83 Strawberry Plant Facts: Learn All About Its Importance

The strawberry fruit is a favorite all across the world.

The strawberry fruit is a seasonal fruit that grows in warm and sunny climates. Although strawberries are native to the northern hemisphere, they are still available worldwide through cultivated varieties.

In fact, strawberry plants are grown in all the states of America as well as the Canadian province. Moreover, 75% of the strawberry crops in the United States are grown in California. It is believed that the strawberry fruit has been enjoyed since the time of the Native Americans and that they were the ones who introduced the European settlers to this fruit, including the process of how to grow it.

In Delaware, people celebrate strawberry week from 21-27 May every single year. Furthermore, there is also a museum in Belgium dedicated to the strawberry fruit. If you are traveling to Belgium, you can add this museum to your list of places to visit if you love this fruit.

Strawberries can be enjoyed in many ways. You can either consume fresh strawberries as a fruit or as an ingredient in various desserts. Strawberries are also frozen and preserved for future purposes. Strawberry juice is also a refreshing drink you can enjoy on a hot summer day. Interestingly, there is a traditional dessert in America called the strawberry shortcake. This traditional dessert is made using fresh strawberries, sponge cake, and whipped cream.

If you find this fun facts article interesting, you might also enjoy reading the articles on what do peanut plants look like and interesting plants, here at Kidadl.

Types Of Strawberry Plants

Strawberry is a plant and fruit that can be cultivated in many types of climates, although the most preferable is a warm climate. Although wild strawberries originated from the northern hemisphere, the strawberry plant is now grown in many different parts of the planet. This has given rise to many distinct varieties of the strawberry plant and fruit.

Strawberry plants are broadly divided into three sub-categories. The first sub-category is June-bearing. This category of strawberry plant has the reputation of producing the most deliciously flavorful strawberries. The second is the everbearing category of strawberry plants. With this type, usually in a year, only two batches of the strawberry crops grow. The last sub-category of strawberry plants is day-neutral. This category blooms and produces fruits in a consistent manner for the whole period of the summer season.

Apart from wild strawberries, there are also garden strawberries. In order to grow strawberries in your garden, you need to know about the types of strawberry plants that will best suit the space you have and the type of fruit you want. Some strawberry plant varieties are listed below.

The Albion strawberry plant produces large and firm fruits that are highly resistant to various diseases. These plants also have many runners and fall under the category of day-neutral plants. Meanwhile, the Tillamook strawberry plant belongs to the early plant's category which means it blooms in the early part of the season. This variety of strawberry plants is resistant to some of the diseases that plague the strawberry fruit. Moreover, the fruit produced by this variety of plants can be eaten right out of hand or even after preservation.

Northeaster is another type of strawberry plant that blooms early in the season. It not only has a high yielding rate, but these plants also produce large fruits. The Elsanta is a day-neutral strawberry plant that is not as resistant as the other varieties of strawberry plants. However, it does produce a large fruit type that is both firm and sweet.

One variety of strawberry plant that belongs to the everbearing category is the Jewel. This plant variety produces big and firm fruit and a moderate number of runners. The Jewel plant also has the ability to resist leaf disease. Meanwhile, Earliglow, as the name suggests, is an early bloomer. The fruit of this variety of strawberry plants is very flavorful. It is also somewhat resistant to leaf and root diseases.

Another strawberry plant that belongs to the everbearing category is the Quinalt plant variety. This type of strawberry plant is resistant to many different diseases. The fruit of this plant is soft and large.

Apart from these varieties, there are also some native strawberry plant types that can produce a high-quality garden strawberry that is more resistant to diseases. Some of these include the Alpine strawberry, European strawberry, Fraises de Boise, Woodland strawberry, and Wild strawberry.

Still, there are more varieties of plants of this fruit that vary according to their blooming period, the type and size of the fruit they bear, and their resistance towards various diseases that plague the fruit making it spoiled and not edible.

Characteristics Of Strawberry Plants

Strawberries are just fruits that most people enjoy eating. It is also a plant and as such, the strawberry has many characteristics of being both a fruit and a plant that define this edible object. Some of the interesting and intriguing characteristics of the strawberry fruit are listed as follows:

The first thing you should know about this fruit is that strawberries aren't really berries. Berries are a group of fruits that have multiple seeds inside and they grow from one flower that has only one berry. In a technical or botanical sense, strawberries are not categorized as berries but as an accessory fruit. This fruit grows from a flower that has more than one ovary.

