Strawberry Elizabeth 2: variety description, photo, culture reviews

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In our country, quite a lot of people have a summer cottage where they grow various fruit and vegetable crops. What could be better than delicious berries from your own garden, endowed with all the necessary vitamins that benefit he alth? The very first juicy and sweet berry after a long winter is a strawberry. Previously, its varieties could please gardeners with only one harvest per season, but thanks to the work of breeders, this has changed dramatically. Today, one of the most promising types of domestic selection is the large-fruited strawberry variety Elizaveta 2.

General Features

Strawberry Elizabeth 2, whose photos are simply mesmerizing, has gained popularity among gardeners not only because of the high yield and large tasty berries, but also because of the high stability of life. The variety was bred almost 15 years ago on the territory of the Donskoy Nursery plantations. The basis of this breeding discovery was the predecessor - the berry of the Queen Elizabeth variety. Many people think that strawberriesElizabeth 2, gardeners' reviews confirm this, has too much in common with its predecessor, and its selection is just an advertising ploy. In fact, the new species is noticeably different in many characteristics. First of all, strawberries Elizabeth 2 (a description of the variety, photos, reviews and much more are presented in the article) has an earlier ripening period. In addition, it is subject to fewer diseases and has a more powerful green mass. All this has been confirmed by numerous trials of the culture in various nurseries throughout the country.

External Description

Description of the strawberry variety Elizabeth 2, according to external data, characterizes the plant as very powerful. Its bushes are densely leafy, erect. The foliage is very large and bright green. Its ribbing is medium, the surface is shiny and slightly concave.

Strawberries themselves can reach a weight of up to 100 grams each, of course, only if all the requirements for care and optimal climate are met. The fruits of the variety are very bright, red and smooth. Their aroma and taste allowed the variety to receive a high tasting score, and dense pulp allows the crop to be transported over long distances without loss.

Features of agricultural technology

Strawberry Elizabeth 2 (a description of the variety, photos, reviews and care features can be found in the article) is a remontant species, therefore, with proper care, it allows you to get up to three crops per season. The first juicy berries can be tasted already at the end of May, and the last - at the end of September. The formfruit depends on the weather and under favorable climatic conditions is drawn out.

The density of strawberries allows them to be stored for a long time without loss, and excellent taste qualities - to use not only fresh, but also processed:

• frozen;
• in the form of jam;
• in the form of jams;
• in compotes.

Strawberry Elizabeth 2 can be propagated both by seedlings and from seeds. In the latter case, maternal qualities are not transferred to the bushes, but in any case, the plant turns out to be frost-resistant and suitable for growing in the middle lane.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The positive qualities of this type of strawberry include:

• frost resistance;
• resistance to pests and most diseases;
• early ripening;
• fruiting throughout the summer without changing the quality of the berries;
• great taste;
• beautiful shape;
• good transport quality and keeping quality.

Strawberry variety Elizabeth 2 has only one significant drawback. To get high-quality, large and tasty berries, you have to carefully monitor the composition of the soil in the beds. This species is very demanding on the nutritional value and chemical composition of the soil on which it grows.

Planting seeds

As already mentioned, this method is not very relevant, because it does not provide ready-made plants with the opportunity to maintain their maternal qualities and further multiplyordinary antennae, but it is still used. For its implementation, the strawberry Elizabeth 2 (description of the variety, photo, reviews and possible diseases must be studied before planting) should begin its life activity at the end of winter. The latest date for sowing is the beginning of March. At this time, special seedling containers should be prepared and filled with light nutrient soil. It is best to opt for ready-made seedling mixes sold at specialized outlets.

An important feature of any strawberry is that its planting material germinates only in good light, so you do not need to bury the seeds at all. They are simply evenly distributed over the surface of slightly moistened soil, after which the seedling containers are covered with film or glass.

Sprout care

At first, the pots are opened only if necessary to moisten the soil, and after germination, they gradually begin to increase the airing time of the sprouts. After the appearance of the first true leaf, this period should be at least half an hour a day. Strawberry varieties Elizabeth 2 (reviews from gardeners confirm this) require picking and seating in separate containers only after the appearance of the second true leaf.

All care for sprouts is to maintain a moisturizing regime and a stable comfortable temperature. In the warmth of a house or a greenhouse, seedlings get used to the microclimate and require preliminary hardening for normal life in the open field. To do this, 2 weeks before transplanting, containers with sprouts should be taken out to a freshair, gradually increasing the time they spend there. As a rule, seedlings can be planted in the beds already in June.

Fitting technology

Strawberry Elizabeth 2 (description, reviews and much more are provided in this article) has a certain technology for planting in open ground. Only if it is followed, you can get a quality crop that has all the characteristics declared by the manufacturer.

