Strawberry variety Syria
Syria is a non-renovated mid-season variety of garden strawberries (strawberries) for universal use. It was bred in Italy by New Fruits breeders. The Italian beauty is good from all sides - it has an excellent taste and excellent presentation of berries, gives abundant harvests, has excellent immunity to diseases and pests, and, moreover, can be successfully grown in various climatic latitudes, on a variety of soils. Recommended for cultivation in the open field in continental climates, in greenhouses shows impressive results. Among gardeners and farmers, the word "promising" stuck to this strawberry, and this is no accident. Syria shows itself perfectly in many regions of Russia and Ukraine, and in Europe and in its homeland it is revered as one of the best commercial varieties with an ideal balance of taste, production and commercial characteristics.
The plant is vigorous, tall, medium spreading and medium leafy, with a vertical habit. Usulation is moderate. The leaves are rather large, slightly wrinkled, of a bright dark green color. The peduncles of the variety are powerful, strong, hold fruits well, however, under the weight of large specimens, they tend to lie on the ground.
The berries in Syria are very large, they are distinguished by uniformity in shape and size. Fruits of regular conical shape, aligned, comb-like specimens are almost never observed. The skin is very dense, shiny, bright red at the stage of technical ripeness and dark crimson when the berry is fully ripe. Achenes are yellow, when the fruit ripens, they can acquire a red tint, shallowly depressed. The pulp is deep red, dense, one might even say quite firm, very juicy, with a bright multifaceted aroma, playing with hints of strawberries and fruits. The variety is characterized by the presence of small voids inside the fruit.
The taste of strawberries is simply great! The palate is very unusual, multifaceted, with a fruity tinge, sometimes reminiscent of pineapple. In general, the taste is characterized as classic, the reference according to European standards for commercial varieties. The berries are very sweet, with a mild sourness, harmoniously blending into the rich flavor palette. Syria has a really very dense pulp, due to which it perfectly tolerates transportation, but there is one caveat in this feature. As you know, not all gardeners like solid-fruited varieties. Recall, for example, the same Albion, which became famous as a strawberry with a cucumber crunch on the bite. Our heroine does not sin with this drawback, but her pulp will still be distinguished by excessive density in comparison with other varieties on the site. But, according to gardeners' reviews, this small nuance is more than covered by great taste!
By the way, the density of the berries also depends on how ripe they are. In general, strawberries have excellent taste even at the stage of technical ripeness, when the skin of the fruit is bright red, and the tip of the berry is not yet fully colored. But the fruits gain the best flavor palette precisely when they are fully ripe, when they are completely painted in a dark crimson color. And it is at this time that the pulp becomes tender, but at the same time maintains the necessary density and allows you to safely transport the crop. The berries of Syria are universal in use, excellent fresh, suitable for any kind of processing. As for the suitability for freezing, there are negative reviews - when frozen, the variety loses its excellent taste and wonderful aroma. On the other hand, there are also positive responses on this matter, so we will not assert unambiguously.
Our heroine is distinguished by really large berries, their average weight per season is about 30-35 grams.The first copies can be much larger - more than 50 grams. Syria is characterized by long-term stable fruiting, the berries are only slightly smaller from harvest to harvest, however, at the end of the season they become noticeably smaller than at the beginning, but retain an average weight of 20-25 grams. During the first few fees, the average weight is kept at around 35-40 grams. Thus, we can say that the fruits of strawberries, of course, are not gigantic, but very decent, you will not find frank trifles on the bushes.
The yield of the variety is high - about 1 kg per bush, and this figure is not the limit. For simple gardeners, that is, subject to moderate agricultural technology, an indicator of 600-700 grams per plant is quite achievable. For farmers practicing intensive cultivation technology, the potential of Syria is very high, and the 1 kg mark per bush could increase significantly. Recall that the variety is commercial, so its yield is directly proportional to the labor invested in cultivation. The more ideal the growing conditions and the more abundant nutrition, the better the plant will show itself. And if we summarize the reviews of gardeners, we can say the following - the yield of strawberries is quite the overwhelming majority, and even with moderate agricultural technology, our heroine shows impressive results.
