Zenga Zengana is an undeservedly forgotten garden strawberry of European selection. Once it was the best industrial variety, but today, thanks to its unique qualities, it has become interesting to amateur gardeners. We learn what is unusual in this strawberry, and how to grow it in our area.
garden strawberry "Zenga Zengana" ripens in mid-June
fruiting varieties "Zenga Zengana" lasts until early September
“Zenga Zengana” garden strawberries weigh 10-15 grams, but 30 grams are found
Briefly about the origin
Garden strawberries (aka strawberries) of the Zenga Zengana variety were bred in Germany (Hamburg). The variety arose from the crossing of the Sieger variety and the wild self-seedling Merge. Breeders set a goal - to bring strawberries for industrial use. Selection work began in 1942, and ended in 1954.
This well-deserved variety, although it has lost its popularity over 70 years, remains a true brand. Having quickly spread throughout Europe, Zenga Zengana has long been a leading industrial variety.
Difference of a variety from another strawberry
The Zenga Zengana variety has always been unique. At the beginning of his “career”, one of his main advantages was the possibility of freezing. Today, many strawberry varieties have this quality. But his other quality is still unique - according to gardeners, Zeng Zengan does not lose varietal qualities for 7-8 years.
Among the positive qualities of the variety are also:
- consistently high productivity;
- excellent taste;
- good transportability;
- undemanding to soils.
One of the most important advantages of the old German variety is the ability to grow on any soil. Zenga zengana bears fruit even on heavy, loamy and depleted soils.
The disadvantage of the German variety can be considered the need for pollinators.
All about the variety: description, characteristics, taste
Variety Zenga Zengana is able to bear fruit in a short daylight hours. If the duration of the latter is 12 hours, the kidneys are laid.
The main characteristics of the variety:
- Ripening dates are late. The first berries appear in mid-June.
- Productivity - 1.5 kg per bush.
- Bushes bear fruit in one place for 6-7 years.
- Non-permanent variety - bears fruit once a season.
- A small number of mustaches - the plant spends all its efforts on the formation of fruits.
- The weight of the berries is 10-12 g. The first berries are the largest - up to 30 g. As they bear fruit, they become smaller.
- The dense, without voids, pulp has a sweet and sour taste and rich aroma.
- The purpose is universal. Berries do not lose their shape in compotes and preserves. Suitable for freezing.
- The variety withstands heat, drought and low temperatures.
Short botanical description:
- Bush. Tall, not sprawling, but well leafy. Peduncles are located on the same level with the leaves or under them - the berries can touch the ground. The leaves are dark green, smooth.
- Berries Medium. The form is wide conical. The color depends on the amount of sun - in the shade the berries are bright red, in the sun - dark red. Ripe berries become dark cherry. Sunflower seeds deeply pressed.
Watch the video review of garden strawberries "Zenga Zengana", presented by an experienced gardener:
Landing procedure
This German variety, although unpretentious, requires some care. And it starts with the right fit. Although Zenga grows on any soil, the task of the gardener is to create favorable conditions for growth in order to get the most out of it.
Choosing a place and date
Seedlings in temperate climates are planted mainly in early spring, late summer or early fall. The best time to plant is the first decade of spring. In the central regions, seedlings are planted on March 10-20. It is best to plant seedlings in the evening on a dry sunny day. Read more about planting strawberries in the spring here.
Before preparing seedlings, choose a suitable place for planting. Optimal characteristics of the plot:
- A sunny, well-ventilated place, without stagnation of water. It is desirable that the site is located on the south side, but not blown by the winds. Lowlands and soils with high acidity are not suitable.
- Strawberries grow best after legumes, radishes, carrots, beets, onions and garlic. Unwanted predecessors prone to diseases that affect Zenga Zengana - blackcurrant, raspberry, gooseberry.
Soil preparation
Despite the undemanding nature of the soil, the variety has its own preferences - it grows best on loams with a neutral reaction.
Soil preparation procedure:
- Clean the site of weeds. If the soil contains larvae of May beetles, wireworms and other pests, treat it with ammonia solution - dilute 10 ml in a bucket of water.
- Dig the soil 2-4 weeks before planting. During digging, fertilizers are applied, per 1 sq. Km. m:
- humus - 5-6 kg;
- superphosphate - 40 g;
- potash fertilizers - 20 g.