First of all, you should choose and prepare the site for this. The land for growing a remontant variety of large-fruited strawberries should be flat and as open as possible. It is very important that the site is well lit, but at the same time it is windless. In some cases, a slight slope is allowed.

The soil for culture should be clean, without excess vegetation. That is why, before planting, it is recommended in advance to carry out deep digging in the fall and remove all weeds. Also at this time, you should feed the soil by applying 20 grams of potash fertilizers and twice as much superphosphate per square meter.

On acidified soils, strawberries will grow qualitatively and will not bear fruit. In such cases, it is better to prepare the land for several seasons, regularly adding dolomite flour to the soil. Acidity for culture should be at the level of 5-6.

Plant pattern

Ideally, strawberries Elizabeth 2 (description of the variety, reviews are of interest to many domestic summer residents) should be located on the plot allocated for planting in rows towardsthe sun, that is, to the south. Sometimes the direction of the rows to the west is also allowed. Landings should be located as high as possible from groundwater, so if there is a possibility of flooding the roots, the site should be raised artificially.

The standard planting pattern for this berry crop of any variety is a single line. It involves placing bushes at a distance of 15-25 cm from each other and observing row spacing of 50-80 cm. It is convenient to walk along such paths: pick berries, take care of plants, remove excess vegetation.

To save space, gardeners often use a two-line scheme, which is the presence of wide row spacing every 2 rows of bushes. At the same time, plants are placed at a distance of 25-40 cm, and the width of the paths remains similar to the previous scheme.

Once the bushes are placed in their permanent places, the site should be watered abundantly and sprinkled with mulch. You can use organic or any other material of your choice. When choosing agrofibre, it is important to place it on the site even before planting the bushes.

Plant care

Strawberry Elizabeth 2 (variety description, photos, reviews confirm this) is considered a demanding culture, but if you understand all the rules in more detail, the situation no longer seems so complicated.

To get several good harvests per season, just follow these recommendations:

• before the appearance of flowers and ovaries, water the strawberries in the rain;
• after flowering, water only under the root;
• always use only warm water for irrigation, preferably air temperature, but not lower than 15 degrees;
• allocate at least a bucket of water for each square meter, and in case of severe drought, double this amount;
• loosen the soil after each watering;
• do not feed the crop during flowering and fruiting;
• treat bushes with fungicides for prevention at least three times per season.

Care for the northern regions is additionally characterized by sheltering strawberries for the winter. The conditions of the middle zone do not require such a measure, since the variety tolerates mild or short frosts quite well.

Food

You can use both organic and mineral mixtures to feed the crop, but experienced gardeners recommend alternating these fertilizers.

The first dressing of the planting is carried out even before the snow melts. To do this, wood ash and urea are scattered in equal proportions right on it at the place of strawberry growth. As soon as fully formed bushes appear, but even before flowering, the culture should be poured under the root with mullein infusion. After that, the entire period of fruiting is best to feed the plant with foliar mineral complex additives.

Preparation for the next harvest begins immediately after the last harvest of this season. Superphosphate and nitrophoska are scattered on the ground, after which they loosen it and water it. You can do this before the rain, then watering is not needed. Before planting strawberries on a newthe land is dug up and organic fertilizers are applied.

Dangers for the variety

Strawberry Elizabeth 2 (description, photos confirm this), if proper care rules are not followed, it can be affected by brown spotting and other diseases, but, as a rule, this does not happen. Experienced gardeners try to prevent any infection and, for the purpose of prevention, treat plantings in the spring with a solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture at a concentration of 1%.

When infected plants are found, their diseased leaves should be removed immediately, and if necessary, the diseased bushes should be completely sacrificed.

Reviews

Most gardeners do not distinguish this strawberry variety from its predecessor very much in most characteristics. In fact, everything depends on the characteristics of the climate and agricultural technology, so obvious differences do not always appear to the right extent. Many gardeners even thought that breeding a new variety was really just a publicity stunt to attract attention.

In reality, much depends on the quality of the planting material. Many agricultural firms sell non-clean samples, which, even if all the care rules are observed, are not able to fully show all their varietal qualities.

According to real reviews of gardeners, the taste of berries may also not be ideal, but they are always characterized as positive. This behavior of the variety is explained by the tendency of strawberries to depend on weather conditions. That is why even a proven fit every year cangive a different harvest.

Conclusion

Considering the opinions of consumers and breeders, we can conclude that the Elizabeth 2 strawberry deserves a place in every garden plot. Even with some differences of opinion, the crop forms noticeably larger berries that can lay and transport perfectly, and the ability of the variety to produce crops throughout the summer gives it an additional advantage. But be that as it may, this berry requires attention. In order to enjoy the taste of sweet fruits, you need to properly care for her.