Spring is the season where nature blooms once again after the frost melts. You can see new plants grow and bear flowers and fruits as spring commences. However, did you know that strawberries are actually the very first fruit that ripens in every spring season? Strawberries don't need a lot of time to mature and ripen, making them some of the fastest ripening fruits.

While other fruits bear seeds inside the body, strawberries are the only ones with their seeds outside. An average strawberry has around 200 seeds covering the outside of the body of the fruit. The quality of the seeds of strawberries means that new plants of this fruit can be grown using the seeds. Yet, most strawberry plants are derived from the runners instead of the seeds.

Apart from the fruit and the seeds, a strawberry plant also consists of a fibrous root system, leaves, crowns, flowers, and runners. The runners further develop daughter plants. The daughter strawberry plant, along with the runner it is on, can be removed and planted in another pot. While some people consider it easy to grow the runners and let them spread out, others feel that they use up too much of the plant energy and must be separated from the mother plant.

Meanwhile, the flowering fruit stalks of strawberries are slender and bear clustered flowers that are generally white in color. Sometimes, the flowers can also be of a reddish color. Moreover, strawberries have a sweet fragrance because they belong to the rose family.

The strawberry plant is a perennial plant. This ensures that the plants last for a long time thereby producing flowers and strawberries year after year. However, they should be replaced after every three to four years and new plants should be planted. The plant of the strawberry requires only a little fertilizer and can survive in various weather conditions and soil types. Yet, the plant can be in danger of wilting due to drought and, therefore, needs soils with more water-retaining ability.

Strawberries are made up of 91% water and 7.7% of carbohydrates. Strawberries also contain 0.3% of fat and 0.7% of protein. A 3.5 oz (99.22 g) serving of strawberries contains 33 calories. This fruit also has many health benefits.

Romans in ancient times believed that strawberries had medicinal qualities and they used them to treat sore throats, fever, and even depression. Strawberries contain minerals and nutrients such as folate, potassium, dietary fiber, magnesium, and manganese. They are also considered to be a rich source of vitamin C.

Strawberries can help to improve eye health, regulate high blood pressure, proper brain function, gout, arthritis, and various cardiovascular illnesses. Strawberries can also boost the immune system. Strawberries also have a high content of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that hinder or restrict the process of oxidation in the body that produces free radicals that damage the skin of an organism. Thus, the antioxidants present in strawberries can help to improve skin health.

Classification Of Strawberry Plants

The strawberry is a fruit people enjoy eating in many ways, be it raw or as an ingredient in milkshakes, cakes, or ice creams but do you know how strawberries are classified in scientific terminology?

The scientific name of a strawberry is Fragaria x ananassa. Strawberries belong to the kingdom of Plantae and the order of Rosales. The genus name of strawberries, Fragaria, is also used as a suffix for the hybrids of this fruit. Moreover, there are more than 20 flowering plant species in this genus in addition to the strawberry. The strawberry is part of the family Rosaceae which is commonly known as the rose family.

How To Take Care Of A Strawberry Plant

Strawberry plants are easy and cheap to cultivate. People plant strawberry seeds in their garden and easily enjoy the fruits that then grow from the plants. However, as easy as it might seem to grow this fruit, it still requires a bit of prior knowledge about the conditions and the types of soil the plant would require to grow properly.

While growing strawberries in the garden, you must ensure that the garden soil you use is of high quality and can retain plenty of water. If the soil is unable to retain water, it can cause the plant to wilt and stop growing. After planting with dry leaves, add mulch so that it reduces the risk of water loss and also supplies nutrients to the soil.

The strawberry plant can also be grown in pots that overhang from the ceiling. This ensures that the plant is kept safe from the insects and diseases present on the ground. The plants should also be planted in a place that receives a lot of sunlight. The process of weeding should be carried out regularly. This is to make sure that the weeds do not take up the water in the soil meant for the growth of the plants.

Another important aspect to pay attention to when growing strawberries is the runners of the plants. The runners can appear weak and thin but that is their natural appearance. You can let the runners grow for a while but their growth should also be checked in case they are taking up too much energy from the mother plant. You can also separate the runners from the mother plant and grow them in separate pots.

All in all, if you are planting strawberries in your garden, then make sure they receive plenty of sunlight, water, and nourishment through the soil in addition to checking the growth of runners and weeds.

Which month is best to plant strawberries?

While strawberries are seasonal fruits that grow well during the spring season, they can be planted in spring as well as in the winter months.

Strawberries can be planted in the early spring as soon as the danger of frost is over. The ideal month for planting strawberries is usually March or April. This is as the season is just starting and by the mid of the season, you can have fresh strawberry fruits to eat.

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