The variety has excellent immunity, it is especially well resistant to fungal diseases, fruit rot, the root system is also rarely affected by diseases. Plant pests are also not particularly bothersome. However, it should be said that timely prevention is highly desirable, and if you want to "squeeze the maximum" out of strawberries, then it is extremely necessary. In principle, for an amateur gardener, the variety is very attractive, since it can be grown without the use of chemicals for processing, folk remedies are also suitable.
Syria ripens on average, around the beginning of June, 5-6 days later Albs and 6-7 later Honey... However, in different climatic conditions, the beginning of fruiting may be delayed, or start a little earlier. In warm regions, strawberries ripen faster, and in cold regions they can generally begin to bear fruit in mid-late periods. By the way, in order to get a harvest a little earlier, you can use covering materials, which, by the way, will help preserve flowers during spring frosts. Let's note one more interesting feature: in some regions our heroine shows signs of renovation - it blooms a second time in the fall and even gives a good harvest, but incomparable with the main one, of course.
The variety has shown itself excellently on clay and calcareous soils, and also shows excellent results on a black film and under shelters in the spring. As already mentioned, strawberries are recommended for outdoor cultivation in a continental climate, which implies consistently hot summers, consistently frosty winters and little rainfall. This opens up truly great opportunities for gardeners in many regions of Russia. Syria has a high winter hardiness, even in winters with little snow it feels quite comfortable, but shelter still does not hurt. Frost resistance is also good, but spring frosts can damage the flowers, so it is worth taking care of covering materials.
Strawberries tolerate drought and heat well, for which they are highly valued. Unlike many other commercial varieties, it really does feel quite comfortable in the hottest seasons and is capable of producing bountiful crops. Of course, since the variety is "sharpened" for industrial cultivation, the optimal conditions of temperature and humidity greatly affect the yield. But the taste of Syrian berries remains at its best even in various weather disasters.This point really deserves attention, since not all commercial copies can boast of this. But it is still highly recommended to provide the plants with regular abundant watering so that the taste certainly does not disappoint you.
In principle, we have already talked about agricultural technology in the course of the text, but it remains to mention a few more small nuances. It is advisable to plant the variety in late July - early August, so that the strawberries have time to form flower buds and will please with the harvest next year. The plantings should not be thickened, the optimal distance between the bushes is 40 cm, the minimum is 30 cm. Do not forget to carry out all the necessary agrotechnical measures in time so that the plants meet your expectations as much as possible.
It is advisable to grow Syria in a two-year culture, since for two years it gives consistently large high-quality yields, besides, its immunity quite allows it to be used for more than one year, while not spending a lot of money on treatment for diseases. For summer residents, it can be advised to keep the plants for three years, and then renew the planting. Strawberries can withstand such a period of time, delighting with stable excellent yields. In the 4th year of life, the yield decreases, the berries begin to shrink. Therefore, rejuvenate your plantation in time so that the variety continues to delight you. By the way, in terms of longevity, our heroine is very attractive to farmers, since many commercial varieties do not withstand more than a year of use, while Syria is really capable of showing good results over two years of cultivation.
In conclusion, we will summarize briefly. This strawberry has received many positive and admiring reviews. Thanks to all its impressive characteristics, it deserves to be called a commercial variety that can fully please the ordinary gardener. She is very popular in many countries and really deserves such fame. As for the disadvantages, they are perhaps standard for the entire category of commercial varieties. The full potential of Syria can only be unleashed with very competent, almost perfect agricultural technology, creating the most optimal growing conditions for the plants. But it is worth saying that even with not quite painstaking care, our heroine shows excellent results, and it is definitely impossible to call her a capricious sissy. Feel free to try to settle this strawberry on your site, it will definitely not disappoint you.
