Strawberry Cardinal

Strawberry Cardinal
The main characteristics of the variety:
  • Authors: USA
  • Name synonyms: Cardinal
  • Taste: melting sugar, velvety, with sourness
  • The size: large
  • Weight: 60-90 gr
  • Yield rate: high
  • Yield: 0.9 kg per bush
  • Repairability: No
  • Ripening terms: mid-early
  • Advantages: fruits keep well
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Strawberry is one of the most profitable crops, so breeding work is ongoing, especially in the United States and Europe. A huge army of amateurs in Russia successfully grows this berry on their backyards throughout the country. Every year new developments appear, but there are also old varieties that do not give up their positions. One of them is Cardinal.

Breeding history of the variety

The variety is loved by gardeners in many countries. It was bred in the USA at the Arkansas Experimental Agricultural Station in 1974 by breeders J.N. Moore, H.L. Bowden and V.E.Sistrank. In America, Cardinal quickly gained popularity with commercial strawberry farmers. In Oklahoma, it was the main cultivar on local plantations.

The infection of anthracnose rot, which was brought into nurseries in 1981, was a big blow. The plants looked healthy in spring, but died when summer came. To solve the problem, a novelty in biotechnology was used: the cultivation of virus-resistant plants by tissue culture using hormonal and nutrient media. But the result did not satisfy the scientists, and the demand for the Cardinal gradually faded away.

Some nurseries continued to work with this variety. Therefore, today it has not lost its attractiveness, being a real historical heritage and a great success of American breeders.

Description of the variety

Cardinal is a versatile non-repairable mid-early variety with a fairly strong immunity and good yield. Beautiful bright red fruits are distinguished by a harmonious dessert taste, density, large size, and pronounced aroma. Tall (up to 50 cm), moderately spreading bush has dense green, boat-shaped leaves with a bluish underside.

Ripening terms

Tall bushes and a small number of leaves ensure that the flower stalks receive a sufficient amount of sunlight. The fruits of the Cardinal strawberry ripen together and early: already at the beginning - mid-June in the warm regions of the country, you can harvest. In colder areas, the ripening period is slightly shifted.

Growing regions

As conceived by the creators, the variety should have been ideal for cultivation in the southern American states with their hot and humid summers. There are many regions in Russia where this variety feels great: from the middle lane to the Trans-Urals. For areas with a dry summer season, abundant watering is recommended, but Cardinal will tolerate a short-term drought well.

Yield

The Cardinal can boast of a high yield even in the first year after spring planting. It is quite possible to collect up to 900 g of fruit from one bush. The average is 650-750 g.

Berries and their taste

One of the main advantages of the variety is that large (up to 90 g) deep red berries with a scattering of golden seeds are very attractive for the market. The fruits have a rounded-conical shape without deformations with a pronounced high neck. The flesh of the berries is red, juicy and very firm, to the point of crunching. Sometimes in the very core, the fruit is hollow. The aroma is strong, strawberry.

Another advantage is the taste: velvety-sugar with harmonious acidity. Cardinal is suitable for fresh consumption, for freezing and preservation.Possesses excellent resistance to storage, transportation and processing: the berries do not crumple and retain their presentation for a long time.

Growing features

An interesting characteristic of the Cardinal variety is the abundant formation of long whiskers with numerous rosettes, on which flowers and berries appear even before rooting (September - October). This makes it possible to grow strawberries in an ampelous way on trellises. Fruits from such autumn rosettes are large, even larger than summer ones. But if you want to get a rich harvest at the beginning of summer, then you need to remove excess whiskers and ovaries from the mother plant.

Otherwise, the cultivation of the Cardinal does not differ much from caring for other varieties. You must do the following:

  • timely remove dried whiskers, leaves and flowers;
  • treat plants from pests and diseases;
  • apply fertilizers and mulch the soil;
  • watering correctly: by sprinkling before the flowers and berries appear, spilling under the root - after;
  • at the end of summer, plant young sockets on time.
When and how to plant strawberries so that they bring a rich harvest is a question that novice gardeners often ask themselves. The berries can be planted in the ground in spring, summer and autumn. Each season has its own characteristics of planting.
Strawberries are the most beloved and popular berry in our gardens. Even in the smallest plots, there will always be a place for it, since every year there are more and more unexpected and original solutions for its cultivation. Strawberries are grown in the form of a carpet, rows, nests, in addition to many different original options. Everyone chooses their own way depending on the area of ​​the site and its design.
Watering strawberries, like any other garden crop, should be in compliance with all the necessary recommendations. During the fruiting period, including the ripening of the fruits, the amount of moisture should be sufficient for the harvest to be a decent amount, and the berries are tasty and aromatic. If you neglect watering, or water little and not enough, then the strawberries can dry out. With excessive moisture, the berries can rot.
Speaking of pruning strawberries, most often it is the removal of leaves on fertile bushes that is meant. This is done to partially rejuvenate the plant, to get rid of damaged, diseased leaves, to prevent bacterial and fungal infections, to reduce the number of harmful insects.

