Varietal features of the Bogotá variety, how to grow this delicious strawberry

Large size, aroma and sweetness without cloying are ideal qualities for wild strawberries. And if it begins to bear fruit, when most varieties already give the last chopped fruits, then the attractiveness of this variety increases several times. All this is about wild strawberries Bogotá. But for the valuable benefits you will have to pay with painstaking labor throughout the country-garden season.

The history of wild strawberries Bogotá in Russia

By botanical characteristics, the berry, popularly called strawberries and Victoria, is a large-fruited garden strawberry. So Bogotá was included in the State Register of Selection Achievements as wild strawberries. The variety was registered in 2002, recommended for cultivation in only two regions: in the North Caucasus and the Far East. However, Bogotá is grown throughout Russia, despite the fact that the berry loves chernozems and does not tolerate drought.

Bogotá berries are large, in the form of a crest or a truncated cone

According to various sources, the variety comes from Holland. According to information from the State Register, the originator and applicant for registration are budget organizations: the Center for Horticulture, Viticulture and Winemaking (Krasnodar) and the Research Institute of Mountain and Piedmont Gardening (Nalchik). Information about the size of the berries is also contradictory: some sellers promise weight of 100-150 g, and from the bush up to 3 kg, others state the figures are more modest - 15 g each berry. The average mass of the fruit indicated in the State Register is 12.9 g, the yield per hectare is 127 c. For comparison: this indicator for the famous variety Elizabeth II is 350 c / ha.

One of the reasons for the contradictions is the desire of sellers to sell their goods faster and more expensive. But the experience of many gardeners proves: Bogotá reacts strongly to the care, weather, soil composition and structure precisely by the size of the berries. Reviews about Bogota are different, because gardeners are engaged in cultivation in regions that differ in climatic and other conditions. But most opinions agree on one thing: the berries are sweet and fragrant, tastier than many varieties, including the same Elizabeth II.

Variety Characteristics

The variety is late ripening, the crop ripens in July-August. The bush grows tall - 20-30 cm, dense, but compact. The leaves are large, strongly wrinkled, wide and round, folded along the central veins at an angle. Petioles are thick and pubescent. The mustache is long and also thick, there are a lot of them. Berries are located at the level of leaves, there are more than a dozen of them on one peduncle, and the peduncles themselves are so powerful that they can hold the weight of the crop and not lean towards the ground.

Bushes of Bogotá are tall, dense, but compact, powerful peduncles capable of supporting the weight of the entire crop

The berries are large, brick red and glossy on the outside and white-pink, sugar inside. The shape of the fruit is different. On one bush, both conical with a truncated apex can grow, as well as fruits in the form of a rounded ridge, as if two berries had grown together. The pulp is dense, therefore Bogotá does not choke and does not flow during transportation. Taste evokes only positive emotions. The pulp is fragrant, juicy, sweet with a pleasant acidity. Seeds on large berries are small, which makes the variety even more attractive. Tasters' score is high - 4.8 points.

The berries of Bogotá may be medium and large, but they are invariably sweet and fragrant.

In order for you to grow bushes with large berries, they need to pay a lot of attention. Bogotá needs good watering, annual feeding, and the prevention of diseases and pests. The variety is affected by spotting and strawberry mites, but, according to many reviews, does not suffer from rotten fruit at all.

Landing Features

Bogotá's mustache gives a lot for a long time, so seedlings can be sold all over the warm season. The variety is late-ripening, which means that during spring planting (in May-early June) there is a chance to get berries already this year. The bushes will take root well before entering fruiting. In order for the young strawberries to gain strength over the summer and safely winter, leave one peduncle in the bushes. You can even pluck flowers and ovaries on these peduncles, leaving 3-4 of the largest. Thus, already in the year of purchase you will be able to evaluate the harvest and save the strength of the bush for fruiting in the next season. If you plant strawberries in the second half of summer, closer to autumn, hurry up to do this a month before the onset of cold weather, so that the bushes are well rooted and strengthened.

