- Authors: Italy (Cesena), New Fruits company
- Taste: sweet, juicy, with hints of wild strawberry
- The size: large
- Weight: 20-40 gr
- Yield rate: high
- Yield: 1-1.2 kg per bush
- Repairability: No
- Ripening terms: mid-early
- Appointment: universal
- Description of the bush: powerful, spreading, medium leafy
Strawberry Asia is a popular crop with many gardeners. It can grow in all climates and, with proper care, produces a good harvest. They especially highlight the unusual taste and aroma of berries, suitable not only for eating, but also for freezing or selling. You can get a decent harvest for several years only if all the nuances of planting and growing are observed.
Description of the variety
The ground part of Asia strawberry is voluminous, spreading, with an average number of leaves. They are small, bright green in color and slightly wrinkled in structure, erect. The size of the root system corresponds to the ground part. The formation of the whiskers is not strong, but the peduncles are large.
Ripening terms
Variety Asia refers to medium early plants. Fruiting lasts 3 weeks from the end of May or the first half of June.
Yield
Strawberry Asia bears fruit for 4 years. For each period, up to 1.2 kg of the crop is removed from one bush. Fruiting does not decrease after each growing season.
Berries and their taste
The fruits are large, weighing from 20 to 40 g, but there are also specimens in 90 g. The berries are similar to a flattened cone and have a bright red color. The taste is harmonious, sweet and sour, with hints of strawberries.
The flesh of the berries is dense, without voids. This allows not only to use them fresh, but also to transport them over long distances.
Growing features
The Asia variety is planted at a distance of 40-45 cm between bushes in the second half of spring or late summer. In any case, fruiting will begin only next season. Before planting, the soil must be treated with copper sulfate with lime.
The variety can withstand short-term drought, but it is better not to allow it. On hot days, strawberries are watered 3 times, 2.8 liters per plant. It is best to water it pointwise under the roots. After each watering, the soil is loosened to prevent crust formation. Because of it, the roots do not receive enough air and moisture.
Bushes are not planted in beds where flowers, solanaceous and buttercups previously grew. You can sow strawberries only after 10 years. Neighbors such as legumes, parsley, radishes, and others work well.
Site selection and soil preparation
Strawberries of the Asia variety are planted on a flat illuminated surface. Too high beds contribute to the burning of leaves in the sun. Low - the accumulation of excess moisture and plant disease. In addition, it is better to arrange the beds in the direction from north to south. This way you can achieve uniform sunlight.
Before planting, the soil is pre-prepared. It is dug up and the roots of the weeds are removed. The earth is fertilized with a pre-prepared solution from:
20 liters of humus;
5 liters of sand or rotten sawdust;
50 g of urea;
0.5 l of ash.
The mixture is distributed over the surface of the soil and dug up to a depth of one shovel bayonet. Digging up the soil should be done 2 weeks before planting in August or September. For spring - from autumn.
When planting, the land is well mulched. This eliminates the need for constant digging and weeding.
Pollination
Strawberry Asia begins flowering in the second half of May. Insects are the best pollinator. If the strawberry is grown in a greenhouse, another variety is planted nearby. He will act as a pollinator.
Top dressing
During the growing season, the necessary fertilizers are applied to the Asia strawberries:
after planting, the plants are fed with nitrogen substances to increase the volume of foliage;
before the appearance of flowers, the soil is fertilized with a solution of urea and ash;
after a period of fruiting, the land is fed with a mixture of potassium and boron;
before wintering, humus is distributed on the ground, you can also add a superphosphate solution.
Fertilizers must be applied exactly according to the instructions. Overdose can provoke illness.
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
Strawberries Asia are covered only at a temperature of -17 ° C. Use straw and plant branches. And it is also possible to install arcs with stretched heat-insulating material over the beds.
Diseases and pests
Strawberries Asia is considered average in disease resistance. However, she is amazed:
powdery mildew - before the buds appear, the plants are treated with a special solution (20 g of copper sulfate and laundry soap per bucket of water);
anthracnose - according to the instructions they are treated with "Horus";
chlorosis - the soil is sprinkled with Heterophos granules and watered.
For the prevention of diseases, plants are treated with garlic tincture, the soil is watered with potassium permanganate in spring and autumn. The roots of the seedlings are soaked for half an hour in a fungicide solution.
The most common pest is the mite. To combat it, plants are treated with colloidal sulfur in early spring. And also it is worth avoiding weevils and strawberry nematodes. In order to prevent the damage to the bushes by diseases or pests, all decayed or infected bushes must be dug up.
Strawberries are often subject to many dangerous diseases that can seriously undermine their 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
Strawberries Asia is propagated in any convenient way.
1. Mustache
The variety has an average number of whiskers. Choose the outlet closest to the mother bush. The edge of the tendril is cut off and dug into the ground. Already in August, the rosette takes root, and it is separated from the main bush. The seedling is sent to a specially prepared bed, and next spring it is moved to the rest of the plants.
2. Dividing the bush
The strongest and healthiest plant is chosen. It is dug out of the ground and divided into several parts with roots on each. Slices are sprinkled with activated carbon and the separated parts are planted on a common bed.
3. Seeds
The rarest way to breed strawberries in Asia. The seeds are soaked in warm water, laid out on cheesecloth and sent to a cold place for 2-3 days. During this time, a special soil is prepared: a mixture of turf, peat and sand. It is placed on the bottom of the container, covered with snow and the seeds are placed on top. The container is covered with a transparent lid and sent to the refrigerator.
After two weeks, the container is moved to a warm room. The sprouts appear after 7 days. When several leaves grow, the seedlings are distributed in different pots. You can plant plants in the garden after the end of the frost.
Good fruiting of Asia strawberries can be achieved already in the first year of planting. To do this, you must comply with all conditions for growing and feeding plants. Do not forget about the prevention of diseases, otherwise you can forget about healthy and fruiting bushes.