Strawberry "Black Prince" is a dark red berry from Italy. Strawberry "Black Prince": description and cultivation technology Video: the secrets of growing strawberries from seeds

Among the wide variety garden strawberries, erroneously called strawberries, it is worth highlighting several interesting and unusual varieties. A particularly promising variety that has recently appeared on the territory of the CIS is the Black Prince with large, glossy, maroon, almost black berries.

The history of the appearance of the variety Black Prince

The garden strawberry variety Black Prince was obtained in the nursery of the New Fruits company. This company is one of the producers of high quality planting material in Italy. The work of breeders from the city of Cesene lasted ten years, the variety was tested in Ukraine and has proven itself well in Europe, as well as in many regions of Russia and Kazakhstan.

However, in some sources, this variety is given out as an early garden strawberry of the Polish Kama selection, which, because of the dark cherry berries, began to be incorrectly called the Black Prince.

Variety Description

Garden strawberries Black Prince refers to varieties of medium early ripening. The first berries can be tasted in the third decade of June, and fruiting ends only at the end of summer. Young bushes with medium-sized dark green glossy leaves grow very quickly over time. Adult bushes of the Black Prince are superior in height to other varieties of garden strawberries. Peduncles are tall, erect, but under the weight of berries they can bend to the ground.

Berries of a truncated conical shape, very large (weight - 50 grams), juicy, fragrant, with a shine. Fruit color is dark cherry, approaching black. seeds are large, dark color released on the surface of the fruit. The taste of berries is sweet, with a barely noticeable sourness.

The pulp is quite dense, does not contain voids, due to which the fruits are stored for a long time and tolerate transportation well.

It can be eaten in unlimited quantities even with diathesis, which is especially common in children. In general, a big paradox - strawberries are a very sweet berry, but it reduces the amount of sugar in the blood. Therefore, you can eat strawberries even with diabetes.

Photo gallery: features of strawberries Black Prince

Young bushes of garden strawberries Black Prince grow very quickly, giving no a large number of mustache Garden strawberry Honey (left) is significantly inferior in size to the Black Prince (right) Berries of the Black Prince variety are large, dark cherry in color

Variety characteristics

The variety has the following valuable qualities:

• long fruiting period - from June 20 to the end of August;
• high yield - more than 1 kg of berries per bush per season, 20–28 tons per hectare, the yield increases with age;
• large-fruitedness - average weight one fruit is 50 g, and the size of the berries does not change until the end of the season;
• great taste - juicy, sweet, and the berry itself is dense and fragrant;
• high transportability of berries and storage capacity - up to 30 days at lower temperatures without loss presentation;
• the viability and productivity of each plant is more than 5–7 years, with decent care - up to 10;
• good frost resistance and the ability to withstand short spring frosts without harm to the crop;
• resistance to many diseases of garden strawberries.

But the Black Prince variety also has some drawbacks:

• medium drought resistance - without irrigation, the culture can withstand only a short period of time;
• does not take root well and grows on heavy soils, the roots rot even with good drainage;
• gives a small amount of whiskers and only 3-4 years, then you are left without planting material;
• it is affected by strawberry mites, and in autumn anthracnose, as well as white and brown spots, may appear.

Photo gallery: autumn fungal diseases of garden strawberries

The best moisturizing option for strawberries is drip irrigation.

To extend the life of the bushes and get a rich harvest of high quality berries, it is necessary to feed strawberries throughout the season.

In early spring, the Black Prince strawberry needs nitrogen (15–20 grams of urea per 10 liters of water), and during budding and flowering, it needs phosphorus (30–40 grams of superphosphate per meter 2). During the fruiting period, it is good to feed the bushes with complex fertilizers such as Berries or Agricola (according to the instructions). They need to be applied dry to the soil under the bushes or dissolved in water.

After collecting the last berries, you need to take care of the bushes again, now for laying the next year's crop. Remove damaged dried leaves and old mulch, feed the plants, weed, shed the beds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Depending on the weather, the bushes must be watered periodically. Starting from the second year of life, the roots are often exposed at the bushes. In this case, they are covered with earth mixed with compost and watered (1.5 liters per bush).

