Strawberries are a favorite crop for planting in summer cottages. With proper cultivation, up to 15-20 berries are harvested from one bush, and if you select large-fruited varieties, then you can not only eat your crop, but also sell it. Strawberry Maxim belongs to large-fruited varieties - one of the most popular varieties.
variety of strawberries "Maxim"
Strawberry "Maxim" is appreciated for its very high yield and large fruit size.
Maxim berries have a dessert, pineapple flavor
Description and characteristics of the variety
The variety is also called "Gigantella Maxim", which indicates the size of the fruit. The variety appeared in Holland thanks to the efforts of breeders. The main advantages of Maxim are high productivity and ease of maintenance. The variety is very popular in Russia and abroad.
Bushes
Maxim has to plant strawberry bushes over a fairly large distance, because this variety has a developed root system. If the top, that is, stems with leaves, reaches about 60 cm in diameter, then the rhizome grows even more. It is desirable that the root systems of different bushes are not intertwined.
As for the upper part of the plant, it has strong, fleshy stems covered with large leaves and peduncles. The height is usually within 45 cm, but with good feeding the culture grows up to 50 cm. Strawberries have a lot of whiskers, which makes it easy to cuttings.
Cultivation
Strawberries thrive even when grown in the same spot if the soil is fertilized correctly. But experienced gardeners recommend not keeping Maxim on the same land for longer than 7 years. During this time, the bush becomes too old, its productivity decreases, the plant often begins to hurt. In addition, the soil is greatly depleted. There are several ways to solve this problem (it is better to combine them):
- Use new planting material regularly so that yields always remain high. Take material from your own bushes, if they are not affected by diseases.
- Not only fertilize, but also completely renew the soil on which the crops grow. Periodically pull the bushes out of the ground, dig up the soil, remove the layer to a depth of about 10-20 cm and fill it with humus or soil mixed with fertilizers into the trench. So the bushes will grow better and always give a rich harvest.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The variety is unpretentious, amenable to reproduction, gives a rich harvest. And these are not all of its advantages. Breeders and gardeners emphasize the following positive features of the Gigantella:
- The average late fruiting period. Maxim does not depend on how early the warm summer comes, in contrast to the early varieties. This is a useful feature in central Russia, where heat can come only by the end of June.
- Long term fruiting. Strawberries ripen for about a month and keep well on the bush without rotting, so you can eat them without haste.
- Long-term storage. Strawberries do not wrinkle, if you remove them from the bush before they are overripe, when stored in a dry container, they may not rot or become moldy for several days. This allows you to sell crops.
- Large yield indicator. With minimal effort, more than a dozen large berries can be harvested from each bush.
- Great taste. Without bitterness and excessive sweetness.
- Yield stability. The volume of the yield obtained practically does not depend on external factors, the main thing is that sufficient watering and minimal fertilizers remain.
In the video presented, you can clearly see the strawberry variety "Maxim":
In snowy winters, the bushes can freeze, but this problem can be easily solved by simply covering the bed during the cold weather.
Before acquiring this culture, you need to take into account its disadvantages. The most important disadvantage is its low resistance to diseases and pests. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the stems and leaves, to have fungicides and insecticides on hand in order to save the bush from death in time.
Yield
The berries are formed from mid to late June, and ripen by July, in the first 10 days. The largest fruits are observed in the first week, during this period one berry can weigh up to 120 g (average 100 g). Taking into account the fact that each bush has many stems with peduncles, and in general, the yield from one bush varies from 15 to 20.
You can collect about 2 kg of strawberries from one bush per month. It is important to consider that in the second decade of July, the size of the fruit already decreases, reaching only 70 g with regular fertilizer and watering.
Characteristics of berries
The berries are rounded, not elongated, painted in bright red color. The largest fruits can have a heart shape. All berries are characterized by a sharp narrowing to the bottom, which is why they resemble triangles.
The taste of the berries is excellent. When tasting, notes of strawberries are felt. The harvested crop on time is neither bitter nor sour. The fruits are quite juicy, but not overly watery. If the berry is too soft, then it is overripe.
