Strawberry variety Black Prince
Black Prince is a non-repairable variety of garden strawberries (strawberries) of medium ripening, universal cultivation purpose. Bred by Italian breeders of the New fruits company, in the city of Cesena. The variety appeared a long time ago, but now it competes very successfully with modern popular varieties. Our hero is distinguished by high yield, unpretentiousness, good winter hardiness and, of course, excellent taste and attractive presentation of berries. The Black Prince got its name due to the characteristic dark cherry color of the fruit.
The plant is medium-sized, abundantly leafy, very spreading. The root system of strawberries is powerful, the bush quickly builds up its vegetative mass. The mustache is thick, formed in moderate quantities, with age, the assimilation ability decreases. Leaves are medium in size, slightly wrinkled, dark green in color with a glossy sheen. Peduncles are long, rather thick, strong, but under the weight of large fruits they can be laid on the ground. The cultivar has short stalks.
Berries of the Black Prince are medium in size, have a wide conical rounded shape. The skin is dark red; when fully ripe, it acquires a dark cherry hue. Achenes yellow, depressed to medium depth. The pulp is bright red, juicy, without voids, rather dense, but not firm.
The fruits have a pronounced strawberry aroma and a wonderful sweet and sour taste, which is best manifested when the berries are fully ripe. Strawberries tolerate transportation well, do not wrinkle or leak, and are also great for long-term storage (about a week). The berries are universal in use, suitable for any processing, as well as for freezing, but, according to gardeners, fresh fruits are so tasty that there is simply no way for blanks. The black prince is distinguished by the uniformity of berries in shape and size, which makes it very attractive in the market. In addition, the unusual dark color makes it mysterious, riveting the attention of buyers to the "cherry" strawberries.
In an average mass, the berries are not very large, the weight is 20-30 grams, however, specimens weighing 50 grams are often formed. The variety is characterized by stable long-term fruiting, the berries are only slightly smaller by the end of the season. Ripening begins around the 20th of June, fruits continue to form until early autumn. The yield of the Black Prince is very decent, it is possible to get up to 1 kg of berries from one plant. This figure does not seem impressive, but the variety is perfect for intensive cultivation with compacted plantings, while showing results of 20-30 t / ha, and this is not the limit.
Strawberries have good winter hardiness, can withstand cold temperatures down to -20 ° C with a small amount of snow, but shelter is highly desirable. Frost resistance is also good, plants will tolerate spring frosts calmly, but they will, of course, be more comfortable under covering materials. It is worth saying that this Italian has adapted very well to the difficult climate of Central Russia, and shows excellent results in the more northern regions. But the Black Prince cannot boast of drought resistance and heat resistance, so growing in hot regions can become problematic. On the other hand, this nuance is rather easily solved by shading and regular watering.
The variety is highly resistant to a variety of diseases, suitable for organic farming, since it does not need chemical treatments. May be slightly affected by spotting. Plants are also invulnerable to pests, but prevention will not hurt, you can use folk remedies.
One of the most important virtues of the Black Prince is his longevity.Without rejuvenation, strawberries can bear fruit at a high level for more than 7 years! This indicator will be the envy of many modern popular varieties that cannot withstand more than 2-3 years of use. By the way, our hero is not just a long-liver; with age, he even "gains momentum." So, the peak yield is observed in the period from the second to the fourth year of plant life on the site. According to some reports, the plantation is highly productive even for 10 years. However, it is still better to update the planting material as needed so that the variety continues to delight you with large numerous berries.
In leaving, our hero is unpretentious and quite simple, does not require special attention to himself. Watering and fertilizing, weeding, loosening the soil, preventive treatments as needed - that's all he needs. But, as already mentioned, the Black Prince is suitable for intensive cultivation technology. Thus, the more effort and time you spend on grooming, the more response you can expect from strawberries. Mainly, this is abundant feeding and strict control over the temperature regime and the level of soil moisture. With such agrotechnology, the variety is capable of showing very impressive results, despite its rather large age. What can I say, often such old people can beat even the most modern varieties, if they are given enough attention. Of course, we do not undertake to assert that our hero can surpass the current favorites of the strawberry market in yield.
So, the Black Prince is a beautiful plant, despite its age, capable of competing with the modern "giants" of the strawberry world. Our hero really deserves attention, as he is a very prominent representative of culture. Unusual color of berries, good yield, unpretentiousness, resistance to diseases and pests, excellent taste of fruits and their excellent presentation, the ability to consistently bear fruit for a long time - these are the main advantages that an old Italian can boast, and with this list he may well claim to be favorite place on your site. In pursuit of new varieties, we sometimes forget about those "diamonds" that once managed to excite the strawberry market. Although the Black Prince may not be able to meet high standards now, he will clearly become a wonderful permanent resident on his backyard.
