50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots – Fragaria × ananassa – June-Bearing Fruit Plants

Overview

Embark on your gardening journey with 50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots, the perfect choice for cultivating a lush and productive strawberry patch. These premium bare roots belong to the Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal variety, a renowned June-bearing type known for its robust performance and delicious fruit. Developed by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the ‘Cardinal’ strawberry is particularly well-suited for regions with humid summers, such as the Southern United States and the Ohio River Valley. This adaptability makes it an excellent option for gardeners seeking reliable June-bearing strawberries that thrive in challenging conditions. Planting these bare roots offers an economical and effective way to establish a sizable strawberry bed, ensuring a plentiful supply of fresh, sweet berries for eating, preserving, or sharing.

The Cardinal strawberry bare roots are delivered ready for planting, allowing you to quickly establish a new crop. This variety is characterized by its vigorous and upright growth habit, producing runners freely, which makes it ideal for the matted row growing system. Gardeners looking to maximize their yield and spread their strawberry patch will find this trait highly beneficial. While primarily recommended for in-ground planting, these versatile strawberry plants can also be grown successfully in containers, provided they receive adequate and frequent watering. With proper care, your Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal plants will mature into healthy, fruit-bearing specimens, delivering a single, large crop of delectable berries over a 4-5 week period, typically from late spring to early summer.

Key Benefits

Choosing Cardinal strawberry bare roots for your garden brings a multitude of advantages, offering both ease of growth and a rewarding harvest. These plants are a gardeners’ favorite for several reasons, ensuring a delightful experience from planting to picking. Get ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor with this exceptional variety.

• High Yielding June-Bearing Crop: The ‘Cardinal’ strawberry is a classic June-bearing variety, meaning it produces a single, generous crop over a concentrated 4-5 week period in late spring to early summer. This makes it perfect for those who want a large harvest for canning, freezing, or making preserves. Enjoy abundant June-bearing strawberries.
• Adaptable to Humid Climates: Specifically bred for tolerance to humid summers, the Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal thrives in conditions that might challenge other strawberry varieties. This resilience makes it an excellent choice for gardeners in the Southern United States and Ohio River Valley. It’s truly one of the best strawberry plants for humid climates.
• Vigorous Growth and Runner Production: These plants are known for their strong, upright growth and prolific runner production. This characteristic makes them highly suitable for the matted row growing system, allowing your strawberry patch to expand naturally and efficiently, providing many new plants from your initial 50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots.
• Versatile Planting Options: While excellent for ground planting in matted rows, Cardinal strawberries can also be successfully grown in containers. This versatility allows gardeners with limited space or those who prefer container gardening to enjoy fresh strawberries. Remember that container-grown plants may require more frequent watering.
• Delicious, Classic Strawberry Flavor: The ‘Cardinal’ variety is prized for its sweet, classic strawberry taste, making it a favorite for fresh eating, desserts, jams, and jellies. Growing your own ensures you have access to peak-flavor berries. Discover the joy of growing bare root strawberries.
• Reliable and Established Variety: Developed in 1974, the ‘Cardinal’ strawberry has a long-standing reputation for reliability and performance. Gardeners can trust this proven variety to deliver consistent results and flavorful fruit year after year.
• Suitable for USDA Zones 4-8: With a recommended hardiness range, these Cardinal strawberry bare roots are suitable for a broad spectrum of climates. While they offer good cold tolerance, extra winter protection might be needed in the colder zones of its range.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your 50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots requires attention to a few key care practices, ensuring a bountiful harvest of delicious berries. When you are growing bare root strawberries, proper preparation and ongoing maintenance are crucial. Upon arrival, if you cannot plant immediately, keep the bare roots cool and slightly moist. Before planting, soak the roots in water for 20-30 minutes. Plant them with the crown (where the leaves emerge) even with the soil surface, ensuring the roots are spread out and not bunched up. Space plants about 12-18 inches apart in rows that are 3-4 feet apart to allow for runner development.

