Forest strawberries - a berry with a special "strawberry" smell, which garden analogues cannot compare with. If desired, this wild plant can be grown in your own garden. We learn how to plant wild strawberries, how to care for it and get a decent harvest.
Description
Wild strawberries are valued for delicious berries and healing properties. It is often called wild or ordinary in botany. The Latin name is fragare. Derived from the word, which translates as "fragrance."
In the wild strawberry, all parts of the plant are healing - berries, leaves, rhizomes, shoots.
Appearance
Strawberry forest - a perennial herbaceous plant and the most common species of the Rosaceae family. The height of the strawberry bush reaches 20 cm.
Short botanical description:
- Root system. Strawberries have a short, obliquely growing rhizome, from which numerous brown branches are branched. On horizontal roots shoots sprout, where strawberry buds are laid. A year later, peduncles sprout from them.
- Stem. Erect type, well leafy, covered with tiny bristles. Mustaches grow in the axils of the root foliage, due to which the plant propagates vegetatively.
- Leaves. They are of the triple type, planted on long petioles. Color - dark green, with a bluish underside, with soft pubescence. The form is ovoid and rhombic.
- Flowers. White, bisexual, with five petals. They are collected in corymbose inflorescences and sit on elongated pedicels.
- Fruit. These are achenes drowned in a fleshy red receptacle - a berry.
Strawberries bloom from April to June, and the berries begin to ripen in June. Fruiting lasts until the fall.
Berries
The shape of strawberries is ovoid or round. Color - deep red or ruby. Unripe berries are pinkish, with green-white spots. The "bones" of a golden green hue are recessed in the flesh. The semen is firmly attached to the berry, so it comes off with it.
Strawberries are juicy, tasty and sweet, with a strong aroma. Maximum weight - 2 g. The pulp is dense. Berries do not crumple, do not let juice in and are well transported.
Composition and properties
Strawberries contain up to 15% of sugars. They also have a huge amount of nutrients, thanks to which the berries are used for medicinal and preventive purposes.
How does the composition of berries on beneficial properties:
- cellulose cleanses the intestines, lowers cholesterol;
- fructose gives energy;
- glucose improves brain function;
- organic acids maintain acid-base balance;
- mineral salts contribute to the formation of bone tissue;
- pectin normalizes the work of the digestive tract, heart, blood vessels;
- carotene boosts immunity;
- essential oil relieves inflammation, rejuvenates, soothes;
- tannins prevent dysbiosis.
As part of strawberries, a whole set of vitamins: A, B1, B2, C, E, PP. In 100 g of wild strawberries only 32 kcal. Suitable for diet food.
Prevalence
Wild strawberries are widespread throughout the world. Its habitat is the European part of Russia, Siberia, part of the Urals, Altai, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Baltic states, forests of Ukraine and Belarus, some regions of America.
Places where wild strawberry is found:
- clearings and woodlands;
- edges and glades;
- rare shrubs;
- forest meadows and hillocks;
- old burns.
Strawberries, unlike many forest berries, are not inclined to form large thickets. The plant is depressingly affected by grass. To collect at least a glass of berries, you have to spend a lot of energy.
The largest and most productive strawberry “colonies” are found on fresh clearings. This berry loves light, so look for it where the sun falls.
Does wild strawberry have varieties?
Forest strawberries are the oldest species from which breeders have not yet been able to obtain varieties that would be at least somewhat different from each other. They tried to cultivate this wild berry for a long time, but all attempts, except one, were unsuccessful.
The only kind of forest strawberry that could be introduced into the culture was alpine strawberry. It is assumed that it appeared due to a successful genetic mutation.
Features of alpine strawberries:
- berries are larger than in the forest;
- the form is more elongated;
- does not form a mustache;
- remontant - flower stalks form during the entire warm season.
Fields of application
The use of wild strawberries is limited by economic and climatic aspects. This berry is demanding on growing conditions, and its yield is extremely low. In addition, strawberries are harvested manually.
There is evidence that people used wild strawberries as food in the Mesolithic era. It was introduced into the culture in the 15-17th century. Forest berry gave rise to many varieties of strawberries and strawberries. Common strawberries cultivated in the garden or harvested in the forest are used for food and medicinal purposes.
How to use wild strawberries:
- Berries are eaten fresh, prepared jam, compotes, liquors, etc.
- Dried berries are used for medicinal purposes.
- Leaves, mustaches and rhizomes are collected for the manufacture of medicines.
