Uniform conical shape, the intense red color inside and out, symmetrical with beautiful appearance, reliable firmness, and amazingly sweet in taste with good flavor which makes it perfect for fresh eating.
Yes, we are talking about the popular berry, ‘Albion everbearing strawberries’!
Looking for suggestive tips on growing the Albion strawberry plants?
You’ve landed in the right spot!
Let’s get started –
Growing strawberries is relatively easy as they can fill the huge garden plots or can fit within small containers. One of the major advantages of growing strawberries is that they are perennial in nature.
Though, you cannot differentiate between the plants until and unless it is perfectly labeled. Strawberries are differentiated into Everbearing, Day-neutral, and June bearing. Albino is an everbearing strawberry.
WHAT ARE EVERBEARING STRAWBERRIES?
Everbearing strawberry plants are also known as perpetual fruiting types. Day length, temperatures, and climate zone affect the everbearing strawberry plant. They produce flowers and fruit during spring, summer, and fall. When the day length is 12 hours or more per day, the everbearing strawberry plants start forming flower buds.
Strawberry plants produce fewer berries as they age. So maybe after 3-4 years, the strawberry plant might need replacement.
When we talk about the everbearing type; the Albion strawberry plants are a hybrid variety developed in California.
Growing Albion Strawberries Tips:
- Selecting your planting site
- Finalise on planting system
- Preparing for the planting site
- Planting the strawberry plants
- Creating favorable conditions
- Caring for growing strawberries
- Harvesting the Albion strawberries
- Renovating the strawberry beds
- Preserving the strawberry plants
1. Selecting your planting site
Choosing the planting site is critically important. To begin with:
Firstly, Albion strawberries need full sun to produce in large numbers whereas harvestable berries require six hours of direct sun each day. Hence, strawberry plants should not be planted near large trees as they may siphon away the sunlight and the needed moisture from the strawberry plants.
Secondly, plants need sandy loam with a high amount of organic loam. Thus, you need to create the best environment for growing Albion strawberries by adding peat moss or compost. If you are planting in a container, then add fresh compost to the surface of the soil mix.
Thirdly, the site should have proper soil drainage, or else the plants die if left in standing water.
2. Finalize on planting system
Albion everbearing strawberries should be planted at a distance of 12 inches between two plants. If multiple rows, then rows should be spaced 4 feet apart.
3. Preparing for the planting site
If you plan to grow Albion everbearing strawberries in your garden then you need to prepare them. Growing green manure crops in the garden for a year before growing strawberries improves the soil quality.
Ensure that the garden is free from soil-borne diseases, grubs, and weeds.
For growing Albino strawberries, the soil needs to be slightly acidic. The pH should be between 5.0 and 7.0.
4. Planting the strawberry plants
Mastering how to plant an Albion everbearing strawberry is an important step.
Dig out a big hole then create a hill of soil in the bottom of the hole. Now you can plant on the hill.
If it is planted too shallowly, the roots may dry out. If planted too deep, the growing strawberries may damage. Make sure the level of the soil is still in the middle of the crown.
5. Creating favorable conditions
You need to mulch the strawberry plant base with compost, pine needles, straw, or shredded leaves. Mulching makes the growing strawberries happy. As they decompose, the acidity of the soil is raised further reducing the weed problem.
6. Watering the strawberry plant
Watering the strawberry plant is critically important but it should not be standing water. As plants need a moist environment, providing an inch of water either through direct supplemental or rainfall is essential. While fruit is forming, two inches of water is required.
7. Caring for growing strawberries
During the first year, the buds and runners should be removed by the beginning of July month. You may get a small harvest in the first year but by the second year, the main harvest comes.
8. Harvesting the Albion strawberries
Strawberries are a bit fragile. Instead of pulling the strawberry, use your forefinger and the fingernail of the thumb to pick a ripe strawberry. Let the cap and the part of the stem remain attached to the strawberry.
9. Preserving the strawberry plants
If you want to grow the Albion everbearing strawberry year after year then you may have to preserve the strawberry plant.
Proper munching during winter is required as they can easily damage due to frost. Once the winter is over apply pine needles approximately 3 inches thick over the bed.
PRO TIPS:
- If you are unable to plant Albion everbearing strawberries immediately, you can cover the strawberry plants in wet paper towels.
- CULTIVATION: Albion everbearing strawberries grow well in moist and well-drained soil. These strawberries need full sun thus, they should be protected against cold wind.
- Make sure to water them weekly, if the rain is inconsistent.
- PRODUCTIVITY: Albion is heat tolerant and produces high yields of conical berries with high sugar content. Due to their heat-tolerant nature, they continue to fruit well even into hot climates.
- Albion everbearing strawberries stand 12 to 18 inches tall.
- Albion strawberries are resistant to verticillium wilt, phytophthora crown rot, and anthracnose crown rot.
- After planting, Albion strawberries take 12-14 weeks to grow.
- Fertilize strawberry plants at multiple different times to reach their maximum potential. Do not apply fertilizer to wet strawberry plants to avoid lodging the fertilizer particles in the plants. Also, it may lead to phytotoxicity.
- Use bird netting or copper ribbon to protect your strawberries from birds and critters.
WRAPPING UP
Apart from Albion Everbearing strawberries, there are a variety of strawberry plants for sale online, you can choose a specific strawberry plant of your choice. You’ll get in love with the nutritious and delicious beautiful red berries.
Homegrown berries are more scrumptious than store-bought ones. But you should know the right quantity of the strawberry plant to begin your patch. Hopefully, the above-mentioned tips help you harvest sweet and juicy Albion everbearing strawberries!