Landing rules
Before planting a crop, several rules must be observed. Particular attention should be paid to the following points:
- selection of seedlings;
- site preparation;
- soil preparation.
Features of the choice of seedlings
It is best to go for seedlings to large agricultural and horticultural stores, where crops are sold in convenient sectional pots with precise marks of which variety this or that plant belongs to. When buying from the market, there is a high risk of fraud, and in the case of planting seeds, the growing process will be too complicated.
It is worth considering the general rules that help to choose the most healthy seedling:
- at least 3 open sheets;
- foliage color is bright, rich green;
- leaf plates without spots, burns, obscure blotches or traces of pests;
- the root system is developed (it is recommended to ask a consultant to pull a bush from the ground), without damage;
- the core of the bush is not rotten, the stems are solid (softness indicates the development of root rot);
- there are no signs of pest damage (no larvae, no bite marks on foliage, etc.).
It is better to purchase seedlings when everything is ready for planting them on the site. Prolonged maintenance in the house will slow down the growth of the bush.
When and where to plant strawberries?
The optimal time for planting strawberry bushes is mid-April, when the snow should already melt. If you live in more northern areas, you should wait for the heat, but you should not expect a harvest in the same year. Seedlings need time for development, and if you plant them later than April, for example, in May-June, they will not have time to bloom.
If the period from April to May has been missed, it is better to plant the bushes later, in August or September. In this case, there should not be intense heat and drought. The plot where strawberries will be grown must also meet several criteria:
- Good illumination. Strawberries do not like shade and even partial shade, so there should not be tall bushes, trees or buildings nearby.
- Moderate or lower soil acidity. If the substrate does not meet this requirement, it will have to be replaced.
- Slight slope of the plot. This will prevent stagnation of moisture and decay of the strawberry root system. If there is no slope, create it artificially at the landing site.
- Good ventilation. Stagnation of air also does not lead to anything good, because on hot days it can provoke heatstroke.
Soil preparation
Strawberries are not demanding on the soil, despite the fact that they give a good and large harvest. In order for it to grow quickly and hurt minimally, check the acidity of the soil. If it is high, apply liming. Loam or soil with the addition of river sand is suitable as a substrate.
Gardeners who grow other crops on their plots, as well as industrial enterprises, can use land from the following crops as soil:
- radish;
- peas;
- cereal plants.
It is recommended to add a little humus and fertilizer if the area is not fertile. But it’s important not to overdo it, because an excess of minerals strikes strawberries as much as their lack.
Landing
When planting strawberries, you need to consider a few simple rules:
- Prepare the wells. Their depth depends on the length of the rhizomes, there should be a margin of about 3-4 cm.
- Place a layer of ash on the bottom of each groove. It is necessary for additional drainage.
- Then put a bush in the hole. Sprinkle its rhizome lightly with a mixture of ordinary soil and clay.
- After the seedling is in the recess, sprinkle it with the prepared substrate. The earth should not cover the leaves, the entire stem remains on the surface.
- Compact the soil around the strawberries, then water each bush abundantly.
- Keep a distance of half a meter between the rows of culture, and between individual bushes - from 40 to 50 cm.
Care Rules
Gigantella care is standard. Even summer residents who visit their land plots only once a week, on weekends, will be able to cope with the cultivation of this plant.
Loosening
Weed the garden bed only in spring and autumn, preparing the plant for the winter cold. Do not disturb the bushes during flowering and fruiting, as this can weaken them. Remove all weeds in advance, and then treat the soil with a special compound against their further growth.
Watering
Moisten the substrate as the top layer dries. The soil should not turn into dust or crack. During the hot season, which usually lasts from July to August, water the strawberries regularly, at least once every two days. At normal times, it is enough to moisten the soil once every two weeks.
It is advisable to water in such a way that moisture does not get into the core, otherwise rotting of the root system and stem may develop.
Pest control
The variety is susceptible to fungal infections, so it is necessary to regularly check its stems for powdery mildew and rot. If there are suspicions about the development of one of the diseases, it is necessary to treat the plant with a fungicide. At the same time, spraying bushes with such preparations is possible only after the strawberries have faded and yields.
