The desire of breeders to surprise gardeners with a new taste and aroma has no boundaries. A fantasy on the theme of the tropics was brought to life by the Dutch breeder Hans de Jong. He suggested a strawberry hybrid with pineapple flavor. The metamorphoses did not stop there - the exotic Pineberry strawberry variety has not only an unusual taste, but also a non-standard appearance - its berries are white.
Berries
The fruits of the Pineapple variety grow large in size, their weight can reach 40-60 g. The main distinguishing feature of the variety is color. The berries are colored in a variety of shades - from white to yellowish. The taste is sweet and sour. Unripe berries are green. You can tell when strawberries are ripe by the redness of the drupes.
From 1 sq. m. you can collect up to 1 kg of berries. The Pineapple variety belongs to the dessert category. Strawberries are consumed fresh and used to decorate dishes and confectionery.
Popular varieties
Several varieties of strawberries with white fruits have been developed.
- White Soul is a small-fruited, high-yielding variety created in Holland. The fruits are tasty, aromatic, whitish-cream in color. Fruits from spring to late autumn. Fully ripe berries have a pineapple flavor. About 500 g of strawberries are harvested from one bush.
- Anablanca is a white strawberry and one of the rare varieties bred by French breeders. The fruits taste like strawberries, which are complemented by sweet notes of pineapple. The pulp is juicy, tender with red seeds. The variety is not susceptible to disease and is resistant to pests. The harvest is harvested from late May to mid-July. In warm autumn weather, repeated fruiting is possible.
- White Swede is a large-fruited variety with a fruit weight of up to 25 g. The berries with a soft pink tint have a conical regular shape. The taste is sweet and sour with strawberry aroma.
Planting strawberries
Before planting in open ground, you need to take care of choosing a suitable site. The place should be evenly illuminated by the sun throughout the day and protected from cold winds and drafts. The Pineapple variety prefers loamy soils with low acidity levels.
It is best to plant plants in the fall. Before frost, they will have time to take root and will produce a harvest the following summer. The variety is resistant to frost down to -25⁰C. In the fall, it will be enough to cover the plants with straw or agrofibre.
Before planting, water the soil with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
Preparing the bed involves digging up the soil, loosening it and clearing weed roots. Organic fertilizers are applied at 5 kg per 1 sq. m, mineral - 40 g for the same area.
The best predecessors for strawberries are root vegetables, grains and legumes.
The soil temperature before planting should be at least +18⁰С. The distance between the bushes is left 25-30 cm. The rows are placed 70 cm from each other. When planting, the central bud should be located a short distance from the soil surface. If it is placed deep in the ground, the seedlings will die. If raised high above the garden bed, they may dry out.
White-fruited strawberries: how to grow
In terms of their agricultural technology, white varieties are practically no different from ordinary strawberries. It is cultivated both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions. Some gardeners plant white-fruited varieties in containers.
White strawberries tolerate shading relatively calmly, and are also not too demanding of abundant watering. If there is too much moisture, the fruits will be watery. However, the berry will retain its bright taste.
Strawberries reproduce exclusively with the help of tendrils; the seed method is not suitable here. To do this, root the tendrils in a plastic container and then separate them from the bush.
Where and how to plant
White strawberries prefer warm weather conditions, so the best solution would be to plant them in greenhouses. But in a good warm climate, open ground is also suitable. Good predecessors of white garden strawberries will be corn, as well as the legume family. A plot 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 approximately thirty to thirty-five centimeters and feed the soil with minerals (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus-containing fertilizers are suitable). Planting holes should be about ten to fifteen centimeters deep. Sprinkle them with water a little, and then, 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 for the bushes to grow correctly.
Seasonal care
Bushes need to be pruned every season. Once a year will be enough. Aged foliage and tendrils will take a lot of nutrients away from your strawberries, thereby reducing the quality and quantity of your harvest. Pruning can be done in the spring or in the autumn.
For the winter you need to cover your white strawberries. In this case, it is necessary to prune the bushes in the fall, and also remove the tendrils. Also make sure there are not too many mustaches. In the summer, the leaves that are at the bottom “work” the most. Therefore, it is them that should be cut off subsequently. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the upper foliage. It already has buds for next year.
