- Name synonyms: Ali-Baba
- Taste: sweet with sourness
- The size: small
- Weight: 3 - 5 g
- Yield rate: high
- Yield: 0.4-0.5 kg per bush
- Repairability: Yes
- Ripening terms: early
- Appointment: universal
- Berry color: deep red color, with small yellow blotches
Ali Baba's strawberries are a remontant variety that begins to bear fruit since June and ends only when frost sets in. Gardeners appreciate the Dutch bush for its rich yield and resistance to even the most severe conditions.
Breeding history of the variety
Ali Baba's strawberries (you can also find the name Ali-Baba) were first bred by scientists in the Netherlands. This happened in 1995. The result of various experiments was the birth of a plant with a lot of advantages.
Description of the variety
Ali Baba's strawberry is a bush up to 20 cm high with spreading dark green leaves. Strawberry inflorescences are white, abundant. The variety has no whiskers, which makes such a vegetative method of plant propagation impossible.
Ripening terms
The berries begin to appear in mid-June. The end of the fruiting season occurs at the first frost.
Yield
A variety with a rich harvest. One bush is capable of producing up to 0.5 kg of fruit per season. Plantings should be renewed every 3-4 years. In order not to spoil the fruits during collection, you need to pluck them together with the sepals. To preserve the quality of strawberries, it is recommended to harvest the fruit in the morning when the dew subsides.
Berries and their taste
Ali Baba has juicy berries. The bright red fruits are white inside, have a sour taste and a unique aroma of wild strawberries collected from the forest. The weight of one berry reaches 5 g.
Growing features
In order for the bush to actively grow and develop, it is necessary to ensure the flow of air to the roots. To do this, you need to regularly loosen the ground until the first berries ripen. Also, during the growth of strawberries, weeds should be removed from the garden so that they do not steal nutrients from the ground.
Ali Baba is a drought-resistant strawberry. But the lack of a sufficient amount of liquid leads to a deterioration in the taste of the fruit and diseases of the plant itself. To avoid this, it must be watered regularly.
If you plan to grow strawberries on a balcony or loggia, you should make sure that the plant is transplanted into a container with a volume of up to 10 liters. In winter, strawberries will need artificial lighting.
Site selection and soil preparation
The place for planting strawberries should be mostly flat, warmed up by the sun's rays. The plant does not tolerate dampness, so it is better to refuse from the beds in the lowland. If the water table is high, you will need to raise the bush to the ridges. It is recommended to plant next to strawberries:
- sorrel;
- garlic;
- onion;
- beans, peas, beans.
The listed plants will become excellent neighbors and protect Ali Baba from pests. The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Before loosening the beds, it is necessary to pour a small amount of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and peat into the soil.
Strawberry bushes should be planted at a distance of 35 cm from each other. A distance of 50 cm must be observed between the rows. During the planting of seedlings, gardeners are advised to monitor the roots of the plant. They must be straightened out. When the process of planting strawberries is finished, it is necessary to mulch the soil.
Pollination
In natural conditions, insects are engaged in pollination of the bush. If strawberries grow at home, you need to take care of artificial pollination of the forming flowers, periodically shaking the peduncles. With the right approach, the variety will delight you with a bountiful harvest.
Top dressing
Due to prolonged fruiting, the soil under the roots of strawberries quickly loses nutrients and useful minerals. To prevent the death of the plant, it is necessary to apply fertilizers to the soil:
- organics;
- mineral compositions.
In the fall, feeding should be repeated so that the bush can cope with the cold. Before using mineral fertilizers, you must carefully read the instructions.
One of the important techniques in strawberry care is feeding. Regular fertilization guarantees a rich harvest. There are several different ways to feed strawberries, and each of them is designed for a specific period of plant development. During flowering, fruiting and after it, feeding should be different.
Frost resistance and the need for shelter
The last strawberry crop is harvested in the middle of autumn. At the end of the fruiting season, gardeners thoroughly clean the beds from weeds and other debris, as well as:
- remove deformed leaves;
- eliminate bushes affected by disease;
- cover the strawberries with spruce branches.
In the coldest regions, the soil is covered with abundant snow. If the air temperature drops below -25 °, a wire frame is formed on which the agrofiber is pulled. The bushes are covered with a finished dome.
Diseases and pests
The variety is quite resistant to various diseases and pests. If you believe the reviews of gardeners, then the plant begins to hurt only in the most unfavorable situation in the form of torrential rains or epidemics.
One of the common diseases that Ali Baba can get is gray rot.Bordeaux liquid of 1-2% concentration will help to get rid of it. If the plant is infected, you can remove the diseased bushes and disinfect the garden bed.
For prophylaxis against pests, spraying the bushes with herbal infusions with a sugary and rich aroma is used. Processing with chemicals is not recommended, as hazardous substances will settle in the berries.
Strawberries are often subject to many dangerous diseases that can seriously undermine its condition. Among the most common are powdery mildew, gray mold, brown spot, anthracnose, and verticillosis. Before buying a variety, you need to inquire about its disease resistance.
Reproduction
There are 2 ways to breed Ali Baba.
- By dividing the bushes. In this case, at the end of the season, large bushes are dug out of the ground. Next, the plant is cut into several parts so that at least 2 roots remain. Then the finished seedlings are soaked in a solution of heteroauxin or root.
- Seeds. You can sow strawberries in mid-April - early May. If the region is cold, then it is better to start landing Ali Baba closer to summer. There will be no difficulties in further care.
Ali Baba is an unpretentious strawberry variety that can bear fruit for almost the entire season. In suburban areas, the bushes take root well. Strawberries are not recommended for planting on a large scale.