Elan strawberry variety (F1)
Elan is a remontant variety of garden strawberry (strawberry) for universal use. It is considered one of the best ampel varieties, suitable for growing in vertical containers, flowerpots and pots, very good for open ground. It is a hybrid, therefore it is labeled F1. According to some reports, there are other hybrid forms of Elan with a more complex pedigree, designated F2, F3
The plant is vigorous, tall, medium spreading, abundantly leafy. Externally, the bushes look very presentable, they will be a wonderful decoration for the interior of the room if you decide to grow Elan in ampelous culture. The formation of the plant is moderate, even scanty. The mustache is long and powerful. Leaves are medium in size, slightly wrinkled, bright green, shiny, with wide sharp teeth at the edges. The flowers are white, bisexual, abundant flowering, a lot of berries are tied. Peduncles are very long, tall, strong, hold the crop well, but as it ripens, they lie on the ground. On average, a plant forms about 12-15 peduncles, each of which forms about 12-15 rather large berries. Gardeners have noticed this tendency - the more fruits a strawberry sets, the less the mass of individual specimens becomes.
One of the main features of the variety is that it bears fruit not only on the mother bush, but also on unrooted sockets of this year. Usually, this phenomenon does not always work out for the gardener, since fruiting on the mustache can negatively affect the productivity of the mother plant. But with Elan, the situation is a little different. The harvest from the outlets is really good, the berries are quite large on them, moreover, the bush itself continues to actively bear fruit, with proper care, of course.
Strawberries of medium and large sizes, regular conical shape, tending to heart-shaped, are uniform. The largest specimens, when first harvested, may be slightly comb-shaped. The skin is bright red, shiny, orange-red when not fully ripe. Achenes are yellow, small, superficial. The pulp is red, firm but not firm, juicy, very aromatic. The taste of the berries is wonderful - very sweet, but not sugary, multifaceted, with a rich palette of various shades. Gardeners praise Elan's taste very much, putting him at the top of the list of favorites among many popular remontants. According to some foreign sources, the fruits of this variety contain 30-50% more vitamin C than berries of other varieties, but how true this information is is a rather interesting question.
Strawberries are versatile in use, they are especially excellent fresh, excellent for processing into preserves, jams, etc., suitable for freezing, will be a great decoration for various desserts and other culinary delights. The berries have excellent transportability and keeping quality, the harvested crop will reach the point of sale in its original form, even if this place is very far away. It should be noted that when harvested, the fruits remain dry and beautiful, they are easily separated from the stalk, do not wrinkle and do not flow. Elan berries are distinguished by their uniformity and excellent presentation. Thus, our hero is very attractive to grow in order to sell fresh produce to the market.
The average weight of fruits in the season is 20-30 grams, specimens weighing about 50 grams can be observed. The variety is distinguished by early ripening, even in cool regions, the first wave of fruiting begins around the end of May. Strawberries bear fruit almost without interruption until late autumn, while gardeners note that even at low temperatures (down to -10 ° C), the number and size of berries do not decrease, and their taste also remains at the highest level. Thus, Elan, as a full-fledged remontant, is able to provide you with an abundant stable harvest throughout the season. However, do not forget that in order to obtain the best results, it is necessary to properly and regularly care for the plantings. By the way, this hybrid stands out favorably against the background of other remontants in regions with a harsh climate, since many such varieties simply do not have time to give up the entire crop before the onset of stable cold weather, as a result of which their declared high yield turns into mediocre.
The variety is highly productive, from one plant it is possible to get about 1.5 kg of berries, maximum - 2 kg. It should be understood that such results are relevant only for intensive cultivation, which implies strict control over the growing conditions of strawberries, regular abundant feeding, timely preventive treatments, and generally very high-quality care. For a simple gardener who does not seek to squeeze the maximum out of plants, an indicator of 800 grams of berries from a bush is quite achievable, and with more careful care, Elan is able to bring 1 kg of harvest. It is worth saying that at present, in the pursuit of novelties in breeding, we are no longer surprised by such figures, but they can really be called large. And sometimes the most popular "giants" of the strawberry market are simply not able to produce the results that advertisements are so screaming about. For example, the promised 3 kg of berries from a bush Albion and his "descendants" (San andreas, Monterey and others) are absolutely unattainable in garden conditions, and the yield of these favorite remontants at their summer cottages is noted within 1.5 kg of fruits per plant, which, in principle, is also a rarity. And, to be honest, not all remontant varieties of foreign selection are able to take root in the conditions of most regions of Russia, and therefore even the highest-yielding variety can lose to a specimen with an "average" yield.
