Garden strawberries (often called strawberries) are the most desired and long-awaited berry in our gardens. To collect a rich harvest, it is important not only to follow all agricultural procedures, but also to choose the right variety. Strawberry of the Dutch selection Gigantella is a record holder that never ceases to amaze gardeners with the size of fruits.
History of the variety
Holland today is famous not only for tulips. This country is one of the world leaders in seed producers and breeding of new varieties of garden plants, including strawberries. Dutch breeders brought such popular varieties in our country as Elvira, Vima Zanta, Gigantella.
Do not be afraid that the selection of Dutch varieties is somehow connected with GMOs. Modification of genomes is an extremely expensive procedure, and it is carried out only in the most popular agricultural plants: wheat, soy, corn, rape, rice.
Gigantella is the result of crossing large-fruited strawberry hybrids. The aim of the selection was to create a sustainable variety with the largest possible fruit size.
Gigantella fruits are juicy, dense, sweet
Gigantella Strawberry Variety Description
The bush is up to 0.5 m high. Peduncles are quite strong to support the weight of large berries. Leaves are green, matte. When planting, it should be borne in mind that the bush of this variety is rather large and covers an area of up to 90 cm2.
Standard fruits weigh 50-60 g, and individual specimens reach 120 g, the size of a plum. Thus, in the summer only from one bush can be collected up to 1.5-2.2 kg of berries. Due to its taste, Gigantella is an ideal candidate for jam. Also, the berries are perfectly preserved all winter in frozen form.
From one bush of Gigantella, you can collect up to 2.2 kg of berries
Varietal features of strawberries Gigantella
Of course, the main reason why more and more gardeners prefer this variety is really large fruits. To date, Gigantella is the record holder for this indicator. Other grade features:
- the flesh of the berries is juicy, the taste is sweet, dessert, slightly gives off pineapple, with a barely noticeable sourness;
- early flowering. The first buds appear in early May;
- fruits ripen by mid-June;
- fruiting lasts until the end of July;
- extremely moisture-loving grade. You can get a good crop only with regular watering;
- the berries are dense, so they do not wrinkle during transportation;
- high frost resistance allows the bushes to winter in the open ground even in Western Siberia and the Far East;
- the variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
Video: Gigantella Strawberries
Features of planting and growing
The variety is propagated in two classical ways: by seeds and seedlings.
Seed propagation
Strawberries are planted for seedlings in mid-February.
- At the bottom of the box, first drainage is laid (1-2 cm). The most popular option is expanded clay.
- A layer of fertile earth is poured 12-15 cm.
- 0.5 cm deep grooves are made in the soil, seeds are sown in them and carefully shed with water.
Strawberry seeds are sown in fertile soil and watered
- Then sprinkle on top of 1 cm of soil.
- Strawberries are very demanding on moisture. The soil must be kept slightly moist.
- The first green shoots appear in 20-25 days. As soon as this happens, the box must be put in a well-lit place and do not forget to maintain the required level of humidity and temperature (20-25 ° C).
To maintain the optimum temperature, the seedling container can be covered with a film, regularly ventilating
- Strawberries dive, planting in pots when the first real leaf appears on the plant.
- Planting in open ground is carried out in May, in the phase of 4-5 leaves.
Strawberries are ready for planting when 4-5 leaves are formed on the seedlings
Propagation by seedlings
First of all, you need to choose healthy seedlings correctly. To do this, you need to pay attention to several signs:
- at least 2-3 young leaves;
- leaves should be natural green, leathery, with a slight pubescence. Pale leaves are a sign of fungal disease;
- Avoid seedlings with shriveled leaves. This is a sign of tick infection;
- the length of the roots should be at least 7 cm or occupy the entire volume of the cup if you decide to buy seedlings with a closed root system.
Before planting seedlings in open ground, the soil must be cultivated, especially if this site has not been cultivated before. Site preparation begins in the fall. It is recommended to treat the soil with a continuous herbicide. This will reliably get rid of perennial weeds. In October, the soil is dug up, and in the spring before planting they are harrowed to a depth of 15 cm. The soil is enriched with ash, humus, compost or specialized fertilizers from garden shops.
It is better to plant strawberries in early spring. Autumn planting is carried out from mid-August to mid-September. Gigantella is unpretentious in soil composition, but on light loamy soil it will grow better. Strawberries love the sun, so you should choose well-lit areas for planting. It is preferable to plant seedlings after rain or on well-spilled soil. Keep the distance between the bushes at 25-30 cm.
Watering
In order for the strawberries to take root, it is important to constantly keep the soil moist for 2 weeks. Therefore, watering is carried out daily. In the future, strawberries are watered 1 time in 2 days. In the absence of a sufficient amount of moisture in the land, productivity decreases significantly. The best option for strawberries is to install a drip irrigation system. But it is also worth remembering that excess moisture increases the risk of infection with fungal diseases (powdery mildew, gray rot). Mulching the soil with sawdust and straw will help to solve the problem with weeding.
During the summer, the bush throws numerous mustaches, which must be immediately cut off if you plan to get a good harvest.
Mulching the strawberry beds retains moisture in the soil and inhibits weed growth
Top dressing
In the first year, strawberries need to be fed during flowering and fruit formation. A comprehensive fertilizer for berries is suitable. Next year, the bushes can be fertilized with nitrate (100 g per 10 m2), in the third year - add potassium, superphosphate and nitrate in the same proportion. Fertilize the land in two stages: one half is brought in early spring, the second - after harvesting.
Disease prevention
Gigantella is rarely exposed to diseases, but preventive measures to the bushes will not damage:
- in the spring, onion husks are scattered between the bushes - it will scare away pests and serve as fertilizer;
- needles can be used as mulch - it will protect the plant and protect the berries from contact with the ground;
- chopped horse sorrel pour 10 liters of hot water, then insist 2 days. The bushes are sprayed with a filtered solution;
- for protection against weeds and nematodes, marigolds can be planted between ridges;
- onions or garlic planted between strawberry bushes will protect the plants from gray rot.
Onion is a good neighbor for strawberries, protecting from gray rot and pests
Video: strawberry cultivation secrets
Gardeners reviews
My first impression of what I saw was amazement, "Wow - what a big strawberry!" Before, I had never seen anything like this, at first I thought, suddenly a joke - plastic berries or from wax, but nothing like that - they are real Melitopol, not the Chernobyl mutant (they even joked on this subject, I could not believe it before).
ntl//otzovik.com/review_114864.html
I can say with confidence that if you start this variety on your site, which pleases with early, large, fragrant berries, you can forget about other varieties for a long time until you pull on some new selection!
AlenaCK//citykey.net/review/klubnika-gigantella-udivit-vseh-svoim-razmerom
First acquired this strawberry variety a couple of years ago. I’m already used to the fact that the plant is finicky, but it always gives us delicious berries in the summer. In truth, something really looks like a pineapple. The berries are sweet, but not very juicy, with some sourness. Probably due to improper watering. Since the summer cottage is far beyond the city, I have no permanent opportunity to drive. This year, we will definitely install drip irrigation.
Parfenova Irina Ivanovna//otzov-mf.ru/klubnika-sort-gigantella-otzyvy/
Strawberry variety Gigantella is a record holder both in yield and in fruit size. Regularly water, weed and feed the bushes and the crop will amaze you and guests.
