First, without looking under the cat, decide - what color is the strawberry in the photo? Bolder)). The fact is that this is another optical task - an illusion from Japanese psychology professor Akioshi Kitaoko. All of his works become canonical, and it amazes me every time. But first, Internet users are actively discussing it. This time he invited everyone to guess the color of the berries shown in the picture.

At first glance, this is just a picture of poor quality - perhaps the author went too far with the filters.

In fact, everything is somewhat more complicated: the fact is that there are no red pixels in the picture - which does not prevent us from seeing red berries.

The red color of strawberries exists only in our imagination: our reason deceives us, since the berries are depicted on a blue background.
Things and colors look different in different lighting - for example, under office fluorescent lamps daylight or in the soft lighting of the living room.

However, our brain independently makes corrections to the image so that we still see strawberries as red, regardless of where and under what circumstances we eat them.

This feature human perception called "color constancy".
"Your brain says, 'The light source in which I see these strawberries is adding some blue to them, so I'll automatically remove the blue component from every pixel,'" explains color vision expert Bevil Conway in an interview with Motherboard.

"And when you take the gray pixels and remove the blue, the result is that the image appears red to you," Conway explains.
Of course, we know that strawberries should be red. And it also helps the mind to correct the color of the image.

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

Matt Lieberman/Twitter Copyright holder illustrations by MATT LIEBERMAN/TWITTER

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

Carson Mell/Twitter Copyright holder illustrations by CARSON MELL/TWITTER
Image caption

“I took some of the flowers that seemed to be the reddest parts of the strawberries and layered them on the white background on the right.”

The gray color becomes more obvious if you look at each berry separately from the rest of the picture (for example, by covering the background of the photo with your hands).
Many remember how in 2015 the Internet was divided into two camps, fiercely arguing among themselves what color the dress was: blue-black or white-gold.

The red-looking gray strawberries have a slightly different explanation, but in both cases we are talking about color correction, which our mind resorts to depending on the type of lighting.

Good variety that requires standard care

Grade: 5

Strawberries feel good in the Vladimir region and tolerate long, cold winters. But it does not respond well to prolonged drought and extreme heat. The easiest way to reproduce is by antennae. On bushes they form powerfully and take root well. The optimal ones are those that are closest to the mother bush. The landing depth is great importance. It is impossible to bury it too deep, and planting very close to the surface leads to the rapid death of the seedling.
The watering schedule is specific. Abundant moisture is only required for a couple of weeks after planting and during flowering. During the formation of the harvest, waterlogging leads to the ripening of watery, tasteless berries. In the fall, I remove all the tendrils so that the plants spend their energy not on growing them, but on preparing for winter. It is unacceptable to organize strawberry beds where tomatoes or potatoes previously grew due to severe depletion of the soil. The best option- in place of legumes or grain crops.
The taste of the fruits is good, they are suitable for consumption fresh, for preservation and cooking. I tried freezing it, but I didn’t like the result. After defrosting, the unique aroma is lost and the taste is lost.

The harvest is stored for almost 2 weeks

Grade: 5

Ripe berries look very unusual. They are dark dark red, almost black, with a large number of bright yellow grains. The fruits are large and have the shape of a cone with a blunt end. The pulp is always dense, has no voids and a large core. Sugar content and juiciness are high, the aroma is more reminiscent of strawberries. Safety harvested phenomenal - up to 12 days in a cool room with good ventilation. Almost the entire harvest can be transported from the dacha without loss. The berries do not crack, do not ooze or wrinkle.
The yield is consistently high, with standard care at least 1 kg per bush. Strawberries are ideal for making homemade liqueurs, wines and tinctures; they acquire a stunning aroma. The berries are distinguished by a high content of vitamin C and phytoncides. Consuming it during the summer helps to significantly strengthen the immune system. The number of whiskers is moderate; you can do without their regular removal. Every year their number decreases. Each bush has many flower stalks that do not bend to the ground under the weight of ripe berries.
The strawberry mite poses a great danger. In the fall, I regularly inspect the bushes for the first signs of spotting; it is at this time that it appears most often.