Video: the secrets of autumn planting strawberries and wild strawberries

In the spring, planting material is often sold, which was stored all winter in refrigerators and basements. Such seedlings can not be planted in open ground until heat. Without temporary shelter, they will not suffer spring frosts. They also need to be accustomed to the sun's rays gradually, like seedlings.

Prepare the land for planting strawberries in advance, at least 2 weeks in advance. The plot should be sunny and windproof. In winter, the wind will blow away all the snow from such a place, and the strawberries will freeze. Bogotá loves black earth, that is, a land rich in humus, dark-colored. If you do not have one, but you want to get a large and tasty berry, try to change the composition of the soil in the right direction. Before digging, scatter 2 buckets of humus or compost on each square meter of the bed, add another 1.5 tbsp. l superphosphate and potassium sulfate. On acidic soils, add a glass of dolomite flour and wood ash. If the earth is not loose, clay, add a bucket of peat or rotted sawdust to the same area.

Bogotá bears good fruit on black soil, which can sometimes be found on sale.

Instead of humus under strawberries, it is better to make leafy soil. It can be typed in the forest, under the trees. It is enough to pick up the top 10-15 cm. By the way, in some countries it is forbidden to export anything from the forest. While we have no prohibitions, we need to use the gifts of nature, but carefully.

Planting scheme: leave between the seedlings 30 cm in a row and 70-80 cm between the rows, another option is 60x60 cm. But before planting, pay attention to one important nuance. Bogotá gives a lot of mustaches, and they need to be removed regularly. Experts say that mustaches take up to 30% of the crop! In addition, if you do not cut the mustache, the bed with your varietal and expensive strawberries will quickly grow over, turn into a continuous carpet of young outlets. Berries are crushed due to cramped conditions, poor lighting and lack of nutrition. The bed for this variety must be covered with a black film or other covering material before planting. Moreover, its main purpose is to prevent the mustache from taking root. But even covering the soil, you must regularly remove the mustache so that they do not take away strength from the bushes. It’s just that in this case it will not be so critical if you missed some mustache - cut it off another time. Attach tendrils for reproduction in cups, so it will be easier to transplant them.

Another important detail - Bogotá needs regular watering. If water is drawn to the site, then already at the planting stage, take care of the construction of drip irrigation. Lay it under a waterproof covering material. When using a material that allows water to pass, droplet tapes can also be laid on top, but note that not all of them are resistant to ultraviolet and chemical compounds.

Video: drip irrigation + covering material

The technique of planting Bogota on top of the covering material:

1. Fertilize, dig over the ground and level the surface of the bed well.
2. Spread the covering material, fix the edges with boards, pins, stones, cover with earth.
3. Make cross-sectional cuts in the material in the places where you plant strawberries. Turn notched edges inwards. It should make holes with a diameter of 15-20 cm.
4. In each hole, plant a Bogotá outlet. Smooth the roots, leave the heart (the central kidney from which the leaves grow) on the surface. To make the plants better take root, remove the extra leaves, except for the 1-2 youngest ones.
5. Pour at a rate of 0.5-0.7 liters per bush.

Strawberry Care

An important part of caring for Bogotá is watering. If there is no drip, or you turn it on for a while, then provide sufficient humidity in the first 1-2 weeks after planting. While the strawberries take root, the ground should be constantly moist. As soon as new leaves begin to grow, you can switch to the watering regime once a week or 2 times in hot and dry weather until the end of the growing season (September-October). You need to give a lot of water so that the earth gets wet to a depth of 30 cm. Without watering, the berries will be small and dry, and in the heat their texture may become jelly-like. If the temperature rises above + 30 ... +35 ⁰C, irrigate Bogotá.

In the heat, strawberries will be grateful for a cool shower

Large-fruited varieties require a lot of nutrition. Add it according to the season:

1. Each spring in the form of nitrogen fertilizers: urea or ammonium nitrate - 1 tbsp. l on 1 m². You can scatter in early spring on melting snow or during the first spring loosening of soil in the garden.
2. Every autumn, phosphorus-potash: 1.5 tbsp. l of superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l potassium sulfate per 1 m².
3. Throughout the summer, from June to early September, every 7-10 days, use complex feeding, in which potassium in percentage terms prevails over other elements.