Since you have trimmed the strawberry tendrils and leaves, your plants are not afraid of various harmful insects and diseases. If for some reason you did not prune the plant in the fall, then be sure to correct this situation in the spring. Don’t forget to remove damaged, yellow and aged leaves.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of the variety is its taste. Other positive qualities include:
- the white color of the berries does not attract birds;
- the variety is resistant to most diseases;
- plants do not need special care;
- The fruiting period lasts from May to July.
The disadvantages include:
- due to the heat-loving nature of the variety, a bountiful harvest cannot be obtained when grown outside a greenhouse;
- fruits do not have a long shelf life and do not tolerate transportation well;
- When there is heavy rainfall, plants are often affected by gray rot.
Growing and care
In general, the agricultural technology of the white-fruited variety is practically no different from the cultivation of traditional remontant varieties of strawberries. Particular attention should be paid only to the level of soil moisture.
Watering
The remontant white-fruited variety loves water, but in very moderate quantities. If the summer comes with prolonged heavy rains, an unprotected plant may even die.
During the dry season, irrigation is carried out as needed. Before the buds appear and during the period of fruit growth, watering is required more frequently, but not more than 2 times a week. To prevent the berries from being watery, watering is stopped 5 days before harvest.
Loosening, weed control
Loosening the row spacing has a beneficial effect on the well-being of the delicate white-fruited beauty. To suppress the growth of weeds, Pineberry plantings are mulched with peat, compost, and rotted sawdust. Shredded weeds without seeds will do. Black spunbond will help retain the required amount of moisture in the soil and prevent weeds from developing. Covering with non-woven material helps to obtain a harvest of clean berries not soiled with soil.
You should not mulch beds with strawberries with plastic sheeting, the film will lead to rotting of the bushes
Removing a mustache
Pineberry gives away his mustache generously. The number of young rosettes formed does not affect the yield of the mother bush. If space allows, first and second order sockets can be left. When growing Pineberry, you need to take into account that in a short period the plantation can become very overgrown.
Top dressing
When the ovaries appear, the strawberries are sprayed with boric acid (5 g of powder per bucket of water).
In summer, watering is combined 1-2 times with fertilizing with a solution of bird droppings (1:20) or mullein (1:10).
Fans of ground coffee can significantly improve the “well-being” of strawberries if the coffee grounds are not thrown away, but added to the soil. The result can be amazing: the leaves will turn green, the strawberry will be juicy and sweet.
Pest and disease control
Immediately after the snow melts, the beds with Pineberry strawberries must be watered with a hot solution of copper sulfate. A teaspoon of vitriol is diluted in 10 liters. water. This amount is enough for 20-25 bushes. The solution will destroy wintering pests and serve as a prevention of viral and fungal diseases.
Two weeks after treatment with copper sulfate, Pineberry is treated with a dark cherry manganese solution, trying to get on the underside of the leaf. This is not only disinfection, but also a good mineral supplement that will increase the plant’s immunity.
Preparing for winter
After harvesting, the row spacing is loosened and fertilized with organic matter. Leaves should not be picked. When all the green mass is removed, it is more difficult for strawberries to prepare for wintering, because... all efforts are spent on the formation of new leaf plates. The plantation is covered with a layer of straw, spruce branches or agrofibre.
In the southern regions, Pineberry does not need shelter.
Reproduction
You don’t even have to try to propagate Pineberry strawberries by seeds. On Internet forums, gardeners shared their experiments. The seeds produce pink or orange strawberries with not the best taste characteristics.
You can divide the bushes into several parts. But this is not necessary, since Pineberry throws out a lot of whiskers; you just need to have time to place plastic cups with soil under the sockets.
Description of the variety and photo
This berry got its name not for its resemblance to pineapple; the plant has nothing in common with it. Strawberries were nicknamed pineapple due to their origin: from the Latin “ananassa” it is translated as “garden strawberry”. There are no analogues in the wild.
Experts classify this plant as a polymorphic category. This suggests that there are many varieties of this culture. Moreover, each species has special requirements for growth and climate.
Interesting facts about strawberries
- Berries help with headaches.
- The immune system will be strengthened for a whole year by eating strawberries daily in the summer.
- You can remove age spots and freckles with strawberry juice.