Excellent endurance and good yield

Grade: 5

I have been growing Black Prince strawberries for many years; we bought them from the Voronezh fruit and berry nursery “Wonderful Garden”. We came across some good quality bushes back then, now we are breeding them ourselves, they reproduce with tendrils, but the seedlings produce stronger seedlings. The variety itself is quite unpretentious and tolerates our winters well, but I still cover it with straw. Drought resistance is average, I water regularly to get good harvest. The bushes are quite spreading; I plant them at a distance of at least 40 cm.
The berries are quite large, average weight - 30 grams for us, beautiful dark burgundy color, almost black, the pulp is sweet and sour, dense, strawberries can be stored for up to 10 days. Disease resistance is high, but very susceptible to the transparent strawberry mite. It bears fruit for up to 6 years, then it needs to be renewed.

For those with a sweet tooth

Grade: 5

I bought myself a new strawberry variety, Black Prince, for an experiment. I love sweet varieties, and this one is just that. The bushes took root, and in 2 years they grew quite large and tall. They don't give a lot of mustaches, I saved them all and put them on new bed, over time there will be no mustache at all, only the same bushes. The berry does not degenerate over time, the harvest remains good from the bush, and does not become smaller.
I liked the taste of this variety of berries, it is really sweet. The texture of the berry is delicate, the skin is thin. The stalk is short and can choke in your hands when picked, but I put this one in my mouth with particular pleasure. The berry has a very pleasant aroma; for me it’s the smell of summer. The color is rich, dark red, hence the name of the variety. I associate this color with a very ripe berry and evokes an appetite - when these berries are on our table, they are swept away in an instant and are the very first.
Due to such a delicate texture, the berries do not hold their shape well when harvested. I grind them with sugar and store them in the refrigerator, but in compotes or jams with whole berries I put other varieties with dense fruits. This strawberry variety is quite expensive, and it is not as easy to propagate as many other varieties, but this strawberry is worth it.

Convenient variety

Grade: 4

I have several varieties of strawberries at my dacha, and the Black Prince strawberry variety is the easiest to care for. There is no need to renew the bed every 2-3 years, the bush grows well in one place for 10 years, and what is important is that from year to year it does not begin to produce fewer berries or smaller berries, but on the contrary, it only increases its yield over the years. I planted it once and that’s it - a strawberry harvest is guaranteed every year.
The berry is tasty, sweet, with a rich dark color. It’s nice to eat it fresh, especially children love it, and in the form of desserts - preserves, marmalade, and compote it makes beautiful.
The variety is Italian, but is quite ready for winter. I cover it for the winter just in case, I don’t want something like this delicious variety lose. For propagation, I used strawberry tendrils, but it gives them only in the first years of life, you need to know this and not miss the moment, stock up on a bed specifically for growing young plants in case of renewal. But you can buy additional varieties; they are available for sale.
Of the minuses, in reality the berry does not grow large, at most medium in size. The yield is also average, I have several beds of it so that I have something to make preparations from. One bed is only enough to eat during the season or for variety.

Loved by the whole family

Grade: 5

I have an ironclad rule when planting strawberry bushes: there should be a distance of 20 cm between the bushes and a 60 cm distance between the rows. Because the bushes grow and should not block one another’s space. I used this principle to plant the Black Prince.
I really like how the berries change color as they ripen. At first they are white, then they begin to turn red and become scarlet, then more red, and when the berry is ripe and ready to eat, it becomes burgundy, almost black. A ripe berry is very different in color from an unripe one. The ripe berry has a wonderful taste, it is sweet, aromatic, fleshy, dense.
Also, the berries are large, about 7 berries are enough to fill a glass. That is, we have 15 rows on our plot, we harvest every day. Enough for us, for our relatives, and for jam.
The best thing about this variety is its remontant nature. It bears fruit in early summer, and then bears fruit again. The main thing is that the weather is sunny. We water the bushes only during the flowering period. When there are fruits, do not water them so that they do not absorb water, then the taste will be spoiled and the juice will flow. After eating it fresh, my daughter’s hands and face are dirty. This is the only drawback.

Strawberry "Black Prince" is the “child” of Italian breeders working at the New fruitis company. 10 years of persistent work 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 strawberries, you can see that her bushes are powerful and quite tall, with green leaves that look so good with a slight gloss. The shoots are strong, usually have large number ovaries. There are a lot of thick whiskers in the early years, but later their number decreases significantly.

The Black Prince strawberries are similar in color to apples, they are the same dark red. Although from a distance they even seem black. Interestingly, the seeds inside the berries are of the same characteristic shade. The weight of the fruit reaches 50 grams. Have glossy surface, shaped like a truncated cone, juicy and dense red flesh, without voids. What is characteristic is that they do not become smaller throughout the season.

