What is the difference between strawberry, victoria and strawberry?

A harvest for a gardener is joy and pride, because at this moment you can see the fruits of your labor. And if these fruits are sweet tasty berries, then it becomes doubly pleasant. The most common berries in our country are strawberries and wild strawberries, often still use the name "Victoria". But many gardeners do not even know the difference between these seemingly similar berries. So what's the difference?

Strawberry won human attention many centuries ago; in Russia, its mass cultivation in gardens began in the 14th century. Strawberry was originally called a type of strawberry with the name "green strawberry". It is distinguished by berries that are round in shape, thanks to which the strawberry got its name - the berries look like balls. In the process of cultivating this strawberry in gardens, a little later, a hybrid of green strawberries and wild strawberries was obtained, while obtaining fragrant musk strawberries.

Noting the excellent taste of this type of strawberry, according to the royal decree, strawberries began to be grown in Russian gardens along with wild strawberries.

But Victoria appeared relatively recently, in the 18th century, when in Europe there was an accidental crossing of 2 types of strawberries - Chilean (imported from South America) and Virginian, which at that time was successfully cultivated in Europe. In the process of crossing, surprisingly large berries were obtained, distinguished by a bright aroma.It was this first hybrid that was brought to Russia and was named "Victoria" in honor of the British Queen. Victoria is also referred to as pineapple strawberry.

Since then, a lot of time has passed and breeders have bred a huge number of different varieties of strawberries, but many gardeners often use the name "Victoria" for all types of strawberries and strawberries growing in the garden, which is fundamentally wrong.

Strawberry is a perennial plant, quite frost-resistant and easily cultivated in any climate. Strawberries belong to the Rosaceae family. Taking into account the varieties bred by breeders, there are more than 150 varieties of strawberries. The homeland of this berry is East Asia, from where it spread to Europe and America.

Strawberries have creeping shoots, which are called "whiskers", they take root very easily. The root system is not deep - about 30 centimeters. Leaves of complex shape, are on petioles up to 10 centimeters long. Strawberry bushes (musky strawberries) have the maximum splendor, their height reaches 30 centimeters, the smallest bush has plain strawberries, the size of which reaches only 10 cm. Flowering with white medium-sized flowers from May to July (until the first fruits ripen). Berries have the type of "multi-nuts" with numerous seeds on the surface. The color of the berries ranges from pale pink to deep red.

The chemical composition of garden strawberries and garden strawberries is almost identical. They consist of more than 90% of water, in their composition they have a large amount of fiber, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

The content of vitamin C in strawberries and wild strawberries is very high, which makes them extremely useful for stimulating the body's defenses, and is also extremely beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Vitamin A is good for skin and eye health, B vitamins are responsible for stress resistance and regulation of the nervous system. Microelements such as potassium, magnesium and sodium regulate the work of the heart, calcium and phosphorus are good for bones and teeth, pectins have a positive effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract.

Due to the rich composition, strawberries perfectly help in the fight against such diseases:

• infectious and viral diseases;
• inflammatory diseases;
• diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• diseases of the endocrine system, diabetes of varying severity;
• diseases of the kidneys, liver and biliary system;
• inflammatory diseases of the skin.

Both plants have increased frost resistance and have similar growing conditions. Strawberries like to grow in sunny, windless places, preferably near some kind of fence, so that the bed with plantings is not blown by winds in winter. Strawberries prefer fertile soils, prone to root rot in wetlands.

As for the care of strawberries, she loves loosening the soil and abundant watering. These plants are very responsive to the application of organic fertilizers, which increase the immunity of the plant and affect the yield.

Botanically, Victoria and strawberries have significant differences.For example, Victoria is a monoecious plant, that is, it is capable of self-pollination, flowers of both sexes are present on its bushes, which makes pollination easier, a lot of ovary is formed. Strawberries are dioecious, meaning they bear flowers of the same sex, making pollination more problematic.

In order for strawberries to be successfully pollinated, it is necessary to have strawberry bushes with male flowers, which will not bear fruit. An area where strawberries are grown must have at least about a quarter of male plants to successfully grow berries. Due to the low yield of this crop, strawberries are not grown on an industrial scale.

The structure of peduncles in strawberries and Victoria also differ. Strawberry peduncles are above the leaves, directed upwards, bloom very profusely. Victoria's flower stalks are closer to the ground, it is advisable to mulch her bushes so that the berries do not lie on the ground. Victoria's flowering is not as plentiful as that of strawberries.

The size of the berries of these two berries is very different, strawberries have small berries (up to 5 grams in weight), but very fragrant. Victoria has regular-shaped berries, large, with high yields, but they are inferior in taste to strawberries. The color of the berries is also different. Victoria berries, as a rule, have a uniform rich color, reaching burgundy tones. Strawberry fruits are pale, on the shady side they can be completely white.

Strawberry leaves are lighter in color than Victoria's. By this difference, it is easy to determine what kind of bushes grow in the garden.Victoria can be harvested for a long time, as this variety is endowed with the property of remontant, unlike strawberries, which bloom and bear fruit only once a season.

You will learn more about how strawberries, victoria and strawberries differ from the following video.