" Strawberry
The most favorite berry of children and adults, of course, is strawberry. The first berry vitamins after a long cold winter enclosed in bright strawberry fruits... She is present in any garden plot and in the spring she is the first to receive the attention of the owner, who wants to get an early harvest. In this review, we will talk about the features of planting strawberry seedlings in open ground and further care.
Often gardeners ask themselves in what month is it better to plant strawberry seedlings? The optimal timing for spring planting of strawberries depends on the growing region and weather conditions (air temperature and soil warming). In Moscow and Leningrad regions, in the Urals it is around the end of April beginning of May... In the south, seedlings are planted earlier.
You can plant seedlings and at an earlier date, having previously covered the area for planting with agrofibre for the earliest possible warming up of the soil. Having planted seedlings in prepared soil, they create comfortable conditions for growth, covering with spunbond or film on installed arcs. Step-by-step instructions for choosing seedlings and planting them in open ground are given below.
When planting in spring, the main thing is not to delay planting and plant strawberry plants before the hot summer days.
Selecting seedlings for a good harvest
Correctly selected seedlings are a guarantee of the future strawberry harvest, therefore, the choice of planting material must be taken seriously.
There are several types of strawberry seedlings.:
- closed root- seedlings grown in pots, plastic cups or cassettes;
- with an open root system;
- green seedlings- plants dug up just before planting and not subject to long storage, it is best if they are with a clod of earth;
- frigo- these are dug in the fall annual plants, with a root system cleared from the ground and a completely removed leaf apparatus, stored until planting at a temperature of -2 ÷ 0˚С (frozen seedlings).
Frigo - frozen strawberry seedlings When choosing any seedlings, you need to pay attention to:
- root system- it must be well developed. When buying seedlings with a closed root system, well-developed roots sprout through the drainage holes, which indicates their good vitality;
- the seedlings should have at least 3-4 leaves saturated green color, without signs of wilting, brown spots and dots;
- "Heart"(the central bud of the seedling, in which the flower stalks of the future harvest are located) should be large at least 0.7 cm in diameter.
By choosing correct timing landing and quality seedlings, the survival rate of seedlings during spring planting is up to 80%.
Preparing seedlings for planting in the garden
Seedlings with a closed root system, you can take your time to immediately plant in the ground, they can develop painlessly in containers for up to 2 weeks.
Seedlings with an open root system, if it is not possible to plant immediately, you can place it in a dark plastic bag, sprinkle with water and put in a cool dark place, where they can stay for up to 5-7 days. During this time, the plants will release additional white roots and take root well.
Before planting seedlings, you need:
- on each seedling leave no more than 4 leaves, remove the rest to improve survival;
- cut roots, their length should be no more than 10 cm;
- before boarding it is advisable to soak the seedlings in a solution of a growth stimulator, if the seedlings with a closed root system, then pour the solution.
Spring planting methods - diagram and step-by-step instructions
There are several ways to plant strawberries, from which each grower chooses the most suitable for him.
In the tunnels
For more early harvest berries and extension of the fruiting period of strawberries in the fall, planting plants in tunnels is used. Remontant varieties are most suitable for growing in them.
The installation of shelters for strawberry beds can be started almost immediately after the snow melts. Installed from each other at 1 m iron or plastic frames tunnels are covered with a film or covering material. With the onset of steadily warm days and at the beginning of flowering strawberries, the shelter must be raised for ventilation and pollination of plants with insects.
For covering material
Planting strawberries on black covering material has become very popular, as it has a large number of advantages:
- the weeds don't break through through agrofibre, they stop growing under it due to lack of light;
- the mustache does not take root on it i and they are easy to delete;
- berries are always clean since there is no contact with the ground;
- the roots of plants develop normally under the covering material, because it is moisture and air permeable;
- due to reduced contact of plants with the ground, strawberries practically do not get sick and it is not inhabited by pests, which means that it is not treated with pesticides;
- in winter under such shelter plant roots are warm and comfortable.
Nests
The essence of the method consists in planting plants in nests spaced from each other in a row every 30 cm, the distance between rows is 40 cm. Plants with this method of planting are planted in the form of a hexagon, with a distance of 10 cm between them., in the center of the figure is also a strawberry sapling.
The advantage of the way is getting bountiful harvests, because in the bush 5 times more plants than a normal fit.
Flaw is the need a large number seedlings, but when using your own planting material, it is not costly.
Bushes
The bush method of planting strawberries is planting seedlings in 40-60 cm.
Berries with such a planting grow large, since the plants are not thickened, they are well ventilated, they are easy to collect, but the plantings must be constantly loosened and the growing whiskers must be removed.
In strings
When planting plants in rows, use a one or two-line planting method, the diagram is shown below:
- With a one-line way the plants are planted every 15-20 cm, the distance between the rows is 70 cm.
- With the two-line method the distance between plants is no more than 20 cm, between rows 70.
With this method of planting, it is convenient to rejuvenate the plants by directing the growing whiskers into the aisles, thus creating new beds, and removing the old rows.
There is still carpet method planting, the most common among summer residents, who rarely visit the plots or simply do not have time to care for strawberries.
Plants after planting by any of the above methods are allowed to grow uncontrollably, i.e. the mustache is not removed and the planting turns into a beautiful solid strawberry carpet, under which weeds practically do not grow, moisture is retained. Landing does not need loosening, it is simply impossible to do it. The disadvantage of this method is the gradual grinding of the berries.
With any planting method, the root collar of the strawberry seedling should be at ground level.
Proper care of seedlings after planting
After planting the plants, for better survival, they need to be shaded by covering them with spandbond or dry grass.