Fruiting dates

The berries, which have a characteristic strawberry aroma and a wonderful taste with a little sourness, begin to ripen in the second half of June. They turn red throughout the summer. On average, in 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 bearing berries for 6-7 years. And if you care for it properly, this period can be extended by a couple of years. But strawberries will only produce tendrils for the first 2-3 years. Therefore, if you want to grow a plant on your site, do not be late in harvesting them.

Winter hardiness of the variety

Almost black strawberries of the described variety tolerate temperature drops down to -20 °C. Therefore, it can be left without shelter for the winter. What the Black Prince does not tolerate is drought. During 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 at the market (excellent transportability!) or preparing various dishes and drinks (jams, wine, liqueurs, etc.).

The young and promising strawberry “Black Prince” is increasingly found on plots. Why it has become so popular, we learn from the description of the variety, which is presented in this article.

Characteristics of the variety

Among domestic summer residents, a variety of garden strawberries with beautiful name"Black Prince" Although in everyday life it is more often called strawberry, but, like the famous Victoria variety, it is a completely domestic variety of large-fruited garden strawberries. These are monoecious sun-loving plants; pollination occurs within one bush. Strawberries, on the other hand, are a dioecious crop with poor yields, so they are rarely planted on plots. The presence of heterosexual bushes makes pollination difficult.

Unlike garden strawberries, it loves shade and bears small berries.

“Black Prince” was recently bred by Italian breeders in the city of Cesena. The berry received this name for its burgundy color. Their dark color is added by black seeds on the surface, so from a distance the berries look almost black.

The bushes of this variety are powerful, spreading, with a strong root system. The leaves are green, medium in size, slightly corrugated, with a glossy surface. A large number of ovaries are formed on the long stems of the bush. During the ripening period, under the weight of the berries, they bend towards the ground. The fruits are cone-shaped, reach a weight of 50 grams and do not become smaller by the end of the season, so up to 1.5 kg can be collected from one bush per season.

There are several main advantages of “The Black Prince”:

• a plant of this variety can successfully bear fruit in one place for about seven years, and the yield only increases over time, but the fruits do not become smaller;
• With age, the bushes produce less and less tendrils, so the older the bed, the less care it requires;
• the variety is considered frost-resistant: it easily tolerates winter frosts down to – 25°C and spring frosts, therefore suitable for moderate continental climates.

"The Black Prince" refers to early varieties. The flowering phase occurs in May, and the first fruits ripen in mid-June. The variety bears fruit until late autumn. This yield is associated with the ability to continuously form new ovaries.

In addition to its excellent taste, the berries of this variety are juicy and dense. They have no internal voids, so the crop tolerates transportation well.

The disadvantages of the variety include poor tolerance to drought. But when proper organization If watered, it will bear fruit well in arid climates. Due to the small number of mustaches, a deficiency may occur planting material. The variety is easily attacked by the strawberry mite and is not resistant to white spot disease.

Strawberries "Black Prince" have a sweet taste with a slight sourness. The berries can be eaten fresh: they contain a large amount of vitamins and beneficial microelements. Jams, jams, compotes and all kinds of desserts are fragrant and tasty.

How to choose a landing site?

In order for the “Black Prince” strawberry to grow well and bear fruit successfully, you need to choose a suitable site for it. The place should be sunny and at the same time protected from strong winds. Without protection from the wind in winter, the snow cover will be blown away from the garden bed, and the plant will quickly freeze.

Suitable soil for strawberries would be light sandy loam soils or forest sierozem. “Black Prince” will not grow on heavy and acidic soils because root system will rot quickly, even with drainage.

The site should not be located in a lowland or on a slope. In the first case, excess water will accumulate in the garden bed. In the second case, the water will drain, wash out the upper layers, and will not have time to be absorbed. Groundwater must be located at a depth of at least 70 cm.

A suitable place for planting would be an area where cereals and legumes. It is also good to plant strawberries after onions, carrots, beets, radishes and herbs. But you shouldn’t plant strawberries in place of potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes or cabbage. It is also recommended to avoid close proximity to these crops. Cereals and legumes will be good neighbors for the “Prince”. The pungent smell of garlic, onions, marigolds and nasturtiums will also help repel pests.

How to plant?

