing Alba on black non-woven material.
Minuses:
- Strawberry variety Alba is vulnerable to black, white and brown spotting. Especially should be wary of anthracnose (black spotting).
- Some summer residents believe that the taste of Alba is not sweet enough. Here you can recall the well-known saying: “to taste and color ...”, however, it should be recognized that the berries of this variety are not the most sugary, but they are very tasty and like by many. They are the very first!
Strawberry Growing Tips Alba
Strawberry Alba propagated by replanting bushes, mustache and seed method. As practice shows, the reproduction of the mustache is the most convenient and effortless. The method of growing seedlings in pots and its subsequent planting in open ground also gives excellent results. As already mentioned above, the unpretentiousness of this variety also extends to the type of soil - Alba garden strawberries take root on almost any soil. Of course, no one cancels the “standard” care measures, like any garden crop, this strawberry prefers timely loosening of the soil, removal of weeds and regular watering. Do not allow stagnation of water!
Before planting bushes, it is advisable to saturate the earth with organic fertilizers and mineral additives. Strawberries Alba can be planted in the ground at any time - from early spring to late autumn. In this case, you should know that seedlings must have time to take root before the onset of frost (15-20 days before they arrive). The most commonly used planting scheme: a distance of about 20 cm between the bushes, a distance between the beds - 40 cm. Additionally, you can cover the beds with mulch, hay, mowed grass, sawdust, rotted compost or agrofiber mentioned above are well suited for this.
Strawberry Alba shows excellent germination when sowing seeds. This process is recommended to be carried out from the 10th of January to the end of February. Suitable soil mixtures can be purchased at the store, and peat tablets that are optimally suited for these purposes can also be bought there. Before sowing, strawberry seeds should be soaked in clean water for a couple of days, water, of course, should be changed every day. After this time, the seed is scattered in small beds, which must be formed in advance on the soil surface in the planting tank.
Please note that strawberry / strawberry seeds should not be buried in the soil when sowing! For the same reason, the method of sowing seeds on snow, which is evenly spread over the ground, is quite often and successfully used. Thus, the snow gradually melts and, as it were, slightly pulls the seeds into the ground. After that, the drawer or cassettes are covered with glass (you can use cling film), transferred to a warm place, a temperature of +23 .. + 25 ° C is considered optimal in this case.
Watering should be done using a spray gun, clean water at room temperature. After germination, we transfer the "garden" to the windowsill, to the light. Further, periodic ventilation is recommended, and when the first pair of leaflets appears on the sprouts, the protective coating can be removed. Alba garden strawberry dives around the last days of March, by this time the seedlings already have three or four full leaves. Re-dive is carried out after 1.5-2 months after the first. Plants are planted on garden beds when they reach 5 or 7 cm in height, but they can please you with a crop only after a year.
The most convenient way, giving 100% survival, is propagation by a mustache. In advance (approximately in June), select the strongest, most fruitful bushes on your bed, select two or three powerful mustaches with first-order rosettes at these bushes. Next, take a cassette for seedlings (or a plastic cup) filled with moistened soil, carefully pin the socket to the ground with a wire pin. In order not to deplete the vitality of the mother bush, all unnecessary mustaches must be cut off. You should also remove the processes of the second and third order, extending from the rooted outlet. Water the "kids" daily, but do not allow overflows. When the roots of the rosette get stronger, and 5-6 leaves appear on the bush, the plant can be separated from the main bush. After that, you can transplant the outlet to a permanent place of growth. The plant must be carefully removed from the tank with an earthen lump, after planting, well watered.
That's all the wisdom in growing this productive and undemanding variety. You certainly will not be disappointed if strawberry Alba finds its place on your site, varieties description, photos, reviews of gardeners, I hope, will help you in this matter!