- The plant is used as a honey plant. Strawberries bloom early, bees collect pollen and nectar from it.
Growing wild strawberries
If you create favorable conditions for wild strawberries, it can grow safely in your garden. The best time to plant wild strawberries is spring. In the middle lane it is recommended to land in April or May.
In early spring, wild strawberry leaves are collected and tea made from them. The leaves of garden strawberries and strawberries are not suitable for this.
Where to get seedlings?
Wild strawberry seedlings are taken in the forest, in the field, wherever it does not harm the ecosystem. The second option is to buy outlets on the market. The seller must be reliable, as under the guise of wild berries they can sell remontant strawberries.
Sockets dug in the forest are recommended to be planted on the same day. To make the bushes take root faster, try to dig them out with a lump of earth. Transport seedlings by wrapping them with a damp cloth.
How to prepare beds?
Strawberry beds are arranged on flat sunny areas protected from the winds. Strawberry bushes can be planted around the perimeter of the trunk circles. Its roots are located close to the surface, and nutrients from trees and bushes are not taken away.
It is not worth raising strawberries on higher ground - in winter the wind will blow the snow. Plants will freeze or freeze completely. In summer, there will be a lack of moisture in such areas, and the berries, already small, will grow even smaller.
How to prepare a plot for strawberries:
- Strawberries love weakly acidic and neutral soils that contain enough humus. Spread manure, compost or humus in the area - in a bucket of 1 square meter. m, superphosphate - 50 g and potassium sulfate - 30 g
- Dig the ground on a bayonet shovel in the fall. Do not break the lumps - let them lie all winter. When planting in autumn, prepare the site in 2-3 weeks.
- In the spring, flatten the dug up area with a rake. If rhizomes and debris come across, remove them.
Landing
Gardeners claim that bushes planted in late May or early June are best established. Landing is done on a cloudy or rainy day or in the morning / evening.
Disembarkation Procedure:
- On the prepared beds, make small holes at intervals of 30-40 cm. The size of the recess should be such that the roots fit comfortably in it. Focus on their size when digging.
- Pour about 0.5 L of water into the wells.
- When the water is absorbed, dip the roots of the strawberries into the holes. Spread the rhizomes, sprinkle with soil and compact with your hands. When planting, place the sockets so that their apical buds are at ground level.
- Pour the planted seedlings with water. One bucket should be enough for about 15-20 outlets.
Care
They look after wild strawberries in the same way as cultivated analogues. To grow berries, you will need standard care - with top dressing, watering and other agricultural activities. Although this wild strawberry is wild, you can’t count on a decent harvest without care.
Care Features:
- Remove dry leaves and mustache in spring. Do not cut them off, but carefully cut them with a knife. Remove plant debris from the beds and burn, as they may contain pathogens and pests.
- Since spring, regularly loosen the soil. The depth of cultivation in the spring is 5-6 cm, in the autumn - 2-3 cm. Before wintering, open the aisles to a depth of 10-12 cm.
- Adult bushes regularly spud, raking the ground to the plants.
- Water the beds regularly. Watering allows you to get larger berries. Strawberry irrigation schedule:
- after flowering;
- after each berry picking;
- after fruiting is completed;
- in the fall during the laying of flower buds.
Forest strawberries, unlike garden straws, do not need to be covered with film in spring - hardy berries grow well without shelter.
Top dressing
In nature, wild strawberries manage to grow and bear fruit without any fertilizers. But in order to get a substantial crop, the plant is fed.
Feeding schedule:
- The first feeding. Deposit at the end of April or early May. Prepare a solution - 1/2 liter of mullein, previously diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 6. Pour the solution into a bucket of water, add superphosphate - 60 g and wood ash - 2 tbsp. l
- The second top dressing. It is carried out before flowering. Prepare a solution of superphosphate - 2 tbsp. l and wood ash - 3 tbsp. l., diluting them in a bucket of water.
- The third top dressing. It is carried out after fruiting is completed. Water the beds first, and then add ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate, respectively, 10 and 20 g per linear meter.
Instead of mineral fertilizers, you can add organic matter. Spread the slurry 1: 6. Add top dressing at the rate of 3-5 liters per 1 sq. m
- The fourth feeding. It is carried out in late summer or early September. Add mineral fertilizers - superphosphate and potassium salt of 50 g and 25 g, respectively, for each running meter.
Pest and Disease Control
Wild strawberry is a hardy plant with good immunity, but it also needs protection. This is especially important when finding wild strawberries in garden plots, as there is an increased risk of the spread of diseases and pests.