Strawberries can be planted both in autumn and spring. Each summer resident chooses a time convenient for himself. At spring planting the air should already warm up to +15°C, usually this happens in May. Autumn planting It is recommended to do it from August to October, so that young bushes have at least a month to strengthen. Strawberry seedlings or seeds can be used as planting material. The necessary seedlings can be purchased at special stores for plant growing or at a fruit nursery. This method is simpler, faster and more suitable for beginners. After purchasing, the seedlings can be immediately planted in the prepared bed.

If there is already a “Black Prince” on the site, then this simplifies the task, because the plant can be propagated using the mustache. To do this, you need to select the strongest rosettes closest to the main bush.

Planting seeds is more labor-intensive and is suitable for experienced gardeners. The seeds must be pre-soaked. For their rapid germination, you can use Epin. After this, the seeds are placed in the prepared soil, 2-3 pieces in one hole. The container must be closed and placed in warm place before emergence. This process will take about 2 weeks, during which time the seeds only need watering and aeration. After the first leaves appear, the strawberry shoots are transplanted into separate cups and transferred to a sunny place.

Important! Before planting strawberries in open ground seedlings need to be hardened off. To begin with, they place it for a short time near open window under cool air, then taken out to the balcony.

The bed for strawberries must be prepared in advance. Two to three weeks before planting, the soil on the site must be dug up along with fertilizers to a depth of about 20 cm. In this case, all weeds must be removed. If the soil contains a lot of clay, then it is recommended to add river sand at the rate of 2 buckets per square meter. If the content of sand or peat is high, the soil must be dug up with sawdust and humus. Dolomite flour is added to reduce acidity.

A mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate is evenly distributed over the entire surface. The proportions must be strictly observed according to the instructions on the packaging. After this, the soil must be dug up again and left for complete dissolution of all fertilizers. If planting is done right away, the roots of the “Black Prince” may simply burn.

The optimal width for a bed is considered to be 80 cm. Since the Black Prince bushes grow greatly, they need a lot of space, so the distance between neighboring bushes should be at least 40 centimeters, and the distance between the beds should be 50 centimeters. This scheme will ensure ease of care for the plant and its comfortable existence. After the bed is ready, strawberries are planted. It is recommended to do this in the evening, when the sun is no longer so active.

According to the scheme, holes are formed 15 centimeters in depth and 20 centimeters in diameter. The holes need to be watered and the water allowed to absorb. Young bushes of the “Black Prince” need to be carefully placed in the holes, straightened out the roots and covered with soil. It is important that the “heart” (as the growth point is called) remains 1–2 centimeters above the ground. Next, the soil near the bushes must be carefully compacted and watered again.

Care

Like any plant on the site, “Black Prince” will grow and produce a bountiful harvest only when proper care. To do this, the plant needs to be watered, fed, loosened the soil, and fought with weeds, diseases and pests.

Watering

Strawberries of this variety are moisture-loving and do not tolerate even short-term drought. Therefore, it needs regular watering, especially immediately after planting and during flowering. During this period, you need to water every day in the evening. At the same time, there is no need to “flood” the plant: excess moisture can cause root rot and disease.

After the fruits form, watering must be reduced to once a week, otherwise the berries will be watery and quickly spoil.

The water for the “Prince” should be warm. Watering is done at the root or in the grooves between the rows.

Loosening

After watering, the soil around the bushes must be carefully loosened. This will prevent the formation of a crust on the surface of the soil, and the root system will not be left without air. During the loosening process, you can immediately get rid of weeds.

Mulching

This procedure is performed twice per season. Soon after planting, the soil around the young bushes should be sprinkled with sawdust, dry weeds and waste from grain crops. This layer of mulch retains moisture in the soil and at the same time prevents the accumulation of moisture on the surface. This is especially important during the fruiting period - the risk of rotting berries is reduced.

The second time mulch is applied after harvesting. This extra layer helps retain heat and protect the roots from frost.

Top dressing

Fertilizers are applied several times:

• in early spring, before the start of the growing season, strawberries need to be fed with ammonium nitrate or urea at the rate of 20 grams per square meter;
• at the moment of bud formation, feeding is carried out with superphosphate (40 grams per square meter);
• When the fruits ripen, it is necessary to add complex mineral fertilizers(“Agricola”, “Berry”), the proportions must be followed strictly according to the instructions on the package.

Removing a mustache

In order for all the vital forces of strawberries to be spent on the formation and ripening of fruits, it is necessary to get rid of excess mustache in a timely manner. In addition, they quickly multiply throughout the garden bed and take nutrients from the soil.