Sunlight Requirements: Cardinal strawberries thrive in full sun, meaning they need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the best fruit. Choose a location in your garden that receives ample sun throughout the day. Watering Schedule & Soil Moisture: Consistent moisture is vital for strawberry plants, especially during flowering and fruiting. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. The soil should be kept consistently moist but not waterlogged. Container-grown Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal plants will require more frequent watering than those in the ground. Soil Type & Drainage: These plants prefer well-draining, slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.8. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter like compost to improve drainage and fertility. Good drainage is critical to prevent root rot.

Temperature Range & USDA Hardiness: The ‘Cardinal’ strawberry is recommended for USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8. In zones 4 and 5, providing extra winter protection, such as a layer of straw mulch, is advisable to prevent frost damage to the crowns. Fertilization: Fertilize your strawberry plants for humid climates in early spring before new growth begins, and again after the harvest. Use a balanced fertilizer or one specifically formulated for berries. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can promote leafy growth at the expense of fruit production. Common Problems: Watch out for common pests like slugs, birds, and various fungal diseases. Good air circulation, proper spacing, and timely removal of diseased leaves can help prevent issues. Netting can protect ripening berries from birds. By following these guidelines, you can ensure your Cardinal strawberry bare roots grow into healthy, productive plants.

Size & Details

Each order includes 50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots, providing a substantial foundation for a new or expanding strawberry patch. These bare roots are typically dormant when shipped, ensuring they establish well upon planting. Once planted, individual ‘Cardinal’ strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal) will grow vigorously, reaching a mature height of approximately 6-10 inches and spreading outward as they produce runners. The plant’s upright growth habit supports easy harvesting of the delicious fruit.

These strawberry plants for humid climates are shipped as bare roots, meaning they arrive without soil or pots. This is a common and effective method for shipping strawberry plants, promoting quick establishment in your garden. Expect a single, large crop of berries over a 4-5 week period, typically in late spring to early summer, after the plants have had time to mature. The exact timing and yield will depend on planting time, local climate, and care practices. These June-bearing strawberries are known for their consistent performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Cardinal strawberry plants get? A: Each Cardinal strawberry bare root plant typically grows to a height of 6-10 inches. They also spread by producing runners, which can create a dense matted row if allowed, making them excellent for growing bare root strawberries.
• Q: Are these an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Cardinal strawberry bare roots are primarily outdoor plants, ideal for garden beds, raised beds, or large outdoor containers. While they can be grown in containers, they thrive best with direct sunlight outdoors.
• Q: How much sunlight do Cardinal strawberries need? A: These Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal plants require full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, to produce the most abundant and flavorful fruit.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for, good for beginners? A: Yes, Cardinal strawberries are considered relatively easy to care for, especially for gardeners in suitable climates. Their vigorous nature and adaptability make them a good choice for beginners interested in growing bare root strawberries.
• Q: What condition will the bare roots arrive in? A: Your 50 Cardinal Strawberry Bare Roots will arrive dormant and without soil or pots. This is normal for bare root plants and ensures they are ready for planting upon arrival.
• Q: When is the best time to plant Cardinal strawberry bare roots? A: The best time to plant bare root strawberries is typically in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows them to establish well before the summer heat and produce fruit the following year.
• Q: Will these strawberry plants survive winter in my zone? A: Cardinal strawberries are recommended for USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8. In zones 4 and 5, it is advisable to provide extra winter protection, such as a layer of straw, to help them survive colder temperatures. These are resilient strawberry plants for humid climates.
• Q: How long until I get fruit from these bare roots? A: Typically, bare root strawberries planted in the spring will produce their first significant crop of June-bearing strawberries the following spring. Some might produce a small amount in their first year, but the main harvest begins in the second year.
• Q: Can I grow these Cardinal strawberries in containers? A: Yes, you can grow Fragaria x ananassa Cardinal in containers, but they will require more frequent watering than plants grown directly in the ground due to faster drying of container soil.
• Q: Are these resistant to common strawberry diseases? A: While no plant is entirely disease-proof, the ‘Cardinal’ variety is known for its general hardiness and good performance, particularly in humid conditions. Good cultural practices, like proper spacing and air circulation, help prevent issues.