Pest Control Methods:
- Raspberry-strawberry weevil. A pest damages buds and leaves. Before flowering, spray strawberries with a tansy decoction. Pour 1.5 kg of fresh raw materials or 0.8 kg of dry water into a bucket. Having insisted 2 days, boil for half an hour, strain and bring the volume to 10 liters. Add laundry soap - 40 g.
If the weevil has nevertheless appeared on plants, spray them with IntaVir. To do this, dilute one tablet in a bucket of water. After picking berries, treat the Actellic bushes (dissolve 15 g in a bucket of water). - Strawberry mite. The pest sucks the juices from the leaves, because of which they acquire a brown hue and dry out. Strawberry bushes weaken. Before flowering, spray strawberry beds with infusion of onion peel (0.2 kg of raw material, leave for 5 days in a bucket of water).
If the mites appeared after harvesting, mow the foliage and treat the bushes with Fufanon (10 ml per bucket of water). - Slug. To drive away the voracious gastropods, sprinkle slaked lime, tobacco dust mixed with wood ash 1: 1 or with superphosphate between the rows.
Disease Control Methods:
- Powdery Mildew Spray the plants before flowering with a solution by mixing soap and soda ash - 200 g and 50 g, respectively - in a bucket of water. Or dilute copper sulfate in the same volume of water - 100 g and 350 g of soap.
If plants were damaged in the previous year, be sure to spray strawberries with Topaz (2 ml per bucket of water) after harvesting. Or treat plantings with colloidal sulfur (80 g per bucket of water). - Gray rot. Sprinkle the buds with garlic infusion. To do this, grind 150 g of raw materials and fill it with a bucket of water. Insist 2 days.
- Spotting. Before the first leaves appear, before flowering and after harvesting, treat the beds with an antifungal agent. The best option is a 1 percent Bordeaux fluid.
To prevent the spread of fungal infection, straw is spread on the beds or a film is spread, and flower stalks are raised above the soil by means of special supports.
Breeding
Forest strawberries are best propagated with a mustache. They are shoots creeping on the ground. For seedlings, take outlets, separated from the mustache.
How to propagate strawberries with a mustache:
- At the end of the summer, dig and separate the rosettes from the mustache.
- On the prepared beds, plant outlets, observing the intervals between the bushes of 30 cm, between the rows - 50 cm.
- Water the plants, repeat watering after a week.
- Mulch the landings.
To get high-quality planting material, pre-select bushes that will become queen cells. Tear off the buds on them in the spring so that they spend all their energy on forming rosettes.
Strawberries are also propagated by seeds, but this method is longer in comparison with vegetative propagation. How to propagate strawberries with seeds:
- Sow the seeds in February.
- As soon as the first five leaves appear, transplant the seedlings into separate containers.
- Take care of strawberry seedlings, like any seedlings - water, loosen, provide lighting.
- Plant the finished seedlings on the beds.
Suitable time for planting seedlings is the end of April or the first half of May.
Collection and storage
Berries are harvested after they reach full maturity. Collect in dry weather, morning or evening. Pick only ripe wild strawberries.
How to keep the crop:
- Freezing The berries are washed, the stalks are removed, put in small containers and placed in freezers or chests.
- Drying. The berries are dried along with the stem and leaves. Torn raw materials are tied into bouquets and hung in a warm, ventilated room. After a week of drying, they are removed, put into glass jars and corked with lids.
Berries are dried without stalks. They are not washed before drying. Strawberries are laid out on baking sheets and put in the oven, setting the temperature + 30 ° C. First, the berries are dried, then the temperature is increased to + 50 ° C and dried to condition. - Jam. It is cooked by mixing with sugar 1: 1. Before cooking, the berries, covered with sugar, should stand for 6 hours. Next, a basin with strawberries is placed on the stove, citric acid is added and boiled. After the brew boils, it is kept on fire for 6 minutes.
Sugar should completely dissolve during cooking. Ready jam is poured into jars, covered with lids and put in a dark cool place.
Other parts of strawberries are also subject to harvesting - leaves, mustaches, roots. They are harvested in spring or autumn by drying. Raw materials are laid out under awnings or on balconies.
Wild strawberries are not an alternative to gardening. Too different volumes of the resulting crop. This fragrant berry is planted as a pleasant bonus to strawberries. You can’t get large workpieces from it, but you can manage to enjoy fresh berries and grow healthy raw materials without much effort and time.
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