Pest and disease control

The worst enemies Strawberry mite and white spot are considered “Black Prince”. It's easy to spot them.

• With the appearance of the mite, the leaves of the plant begin to wrinkle, dry out and turn yellow. You can find it on the leaves white coating. Karbofos or colloidal sulfur saves you from ticks. A solution is prepared for processing: 8 grams of the substance per 10 liters of water.
• White spotting usually appears from excess moisture. Therefore, first of all, you need to regulate watering. As a preventative measure, treatment can be done Bordeaux mixture. The disease first appears as red spots on the leaves, then their centers turn white and holes appear. You can get rid of spotting using Antracol (15 grams per 10 liters of water) or Ridomil-gold (25 grams per 10 liters of water).

In addition, the Black Prince variety can be affected by verticillium and common aphids.

• Verticillium can be cured only if the lesion is minor. For this, a 0.2% solution of Fundazol is used. In case of severe damage, strawberry bushes will have to be destroyed. To prevent this disease, before planting, the roots of the plant can be treated with “Potassium Humate” or “Agate 25K”.
• When infested by aphids, strawberry bushes should be sprayed with garlic or soap solution (60 grams per liter). To prepare the garlic solution, the cloves are squeezed out and the resulting juice is mixed with water. You can also add onion juice to the solution. If the number of aphids is insignificant, then you can get rid of them with your hands.

Preparing for winter

After harvesting, you need to remove the old layer of mulch, thoroughly weed the soil to remove weeds, loosen it, feed it with humus or vermicompost, and hill up the bushes a little. Closer to frost, it is recommended to cover the bed with pine branches or spunbond.

With proper care, the Black Prince strawberries will delight you with a tasty and abundant harvest for a long time.

Garden strawberries are an almost obligatory crop in every garden plot. You will hardly meet a gardener who prefers to do without these lush green bushes with fragrant red fruits. And, of course, everyone strives to find their own variety that will satisfy them according to all criteria for many years. It happens that in addition to taste and yield, you also want to see something unusual, different from the usual. And here you can pay attention to the Black Prince variety, which stands out among others. A description of the characteristics of the variety and the rules for growing it will significantly help the gardener to obtain a high-quality harvest.

Description of the variety

The Black Prince appeared in the Italian city of Cesena, where it was bred through the efforts of breeders from the New Fruits company. Gardeners liked the unusual appearance and pleasant taste of the berries so much that the variety very quickly began to gain popularity not only at home, but also abroad.

Difference in names

Usually from gardeners in relation to the crop you can hear the word “strawberry”, which is not entirely true. Strawberries are a bisexual plant (having male and female flowers), which is not rich in fruiting, but grows very well throughout the area. It is not difficult to recognize these berries - they have a dark red color transitioning to white, are slightly fleecy and have a pleasant musky aroma with an irresistible juicy and sweet taste. Their size is small, so gardeners only in rare cases specifically plant this plant in their dacha. Most often it can be found in the forest, in clearings and in the shade of bushes and trees, because strawberries love shade most of all.

Garden strawberries are a completely “domesticated” plant, which was created by man specifically for subsidiary plots, in wildlife does not occur. Of course, she always good performance yield, and the berries are much larger. It tolerates drought well, and many varieties produce berries throughout the season (remontant). And the Black Prince variety should be called garden strawberries.

There is also strawberry - a forest plant, but often found in summer cottages. It produces small and extremely fragrant fruits, usually with a pointed cone shape. It is not difficult to recognize and remember it, because almost everyone who has been in the forests since childhood knows this wonderful berry.

Characteristics of the appearance and fruits of garden strawberries Black Prince

The fruits of the Black Prince are distinguished by their dark red (more likely even deep burgundy) color, which from a distance is perceived as very dark, but in the shade you cannot distinguish it from black at all. That's why the variety got its name. However, it is not only remarkable for its color.

The bushes are very powerful and prone to rapid growth. They are even taller than all other varieties of garden strawberries. Sometimes they can be compared to other garden crops such as potatoes or tomatoes. The leaves are medium in size, rich dark green in color, and have slight relief. The shoots of this variety are almost erect, stand out for their height, and when ripe the fruits are at the very top, in plain sight. However, with abundant fruiting, branches with berries may bend to the ground under the weight of the ripening crop.

The berries are quite large (on average 45 - 50 g), cone-shaped, and glisten in the sun. Very aromatic and have a sweet taste with a slight sourness. The seeds may protrude above the surface, which adds texture to the berries. The pulp is very dense, thanks to which garden strawberries can be successfully transported without fear of damaging the crop.