Video: autumn fertilizing strawberries

It is rare that gardeners will ignore the cultivation of garden strawberries or, as they are called by the people, strawberries. This is one of the most profitable crops, and the Black Prince variety is considered one of the most productive. Already in the second year after planting, you will receive a large number large berries, and a description of the agricultural technology of growing a variety, the features of caring for it and our recommendations for planting will help you with this.

Strawberries or wild strawberries: what is the correct name for a large-fruited berry grown by gardeners?

Often you can hear from gardeners that they grow strawberries on the site. But is it really so? Botanists claim that a large-fruited berry, popularly called a strawberry, is actually a garden strawberry.

The plant was obtained in the 18th century by French breeders by crossing the Chilean and Virginian types of strawberries. The fruits of the cultivated form were larger than wild berries and soon became popular among gardeners throughout Europe, and in the second half of the 17th century the culture appeared in Russia. Since then, garden strawberries have been quite popular. berry plant, thanks to early ripening, excellent taste, easy care and reproduction.

One of the very old French varieties, called Victoria. For many decades, he was the leader, and in everyday life the people began to call the whole family of garden strawberries after him.

Table: distinctive features of strawberries and garden strawberries

For a long time in Russia, berries and plants of the strawberry genus have been called differently: sunichka, midnight, red berry, floorboard, coarse. And today its variety, grown as cultivated plant, called strawberries, strawberries, victoria. But still, the only correct name for this genus is garden strawberry.

Characteristics of the variety Black Prince

The variety of garden strawberries Black Prince is an achievement of the Italian company "New Fruits" (New fruits), Cesena. For almost 10 years, its scientists have been working on the creation of new strawberry varieties with increased frost resistance, adapted to the conditions of the continental and temperate northern climate.

The berries of the Black Prince variety, framed by shiny, moderately corrugated leaves, have the shape of a truncated cone, are quite large: the weight of a mature fruit reaches 40–50 grams. The name itself indicates main feature berries - when ripe, they acquire a dark red, almost black tint in the shade. The seeds inside are also black in color.

Medium-early variety - with proper agricultural technology, the first berries ripen in mid-June and will delight you until the end of August. At the same time, the fruits do not shrink, unlike other early varieties. Just do not forget about timely watering. The Black Prince, enduring winter colds down to -18–20 ºС and return spring frosts, is not very resistant to drought.

This variety is also distinguished by the increased density of the pulp, which allows them to be transported and stored without damage for up to two weeks. Fruits will get to the consumer's table without losing their presentation. A high demand for juicy strawberries of the Black Prince variety will provide a bright specific aroma and a pleasant sour taste.

The yield of this variety is also attractive. Powerful, tall and sprawling bushes will give a kilogram of fruit each. In terms of hectare will be about 20 tons. For one hundred square meters of your precious plot - almost 200 kilograms per season! And the older the plant, the more productive it is. Unlike the average varieties of garden strawberries, the Black Prince bush is active not for 2–3 years, but for 5–7 years, and with proper care, this period can be extended for another couple of years.

Table: advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Photo gallery: strawberry variety Black Prince

The fruits of strawberries of the Black Prince variety have an unusual dark cherry color. Strawberries Black Prince have dense pulp and wonderful taste. Up to 1 kg of berries are harvested from one bush Strawberries Black Prince have large, beautiful berries

Landing and care

Strawberries can be planted as seedlings or seeds. But there is a lot of fuss with the seeds, and the resulting plants often do not live up to expectations. Gardeners note that seedlings rarely repeat the varietal qualities of the mother plant, therefore experienced gardeners recommend purchasing seedlings. Moreover, today there are enough offers on the Internet and specialized stores for the sale of strawberry seedlings of the Black Prince variety.

Often seedlings are sold with an open root system (OCS) in bundles of 10 pieces. But if you buy plants with a closed root system (ZKS), already planted in plastic containers, you will only win. With a small difference in price, you are guaranteed to receive living plant, which you can transplant to the garden throughout the season.

