Repairing varieties of large-fruited garden strawberries attract special attention of gardeners with their abundant fruiting from early summer to late autumn. Ostara is one of the best old varieties of this type, still very popular due to its unpretentiousness and vitality. This strawberry is sure to delight even the most inexperienced beginners with a delicious harvest.
Ostara - a repairing variety of large-fruited garden strawberries
The repairing variety of garden strawberries Ostara was created by Dutch breeders in the 70s of the last century, but is still widely grown in Europe and the countries of the former USSR. In Russia, this variety is not currently zoned, although it is often found in commercial nurseries and amateur gardeners. Ostara belongs to the group of varieties of large-fruited garden strawberries of neutral daylight hours, which yield crops from the beginning of summer until the onset of autumn frosts.
Ostara's remontant garden strawberry - an old and reliable Dutch variety
Russian gardeners traditionally mistakenly call strawberry large-fruited strawberries, although these are completely different plants.
What is the difference between strawberries and strawberries (table)
| Title | Large strawberry garden | Strawberry Alpine | Wild strawberry | Strawberry |
| Where is growing | The result of artificial hybridization of two South American species, exists only in culture | Garden variety of wild strawberries | Forest glades and forest edges of the temperate zone of Eurasia | Dry meadows, steppe slopes of the temperate zone of Eurasia |
| Berry size | Large | Small | ||
| Sepals | Raised up, easy to separate the berry from the calyx | Closely pressed, very difficult to separate from the berry | ||
| Taste and smell of berries | Almost flavorless | The characteristic aroma of wild strawberries | Very specific nutmeg taste and aroma | |
How to recognize strawberries and strawberries (photo gallery)
- Ostara - a repairing variety of large-fruited garden strawberry
- Wild wild strawberries with small fragrant berries
- Remontant alpine strawberries - garden variety of forest wild strawberries
- Real strawberries are shallow meadow berries with densely grown sepals and a specific muscat aroma
Strawberry Ostara blooms almost continuously and very plentifully from the end of spring until the onset of autumn cold weather. Peduncles strongly branching, reaching 35 centimeters in length, initially raised above the leaves, gradually tending to the ground under the weight of the developing berries.
Ostar wild strawberries bloom abundantly from spring to fall
The plant is very decorative throughout the season and can be grown in pots or containers as a decoration of the site. Leaves are medium sized, bright green. A lot of mustaches are formed, the very first rosettes on them can bloom in the same season.
Ostar's wild strawberries can be grown in pots as an ornamental plant
Fruits very abundantly from late June - early July (depending on the weather and the region) to the October frost. In the greenhouse, year-round fruiting is possible. The size of the berries is very dependent on the age of the plants (on young rosettes the berries are much larger than on old ones) and on the care of strawberry plantings.
The berries are red, shiny, beautiful conical shape, great taste, sweet with a slight sourness. They make excellent quality jam, canned stewed fruit and other homemade preparations.
From the berries of wild strawberry Ostara we get very tasty homemade preparations
Strawberry planting
Strawberries are ideally suited for fertile sandy loamy soils or light loamy soils that are plentifully fertilized with humus (2-3 buckets per square meter). The acidity of the soil is slightly acidic to neutral. The soil should be loose, well permeable to air and water.
Areas not suitable after solanaceous or uprooted old wild strawberries, there is always a large supply of infection in the soil.
The future strawberry must be dug up in advance on the bayonet of a shovel and remove all rhizomes of weeds from it.
The standard planting scheme is 50 centimeters between rows, 30 centimeters between plants in a row.
For ease of care, weed control, moisture saving and the prevention of gray rot, strawberries are often grown on a special black mulching film.
Mulching with a special black film makes it easier to care for strawberries
The procedure for landing with a mulching film:
- The prepared (dug up and leveled) area is completely covered with a black film, fixed its edges with boards or sprinkled with earth.
- Mark the rows of the future strawberry, slightly cut the film crosswise at each planting site for each plant.
To plant seedlings in a mulching film, make incisions crosswise under each plant
- Carefully plant strawberry seedlings in these sections:
- make a small hole in the ground;
- place in it a strawberry seedling, spread its roots;
- fill it with earth and gently press it with your hand so that there are no voids near the roots;
- pour each seedling with a small amount of water.
Proper planting of wild strawberries (video)
When planting strawberries, it is very important to maintain the correct planting depth: the growth point (the base of the bush, the so-called "heart") should be located exactly on the soil surface.