The Black Prince shows traits remontant varieties, because it has an extended fruiting period. The first berries can be picked in mid-June (since the variety is mid-early), and fruiting ends in last days August. More than 1 kg of berries are harvested from one bush per season, and as the plants age, they begin to produce an increasingly larger harvest.

Table: advantages and disadvantages of the Black Prince

Advantages	Flaws
High yield and extended fruiting period allow you to enjoy a large number of berries.	The bushes do not produce many tendrils and only in the first 3-4 years, which makes the volume of planting material not the largest.
The variety bears fruit for 5 - 7 years, and maybe longer if you look after it well. This is much longer than many other varieties (3 - 4 years).	Not the highest drought resistance, so special care is required in hot seasons care.
It tolerates transportation well, is stored for a long time, and the berries have a marketable appearance.	It does not take root well on heavy soils even with good drainage; the roots rot easily and quickly.
Sufficiently frost-resistant plants that tolerate return frosts well.	Often affected by the transparent strawberry mite. Spotting may also occur in the fall.

Planting and care

Choosing a place and preparing the soil

Garden strawberries prefer open sunny places, but protected from the north wind, which in winter can blow snow from the beds, making the roots extremely vulnerable and susceptible to even slight frosts. Groundwater must lie at a depth below 60 cm, otherwise the roots will begin to rot. For the same reason, garden strawberries are not planted in lowlands. Also avoid steep slopes, because in this case moisture will flow down, not sufficiently supplying the plants.

The variety is very picky about soil type. Sandy loam and gray soils are well suited for its cultivation. forest soils, as well as light loams. It is useless to try to grow bushes on heavy clay and peat soils, as well as silty ones. After all, here the root system, even with high-quality drainage, will quickly rot. When growing on black soil, you need to add sand.

Good predecessors for garden strawberries are legumes and cereals, as well as onions and carrots. It is not recommended to plant Black Prince where cabbage, eggplants, and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes) grew. Before growing garden strawberries, the selected area can be sown with green manure to enrich the soil with the necessary microelements.

The soil is prepared 3 - 4 weeks before planting or in the fall, cultivating a layer up to 30 cm. At the same time, rotted manure is added in a volume of 5 liters per 1 sq. m. m. Manure can be replaced with humus. When digging, be sure to remove all plant debris from the ground, and in the future, make sure that weeds do not grow in the dug area.

Soil acidity is important for the Black Prince variety, which prefers neutral or low soil acidity. If the acidity level is elevated, add dolomite flour(up to 300 g is consumed per square meter).

When and how to plant?

The best time to plant this variety is in early autumn. However, in regions with hot summers, this can be done starting in mid-spring (April to May). Bushes are planted according to the 40x50 pattern, since they tend to actively grow green mass, especially if they are periodically fed.

Before planting, the holes are spilled with water (half a liter per hole). Then they take young bushes and straighten their roots. The so-called heart (the growth point from where the bush throws out new rosettes and flower stalks) should end up 1 - 2 cm above ground level. There is a very simple way to check the quality of planting of bushes - just gently pull any of them by the top, and if it comes out of the ground freely, then planting should be repeated.

After planting, the soil around each plant is compacted and watered. As soon as it is absorbed, the ground under the plants is mulched - straw can be used for this purpose. You can also use freshly cut grass. Many gardeners use covering material - spunbond or simple black film. Within two weeks after planting, garden strawberry bushes must be watered regularly (every day) and intensively.

As practice shows, Black Prince garden strawberries can bear fruit for up to 10 years if you carefully and competently care for them.

How to water and feed

Garden strawberries require watering; during the post-planting period and during flowering, the bushes should be watered every day. The situation is completely different during fruiting, when daily watering will only harm the fruits, making them watery and unsuitable for storage and consumption. At this time, it is advisable to water the bushes only once a week, spending 10 - 20 liters of water per square meter.

Not every watering method is suitable for garden strawberries. Thus, sprinkling, practiced by many gardeners, usually has a positive effect on plant growth, in in this case will have negative impact upon contact with berries and leaves. This will make the harvest tasteless, and the leaves will be in drops of water when straight sun rays may be burned. The most reliable, it would seem, watering at the root also has its drawback - the water quickly washes away the top layer of soil, exposing the growth point of the bush, and at the same time the roots growing at the very surface. The best way out of the situation would be to dig grooves between the bushes and pour water into them.