Video: how to properly feed strawberries

For summer top dressing, use complex store mixes for strawberries / strawberries: Gumi-Omi, Fertika, Zdorov, BioGumus, Blank sheet, etc.

Photo gallery: complex nutritional mixtures for feeding strawberries

But modern gardeners are creative people who like to do everything themselves from improvised natural materials. The simplest fertilizer is an infusion of weeds. In this case, it is interesting to study the properties of different plants and select the ingredients at your discretion. So, for strawberries you can collect:

• potassium-rich dandelions;
• potato tops, in which there is a lot of phosphorus;
• nettle - a storehouse of all micro and macro elements;
• wormwood, which with its bitterness will scare away many pests;
• celandine, which will scare away pests with bitterness and help fight diseases.

Put your secret set of herbs in a container, filling it by 3/4, fill it with water, cover loosely and put in heat for a week. The result should be a slurry with the smell of manure. Dilute with water 5 times and water Bogotá at a rate of 1-2 liters per bush, you can pour on the leaves. Give any feeding only on moist ground. Root alternate with non-root.

Many gardeners like to cook "green manure", because for each culture you can come up with your own unique recipe

If your strawberries grow on bare ground, without covering material, spread mulch of dry grass or straw into the beds. So you slow down the growth of weeds, keep moisture in the ground, protect leaves and spice berries from contact with cold and damp earth. For the winter, Bogotá will have to shelter, unless you live in the region for which it is zoned. The variety is approved for cultivation in a warm and mild climate. This wild strawberry will not survive severe frosts, especially in snowy winters. Cover the beds with breathable material, burlap, fir spruce branches, scatter branches, brushwood, dill stems, etc. to hold the snow. Do this in late autumn, when the ground gets cold and the temperature does not rise above 0 ⁰C during the day.

Video: variant of the winter shelter of strawberries

Over the years, not very pleasant changes occur in the strawberry garden. In particular, the bushes grow, begin to bulge out of the ground, the upper part of the roots is exposed. If this happens, add humus or leafy soil so that only hearts are on the surface. After 4 years of fruiting in one place, dig the entire plantation, transfer the strawberries to another site. Use a healthy mustache for this. It is impossible to transplant old bushes to a new place!

Prevention and control of diseases and pests

Infection of strawberries with fungi, viruses and pests is easier to prevent than to fight them. The very first source of all trouble is seedlings. If you bought seedlings from an unknown seller, do not trust him, then process strawberries before planting. Submerge the whole bushes for 20 minutes in hot water (50⁰C). Pour seedlings in glasses with such water from a watering can on the leaves. Try to get on the heart. Parasites that are not visible to the eye settle on the most delicate parts of plants. Similarly, process already grown bushes of Bogotá in the beds, but you can already take hot water - up to 65 ⁰C. Do the treatment twice a year. The first time in the spring, as soon as the ground thaws, and you can approach the garden. The second time - immediately after the harvest.

Hot water treatment can cure and restore the most neglected strawberry bushes to life.

Heat treatment is a universal tool. Without any chemicals, you will get rid of weevil, nematodes, strawberry ticks at all stages of their development. But also hot water helps against fungal diseases: different spots and rot. Of the pest control chemicals to date, one of the most effective remains Karbofos (60 g per 10 l). He fights a whole complex of insects. Actara helps well from a tick (2-3 g per 20 l). However, these are strong insecticides, they can not be processed with strawberries during flowering, it is possible only a month before the ripening of the berries and after the full harvest. Harmless biological products, for example, Fitoverm, are produced, but they are ineffective on heavily affected bushes.

In addition, there are universal and effective fungicides - drugs to combat diseases. In particular, HOM (40 g per 10 l of water), Skor (2 ml per 10 l), 1% Bordeaux liquid can destroy spores of any fungal disease on your strawberries: powdery mildew, brown and white spotting, etc. Knowing the predisposition Bogotá to diseases, it must be sprayed in advance, without waiting for obvious signs of infection:

• the first treatment is done in the spring, at the beginning of the growing season;
• repeat another 1-2 times with an interval of 10 days;
• after harvest, process 1-2 times with an interval of 10 days.