If fungicides are used earlier, poisoning of people and bees collecting pollen is possible. In order to prevent the development of diseases, you can periodically add ash to the soil or sprinkle the leaves with a thin layer.
Mulching
Mulching the soil prevents the development of weeds and accumulates moisture, giving it away during the heat. Sawdust or chopped straw should be poured onto the soil in a thin layer. This procedure should be performed as the previous mulching material disappears.
Fertilization
Strawberries love fluoride and potassium. Fertilizers with such components need to be applied 2 times for the entire growth period until the moment of fruiting, best in May and June. Immediately after planting the seedlings, or just at the beginning of spring, if the bushes have survived the winter, it is recommended to sprinkle the rhizome with ash.
You can find out more about spring feeding of strawberries here.
In the fall, it is enough to dig up a bed and add compost or pre-prepared leaf humus to the soil. The use of manure is allowed.
Trimming mustache and leaves
The mustache should be trimmed as it draws out nutrients and interferes with the fruit's development. You can leave them only on those bushes from which the mustache will then be taken for rooting.
Rules for pruning mustaches, stems and leaves:
- Carry out only in dry weather to prevent decay.
- Take one mustache from one bush, cut off the others.
- Cut off all excess processes with scissors, and do not cut off with your hands.
Fertilizing during the growing season
When the plant multiplies, that is, the mustache takes root, any fertilizer for fruit crops can be used to add to the aqueous solution. Ash is recommended after planting.
Preparing bushes for wintering
After the strawberries have bloomed and harvested, remove any dried or yellowed leaves. Loosen the soil, remove weeds. It is advisable to cover the bushes with straw to protect them from frost. If it snows, they will be protected anyway, but in a period of little snow, the death of uncovered plants is possible.
Reproduction
The Maxim breeding process does not differ from the vegetative method, which is used when caring for similar crops. It is much more convenient to take for planting not seeds, but mustaches, which are formed in abundance on each bush. Reproduction can be either spontaneous, that is, occurring without the participation of the gardener, or forced.
It is better to do the mustache planting on your own, otherwise the previously slender beds will turn into random, disorganized flower beds, and the strawberries will begin to grow poorly or even die.
Watch the video below about the propagation of strawberries with a mustache:
For the propagation of strawberries with a mustache, it is necessary to take the shoots of the best bushes with optimal yield indicators. It is important to remember that first-year bushes cannot be used when dividing. They are still too weak, and the separation of the mustache will hit their development. The shoots themselves, which will need to be rooted, will also be weak, so they may not take root at all in the new soil.
Vegetative propagation algorithm:
- Choose the best mustache from the largest bushes.
- Separate them by carefully cutting off the stems with scissors. Cut a section of the initial bush with ash to avoid decay.
- Prepare a container with an aqueous solution. Add one of the popular horticultural fertilizers to the liquid.
- Place the trimmed tip of the mustache in the container and wait for it to take root. If roots have already formed on the stem of the antennae, they should be placed in the water. They need to evolve a little.
- After rooting, transplant the seedling into loose soil, use a mixture of soil with river sand. Wait 6 weeks, then plant in a common garden bed.
During rooting, it is important to constantly add fertilizer and not leave the sprouts without watering.
Reviews of gardeners about the variety Maxim
Oleg, 52, amateur gardener, Tomsk. At first, strawberries hurt a lot, but after changing the soil to a more nutritious one and treatment with fungicides, it began to give a good harvest. I recommend the variety to those who already have a little experience in gardening.
Kristina, 30 years old, owner of a summer cottage, Balashikha. Maxim was planted 5 years ago, and strawberries still regularly produce large berries. We cook them for the winter, we make jam - everything is perfectly stored and tastes good.
Evgeniy, 45 years old, professional agronomist, Voronezh. The most productive crop. It grows well not only on the site, but also in industrial greenhouses. Every year, 10-15 kg of beautiful berries are collected from one bush.
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It is important to remember that the size and number of berries from each bush is a direct consequence of caring for the plant. The better the watering and fertilization, the higher the yield. Although strawberries can be left unattended, if they are not watered for a long time, they will not die, but will stop producing a good harvest.