Water temperature matters when watering. For example, using cold water It would be better to exclude it, but water heated in tanks during the day (temperature about +20°C) will become a pleasant growing condition for garden strawberries. That is why evening hours are considered optimal for watering.

After each watering, the soil must be loosened so that a dense crust does not form on its surface, preventing air from reaching the roots. Mulching the beds will help retain moisture in top layer soil and eliminate frequent loosening.

Fertilizing is a factor that can make bushes bear fruit for many years, if used correctly. Both root (watering with nutrient solutions) and foliar feeding (sprinkling fertilizers on the surface of the ground or spraying) are used, which absolutely exclude chlorine in any form - garden strawberries categorically do not accept this macroelement. Half an hour before feeding, water the bushes, not allowing moisture to get to the growing points. When spraying garden strawberry leaves, be especially careful on their underside, which absorbs the necessary substances.

Table: fertilizing garden strawberries

Feeding time	Type of feeding	Compound
In early spring before the start of active growing season	Root/foliar	Ammonium nitrate or urea (urea) - applied at the root or used to spray leaves (15 - 20 g per 10 l). Also, a good effect is achieved by combining root and foliar fertilizing, for example, spraying with urea or applying nitroammophoska under the root.
Bud formation and flower appearance	Foliar	Superphosphate (30 - 40 g per 1 sq. m.) or double superphosphate (15 - 20 g per 1 sq. m.).
During berry ripening	Root/foliar	Apply complex mineral fertilizers like Agricola or Berry (according to the instructions). It is also possible to add microelements separately: 15 g of urea and ammonium nitrate, 15 g of potassium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate. After picking the berries, fertilizing is carried out again, but without nitrogen.

If you prefer to use natural ingredients instead of chemicals, then there are the following options:

• bird droppings are diluted with water in a ratio of one part to four, closed in a container and placed in a sunny place. A week later, the resulting infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and used for its intended purpose;
• Using a similar principle, a solution is prepared on the leaves and stems of nettle, but the proposed proportion here is 1:2;
• instead of fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus, you can use wood ash, filling it with 50 g liter warm water. The solution is left for a day, then filtered and used.

Important care features

Caring for garden strawberries does not end after picking the berries. On the contrary, at this time you need to monitor the crop even more carefully, because the harvest for the next year will depend on your actions. next year, and what is most important is the health of all bushes.

Be sure to remove all the old layer of mulch, as over time it turns into a breeding ground for pests and various bacteria. Weed the soil and remove all yellow and dry leaves.

You can hill up the bushes and supply the soil with humus or vermicompost. The roots of plants must be covered with soil. Between the rows, loosen the soil well and water the garden strawberries with water (1.5 liters per plant).

Water according to the weather. If rainfall is rare, water the plants at least once or twice a week. To save the bushes from various painful troubles, water the beds a couple of times with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Remove any whiskers that appear, but the remaining ones green leaves leave them alone, they will become the basis for new green mass.

When late autumn arrives, provide additional warmth to the beds by covering them with spunbond or pine spruce branches so that the plant roots can more easily survive the winter.

How to propagate garden strawberries?

Propagating garden strawberries is not that big of a deal. difficult task. However, it all depends on the method you choose. Garden strawberries can be propagated in three ways: by mustache, dividing the bush and planting seeds.

Reproduction by mustache

The Black Prince variety can reproduce with mustaches, but it grows them in small quantities and only in the first three years of the bush’s life. The essence of this method is quite simple: you examine the plant for the presence of tendrils with new young rosettes and select those that are best developed. Then pin these rosettes to pots of soil (these can be peat or plastic pots) and water them well. In a couple of weeks, the rosette will have time to take root well in the new place, and through the tendril from the mother bush it will receive all the necessary nutrients. All that remains is to cut it off from the supply channel and land it on the selected site, not forgetting about good watering. Garden strawberries planted in this way quickly begin to grow, and they do not need time to take root, because they already spend all their time in the open air.

Dividing the bush

Since the Black Prince variety will not share its mustache starting from the fourth year of growth, you can use another method - dividing the uterine bush. Usually for this purpose bushes are chosen at the age of two or three years, but in the case of the described variety, the age may be later. The plant is dug out of the ground and divided into several parts, each of which must contain at least one full rosette and well-developed roots, where new roots must be present (they have white). The resulting material is planted in the chosen location, watered abundantly and mulched.

