Strawberry variety Magnus
Magnus is a late-ripening non-repaired variety of garden strawberries (strawberries) for universal use. It was bred in 2017 by specialists from the Dutch company Flevoplant as part of the Flevo Berry breeding program. The novelty hit the Russian market in 2019 and immediately received many positive reviews. The variety promises to firmly establish itself among the leaders of the late-ripening segment of the assortment of garden strawberries. The variety has already proven itself as a commercial variety, thanks to its high yield, good taste and excellent presentation of the berries. Gardeners were hooked by the novelty with its delicious taste, unpretentious cultivation and good resistance to adverse weather conditions. The originator positions the variety as resistant to cold climates and diseases and undemanding to soils. At the moment, it is too early to draw conclusions about how true these statements are, but those who have already tried to grow this strawberry confirm the promises of the originator.
The plants are vigorous, with a strong root system. The bushes are quite tall, about 25−35 cm, spreading, in diameter they can reach 50 cm. Abundant tendency formation. The leaves are large, hard, rich dark green color. The peduncles are quite thick, strong, located at the level of the leaves, under the weight of the berries they are laid on the ground. In the first year after planting, the plant forms 1-2 multi-flowered peduncles, in subsequent years their number increases to 4-6 pieces.
Magnus berries are very beautiful, large, leveled in the total mass, have an excellent presentation. Deep scarlet skin with intense glossy shine. The berries retain their bright color and shine during transportation and storage. Achenes are yellow, small, sunken to medium depth. The pulp is firm, but not firm, juicy, aromatic. The variety is not characterized by the presence of voids inside the fruit.
Strawberry taste is excellent. The berries are sweet, with a slightly noticeable unobtrusive sourness, the pulp has a pleasant strawberry aroma of medium intensity. At the moment, the variety is still too young, and therefore gardeners did not have a specific opinion about its taste. In addition, the flavor of the harvest may vary from region to region. The German company Kraege rated the taste of the berries at 4.5 - 5 points out of 9, which is a very good result. In general, the variety is positioned as an industrial variety, combining good taste and excellent transportability, so gourmets may not find any zest in it.
The harvest is versatile in use, beautiful fresh, looks very good on the counter, attracts the attention of customers. The berries perfectly tolerate transportation, do not flow or wrinkle, they are also well stored without losing their delicious appearance. The crop can be used for processing into jams and preserves, for freezing - when defrosting, the berries will not lose their shape.
The average weight of berries in a season is about 20-25 grams. Magnus rarely forms giant fruits; in general, all berries are very even and uniform, weighing up to 30 grams. The variety is distinguished by a very high yield of first class fruits, thanks to which it has already gained great popularity in industrial cultivation. Also, the variety is characterized by very stable fruiting, the berries do not shrink, retain their shape and size throughout the season. The same stability is manifested in strawberries from year to year, regardless of weather conditions. The yield of the variety is very good, the originator promises 1 kg of berries per plant. Our hero is considered very productive, but a good level of agricultural background is required for high results. But it is worth saying that this strawberry is able to show excellent productivity even with standard agricultural techniques, on soils with a poor composition, and it will also please with stability in different seasons.
The harvest ripens at a later date, on a par with Malvina and about 10 days later than Florence... However, it is worth noting here that the ripening time will vary in different climatic conditions. So, in cool regions, the variety will show itself as very late, starting fruiting towards the end of July, like the same Malvina, which is considered one of the latest varieties. And in warmer regions, strawberries will ripen earlier, in early to mid-July. In any case, our hero is very good for growing in order to obtain the very late harvest, since his fruiting is quite long, although not stretched.
Magnus has excellent immunity, is resistant to various diseases of the root system and leaf apparatus, and can be grown without a lot of preventive treatments. Plants are also quite immune to weather conditions, although, of course, bad weather will in any case affect the yield and taste of the berries. Strawberries tolerate cold and rain well, the fruits do not get wet, and the tendency to gray rot has not yet been detected. Plants tolerate heat and drought steadily, however, according to foreign sources, they are sensitive to the sun, the berries are strongly baked, so you should take care of shading the plantings.
The variety has high frost resistance and winter hardiness, well tolerates return frosts. It is marketed as a "northern variety" that can perform well in colder climates, performing even better in these conditions than in warmer areas. At the moment, the new product has not yet been tested in various regions, so it is too early to draw conclusions. But it is worth saying that some Russian-language sources cite data on the average winter hardiness of Magnus - up to -20 ° С, while foreign authors, without citing specific figures, speak of high winter hardiness. In general, it is worth taking care of planting shelter to avoid unexpected problems.
In agricultural technology, strawberries are undemanding, suitable for lazy and novice gardeners. The variety is commercial, so one general rule applies to growing it - the more attention you pay to the plants, the better you can expect. Plants are very responsive to feeding. This strawberry is suitable for cultivation in tunnels and greenhouses, it feels best outdoors, for cultivation in closed ground it is better to choose a different variety. This strawberry can grow on poor and heavy soils, at least some foreign sources say so.
Magnus is a very promising novelty in the late strawberry assortment segment. Excellent yield, excellent presentation of berries and good taste, unpretentiousness and persistence - all these qualities have already become the basis for including the variety in a number of leaders in the late-ripening segment.
