Strawberry variety Skala
Rock is a non-repairable late-ripening variety of garden strawberries (strawberries) for universal use. Appeared on the market in 2019, it is considered very promising for industrial and amateur cultivation in areas of risky farming. An excellent novelty was obtained in Italy by the famous private breeder Franco Zenti, who is engaged in the creation and cultivation of various varieties of garden strawberries, suitable for growing in completely different climatic conditions. Among the promising novelties produced thanks to the work of this breeder, one can also highlight Malgo, capable of growing in continental climates, in mountainous areas. A feature of our heroine is increased frost resistance and winter hardiness, excellent immunity, low sensitivity to bad weather conditions of the season and, of course, high yield and delicious taste, coupled with an excellent presentation of berries.
Plants are powerful, spreading. Usulation is moderate. The leaves are large, light green in color. Peduncles are strong, powerful, multi-primordial, located at the level of leaves or higher, under the weight of the berries they are laid on the ground. Strawberry flowers are very large, white in color.
The berries are large and very large, homogeneous and aligned in the total mass, one to one. The shape of the fruits is correct, wide-conical, the variety is very stable in relation to the shape and size of the berries - the harvest is one-dimensional, giants and fruits that have an irregular shape are extremely rare. The skin is dense, bright red with an orange tint, with a beautiful intense glossy shine. The crop does not lose its excellent appearance during transport and storage, while maintaining color saturation and attractive shine. Achenes are yellow, small, deeply sunk. The flesh in the context of a light red color, dense, but not firm, fleshy, juicy.
Skala has excellent taste, the berries are very sweet, with a rich palate, complemented by an excellent strawberry aroma. At the moment, there are few reviews about this variety, but those who have already tasted its berries highly praise the novelty for its amazing sweetness. It should still be noted that strawberries can show themselves in different ways in different regions, so specific conclusions can only be drawn from personal experience.
The harvest is versatile in use, berries are especially good for fresh consumption and decorating desserts. Due to their chic appearance, suitability for transport and storage, these strawberries are considered ideal for use for sale on the fresh market, they may even become one of the leaders in the late segment of the strawberry assortment. Berries perfectly tolerate freezing, do not spread when defrosting, they are also ideal for processing into jam - they do not "creep", retain an excellent appearance. Many Russian-language sources call this variety one of the best for processing. But do not forget that fresh harvest is also gorgeous.
Berries can weigh up to 50 grams, at the moment there is no information on average values during the season. However, Skala has an extremely high yield of first-class fruits, on the basis of which one can safely assume, starting from European standards, that the average weight of berries in a season for this strawberry is about 25-30 grams. But in any case, this still needs to be checked. Some Russian-language sources state that at the end of fruiting, the berries become smaller, but this information differs greatly from the statements of foreign authors. A truly commercial variety, it has already established itself as very stable, with a high yield of first-class berries throughout the season, so it should not sin with crumbling berries.In general, at the moment there is a lot of conflicting information due to the recent appearance of the variety on the market, so you should not draw final conclusions without personal experience in growing this strawberry.
The novelty is high-yielding, capable of displacing the densely settled leaders of the late segment of the assortment. There are very few specific figures at the moment, however, the declared potential of strawberries is very high - 1 kg of berries or more from one plant. The variety is distinguished by long-term stable fruiting, while the berries ripen together, the harvest does not stretch, which is very convenient for commercial cultivation. Due to her immunity to bad weather conditions, our heroine boasts stability from year to year, although this also needs to be checked.
Strawberries ripen at a later date, unfortunately there is no specifics at the moment. Perhaps, in regions with severe cold climates, the Skala will show itself as very late. There is also no information about the recommended growing regions, but the novelty is positioned as a variety that can grow in risky farming regions, in very cold areas. The variety is great in continental climates. The originator promises high winter hardiness and frost resistance of plants, but, again, this needs to be checked. There are already some reviews about the stability of strawberries to bad weather conditions - strawberries have shown themselves excellently in a cold and rainy summer, without reducing the yield indicators and without losing the quality and taste of the berries. Some sources also report that the berries of this Italian are not baked in the sun.
The immunity of the variety is excellent, the available reviews confirm this with admiration. In cold and damp summers, the susceptibility of plants to diseases does not increase, the berries do not rot. At the moment, the novelty has a good immunity to diseases of the leaf apparatus. The rock is recommended for growing outdoors, in tunnels and greenhouses. It can also be grown under controlled conditions in containers, according to some foreign sources. The Italian company New Fruits, which is the patent holder for this variety in Europe and Switzerland, declares the suitability of this variety for growing in bags. In agricultural technology, strawberries are not particularly demanding, they also have no preferences for soils. But, of course, the better the growing conditions, the greater the response can be expected from the plants.
Rock is a very promising new product in the late segment, promising to squeeze out the established leaders. Especially great potential is promised to her in the areas of risky farming. Of the shortcomings of the variety at the moment, one can single out only a very modest amount of information and reviews about it, as well as contradictions in the statements of Russian-speaking and foreign sources. Well, it is worth trying to grow this strawberry in order to be convinced of all its advantages from personal experience and, possibly, to discover the disadvantages.