Use this method it is necessary in spring or autumn, until the plant begins to bloom, or when it is gradually approaching a dormant state.

Planting seeds

Planting seeds is the longest, most painstaking and in a complicated way propagation of garden strawberries. However, if you manage to grow this crop in this way, you can safely consider yourself a skilled gardener.

Buy seeds in bags from famous manufacturers, so you can count on a positive result for your enterprise. You can, of course, collect the seeds yourself, but they most likely will not retain varietal characteristics.

Before planting, it is recommended to soak the seeds in Epin solution - a couple of drops per 100 ml is enough. You can also soak the seeds on cotton pads - this will make them hatch faster. But usually gardeners practice direct planting directly into the substrate, which consists of humus (from leaves), river sand and garden soil(all elements are taken in equal proportions). Grooves are created in the substrate with an interval of 5 cm between them and a depth of 0.5 cm. Seeds are placed in these grooves (pre-moistened) and then sprinkled thin layer land. The container with the seeds is transferred to room conditions and covered with glass. In the coming days, your task is to periodically pour water into the pan and remove the glass for ventilation. Usually after one and a half to two weeks the first shoots appear - it’s time to expose the container to the sun’s rays.

When the first true leaf appears, the seedlings will need to be planted at a distance of 2 - 3 cm from each other, with the tips of the roots slightly shortened to speed up their growth. When the plants have 4-5 leaves, they are again planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other.

A good option is to germinate seeds in peat tablets. Seeds are sown in the recesses that are in each tablet. All maintenance will consist of periodically adding water to the pan. At the first stages of their growth, the plants will be supplied with all the necessary nutrients, which are in tablets.

Growing garden strawberries from seeds has its own significant drawback: plants long time are found at home and when transplanted into open ground they may not take root if hardening has not been carried out. This procedure is simple - first, the seedlings are placed near the window (in April the weather outside is usually cool) or taken out onto the balcony for 15 minutes. Each time the hardening time is increased. Thanks to this event, garden strawberries will be transplanted into open ground without any problems.

Diseases and pests

The Black Prince variety has good resistance to a number of diseases characteristic of this crop. However, there are frequent cases of it being affected by brown or white spotting. And these plants are just a tasty morsel for the strawberry mite. It is very important to know how to prevent these problems or deal with them if they occur.

Table: characteristic problems of the variety

Disease/pest	Signs of appearance	Control measures
Verticillium	The leaves on the bush change color - they become brown or red, curl and dry out. Plants develop slowly, sometimes stop growing completely and gradually wither.	Affected plants are destroyed. If the bush is slightly affected, it is treated with 0.2% Fundazol (10 g per 10 l). Before planting, plant roots are dipped in a solution of Agat 25K (7 g/l) or Gumat K (15 g/l).
White/brown spotting	Brown or white spots appear on the leaves, as well as on the stems, which gradually increase in number and cover the entire leaf rosette. The leaves dry out and fall off.	Prevention: 2–3 treatments with 2% Bordeaux mixture (200 g copper sulfate, 250 g of lime per 10 liters of water). At the first signs: Anthracol (15 g per 10 l) or Ridomil-gold (25 g per 10 l). When infested with aphids, the leaves curl and begin to wither along with the petioles. The strawberry mite attaches itself to the leaf blades and significantly weakens the bush Harvest and storage The berries are collected in the morning after the dew has dried. It is not recommended to harvest after rains, as the berries will become soggy and unsuitable for consumption and storage. It is recommended to pick garden strawberries every 3 days to avoid overripe berries, which can crumble and rot, becoming a source of the spread of various problems. The collected berries are laid out in paper boxes or plastic containers and placed in the refrigerator for storage, where they can remain for up to two weeks. IN room conditions You can count on the freshness of the berries for no more than 2 days. You can wash them only before eating them. If you want to preserve the berries longer, freeze them after drying them on napkins. Freeze garden strawberries in plastic containers, but not in plastic bags, which will ruin its taste. Determine in advance how much berries you want to put in freezer so that when removing them from there, you do not return the remains back. Repeated freezing will completely ruin the taste and quality of garden strawberries. Black Prince garden strawberries are perfect for various preparations. Berry pureed with sugar is a real delicacy not only for the family, but also for guests. Preserves, jams, pastries and even fortified drinks - all this turns out incredibly tasty thanks to best qualities fruits of the Black Prince.