Site selection, soil preparation

It is better to choose a place for strawberry beds in advance. If the land on the site is flat and dry, then special preparation is not needed. The selected area is dug up, cleared of rhizomes of perennial weeds, and fertilizer is applied to the soil.

Early digging is needed so that the earth has time to settle before planting, otherwise the seedlings will expose the root system.

It is recommended to apply organic and mineral fertilizers a year or two before planting. On podzolic, medium fertility soils, 6–8 kg of manure or other organic matter, 12 g of potash and 9 g of phosphorus fertilizers are applied per 1 m 2. If the soil on the site is sandy or loamy, then you need to add more organic matter.

If you want to reduce the time for soil preparation to 10–15 days, then only apply well-rotted manure and, after digging, spill the ground with water a couple of times so that it settles.

Scheme and landing time

Planting strawberries in early autumn (until mid-September) gives better results compared to spring. By the onset of frost, the seedlings take root well, successfully winter and are able to bring a good harvest the next year.

There are various schemes and methods for planting strawberries. One-line and two-line landings are popular. Since Black Prince bushes grow tall and spreading, the following intervals are recommended. With a single-line planting: between plants - 30–40 cm, between rows - 80–90 cm. With a two-line planting: between plants - 40–50 cm, between rows - 40–50 cm, between double rows - 80–90 cm. from north to south for uniform illumination of plants. This planting in even rows facilitates soil cultivation and plant care.

In the lowlands and at close occurrence ground water(less than 80 cm) for planting strawberries, ridges up to 30 cm high and up to 1 m wide are arranged. Plants are located in checkerboard pattern in 2-3 lines.

Video: 4 options for effective planting strawberries

Landing

1. Prepare seedlings. Remove broken, dry and diseased leaves.
2. Trim roots longer than 5 cm with clean scissors.
3. Place in the bottom of a basket or box and cover with a damp cloth to keep the roots from drying out.
4. Before planting, make a "talker" of water and clay in a bucket.
5. Dip the roots of the seedlings in it, which will contribute to their speedy engraftment.
6. Make a hole in the prepared soil with your hand or a shovel and pour half a liter of water into it. A strawberry bush has a neck between leaves and roots. You need to take it when you lower the bush into the hole.
7. Spread the roots in the hole and fill them with earth.
8. Make a small hole with your hands, compacting the soil around the bush. The neck should be at ground level.

At the end of planting, immediately pour strawberries at the rate of 1 bucket for 15-20 bushes and mulch. To do this, use sawdust, humus, chopped straw, pine needles or a special film. The role of mulch in strawberry beds cannot be overestimated. Mulch will retain moisture, reduce temperature differences between day and night, create favorable conditions for the development of soil microflora, contributing to the formation of humus and increasing soil fertility. Mulch will keep the berry clean during rain and watering, and will not let it lie on the ground.

How to care for strawberries?

Only with constant care will strawberries of the Black Prince variety produce an excellent harvest of delicious fruits.

Table: crop care activities

Propagation of strawberries

If you want to have a lot of strawberries, but it is not possible to purchase right amount planting material, then we will suggest several ways to propagate it.

Propagation by seeds - preparatory stage

1. Seeds can be bought, or you can prepare yourself. To obtain seeds of large-fruited strawberries:
2. Choose very ripe berries.
3. Carefully cut the seeds along with part of the fruit pulp, mash and wash in running water.
4. Together with a part of the remaining pulp, put it on a piece of linen (if there are a lot of seeds, you can use an old nylon stocking in the form of a bag) and dry in the shade. Knead this "gruel" with your hands from time to time so that the seeds do not stick together.
5. Dry seeds are best stored in a paper bag. Sow them in March-April.