- Check soil acidity. And if it is increased - add dolomite flour - 300-600 g per 1 square. m. Instead of flour, you can make chalk or ash, respectively 100-300 g and 1-1.5 kg per 1 square. m
Acidity can be determined independently by beet leaves - on acidic soils they are covered with dark red spots.
As potash fertilizers, you can use wood ash, but potassium chloride is not recommended - strawberries are too sensitive to chlorine.
Landing patterns
Saplings of the variety Zenga Zengana are planted according to the schemes typical for strawberries:
- Single line. The interval between rows is 70 cm. Between adjacent bushes in rows is 20 cm.
- Two-line. On one bed several rows are planted. Between the beds leave 70 cm, between the lines - 30 cm, between the bushes - 20 cm.
When growing strawberries, a method of growing using covering material is very popular. The planting pattern is the same - lowercase, but the soil is covered with a black film. And so that the roots do not overheat under the film, it is covered with a layer of straw.
Transplanting
Optimum temperature conditions for planting seedlings in open ground:
- air - from +15 to +20 ° C;
- soil - about +15 ° С.
Healthy, well-developed seedlings are selected for planting. They leave about 5-7 leaves, the rest are torn off. The optimal root length is 8-10 cm, the longer ones are cut. Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are placed in a growth stimulator.
Landing procedure:
- On the prepared beds they dig holes - according to the number of seedlings. Depth - about 15 cm. A small earthen mound is formed in each hole.
- Lower the sapling into the hole, carefully straightening the roots.
- Sprinkle the roots with earth, compacting the soil with your hands. The growth point of the seedling should be at ground level. If the point is buried - the bushes will begin to vypryvat.
- Each hole is poured with warm water - about 1 liter per bush.
- It is advisable to mulch the soil with humus, straw or sawdust. It is forbidden to mulch the soil with leaves, moss and freshly cut grass. The mulch layer is about 10 cm.
Care Features
Caring for wild strawberries Zeng Zengan is not particularly difficult. It is only important to comply with all care instructions on time.
Watering
The variety is hygrophilous, so plantations are regularly watered - every 1-2 weeks. Take into account weather conditions and the amount of precipitation. In hot weather, the frequency of irrigation increases.
When watering, the soil should be moistened 20-30 cm deep. Water is poured so that drops do not fall on the leaves. The best time for watering is morning. The most important watering is before flowering, then they are carried out as necessary.
Top dressing
Strawberries are fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers. Feed planting begins in early spring. When feeding, it is important not to overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers. They are introduced in the spring, because they cause the growth of green mass. An excess of nitrogen will adversely affect crop yields.
We recommend that you additionally read the article on spring feeding strawberries.
Dates and types of feeding strawberry Zenga Zengana:
Period | Fertilizer |
Early spring | Nitrogen fertilizers - for example, urea, for the growth of green mass. To prepare the solution, take 30 g per 10 liters of water. |
The first leaves appear | Mullein water with the addition of ammonium sulfate. |
Beginning of may | The introduction of complex mineral fertilizers. |
Before flowering | Potassium-based solutions - from potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate (10 l - 2 tbsp.). You can water the planting with a solution of ash. |
After harvest | Phosphorus fertilizers - ammophos, superphosphate, diammophos, increase the yield of berry plants for next year. |
Potash fertilizers improve the taste of berries.
Loosening, weeding and mulching
The earth is loosened before each watering, and after watering - mulch. Usually, the soil is sprinkled with sawdust - a layer of 5 cm. During loosening, weeds are simultaneously removed.
The most intensive loosening is spring, when there is a lot of melt water in the soil. Loosening row-spacings to a depth of 10 cm. Closer to the bushes, the depth of loosening is less - so as not to damage the root system. Bushes, during loosening, a little spud - to sprinkle the roots.
Winter preparations
Preparing for the winter consists of several agricultural activities:
- The site is carefully weeded and loosened.
- Plantings are sprayed with compounds against pests and diseases.
- Cut off all mustaches and leaves.
- Sprinkle the planting with a thick layer of mulch - sawdust or peat. Where there is little snow you can use straw, in regions with severe winters - spruce.
After wintering, plantings are necessarily cleaned - mulch and weeds are removed.
