Fragaria × ananassa, the cultivated strawberry plant
Fragaria × ananassa
- Exposure
- Sun
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 5a (-28.9°C ≤ T° < -26.1°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Semi-evergreen
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Strawberry Fragaria
- Species
- Cultivated strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Other names:Fraisier ananas, Fragaria chiloensis var. ananassa, Fragaria vesca var. ananassa, Potentilla × ananassa
Everyone knows the strawberry, but we rarely know where it really comes from. This sweet fruit comes from Fragaria × ananassa, a plant of the Rosaceae family native to the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. Called the cultivated strawberry, it is an artificial hybrid obtained by crossing Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana.
How to recognize the cultivated strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa?
Cultivated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are herbaceous perennials with a spreading habit. It forms clumps 30 cm high and 50 cm wide, and produces runners.
The oval to obovate leaves have three leaflets. They are supported by a long, hairy petiole. Bright green, the leaf blades have toothed margins and a hairy underside. Depending on the climate, foliage lasts all year or disappears partially in winter.
Flowering takes place in summer, but in early varieties as early as spring. The white or pale pink flowers are composed of five rounded petals and a multitude of stamens clustered around a yellow heart.
Botanically speaking, strawberries are not the fruit of Fragaria x ananassa. It is a false fruit, obtained from the floral receptacle. Botanical fruits, or achenes, are the yellow or greenish seeds on the surface of the strawberry.
When we think of a strawberry, we often think of a red, rounded fruit, larger than the fruit of the Fragaria vescades bois (Fragaria vesca). In reality, there are several different types of strawberry. Depending on the variety, your Fragaria x ananassa may produce conical, elongated or heart-shaped strawberries. They can be red, white, yellow or even purple. Finally, not all strawberries are harvested at the same time. While non-remontant strawberry produce strawberries only at the beginning of summer, Everbearing strawberry varieties offer several harvests throughout the year.
Fragaria x ananassa is not toxic. On the contrary, strawberries are grown for their edible fruit. Strawberries are eaten raw, as soon as they are ripe. But they can also be made into jams, pies and many other desserts.
Our care tips
Cultivated strawberries are greedy plants. Change their soil or location every three years so they don't exhaust the soil. Take the opportunity to renew your plants so that they continue to be productive.
Watering
Water your plant generously during the growing season.
Your Fragaria × ananassa loves water. You need to water it regularly to keep the soil moist, but not soggy.
Water at the base, without wetting the foliage, preferably with rainwater. If you don't have any, you can use tap water.
Adapt your watering when the days get shorter.
Water the base of your Cultivated strawberry when the substrate surface is dry. Do not wet the leaves to avoid the development of diseases and fungi. Watering is best done with rainwater at room temperature.
Water moderately to keep the soil fresh. Avoid watering if the ground is frozen to preserve the roots.
Repotting
Soak your Cultivated strawberry to rehydrate its roots.
Get a perforated container (pot, planter, tub, etc.). Line the bottom with clay balls or gravel to improve drainage. Then pour in a layer of soil. Choose a rich substrate, such as potting soil or a mixture of garden soil, sand and leaf compost or compost.
Plant your Cultivated strawberry without burying the crown, leaving a distance of at least 25 centimetres between the individual plants.
Tamp lightly and water to encourage rooting. You can also mulch the base to retain moisture and limit watering.
Fertilization
Cultivated strawberries are greedy. Your harvest will be more abundant if you fertilize them with a special strawberry or fruit tree fertilizer.
Place a little compost at the foot of your Cultivated strawberry to enrich the soil and accelerate growth.
Prune
To encourage the growth of your Cultivated strawberry, prune regularly.
Remove stained, damaged or dry leaves to prevent fungus. Also cut stolons to avoid exhausting the plant.
Use clean, sharp pruning shears to facilitate healing and prevent the spread of disease.
In addition, remove any weeds that may be hindering the growth of your Cultivated strawberry.
In addition, remove any weeds that may be hindering the growth of your Cultivated strawberry.
Cultivated strawberries deplete the soil after a few years. Pull up your plants and plant them elsewhere. You can use the opportunity to renew them.
Planting
Soak the root ball of your Cultivated strawberry to rehydrate the roots. Meanwhile, prepare the soil. Spade and remove stones, roots and weeds. Mix the soil with a base fertilizer, manure or compost.
Form mounds about 60 centimetres high, with a 50-centimetre path on either side. The height prevents water from stagnating at root level, and the pathway makes picking easier.
Plant each Fragaria × ananassa at the top of the mound. Make sure the crown is not buried. If you're planting several plants, space them at least 25 centimetres apart. Fill in the hole with garden soil or universal potting compost.
Tamp gently and water generously to encourage rooting.
Cultivated strawberries like cool soil. Mulch to retain moisture and limit the spread of weeds.
Sowing
Once the risk of frost has passed, you can sow your Fragaria × ananassa seeds.
At cultivated strawberry, the seeds need to be exposed to cold to germinate.
Place the seed packet in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator for two to four weeks. You can also spread the seeds on damp paper towels and seal everything in an airtight food bag before placing it in the refrigerator.
Pour special potting soil for seedlings and cuttings into an unperforated tray or bowl. Tamp the surface to even out the soil.
Spread the seeds over the surface of the potting soil and press lightly with your fingers to ensure contact with the soil.
Spray with water to moisten the substrate without displacing the seeds.
Cover the seedling with plastic film or a cloche to retain moisture. Place in a bright spot at a temperature of around 18-22°C. Mist regularly to keep the substrate moist.
Taking cuttings
Cutting takes place in autumn.
Locate a stolon (an aerial stem with the beginnings of a root). Remove this seedling with a sharp, clean tool.
Plant the roots of your stolon in the ground and hold it in place with an iron rider.
You can plant your stolon in the ground, next to the mother plant, or in a pot filled with garden soil or universal potting compost and placed nearby. Water generously. At this stage, your stolon is still attached to the main plant.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Semi-evergreen
- Exposure
- Sun
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting methods
- Open groundIn potsIn tubsPlanter
- Category
- Fruit tree
- Tags
- Edible fruitBeginnerHardy
- Origins
- Northern EuropeEastern EuropeSouthern EuropeWestern Europe
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 5a (-28.9°C ≤ T° < -26.1°C)
- Leaf colors
- Dark greenLight green
- Flower colors
- WhiteRose
- Fruit colors
- WhiteRedRoseYellow
Discover plants from the same family
Everbearing strawberry
Fragaria x ananassa
Non-remontant strawberry
Fragaria x ananassa
Woodland strawberry
Fragaria vesca
Black Aronia
Aronia melanocarpa
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
