White Strawberries: Top 5 Varieties

White strawberry

Strawberries are not some kind of special culture in the beds of our summer residents, it is not uncommon and it grows in many people. But not everyone can boast of white strawberries. In our article we will tell you about this unusual berry, as well as talk about popular varieties and the rules for growing white strawberries.

White strawberry: characteristic

White Strawberry is a hybrid that was bred by crossing Chilean strawberries and Virginia strawberries. This culture grows on different continents, and after some time the berry lost its gene, which must correspond to the red color. Thanks to this property, this culture is perfect for people with red pigment allergies.

Generally, white strawberries are much smaller in size than red ones. The only exception, perhaps, is the White Swede variety. Its berries are sometimes even larger than those of the red varieties. Until the berries are fully ripe, they have a light greenish tint, like red strawberries. When the berry ripens, it becomes slightly pinkish in color.

There are varieties such as White Swan and Yellow Miracle. They have a slightly yellowish color, since in their structure they have a very large number of yellow seeds. The taste of white strawberry is quite unusual, it has pineapple tones, shades of strawberry flavor, and honey notes are also present. As a rule, berries have a pleasant sweet taste and a light refreshing acidic component.

In cultivation, this culture is not too whimsical. White strawberries grow in small bushes that do not take up much space in your garden. A significant drawback of this culture is a poor level of keeping quality and transportability. For this reason, it is almost impossible to buy white strawberries.

White strawberries: popular varieties

Pineberry

It is a fairly popular variety with white strawberry gardeners. It has a bright pineapple tone in aroma and taste. The homeland of this variety is Holland. In size, these berries are not very large, about 1.5 - 2.5 grams in weight. They have red grains in the structure. Pineberry does not give a bountiful harvest, however, among the indisputable advantages are unpretentiousness and strong immunity to various diseases and pests.

Anablanca

This variety was bred by the French. This is a rather rare variety, since it was bred not so long ago and is still new. This variety is similar to the Pineberry variety in its properties. It has a delicate pulp structure, it is slightly pink in color, since it is in a sunny area for quite a long time. This variety gives a bountiful harvest, grows in the form of compact bushes. It is practically not attacked by various diseases and pests.

White Swan and White Lotus

These varieties were bred by the Japanese. In their height, the bushes reach about fifteen to twenty centimeters, refer to remontant varieties. The berries of the White Swan have a pleasant honey tone in taste; in their mass, as a rule, the fruits reach 2.5 - 4 grams.

The White Lotus variety is a fruit of a rather small size and slightly oblong in shape, has a sweet dessert taste.

White Swede

This variety bears rather large fruits. One berry can weigh about 25 grams, sometimes even larger. The fruit is conical in shape, has a pleasant sweet taste with a slight sourness, pineapple notes are clearly felt in the aftertaste.The bushes have a rather spreading and squat shape. This variety has good resistance to dry weather and low temperatures. Almost never affected by pests.

White strawberries: how to grow

In terms of agricultural technology, white strawberries practically do not differ from ordinary strawberries. It is cultivated both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions. Some gardeners plant white strawberries in containers.

White strawberries tolerate shading quite calmly, and are also not too demanding for abundant watering. If there is too much moisture, then the fruits will be watery. However, strawberries will retain their bright taste.

Strawberries propagate exclusively with the help of antennae, the seed method will not work here. To do this, root the antennae in a plastic container, and then separate from the bush.

White-fruited strawberries are more fond of warm weather conditions, in this regard, the best solution would be to plant them in greenhouses. But in a good warm climate, open ground is also suitable. Corn, as well as the legume family, are good precursors to white garden strawberries. An area where potatoes, tomatoes or cucumbers were previously grown will not work.

Before planting seedlings, you need to remove all weeds and roots. Dig up the soil to a depth of about thirty to thirty-five centimeters and feed the earth with minerals (potassium, nitrogen-containing and phosphorus-containing fertilizers are suitable). The landing pits should be about ten to fifteen centimeters deep. Sprinkle them a little with water, and then, after straightening the root system of the plants, place them in the holes. The distance between plants should be twenty to twenty-five centimeters. This is necessary in order for the bushes to grow properly.

You need to prune your bushes every season. Once a year is enough. The aged foliage and tendrils will take a lot of nutrients from your strawberries, thereby degrading the quality and quantity of your crop. Pruning can be done in the spring or in the fall.

For the winter, you need to cover your white strawberries. In this case, it is necessary to prune the bushes in the fall, as well as remove the antennae. Also, be sure not to have too many mustaches. In the summertime, the leaves that are at the bottom “work” most of all. Therefore, it is them that should be subsequently cut off. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the upper foliage. It already has kidneys for the next year.

Since you cut off the mustache and leaves of strawberries, a variety of harmful insects and diseases are not terrible for your plants. If, for some reason, you did not cut your bushes in the fall, then be sure to correct this situation in the spring. Do not forget to remove the affected, yellow and aged leaves.

Feeding your strawberries is a pretty important part of basic crop care. It is carried out in several stages.

The first time the necessary fertilizers are applied during planting. When flower stalks appear, apply organic fertilizers, and also add ash there.

Then fertilizing is applied during flowering. Since during this period a lot of energy and nutrients are spent for good yields.

The last time the strawberries are fed is when new buds are laid for the following year.

Do not forget about weeding your beds regularly, otherwise the nutrients will not only go to your white-fruited strawberries, but also to all other weeds.

It will not be superfluous if you mulch the soil around the bushes. In this way, you will reduce the growth of weeds, and also protect your berries from rotting. For this purpose, experienced gardeners often use dry grass and lay it in a layer above the ground. To protect the berries from pests, tie the brushes to supports.

With regard to pests and various diseases, white strawberries can sometimes infect with gray rot.This attack is easy to recognize by the fluffy bloom on the fruit. This happens if the weather is too rainy, and this fungus spreads with the help of spores. If you are faced with such a problem, then the first step is to remove all affected leaves and bushes. And for prevention purposes, we recommend that you spray your strawberries with a solution of iodine and water (ten drops per ten liters of water) before flowering. This method will help you avoid diseases caused by the fungus.

Also, strawberries can be affected by weevils, nematodes, spider mites, and bears. As a rule, insects leave their eggs in strawberries. Do not plant this crop next to raspberries, as diseases and harmful insects can also move to strawberries.

If you follow the set of these simple rules for planting and care, then the white-fruited strawberry will thank you with an abundant harvest of delicious fresh berries.

White strawberry photo