Growing the Black Prince variety from seeds - a step-by-step master class

1. We fill the seedling box with loose earth, leaving 2 cm to the edge.
2. Moisturize with a sprayer upper layer earth, we will knock the box once on the support in order to compact the soil a little (we do not tamp with our hands).
3. Then we distribute the seeds over the surface of the earth and fill them up, but not with earth, but with snow to the edge of the box.
4. We cover the box (you can use cling film) and put it in the refrigerator for two weeks, where the snow will gradually melt.
5. After stratification, that is, the “wintering” artificially arranged by us, we put the box on the coldest windowsill. We do not remove the film, we are waiting for shoots that will appear in 2-3 weeks.
6. When the seeds hatch, we pierce several holes in the film to acclimatize the sprouts. If the film has stopped “sweating”, then we moisten the ground with melt water using a sprayer.
7. We dive seedlings when 2-3 true leaves appear on it. Now, before planting in the ground, the main thing is not to overdo it with watering, but also not to dry the seedlings.

Video: the secrets of growing strawberries from seeds

Reproduction of strawberries with a mustache

Vegetative propagation of strawberries with a mustache (stems with rosettes creeping along the ground), at first glance, seems to be the most in a simple way. But if the planting material is taken right there, from the fruit-bearing beds, then there is a risk of capturing strawberry pests and diseases. As a result, you will get at least a decrease in yield.

How to avoid it? To lay a small nursery - a mother liquor, for the creation of which:

1. Choose a plot where strawberries have not grown for at least the last three years.
2. Prepare the land for planting: dig and fertilize.
3. Get as healthy plants as possible and plant them in the prepared area according to the scheme 90x90 cm or 140x50 cm.
4. Wait for the mother plant to give a mustache. Make sure that they have contact with the soil, so the roots will appear faster. For this, such a spacious landing scheme is needed.
5. In late July-early August, select the first two rosettes from the mother plant (the subsequent ones may already be weakened) and transplant them to the place of the future plantation.
6. Do top dressing: at the beginning of the growing season - ammonium nitrate 10–12 g per 1 m 2; at the beginning of mustache formation - with the same fertilizer 15–20 g per 1 m 2.
7. You can speed up the time of the beginning of the formation of mustaches and improve the quality of the resulting seedlings by covering the mother liquor with a film.

Video: how to properly propagate strawberries to maintain varietal qualities

Reproduction by dividing the bush

But what if you want to propagate your favorite strawberry variety, but it does not form a mustache, and you don’t want to mess with the seeds? The solution to the problem is the method of dividing the hive:

1. During the season we notice several healthy plants with large and beautiful fruits.
2. After harvesting the fruits, at the end of the growing season, we dig out the bushes we love.
3. We dissect the dug bushes with our hands into its constituent horns with a rhizome and a rosette of leaves.
4. The resulting horns are planted in the garden immediately.

Video: we propagate strawberries by dividing the bush

1. The lower part of the rhizome is cut with secateurs, leaving the upper annual growth with brown and yellow adventitious roots and a leafy rosette.
2. Until spring, the horns are stored in the refrigerator or in another place at a temperature of 0 ºС to -2 ºС.
3. In April-May, the horns are planted in open or protected ground, depending on the climatic characteristics of a particular area.

Diseases and pests characteristic of garden strawberries of the Black Prince variety

Can't be achieved good harvests if strawberries are infected with pests and diseases. Often, novice gardeners simply give up when they encounter such troubles. But many of them can be avoided if signs of infection are detected in time and the necessary measures are taken.

Table: diseases and pests of strawberries Black Prince and their control

Photo gallery: how to recognize pests and diseases of garden strawberries

Harvest and storage

The first strawberries of the Black Prince variety ripen in mid-June. If you are not going to immediately eat them, it is better to pick the fruits slightly unripe, while not separating the stalks and calyx. So they are better preserved by the time they are used, processed or sold. The pulp of the Black Prince's berries is dense, without voids, due to which they deteriorate less and do not crumple during transportation and storage.

It is better to pick berries in plastic or enamelware up to 5 liters in order to prevent high pressure on the fruits below. Harvesting in rainy weather or in the morning with heavy dew is not recommended. Wait for the dew to dry, it will be the most the best time for collection.

Make sure that sick, wrinkled and overripe specimens do not get into your basket, as they can spoil the rest. Before storing, sort the fruits again and remove all “suspicious” ones.

