The Cardinal variety of garden strawberries appeared in the United States and soon spread throughout the world, including Russia. The variety is very decorative and was bred relatively recently, in the second half of the 20th century. Gardeners who are accustomed to calling strawberries "Victoria" also call this variety "Victoria Cardinal".

Characteristics of the variety

Frost resistance

Cardinal strawberries withstand temperatures up to -16 degrees, so it is recommended to plant them where winters are rather warm and mild. When the frosts reach 20 degrees or more, the plant dies, even if the severe frost does not last long. Therefore, Cardinal strawberries are rarely found in the beds of residents of the Leningrad, Vologda and more northern regions.

Yield

Cardinal is one of the earliest varieties of garden strawberries. If planted in August, the first fruits will appear in early spring. When grown in the middle lane, the fruits appear in the first decade of June, they ripen together, so it is very convenient to harvest.

Information: per season from one bush, you can collect about 1 kg of fruit.

Fruit characteristics

The fruits of the Cardinal strawberry are very decorative and can become an excellent decoration for a summer cottage. If a summer resident who propagates strawberries bought seeds in a specialized store, he will be able to read the description of the Cardinal strawberry variety right on the package.

Strawberry Cardinal (variety appearance)

Below are the main characteristics of the fruit:

  • sweet dessert taste, with a subtle sourness and a pronounced smell of wild strawberries;
  • the shape of the berries in the form of an oval cone;
  • smooth, shiny surface of berries;
  • the weight of one berry is 70-80 g;
  • dense pulp with a lot of plant fibers;
  • maroon color, seeds have a golden hue.

Berries tolerate storage and transportation well, are suitable for fresh consumption, suitable for making jams, preserves and compotes. They are also great for making strawberry wines and liqueurs at home.

Plant parameters

Bushes of garden strawberries Cardinal will be clearly visible on the site. This strawberry variety is immediately striking. You can read about the characteristics of the variety in any reference literature published in the late 20th - early 21st centuries; this variety is not mentioned in the books of the Soviet era. You can find out this variety by the following parameters:

  • a bush with sparse foliage, the height of an adult plant is 40 - 45 cm;
  • dark green leaf, the lower part of the leaf has a bluish tint;
  • the surface of the leaves is shiny and smooth;
  • long mustache with pronounced rosettes.

With proper care, the plant can develop normally and give a good harvest for about 5 years. Under unfavorable climatic conditions, this period can be significantly reduced. So, in severe frosts, strawberries may not live even a year.

Pest and disease resistance

Like most artificially bred varieties, Cardinal strawberries have good immunity to the main diseases and pests that affect garden strawberries.

However, if spring and summer are rainy, the plant is often affected by powdery mildew. This fungal infection results in a white coating on the leaves that cannot be removed.Also, from excessive watering, a rainy climate and high humidity, gray rot of leaves and fruits can develop. Berries affected by gray mold are unsuitable for human consumption. If only isolated spots on a large berry are affected, they must be carefully cut with a knife before eating or preserving the berry.

Sick strawberry nematode

This type of strawberry is often affected by the nematode. To fight the nematode, it is recommended to treat the roots with hot water. To do this, the plant is dug up, the soil is removed from the roots along with the worms (if any), the earth is burned, and the roots are placed in a tank of water. The water temperature must reach a maximum of 50 degrees, otherwise the plant will die. Heat treatment can last from 5 to 20 minutes.

In the fight against diseases and pests, it is possible to use products for spraying industrial fruit and berry plants. Berries from the sprayed bush must be thoroughly washed before eating, canning or storing.

Landing

When planting Cardinal strawberries, keep in mind the following:

  • the plant does not like too wet soil;
  • strawberries grow well on weakly acidic soils, rich in nutrients (on poor soils with strong acidity, the plant will not bear fruit well);
  • the recommended time for planting is the last decade of August - the first decade of September;
  • if you plant strawberries on sandy soil, the yield will be good, but the fruits will be small.

Cardinal grape

Attention! With late planting, the culture will not have time to adapt to the environment before the first frost and may die. However, in regions with mild, warm autumn, you can plant strawberries in the second decade of September.

The main thing for this variety is to endure the winter well. You can plant Cardinal both with other varieties of varietal strawberries, or separately from them.

It is best to choose seedlings for planting that are one year old. They should be in special cups for seedlings. The main requirement for seedlings is a well-developed fibrous root system (minimum root length 5 cm) and the presence of a maximum of three independent leaves. The leaves must be firm and regular in shape, without deformation.

Before planting, you must carefully inspect the planting material. If the seedlings have whitish or gray spots, the plant is affected by powdery mildew (gray mold). Such planting material must be burned immediately, it is unsuitable for cultivation. It is recommended to purchase seedlings in special nurseries, as seedlings with good immunity are grown there. You can buy strawberries for planting in nurseries in the last decade of July - early August.

Care

In the first - second decade of May, the plant needs weeding and hilling of the bushes. It is also necessary to mulch with a black opaque film. In summer, strawberries need to be fed with complex fertilizers containing a high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus. In order for the plant to have enough nitrogen, it is recommended to plant strawberries in the place where legumes used to grow.

Tomato Cardinal

Council. Watering is desirable in the morning. This is necessary so that by the evening the foliage is already dry. If watered in the evening, the leaves will not have time to dry out at night, and due to this, diseases such as "powdery mildew" or "gray rot" may develop. During the fruiting period, watering is carried out after harvesting. If watered before picking berries, wet berries will not store well and can quickly rot.

It is also necessary to regularly inspect the bushes, removing dry leaves and dead plants.

Breeding features

The easiest way to propagate Cardinal strawberries is by means of lateral shoots, which are commonly called "mustaches". As the plant develops, rosettes and new roots gradually form on the whiskers. When they grow well into the ground, the mustache begins to dry out, and the small plant becomes independent of the large one.

Ripe fruit

It happens that the mustache is poorly formed in a plant.In this case, you should choose another breeding method - dividing the mother bush. The bush chosen for division must be strong and completely healthy, with no visible signs of disease or pests. Usually a plant is divided, which is already 3-4 years old. From one mother bush of Cardinal strawberries you can get 7 - 10 new plants.

Strawberry First grader - variety description

It is interesting: You can also propagate this variety by seeds, but this method is quite long and laborious, so gardeners rarely use it.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Cardinal strawberry is very popular with modern gardeners.

Here are the main advantages of this variety:

  • large size and spectacular appearance of the fruit;
  • pronounced sweet taste of berries;
  • ease of reproduction with a mustache;
  • dense fruit pulp, which allows you to store berries for a long time and transport them without losing their presentation.

Also, an undoubted advantage can be attributed to the fact that the fruits ripen very early, already in early June.

However, despite the large number of advantages, this variety has its own disadvantages, for example:

  • in central Russia, winters are often frosty, and Cardinal is not the most frost-resistant variety;
  • the plant loves fertile soil and does not grow well on soil that is poor in nutrients;
  • due to their large size and bright color, strawberries often become prey for birds;
  • foliage often grows so dense that it becomes very difficult to weed.

Also, the disadvantages include poor tolerance to a humid climate and sensitivity to temperature changes.

Garden strawberry Cardinal is one of the best modern varieties. Planting it is undoubtedly worth it. The main thing is to take proper care in accordance with the peculiarities of the climate of a particular region.