- Baths with strawberry juice will make your skin silky and soft (the fruit contains copper, which promotes collagen production).
- Strawberry is an excellent aphrodisiac.
- Unusual and tasty dishes are obtained by combining strawberries with poultry, cheeses and seafood.
- Deep-fried strawberries with pepper are one of the most expensive dishes served in New Orleans restaurants.
- Only strawberries have seeds on the outside of the fruit.
What and who needs to be protected from?
The main danger to the Pineapple strawberry variety is a fungal infection called gray rot. It develops in the soil due to excess watering or precipitation. First, the root system is affected, and then the rot spreads to the stem and fruit. The fruits become covered with wet spots, which are especially noticeable on red varieties.
Measures to combat gray mold include adjusting irrigation, proper mulching and maintaining crop rotation. Strawberries cannot be planted after fruit trees, tomatoes, and melons.
The strawberry variety often attracts the strawberry-raspberry weevil. This is a small black bug that is easy to notice on the plant. It appears on strawberries during the flowering period, its purpose is to destroy the buds. Before flowering, preventive treatments are carried out in regions where this parasite is most often found. For this purpose chemicals are used. The folk method of treating leaves and buds with tobacco infusion helps get rid of the beetle for several seasons.
Reviews from gardeners
Elena: “I love her very much! I’ve been planting it for several years now, I’ve been dealing with it for a long time and I don’t regret it. The berries are sour, unsweetening and large. Incredibly delicious, I love eating them fresh. If you are thinking about planting, I highly recommend doing so. It doesn’t require a lot of care and there is a lot of harvest.”
Marina, “Pineapple strawberries have been growing in my garden for a long time. As an experienced gardener, I can say that care is quite simple, even a beginner can do it. The berry tastes sour, which not everyone will like, but it is very juicy. I like this taste, especially since you can make jam from it and add it to baked goods. Once you grow it, you can’t give it up.”
Ekaterina: “I love experimenting in the garden, I constantly choose new and unusual varieties of berries. I found out about this strawberry on the Internet and liked its appearance and care features. I sat her down for the first time and didn’t regret it! It turns out that the aroma of this strawberry is incredible, it tastes sour, but I liked it. If you don’t like too sweet and sugary berries, then you will definitely like it.”
This is an aromatic and tasty variety that produces a lot of harvest. Knowing the peculiarities of planting and growing such strawberries, there will be no difficulties and they will become an excellent dessert or jam.
White strawberries: the best varieties
White strawberries have attracted the interest of breeders, who have developed about a dozen varieties over the past few years. For now, it is treated as an expensive exotic item that can only surprise with its unusual appearance and unique taste, an outlandish table decoration.
But the French, Dutch, and Japanese also presented high-yielding varieties of berries that can be grown on an industrial scale. For example, from one bush of the Dutch variety “White Soul”, which ripens in greenhouses from early spring until frost, you can harvest about 0.5 kg of fruit. Brief characteristics of some varieties of white-fruited strawberries can be found in the table.
| Variety name | Country of selection | Advantages of the variety | Characteristics of the bush | Fruit characteristics |
| White Swan | Japan | Remontant, beardless, high-yielding | Height – 15-20 cm, compact | Medium size, weight – 2.5-4 g, snow-white with the taste of linden honey |
| White Lotus | Japan | Remontant | Height – 15-20 cm, compact | Small, white-yellow, oblong, taste - dessert |
| Yellow miracle | Holland | Remontant | Height – 20-25 cm, loose | Medium (4-5 g), sweet, yellowish |
| Pineberry | Holland | Low-yielding, but unpretentious and disease-resistant | Height – 20-25 cm, compact | Small, weight – 1.5-2.5 g, taste – pineapple |
| White Swede | unknown | Drought and cold resistant, medium ripening period | Squat, compact, semi-spreading | Large, weight up to 25 g and above, conical in shape, sweet and sour taste with a hint of mulberry and pineapple |
| White soul | Holland | Repairable, high-yielding | Compact, height – 15-20 cm | Creamy white, small, hypoallergenic, pineapple flavored |
| Anablanca | France | With a warm autumn, remontant behavior appears, high-yielding | Compact | Delicate pink hue, sweet, pineapple flavor, weight – 5-8 g |