First-year bushes for the winter are completely covered with coniferous branches. Or they pull the agrotex / spanbond on the frame - they cannot be placed in rows, the soil will quickly freeze.
Breeding methods
Most often, gardeners use division for propagation of zenga zengan strawberries. But if desired, this variety can be propagated by any of the existing methods:
- Division of the bush. The best option. They dig a 4-year-old plant, cut dry foliage, immerse the roots in water, and when they soften, they divide the bush into several parts - a delenka.
- Mustache and sockets. In this way, a lot of seedlings can not be obtained - due to the limited number of mustaches. The processes - tendrils appear in July, they take root, and together with the rooting a small bush appears - a rosette. The shoots of the most productive bushes are selected. The earth is loosened and watered, helping the development of the first two outlets in a row. Then the mustache is cut off so that it does not pull nutrients from the mother bush. When the shoots have developed enough, they dig it out and transplant it.
- The seeds. Zenga's flowers are female. And it is impossible to obtain seed material from the fruits with a set of qualities of the mother plant. Is that a hybrid of Zengan and its pollinators will grow. The breeding process is standard:
- Seeds are stratified - soaked and kept in a refrigerator for two weeks at +5 ° C. Seeds are moistened on time - so as not to dry out.
- The change is sown in a container and covered with a film. When the sprouts appear, the film is removed.
- Plants are planted in the ground when 3-5 leaves appear on the bushes.
Pollination Tips for Zenga Zengana
The variety has only female flowers, and cannot bear fruit without pollinators. Near Zenga Zengana have to plant pollinating varieties. For pollination, strawberries are selected, which blooms at the same time as Zenga - in the second half of May.
Pest and Disease Control
The main pest that threatens the old German variety is the strawberry tick. And the most dangerous disease for Zeng Zengan is gray rot.
Pests and diseases of the Zeng Zengan variety, as well as measures to combat them:
Pests / Diseases | Symptoms / harm | How to fight? |
Strawberry mite | An insect invisible to the eye, affects the leaves - they are deformed, brown and dry. The growth of the bushes slows down, the berries become small. | For planting prophylaxis, they are sprayed with colloidal sulfur (70% solution). If the tick has already attacked the plants, they are treated with insecticides - Spark M or Actellic. |
Gray rot | Fungal infection, can destroy 90% of the crop. The berries are covered with a dark coating and rot. | Promptly remove affected leaves or entire bushes. Spray with chemicals - Apirin-B, Switch, 1% Bordeaux liquid. |
Borax spotting | Brown spots appear on the edges of the leaves. Growing, they merge into large spots, the leaves dry out. | Treatment of plantings with oxychrome and Bordeaux fluid. Before budding, 3%; before flowering and after harvesting, 1%. |
From gray rot gardeners often use mustard solution. 50 g of dry mustard are dissolved in 5 l of hot water. Insist for two days, and then diluted with water 1: 1.
The damage from gray rot and ticks can be catastrophic, so it is important to prevent the problem in time. Prevention measures:
- prevent thickening of landings;
- weed on time;
- deoxidize the soil;
- plant garlic in the aisles;
- mulch with straw;
- after harvesting cut the leaves;
- in time to destroy the affected berries;
- prevent contact of berries with the ground.
Collection and storage of berries
The variety was bred as industrial, so it is not surprising that it tolerates transportation well. But still, berries require maximum attention during collection and storage.
Cleaning and storage tips:
- It is best to pick berries in the morning or in the evening, always in dry weather. But if it rains and the berries have ripened, they still have to be harvested - otherwise they will rot, or slugs will damage them.
- Only ripe berries are harvested; the taste and smell are worse for unripe fruits.
- It is important to start collecting on time - overripe, the berries spoil very quickly.
- The berries are picked together with sepals and a short “tail” - then they do not lose their taste for a long time.
- Collect berries immediately in a container for storage - so as not to shift again.
- Defective berries affected by rot or other diseases are immediately laid.
- So that the berries do not crumple, they are laid in three layers, no more. The containers are chosen well-ventilated - boxes of cardboard or plastic. Store berries in a cool place.
The variety is unpretentious, so even beginners can take up its cultivation. The main problem of Zeng Zengan is gray rot. If the gardener takes all the necessary measures to prevent this scourge, then he expects an abundant harvest of delicious berries.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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