When planting strawberries, the growth point should be located strictly at the level of the ground
The higher the initial quality of the seedlings, the easier it takes root, the faster it starts to bloom and give berries. The first harvest is possible in late summer already in the first year of planting.
Signs of high quality seedlings:
- Each plant has at least 3 healthy, well-developed leaves.
- Open seedlings have healthy, not dried up, well-branched roots of at least 8 centimeters in length.
Good seedlings of strawberries have at least 3 leaves and dense branched roots
- At seedlings from pots, an earthen lump is densely braided with a network of actively growing white roots.
In seedlings from cups, an earthen lump should be braided by roots
The optimal timing of strawberry planting (table)
| Landing time | Spring | Autumn |
| Southern areas | April | September |
| Central and northern areas | May | August |
In damp areas and heavy clay soils, it is better to plant wild strawberries on raised beds with a height of about 15-20 centimeters. They are filled with a light fertile soil mixture with a high content of organic matter. For winter, such beds and passages between them are thrown with a thick layer of fresh loose snow taken from permanent paths or other places free of vegetation.
On damp and heavy soils, strawberries are best planted on raised beds
In the southern regions, remontant strawberries look very impressive on various pyramids and whatnots. They save space in the garden, but require constant watering, especially in hot weather. In regions with more severe winters, such structures are made collapsible. For the winter, the boxes are removed and put on the ground for wintering under the snow.
In the south, strawberries grow well on whatnots and pyramids.
Without snow, remontant strawberries can withstand only short-term cooling to -10 ° C. Under the snow blanket, Ostara easily tolerates thirty-degree frosts. To hold the snow where the wind blows it, you can scatter the pine lapnik along the strawberries. This is done in late autumn after mild freezing temperatures. Too early and too dense shelter threatens plants with death from aging. In spring, the spruce branches are removed immediately after the snow melts.
If in winter the strawberries were covered with spruce branches, in the spring it should be removed immediately after the snow has melted, so as not to prevent the plants from developing
Strawberry propagation
Removable garden strawberry Ostara retains valuable varietal qualities only during vegetative propagation - rooted creeping shoots (mustaches) and dividing bushes.
The easiest way to propagate strawberries with rooting shoots - mustache
The easiest way to propagate strawberries mustache. When grown on a regular earthen bed without mulch, they often root themselves, without the help of a gardener. Seedlings of the highest quality are obtained from the very first whiskers on young plants of the first year of fruiting. You can grow beautiful seedlings with an earthen lump if each mustache with a rosette of leaves is pinned into an individual holey cup with light soil mixture dug into the ground (of course, with such a system they will need regular watering).
Strawberry mustache can be rooted in pots or cups.
It takes about 2 months to fully root. After this, the mustache can be trimmed, and a young plant transplanted to a new place.
The division of the bushes can be used to rejuvenate the old plantation, if for some reason there is not enough good young mustache. Each dug bush is neatly divided into several parts, each of which should have a growth point (heart), 3-4 good young leaves and powerful branched roots. The old base of the bush is thrown out, and the dividers are planted on a new bed.
Strawberry Care
The roots of garden strawberries are superficial. She is equally afraid of drought and waterlogging. Especially dangerous is the stagnation of water in the soil, causing rotting of the roots, and the ingress of water on the berries, which provokes the development of gray rot.
It is convenient to equip strawberry plantations with drip irrigation
On strawberry plantations, a drip irrigation system is usually mounted. Its simplest option can be done on its own from a leaky hose, while it is important to ensure that the water pressure in the system is not too large.
If the water pressure is too strong, its streams fall on the berries, causing the disease to rot gray
The most suitable for wild strawberries are complex organic-mineral fertilizers ("Giant", "Bio-Vita", "Ideal" and so on). Exact dosages and timing are indicated on their packaging. The required minimum is 1 top dressing in the spring every year. You can additionally feed 1-2 times a month throughout the summer, this will increase the size of the berries, but with an overdose, their quality will suffer.
You can not make fresh manure under strawberries.
Special methods of increasing the yield
By its nature, Ostara garden strawberries form a large number of relatively small berries. On young plants, berries are larger than on old ones. The size of the berries can be significantly increased if you cut out part of the peduncles on the plant and regularly cut off all the formed mustache.
Strawberry berries will be larger if you remove all the mustache and part of the peduncles on the plant
Because of the long peduncles, the berries often lie on the ground and get dirty. On large plantations, this problem is solved using a mulching film. On a small amateur bed with a dozen strawberry bushes, it is possible to put props under each plant, bent from a thick wire with protective insulation.