Site selection and soil preparation

For planting, choose a flat, sunny place. In a low-lying area, an elevation is arranged for the beds. To grow large and sweet fruits, it is necessary to plant in loamy or sandy loam, slightly acidic soil. The predominance of sand, and as a result, a lack of moisture can provoke a decrease in yield and the appearance of small berries.

The soil is thoroughly cleaned of weeds, enriched with organic fertilizing: peat, humus, compost. During loosening, ammonium nitrate is added for root development.

The soil for strawberries should be saturated with organic matter. The plant grows best on light loamy or sandy loam soil. Black soil and gray forest soil are also excellent for cultivation. It is undesirable to plant strawberries on clay soil.

Pollination

By mid-May, powerful peduncles are formed on the rosettes. Numerous large white flowers do not require artificial forced pollination.

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 variety tolerates winters and frosts up to -16 ° C quite well.

In order for strawberries to delight us with an abundance of large and sweet berries next year, they need to be properly prepared for winter. The set of measures for preparing strawberries for the cold includes: pruning, watering, feeding, loosening, pest control, mulching and shelter.

Diseases and pests

Breeders have tried to ensure that the variety has a high resistance to diseases and pests. But he is susceptible to anthracnose (fungal infection), which, fortunately, does not develop very often. Excess moisture becomes a favorable factor for various fungal infections. At the initial stage, with the help of modern drugs, the disease can be prevented.

The variety's resistance to spotting and various rot arising from cold lingering rains is quite high. Warm, humid summers and a greenhouse effect can create conditions for powdery mildew disease.

The danger for the Cardinal is represented by standard strawberry pests, from which it is necessary to carry out insecticide treatment in spring and autumn:

  • slugs;
  • strawberry mite;
  • weevil;
  • sawfly.

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

Cardinal remains a popular and beloved variety. Strawberries are easily propagated by high-quality rosettes with developed roots and 3-4 formed leaves. We must remember the following feature of the variety: if the rosette formed on the mustache has borne fruit, then it is already unsuitable for reproduction.

Selected rosettes not susceptible to flowering are distinguished by high survival rate. Planting takes place in early spring or early autumn. There are 2 main types of disembarkation:

  • single-row - they keep a distance of 65 cm between the rows, and 20 cm between the bushes (such an arrangement of the bushes allows the mustache to grow and get an abundance of rosettes);
  • double-row - in 2 strips with a distance between the stripes of about 30 cm.

They also use staggered planting of bushes, less often with a solid carpet. Another breeding method is dividing a 3-4-year-old mother bush. Too troublesome reproduction by seeds is practically not used, but it is also possible.

Strawberries or garden strawberries multiply very easily. The most common way to obtain planting material is to grow young plants from vegetative shoots - whiskers. Seedlings are also obtained by dividing the bush.
General characteristics
Authors
USA
Name synonyms
Cardinal
Appointment
universal
Yield
0.9 kg per bush
Yield rate
high
Transportability
Yes
Amplitude
Yes
Advantages
fruits are well stored
Bush
Height and width of the bush
height up to 50 cm
Leaves
unusual, folded in a boat, below they have a bluish tint, and above saturated dark
Description of the bush
high, dense, slightly spreading
Berries
Berry color
ruby red
Berry shape
elongated-conical, with a pronounced neck
The size
large
Weight
60-90 gr
Taste
melting sugar, velvety, with sourness
Scent
thick, rich
Pulp
dense, deep red, fibrous
Growing
Winter hardiness
winter hardy
Powdery mildew resistant
are amazed
Brown spot resistance
high
Resistant to white spot
high
Resistant to gray mold
high
Resistant to white rot
high
Resistance to root rot
high
Maturation
Fruiting period
June, the second - late August to early October
Ripening terms
mid-early
Repairability
No
Reviews
There are no reviews.
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