But Elan with adaptive abilities is doing great. It takes root well even in areas with a cold climate, and in very hot regions it feels very comfortable. It shows very good results in the Urals, bears abundant fruit up to November, often even "goes under the snow" along with the last berries. Strawberry winter hardiness is very decent, in comparison with many other remontants, it can be safely called one of the most resistant to winter cold. Of course, plants need shelter, especially in the northern regions. The variety is also very frost-resistant, with its early flowering this is a big plus - the flowers are practically not affected by recurrent frosts, and the bushes themselves feel quite comfortable. If suddenly the weather conditions still let down, and the plants froze, then you should not despair - the hybrid is distinguished by very intensive growth and an excellent ability to recover from various stresses. In general, according to gardeners, the variety is really very "tenacious", and against the background of other sissy remontants it looks the most invulnerable.
However, there are a couple of points worth noting. In the southern regions with a sultry summer, it is worth taking care of the shading of the plantings, since the berries can be baked in the sun, and the intense heat can negatively affect the quantity and quality of the crop - the fruits will become smaller and softer. Also in these areas, timely abundant watering should be provided to the plants. Elan's drought resistance is, in principle, not bad, but the lack of moisture will have a bad effect on the yield and size of the berries. In rainy seasons, it is necessary to pay special attention to the high-quality protection of plants from fungal diseases, although this strawberry has excellent immunity.According to gardeners, during periods with abundant rainfall, the variety shows its best side, clearly outplaying other varieties on the site - the berries do not rot, remain very sweet, they are never sour even in catastrophically rainy times. But foreign sources indicate that the fruits are prone to decay with excessive moisture. Whom to believe? To be honest, it's incomprehensible. Is it possible to check on personal experience.
Nurseries unanimously state that Elan has excellent resistance to a wide variety of diseases. According to gardeners, he is really affected by diseases no more often than other varieties. But it is worth saying that he cannot be completely invulnerable. Thus, do not forget about timely preventive measures to avoid surprises.
There are no outstanding features in the agricultural technology of this strawberry, everything is pretty standard. Of the nuances, only a couple of important points can be distinguished. Firstly, you should not thicken the planting, it is best to plant the bushes at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other. Secondly, it is extremely important to update the plantation in a timely manner. The hybrid is remontant, so you should not expect miracles from it in the 3rd year of life. In general, such varieties usually do not withstand more than a year of use and reduce yields, but Elan is quite capable of bearing abundant fruit for two years, but no more. Gardeners, in principle, can keep bushes for three years, subject to moderate agricultural technology. And if strawberries are used commercially, then the planting material should still be updated every year.
The topic of reproduction should be touched upon separately. The hybrid is grown from seed, although breeding is possible using all other methods. Varietal characteristics are preserved during reproduction by a mustache and dividing the bush, but if you want to collect seeds from your bushes, you will have to work hard, since the plant transmits its characteristics to its offspring only under the condition of pollination with its own pollen. In general, according to the observations of gardeners, the strongest and most productive bushes grow precisely in the "first generation", that is, from seeds purchased in the store. And the offspring obtained from these plants are no longer so "tenacious", although the yield indicators remain at a high level. In short, experiment and be sure to find the best way to propagate your plantation.
Let's just say a few words about growing Elan from seeds. Sowing for seedlings is carried out around the end of February - beginning of March, seedlings dive in the phase of 1-2 true leaves. Strawberries are planted in the ground around mid-May, depending on the climatic conditions of the region. The soil should be fertile and loose, although the variety is quite unpretentious and, with proper care, can be grown on problem soils. Interestingly, the planted seedlings are growing very quickly, and in a couple of months you will be able to harvest the first good harvest! However, many sources recommend not allowing plants to bear fruit in the first year of life, in order to enable them to build up a full-fledged vegetative mass.
Harvesting is advised to be carried out more often - at least twice a week, especially if strawberries are grown in ampelous culture, in trays or flowerpots. Frequent harvesting has a positive effect on the quality and size of the fruit. Another trick that gardeners resort to is rationing the number of ovaries. The fact is that Elan forms a lot of berries, which is why the ratio of quantity and size is not very attractive - the more fruits a strawberry has, the smaller they are. Thus, if you want to get large berries, you should remove some flowers, within reasonable limits, of course.
Let's summarize. This variety is very fond of gardeners and farmers, and for good reason.It really has impressive characteristics, moreover, it can be grown in a wide variety of climatic latitudes, and can also become an excellent addition to the interior as an ampelous plant, which again expands its potential distribution area. It's definitely worth trying to grow it, it will not disappoint you one hundred percent. But can't everything be so rosy? Of course it cannot. There is very little information about Elan at the moment, even in foreign sources it was not possible to find what kind of animal it was and how it was obtained. On the other hand, this is not particularly important, because in practice this variety shows impressive results and confirms all those crumbs of information about yourself that can be found. But this "nebula" cannot be ignored when buying strawberry planting material, especially if you are purchasing seeds. Be very careful, buy only from trusted sellers, so as not to fall for the deception. You can also find Elan's seedlings on sale, but this phenomenon is very rare, usually only private owners are engaged in this. In any case, be extremely careful, as there is a high probability of buying what is called a pig in a poke.