Supports for strawberries will protect them from contamination of the ground
Strawberry flowers do not withstand even slight frosts. The petals may look alive, but if the heart of the flower turns black from frost, the berries will no longer work.
Frozen flowers with blackened hearts do not form berries
The harvest of remontant strawberries can be significantly increased if, during the spring and autumn frosts, the plants are covered with a film or agrofiber. In warm weather, during the day, shelters are opened for pollination by bees.
During the day, a film cover is opened for pollination of flowers by bees
Diseases and Pests
Ostara's remontant garden strawberry is characterized by increased resistance to leaf spots, but suffers greatly from root rot when the soil is waterlogged. The berries are affected by gray rot to a moderate degree. The main pests are snails and slugs.
The almost continuous flowering and fruiting of remontant strawberries makes it impossible to use any pesticides on its plantations.
Pest and disease control measures (table)
| Title | What does it look like | How to fight |
| Snails and slugs | Slugs (naked snails) eat berries in all areas of cultivation. In the south, they are joined by voracious grape snails. Pest eggs roll on the soil surface in clumps of translucent granules | Manual collection and destruction of slugs, snails and their egg laying |
| Root rot | Plants affected by root rot wilt and dry | To dig and burn the perishing plant, to plant nothing in its place (the infection persists in the soil for a year or more) |
| Gray rot of berries | Affected berries are covered with gray moldy coating. |
|
Diseases and pests of strawberries (photo gallery)
- Slugs (naked snails) damage strawberries in all areas of its cultivation
- In the southern regions grape snails feast on strawberries
- Snail eggs look like translucent granules
- A plant with rotten roots quickly dies
- Berries affected by gray rot are covered with gray moldy coating.
Reviews
Ostara - it turned out to be the same variety that is sold in winter in import boxes. Only in the store is it grass-grass, and from the garden it is sweet and tasty. Very productive, fruiting before the snow, dense berries, excellent transportability. To make the berries larger, I thinned out both flower stalks and ovaries. A very mustachioed variety, two waves of mustache formation, but also bears fruit immediately on young outlets.
Nataly-violet//www.websad.ru/archdis.php?code=309383
More modern varieties of neutral daylight hours (NST) are represented by the best varieties of the USA (Albion, Holiday, etc.), Holland (Ostara, Vima Rina, and other Vima ... etc.) and the United Kingdom ( "Sweet Eve", "Eve", "Eves Delight"). They give berries virtually without interruptions and the mustache of some varieties in the current season blooms (!) And gives many large berries. That is, at the same time red berries are hanging on one bush, new peduncles are blooming and buds are still in their infancy. But there is also a short break in a couple of weeks from ripe berries to throwing new buds, the climate also depends on the variety.
rc12rc//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/158557/page-96
Not a bad strawberry OSTARA. So that no one ate from below, I recommend making the supports themselves for flowers. Thick wire can be purchased in the department that sells mesh for fences. Better 3 things per bush.
Fantasy//foren.germany.ru/arch/flora/f/24476252.html
Ostara is a Dutch variety (not new). One of the unpretentious and undemanding to soil and climate. Variety for beginners summer residents. The bushes are high enough, the leaf is dark green, tall, but the leaf blade itself is not large, the peduncles are also long - under the weight of the berries they can bend to the ground. There are a lot of mustaches. It is drought-tolerant in the bushes, but the berry is not dense, not transportable, it can shed seeds in the very heat, from which the appearance is completely lost. There are many peduncles, from which the size of the berry is also smaller. The taste is good, sweet.
Alexander Krymsky//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3633
Very good taste for the autumn harvest. Usually, the autumn berries of remontant strawberries are less sweet than the summer ones. The berries are quite large, bright red. Remontant strawberries require good care and enhanced nutrition, as its flowering is almost continuous. Propagated also by a mustache. I usually leave one or two bushes for propagation at the repair strawberries - I do not let them bloom.
Svetlana Yurievna//irecommend.ru/content/yagoda-k-sentyabryu
Ostara is one of the most reliable and unpretentious varieties of remontant garden strawberries.She is not capricious in leaving and always pleases with an abundant harvest of albeit not very large, but amazingly tasty berries ripening almost continuously from the end of June until late autumn. In addition, it easily propagates with a mustache, which allows you to quickly acquire the desired number of plants of this wonderful variety.