Strawberries are a perishable product, but there are three main ways to extend their shelf life:

• Fridge. If you are going to consume fresh berries in the near future, use the refrigerator. At temperatures from 0ºС to +2ºС, their shelf life is 5 days, up to +6ºС - 3 days. Before laying the berries do not wash, excess moisture will shorten the storage time.
• With sugar. The crushed berry is mixed with granulated sugar in a ratio of 1: 2 (will be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months) or 1: 1 (in freezer- up to 1 year).
• In the freezer. Strawberries will retain all their wonderful properties until the next harvest. Wash the fruits to be frozen, dry a little with a paper towel, remove the stalks, if necessary, immediately cut into pieces of the required size. So that strawberries do not freeze in monolithic slab, berries can be pre-frozen laid out on a dish or baking sheet, and then transferred to a container or bag.

And, of course, there are countless ways to recycle strawberry berries. Thrifty housewives cook jam and jam from them, make compote and a variety of goodies.

Strawberry "Black Prince" - "child" of Italian breeders working in the company New fruitis. 10 years of hard pipe allowed them to develop a completely new variety that is resistant to frost and high humidity. If you look at the photo of the described garden strawberry, you will notice that its bushes are powerful and rather tall, with green leaves, which are so lightly glossy. Shoots are strong, usually have a large number of ovaries. There are a lot of thick mustaches in the first years, but later their number decreases significantly.

Strawberries "Black Prince" are similar in color to apples, they are also dark red. Although from a distance they seem even black. Interestingly, the seeds inside the berries have the same characteristic shade. By weight, the fruits reach 50 grams. They have a glossy surface, a truncated cone shape, juicy and dense red flesh, without voids. What is characteristic, during the whole season they do not shrink.

Fruiting terms

The berries, which have a characteristic strawberry aroma and a wonderful taste with a little bit of sourness, begin to ripen in the second half of June. They turn red throughout the summer. On average, for 1 season, up to 1.2 kg of large fruits can be harvested from the Black Prince strawberry bushes, with proper agricultural technology. The variety is capable of producing berries for 6-7 years. And if you properly care for him, this period can be extended by a couple of years. But strawberries will only give the first 2-3 years. Therefore, if you want to breed a plant on the site, do not be late with their preparation.

Winter hardiness varieties

The almost black strawberry of the described variety perfectly tolerates a drop in temperature to -20 ° C. Therefore, for the winter it can be left without shelter. What the Black Prince does not tolerate is drought. In the hot season, it should be watered more often. Then it will grow large and give you berries that can be used for fresh consumption, sale on the market (excellent transportability!) or cooking various dishes and drinks (jams, wine, liqueurs, etc.).

This photo of a strawberry cake is being actively discussed on the Internet. At first glance, nothing special: just a picture of poor quality - perhaps the author went too far with filters.

Photo by MATT LIEBERMAN / TWITTER

In fact, everything is somewhat more complicated: red pixels are completely absent in the picture, but despite this, the human eye still sees red berries. The red color of strawberries exists only in our imagination: the mind deceives us, since the berries are depicted on a blue background.

Things and colors look different in different lighting conditions – for example, under daylight office fluorescent lamps or in the soft lighting of a living room. However, the human brain independently makes changes to the drawing so that we still see the strawberries as red.

This feature of human perception is called "color constancy".

"Your brain is saying, 'The light source I see these strawberries in is adding some blueness to them, so I will automatically remove the blue content from every pixel,'" the color vision expert explains. Bevil Conway in an interview with Motherboard.

Of course, we know that strawberries should be red. And it also helps the mind to correct the color of the image.

Then joined the discussion Matt Lieberman, posting on Twitter a slightly modified picture, which, however, also did not contain red pixels.

Many responded to Matt's post by adding gray rectangles to his picture for comparison. Carson Mall took color swatches from several places that appear red to us and placed them on a white background.

The gray color becomes more obvious if you look at each berry separately from the rest of the picture. Try covering the background in the photo with your hands.

In 2015, the Internet was divided into two camps, arguing furiously between themselves, what color is the dress: blue and black or white and gold.

A gray strawberry that looks red has a slightly different explanation, however, in both cases, we are talking about color correction, which our mind resorts to depending on the type of lighting.