Hengartner Pflanzen GmbH – Young soft fruit plants, raspberries, blackberries and more

Name: Hengartner Pflanzen GmbH
Address: Stocken 3 c, Neukirch (Egnach) (SWITZERLAND), 9315
Telephone: 071 470 08 44

Hengartner Pflanzen GmbH

Vigorous young soft fruit plants from Switzerland

Strawberries

Ripening periods, product specification, variety descriptions, planting advice

Ripening chart for strawberries

Tb = Pot plants F = Frigo W = Waiting bed plants T = Tray plants

Product description for young strawberry plants

Potted plants

Pot-grown green plants - Hengartner Pflanzen

They have the shortest overall cultivating period. Because of their propagation method, the plants are grown on from pricked out plants that have no direct contact with the ground (the surest form of protection against soil-borne pathogens). The ideal planting time for pot-grown green plants is from the end of July to the middle of August, making pre-culture (ideal crop) a possibility. Because they have root balls, pot-grown green plants can be stored for a short time, allowing planting to be adjusted for suitable weather conditions. They have to be watered after planting. A culture tray holds 68 plants with a root ball measuring 4.5 cm in diameter, with a height of 5 cm.

Frigo plants

Frigo plants are stored in a cold store. They are rooted out, sorted and chilled in the dormancy period from about the middle of November. Flower development is already established with heavy sorting. The plants are sorted according to rhizome strength (root crown diameter). The stronger the rhizome, the more flower heads can be expected in the year of planting. For a harvest in the first year of plentation only strong plants (at least category A+) are suitable. Planting can take place from April to June. If planting is delayed to July, some loss of yield must be expected. Pre-culture is limited because of the early planting period.

Plant types

Tray plants:

Used only for nursery beds. They have the highest potential yield of all Frigo varieties. They are not bare rooted, usually having a larger root ball than pot-grown green plants. They are overwintered frozen in the cold store.

Waiting bed plants (15-18mm/ 18-22mm/ >22mm):

Used only for nursery beds. There are 3 varieties, each with a different potential yield

A++ plants (mind. 15mm):

Varieties for nursery beds.
Plant 8-10 weeks before the planned harvesting date.
The potential yield is higher than for A+ plants.

A+ plants (13-15mm):

Suitable for nursery beds, but lower yields than for A++ plants. Plant 8-10 weeks before the planned harvesting date.

A standard plants (9-12mm):

The variety most often planted for normal culture. In order to achieve the maximum yield in the following year, it is important to plant these at the right time to give a long enough phase for vegetative growth. We recommend that flowers should be removed in the year of planting.

A- plants (6-8mm):

Suitable for potting up or planted out in the open air with a very early planting date. The flowers should be removed in the year of planting.

Description of varieties

 Description of strawberry June
 Description of strawberry always carrying

Planting advice strawberry

Growth site requirements

If the right variety and growth site are chosen, strawberries can be cultivated at 1,500 m above sea level. Valley floors and hollows should be avoided, as cold spots can form. Equally unsuitable are heavy, compact soils that are prone to sogginess or very limy (pH > 7). Deep, humus-rich clay and loamy, sandy soils are ideal. The influence of preceding crops should not be underestimated. For example, cereals work well as a preceding crop, whereas potatoes or turnips greatly increase the risk of root diseases and nematode infestation.

Planting depth

Refrigerated plants: the root neck must be covered with earth.
Potted plants: spread a light covering of earth over the root balls.

Planting at the right depth is key!
Seedlings that are planted too shallow are susceptible to frost damage and dehydration. The rhizome is less able to send out new roots.
Seedlings that are planted too deep, so that the crown is partially covered with earth, take longer to develop – or, in the worst-case scenario, don’t develop at all – and are often affected by rhizome diseases.

Watering requirements

Strawberry cultivation requires a lot of water. It is particularly important to ensure sufficient watering just after planting. This is also the case as the leaves, flowers and fruit start to develop on the plants.

Insufficient watering increases crop and quality losses. On the other hand, overwatering restricts root production and causes the roots and rhizome to rot.