Strawberry variety Gigantella Maxim description and reviews

This strawberry variety was developed in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 21st century. Its full name is Gigantella maxim, because of this there is confusion or deliberate misrepresentation. Often, unscrupulous sellers sell these strawberries as two different varieties. In fact, Gigantella Maxim is one variety.

Description of the variety Gigantella Maxim

Strawberries form powerful and tall bushes (50-60 cm).The leaves are very large, slightly corrugated, matte. It produces little tendrils; with age, the tendril-forming ability fades, but the plants form many rosettes. The yield is high - up to 1.5 kg of berries per bush.

The first berries are very large, weighing 75-100 g, slightly flattened on the sides. The mass-harvested berries are also very large - 40-60 g, strongly ribbed, folded, the lower end usually has a ridge. About half of the fruits are wider than they are long. The color of the berries is bright red, without shine, the pulp is quite dense, and a cavity can form in the middle if there is insufficient watering or too much watering. The strawberry flavor is very sweet with a pleasant pineapple flavor. This unusual taste is a distinctive feature of this variety.

Advantages of the variety:

large fruit;
unusual taste of berries;
suitable for long-term transportation;
keeps well for several days;
Suitable for freezing.

Disadvantages of the variety:

Gigantella Maxim requires very high cultivation techniques;
Initially, strawberries are quite resistant to diseases and pests, but later the resistance decreases significantly, and the plants are easily affected by strawberry mites, rots and spots;
low winter hardiness and frost resistance.

Features of agricultural technology

Strawberry Gigantella Maxim is a non-repairing mid-late variety. The harvest ripens in the middle zone at the end of June and beginning of July, in the southern regions - by the 20th of June. When grown, strawberries require high cultivation techniques. If you don’t pay enough attention to the plantation, the bushes will produce small sour berries.

Plants tolerate winter conditions without loss only in the south of the country - in the Crimea, the Caucasus and the Krasnodar Territory.In more northern regions, strawberries overwinter only with shelter, and in regions where there are very severe frosts in winter (Ural, Siberia, Magadan region) Gigantella freezes out almost completely. It is difficult to grow this variety of strawberries in the middle zone, since the winters here are unstable, with frequent thaws, and the winter hardiness of the “Dutch” is also not very high.

In the first year of cultivation, Gigantella Maxim shows high resistance to diseases and pests. But, starting from the second year, resistance decreases, the bushes are affected by strawberry mites, slugs, and the berries become susceptible to gray rot. Therefore, in the year of planting, strawberries are treated with preparations for preventive purposes. To prevent crop loss from fungal diseases, it is grown using mulch.

The variety loves the sun, moisture and warmth, but at the same time, the heat resistance of strawberries is low; at temperatures above +30°C, the pollen becomes infertile and the berries do not set.

Both excess and lack of water have a bad effect on fruiting and bush growth. With a lack of moisture, the plants not only wither, but die, and with an excess of it, they grow poorly, the yield and size of the berries are significantly reduced, although the taste does not deteriorate even with severe waterlogging, maintaining the pineapple aroma, the strawberries remain dense and suitable for transportation.

Due to the large size of the bushes, strawberries are planted according to the 40x60 cm pattern (3 bushes per m²).

The strawberry variety Gigantella Maxim is suitable for cultivation by those who have a lot of free time and who are ready to nurture each plant, creating suitable conditions for it.For everyone else, it is better to choose not so capricious strawberries, for example, large-fruited foreign varieties Vima Kimberly, Lord, or domestic ones - Mashenka, Solovushka, Tsaritsa, which also produce large, tasty berries.

Strawberry propagation

Strawberry Gigantella Maxim reproduces either by a mustache or by dividing the bush. The variety's tendril formation is weak, but still, 7-10 strong tendrils can be obtained from one strawberry plant. To do this, in the 1-2 year of cultivation, leave several bushes, cut off all their flower stalks and allow the mustache to grow. In July, new horns are planted in a permanent place, since it is necessary for the young strawberries to get stronger before the onset of rains and cold weather.

In the 3rd year of life, Gigantella Maxim practically does not produce a mustache, and such bushes are propagated by horns. Strawberries of this variety produce a lot of them; it is necessary to choose those that have not yet formed a lignified stem.

Almost every article on the Internet contains recommendations for propagating strawberry varieties by seeds. This method is absolutely not suitable for propagating strawberries. Seeds of even one variety, when cross-pollinated, produce very strong cleavage in the offspring; the varietal qualities of the plants are not preserved. It’s good if there are some berries on the bushes, or even weed varieties may grow. Gigantella Maxim reproduces without problems in other ways, and getting planting material from it is much easier than growing a crop of this capricious “Dutch”.

Reviews of strawberries Gigantella Maxim

Review of Gigantella Maxim strawberries from the Oryol region:

“This is a medium-late ripening variety. The bush is large with large leaves. The berries of the first collection are very large, individual specimens weigh 120 grams, the berries of the main collection - 40-60 grams. There are no small ones at all.The fruits are dry, dense and transportable. Stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days without leaking. They freeze well and do not turn sour when thawed (if they are picked with the stem).”

Review of the Gigantella Maxim variety from the Moscow region:

“I obtained planting material for the GIGANTELLA variety back in 1987. Then there was not such an abundance of distributors of this crop. They got it from institutes and experimental sites. The bush amazed me with its power. And I really wanted to have this variety. When we purchased it, we were warned that this variety can be grown in one place for up to 7 years. When the huge berries appeared, it was actually a novelty. I remember bringing out the dish for my daughter’s birthday... My delight knew no bounds. But three years passed and I abandoned this variety. Its berry is not so aromatic with sourness, and it is rough when you take it into your mouth (the seeds are very large). And I can’t call it productive. The first berries are large, but there are not enough of them on the bush.”

Review of strawberries Gigantella Maxim from Orenburg:

“I agree with Svetlana and Nikolai, I also grew Gigantella for 6 years - it was like a curiosity, the size was impressive, but the taste, appearance of the berries and the yield were not pleasing. Therefore, I replaced them with varieties that are slightly smaller in size, but the taste, appearance, and yield were much better."

Review of Gigantella from Volgograd:

“Many people consider this variety to be unproductive. This is not true. Gigantella is an intensive care variety and requires a lot of attention.Does not like drafts, loves a sunny, high place. He responds with gratitude to fertilizing, requires compliance with at least the basic rules of agricultural technology, not to mention more. To get a good harvest from Gigantella you need to work hard and she will thank you with her unusually tasty berries. The berry is very beautiful shape. The shape of the berry is regular, truncated. This shape remains even on the berries of the last harvest. One of the rare varieties that retain sugar in rainy summers."

Review of the Gigantella Maxim variety from Rostov-on-Don:

“I got rid of the Gigantella variety - almost an evergreen tip of the berry, empty spaces inside and a lot of “torn” berries, a lot spoiled by rot - this year more than ever was lost, for spotting and mites - the most desirable variety. The jam made from it is not very good - it gets soft, but it is suitable for jam or marmalade. One plus is that it is large, and even then: the first 2-3 berries. Due to the association with Gigantella, I decided not to take Chamora, it seems to me that she will have similar problems "