Strawberry Ducat

In the harsh Russian climate, it is important to choose a variety of garden strawberries that is not afraid of the vagaries of the weather and will delight you with a stable harvest. This is the kind of strawberry that breeders from Poland managed to bring out. The universal garden culture Dukat is unpretentious in maintenance, so even beginners in the field of gardening can cope with its cultivation.

The bushes of this variety are compact. Light green leaves can be large or medium. They are located on thick legs. The power of growth is strong. The green mass is lush and forms quickly. Dukat garden strawberries form many mustaches, allowing them to quickly propagate the plantation. The buds grow on branched and numerous peduncles.

The ripening period of berries is medium or early, depending on weather conditions. There is no maintenance (the bushes bear fruit once per growing season).

The yield indicator is very high. From one plant per season, from 1 to 2 kilograms of berries are harvested. These results can only be achieved with proper and regular care. The crop is highly marketable. When harvesting, the fruits are easily detached from the stalks. Throughout the entire period of fruiting, the berries do not shrink.

Ripe strawberries turn bright red with a shiny surface. The sizes are large. The shape can be any: shirokokonicheskaya, rounded-heart-shaped or rounded. The tip is blunt. The weight of one berry is 60 grams. The pulp is dense and juicy, rich scarlet color.

The tasters gave the variety 4.9 points out of 5 possible. This assessment indicates the high taste of the crop. The taste is sweet, full-bodied. A delicate and pleasant aroma complements the harvest.

Note: dessert berries are great both for eating fresh and for processing or preparing various dishes. Due to its large size, the variety is often grown commercially.

Dukat bushes are planted in autumn or spring. It is recommended to choose the first option for the best survival rate of strawberries. When planting, a distance of 70 centimeters is left between the rows, and 20 centimeters between the plants. Due to the formation of a large number of whiskers, the bushes need free space.

Landing is performed according to the following scheme:

• hole depth - 15 centimeters;

• the roots are gently spread in the ground;

• sprinkle the root collar with soil;

• the soil around the bush is rammed and watered;

• a layer of mulch with a thickness of 5-8 centimeters is drawn around.

Strawberry Dukat is unpretentious in cultivation, however, the main provisions of agricultural technology cannot be ignored. Failure to observe them leads not only to a decrease in the quality of the crop, but can also cause the death of plants.

The fruit crop loves water. In dry and hot weather, the plantation is irrigated every 2-3 days, if the climatic conditions are moderate, watering is carried out once a week. Experienced summer residents recommend drip irrigation. It confidently moisturizes the soil, preventing foliage from burning, maintaining the necessary soil moisture.

Sprinkle strawberries in the morning or evening. For irrigation, only settled or warm water is suitable.Stagnation of water should not be allowed, this comes to rotting of the roots, black rot can also develop. To prevent weeds from spreading on the site, the ground is covered with mulch.

Another important condition of agricultural technology is the removal of the mustache. This procedure is performed as they appear and grow. Remove shoots with rosettes from all bushes that they do not plan to use for reproduction. The mustache should be cut with clean scissors or pruning shears. You cannot pull them out, otherwise you can damage the plant.

The garden culture Dukat does not impose high requirements on the composition of the soil, however, its potential can be maximized on fertile soil. It is not recommended to grow berries on sandy, clayey, limestone or saline soil. The ideal place for a plantation is a flat and lighted area, protected from strong winds and drafts. The land is prepared before planting by removing weeds. And they also dig up the soil, and bring in humus.

The variety is pollinated independently due to bisexual flowers.

If you regularly use top dressing, the bushes will delight you with a tasty and bountiful harvest.

Dukat strawberries are fertilized according to a certain scheme.

• Infusion of mullein (1: 10) or ammonium nitrate is used in the spring. Nitrogen feeding is needed to stimulate the variety and prepare it for the flowering period.

• With the arrival of summer, they switch to organic and inorganic compounds. Use compost or humus, which also serve as mulch. During the formation of ovaries and in the process of fruiting, these substances provide the strawberries with the necessary nutrients. Top dressing is applied under the bushes.

• Potash and phosphorus compositions are used in the fall. They will help your plants survive the long and harsh winter.

The frost resistance of the variety is medium. So that the plantations do not suffer, they are covered before frost. The bushes are covered with special agrofibre or foliage.

If you carefully monitor the condition of the bushes and take care of the site, the Dukat variety practically does not get sick.

Experienced gardeners prefer to update the plantation with a mustache. Strawberry Dukat molds them in large quantities. Only healthy bushes that show high yields are chosen for propagation. The mustache is rooted without cutting off the shoot from the mother plant. As soon as the rosette takes root and gives 3 full leaves, young seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place. In the first year, it is advisable to cut the flower stalks so that the bushes form a strong root system and gain enough strength for a rich harvest in the next season.