Strawberry variety Festival chamomile
Festivalnaya chamomile is a non-repairable variety of garden strawberries (strawberries) of medium ripening, universal use. It was bred by breeders of the Institute of Horticulture of the Ukrainian Agrarian Academy of Sciences in the late 80s. To obtain, the varieties Redcoat and Zarya were used. The authors are K. M. Kopan and V. P. Kopan. In 1992, the bred plant was entered into the State Register of Varieties of Ukraine; at the moment, there is no strawberry in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation. Our heroine is distinguished by excellent immunity, the ability to withstand various weather disasters, as well as a very good yield and excellent taste of berries. In Russia, the plant is recommended for cultivation in the Central, East Siberian, West Siberian and Ural regions, in Ukraine the preferred cultivation areas are Polesie and Forest-steppe.
It is worth making a small remark right away. There is another variety with a similar name, perhaps familiar to many gardeners - Festivalnaya... She has nothing to do with our heroine, besides, she loses to Camomile in some characteristics. Many sources, and many nurseries, for some reason confuse these two completely different varieties, so be extremely careful when buying seedlings. The description of the heroine of our article given below was compiled on the basis of information provided by the originator (the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine).
The plant is medium-sized, semi-spreading, well leafy. Abundant formation. Strawberry leaves are medium in size, wrinkled, dark green color without shine. The flowers are medium-sized, white, bisexual. Peduncles of medium length, thick, very strong, located just below the level of the leaves, under the weight of ripe large fruits are laid on the ground.
The berries of the Festival chamomile are rather large, round-conical in shape with a neck, sometimes they can be slightly flattened from the sides; during the first harvest, specimens with a deep groove can often be observed. The peel of strawberry fruit is bright red with an orange tint, shiny. The pulp is bright red, medium-dense, juicy, with a pleasant pronounced aroma. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour, one might say classic, with a predominance of sugar content. Tasters rated it at 7.8-8.3 points. The pulp of the variety contains: 9.3-10% dry soluble substances, 6.5-7.1% sugars, 1-1.1% acids, 67-78 mg% vitamin C.
The berries are versatile in use, they are excellent both fresh and processed, they are great for making jams, jams, and they are also good for freezing. According to the originator, the transportability of strawberries is satisfactory. In general, it should be said that the Festival chamomile has not gained immense popularity, and it cannot compete with the giants of the strawberry market, so there is no need to talk about growing it for commercial purposes. On the other hand, it is very attractive for small-scale cultivation on small farms in order to sell fresh produce to the market. It is especially suitable for farmers from regions with a very problematic climate.
Fruiting in the variety is very unstable, at the first harvest the berries weigh about 35-45 grams, in the middle of the season the weight fluctuates at the level of 20 grams, and by the last harvest the fruits are no longer impressive in weight - it can drop to 10 grams. The ripening maturity of the Festival chamomile begins around the second decade of June; in different regions, fruiting can start both earlier and later. Strawberries are characterized by amicable ripening, due to which the harvesting takes place in a short time, besides, the plants give off the harvest quite quickly, harvesting takes 3-4 times.
According to the originator, the yield of the variety with a single-line planting was 17-19 t / ha.And these are quite decent results! Thus, it is possible to harvest about 500 grams of berries from one plant. Of course, such indicators cannot be called high at the present time, but they are not low either.
Strawberries are winter-hardy, tolerate temperatures as low as -25 ° C, but good shelter will not hurt. Frost resistance is also very good, but sharp return frosts can tell badly on plants, so again, you should take care of covering materials, if necessary. The drought resistance of Festival chamomile is excellent, it feels great in the hottest seasons, therefore it is very attractive for growing in southern regions with hot summers. Of course, the lack of moisture negatively affects the yield, so it is better not to forget about regular abundant watering.
The variety is resistant to fungal diseases, especially gray mold and white spot. Sometimes it can be affected by a strawberry mite, but not critical. In general, these strawberries are really very persistent, therefore they are very suitable for organic farming. Chemicals against diseases may not be required, folk remedies for prevention will be enough.
In agricultural technology, the Festival chamomile is very simple, it only needs the most standard care. It can even be categorized as a strawberry for the lazy. Of course, plants will respond to all your efforts by increasing yields and improving the taste of berries. Let's list the main nuances that should be emphasized. The most basic - do not neglect watering. The variety is moisture-loving, with sufficient moisture it shows the best results. Also, do not forget about feeding, the variety responds very well to them. And one more important point - do not neglect the removal of the mustache. Strawberries produce them in abundance and this can cause low yields.
Festival chamomile does not differ in longevity, plantings should be renewed every 4-5 years. On the other hand, many modern popular varieties do not last more than two years, or even a year of use, so our heroine can still be called a good long-liver. But still, you should not neglect the rejuvenation of the plantation, since with the age of the plants their yield decreases, and in the end, if you do not update the planting material, you can be disappointed in the variety.
Let's summarize a little. This strawberry is quite good, it has quite good characteristics, and most importantly, it can be successfully grown in a wide variety of climatic latitudes. Of course, you cannot call the Festival chamomile particularly outstanding, now on the market you can find an analogue to it, more fruitful and, possibly, more delicious. In addition, our heroine accidentally found herself in the shadow of another variety with a similar name. Her namesake Festivalnaya deserved rather controversial reviews, and due to the confusion in the names, Daisy herself received not entirely flattering ratings, so to speak, for nothing. But in this situation there is another interesting point. The fact is that nurseries and amateur private owners sometimes do not know what they are selling. Indeed, even on the sites of nurseries in the description of the seedlings of the Festival chamomile, the characteristics of another variety, the Festival, are often actually presented. In general, be extremely careful when buying, purchase planting material only from responsible sellers who are able to deal with their assortment.