A very effective and harmless method of combating diseases that many underestimate is to cut and burn, for example, in the barbecue, old leaves that began to turn yellow and become stained. By removing them regularly, you will destroy the foci of infection and give the bush an incentive to grow new, young and healthy greens.

Video: an effective solution for all pests from pharmacy drugs

Harvesting and how to save Bogotá's wild strawberries for the winter

If strawberries need to be stored for several days, taken to the market or as a family gift, then harvest in the morning, after the dew has melted and before the berry has warmed up in the sun. Tear off with the stalk and put in a shallow container. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 3-5 days. For personal consumption and processing on the same day, you can pick strawberries at any time of the day. Along the way, in a separate container, remove dry, rotten, damaged fruits from the garden.

Bogotá is a very beautiful and tasty berry. It is eaten fresh directly from the garden or they prepare a favorite dessert for everyone - strawberries with milk, cream or sour cream. Small fruits can be used for whole-canning: preserves, jams, compotes, candied fruits. You can dry the berries in the oven or in the dryer and add aromatic strawberries in the winter to tea.

Dried strawberries - an aromatic additive in tea, pastries and desserts

Freeze whole large berries, and grind them with sugar, put them in small containers and store in a freezer. Such a delicacy will retain the taste and aroma of summer for a long time. In addition, frozen strawberries can be used year-round for cosmetic purposes: bite off half the berries and eat, and with the pulp of the second half, wipe the face and neck. When the juice dries and begins to tighten the skin, wash. Those who are not afraid of a cold can feast on themselves and wipe their faces with icy berries, the effect will be better.

Each strawberry berry contains vitamins, antioxidants, rutin, trace elements. All these substances in the complex rejuvenate and tone the skin, strengthen blood vessels, relieve irritation, restore blush, and prevent the appearance of acne.

Gardeners reviews

Favorite variety (after Kama) is Bogotá! There are differences from Kama. Ripens a little later. The berries are much larger, as if consisting of 2 berries, on the bush they are slightly smaller. In very large berries there is a small void. Propagated like a weed. Mustache is just darkness! Kama has almost no mustache. The color of Bogota is not as dark as that of Kama, but the seeds are also convex and the color of the berry is dark red. These are 2 varieties that have been growing in my country house for many years. I try and throw out the remaining varieties a year or two. I buy new varieties annually. VERY many varieties of berries passed through my hands.

Elena Geraskina

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Bogotá is the most beloved, the sweetest berry, even the white berry is already sweet. He does not like thickening. Very delicate, fragrant berry, mainly for myself. On young plantings, the berries are large, then minced. But the potential is very high, I think next year to transfer it to a drop. All those who try note its good taste among others. I’ve been growing it for more than 7 years and I’m not going to abandon it.

Kalinovka

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I planted Bogotá this summer, plucked peduncles, but still managed to try several berries. I liked the taste. But one thing: now she has all the leaves folded into tubules, and next to her is Wima Xima and Pineberry with uncoiled leaves. I suspect that the heat does not tolerate: we have +35 for a week.

elfy

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I again have claims to Bogotá. Bushes by the end of fruiting dry out, and the berry is as if boiled. To a lesser extent, this is also on Chamor with Gigantella. But the taste of Bogota is better this year.

Ivann

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“Bogotá”, “Marishka”, “Early Kokinskaya” seem sweet to me. The description of the varieties can be read in the State Register, they often indicate the sugar content for the variety (you can compare with those whose taste you know) and a tasting rating on a 5-point scale. These varieties have 4.8-5.

Tit

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Bogota is a variety for hardworking professionals, especially if you grow it in the wrong region for which it is intended. This berry needs to be watered, fed, protected from diseases, pests and frosts more than others. Care also complicates the active growth of the mustache. But for the sake of delicious strawberries, gardeners are ready for a lot. Having tried Bogotá once, you can fall in love with her for life and enjoy taking care of this demanding berry every year.