Caring for newly planted plants consists of:
- In regular watering, since strawberries are hygrophilous. In dry and hot weather, plants need to be sprayed periodically.
- If the soil under the strawberries is not mulched, then weeding and loosening the soil required.
- At least three times per season (before flowering, during fruiting and after) strawberries need to be fed.
- Prevention and fight disease and pests.
- Removing extra mustache weakening the plant. You can leave the first mustache extending from the mother bush, which can be used as planting material.
Every 3-4 years, strawberries need to be transplanted to a new place and plantations should be renewed with young plants in order to avoid the loss of varietal characteristics.
Using the following tips for choosing, planting and growing strawberry seedlings, you can do spring planting for the season Easily grow a good strawberry plantation, which will begin to bear fruit and enjoy its juicy and large fruits the next year.
It is better not to plant strawberries in spring. At this moment, she spends a lot of energy on getting accustomed to a new place and practically does not bear fruit in the first year.
V recent times the climate has changed a little and even in October there are warm and sunny days... Therefore, the most favorable time for planting strawberries is mid-August - early September. Some time after the end of fruiting, the leaves on the bushes become rough and quickly recover after planting. At this point, constant and abundant watering is not required for normal growth, but it will be enough to water the plants two or three times after planting. At this point, you can plant any strawberry bushes, even with a poor root system. Already more late boarding will prevent plants from rooting well before winter and will result in some crop loss the following year.
There is another period favorable landing strawberries. After the end of flowering and the formation of all the berries, the fruiting bush can be transplanted to a new place. To do this, the bushes are dug up together with a lump of earth and do not shake it off. They are carefully transferred to a new place, where the landing pits have already been prepared. Around the planted bushes, the soil is sprinkled with peat or humus. At this moment, the berries require a lot of moisture and abundant watering must be carried out daily. In a new place, some stems may wilt, but after a couple of days everything will change. Such planting of strawberries cannot be carried out in large volumes, since it requires great care, attentiveness and some experience.
Before planting strawberries in the fall, you need to choose a location. She loves diffused sunlight, so she should be planted under tree crowns. Previous crops growing in this place should be carrots, beets, onions, dill. In place of cucumbers and potatoes, it is better not to grow strawberries as they have some insect pests.
Before planting, pinch the roots a little - this will speed up the process of strawberry survival. It is also necessary to cut out the old dried leaves and remove the whiskers.
Then mark the bed on personal plot... It is most convenient to plant strawberries in rows with a distance of up to 30 cm between them. Bushes in a row are planted at a distance of 15 cm from each other. And a gap of up to 50 cm is left between the beds.There should not be more than three rows of strawberries on the bed - this will allow you to produce the most proper care for plants.
Next, dig holes along one row and place one strawberry bush in them. It is important that the growing point is level with the ground, otherwise the plant may die. The land around the bushes is compacted and watered abundantly. This completes the planting process of strawberries, and you can proceed to competently caring for your plants.
Every summer resident dreams of a rich harvest of fruits and berries from his site, so it is so important to know how to plant strawberries correctly, and when to do it.
Definitely, in southern, too hot regions, it is preferable to plant strawberries and many other berries in autumn time... The fact is that in such parts of the world spring is very fleeting, and after the cool April days, summer heat instantly begins. This does not allow the seedlings to take root well and take root in a new place - they quickly dry out and die.
Autumn in warm regions is usually protracted, and makes it possible to plant strawberries in October. Long autumn with warm days allows strawberry bushes to take root easily and have time to take root in a new place before winter.
In the northern regions, on the contrary, it is preferable to plant strawberries in open ground in spring, since autumn passes very quickly here, and spring, as a rule, is long and warm, without hot days. In areas with a temperate climate, you can plant this berry in the spring in order to get both a harvest and a mustache in the first season, on which young rosettes will grow by autumn.
In the northern regions optimal time planting strawberries in open ground from 25 July to 10 August. If the summer is very hot, then it is better to plant seedlings in the 1st decade of September.
How to choose planting material
The berry harvest directly depends on the selected variety, suitable climatic conditions region. Despite the abundance of varieties, it is advisable to purchase seedlings from nurseries to be sure that healthy planting material is purchased.
Young rosettes develop on the whiskers of the mother liquors, which are planting material... The closer the young bush is to the mother bush on the mustache, the better the planting material itself will be.
It is advisable to take rosettes from those bushes that have given a high harvest during the season.
The mothers should be 2-3 years old. If you take sockets from mother cells that are older than 3 years, then they are unlikely to give good harvest berries.
It is not worth taking bushes that were obtained by dividing the mother liquor as seedlings, since they still will not produce many berries.
First of all, when purchasing strawberry seedlings, one should look at the state of its root system. The roots of healthy, strong seedlings must be very well developed. If the outlet has weak roots, they may simply not take root in a new place.
Choosing a place for planting a plant
In order for the berry harvest to be consistently high, it is important to choose the right place for planting it. The site must be flat. You cannot plant a crop on slopes. Areas in the lowlands are also not suitable, since strawberries are afraid of stagnant water.
Strawberries love light, so the area should be sunny. In places under big trees the crop can also bear fruit, but the harvest will be small.
Preparing the soil for planting strawberries
In order for the strawberries to develop well and quickly and bear fruit, it is necessary to prepare the site. Before planting seedlings, the soil is dug onto a bayonet, cleaned of weeds and pests are destroyed. If you plan to plant strawberries in the spring, you need to start preparing the soil in the fall. Before late planting, the selected area should be dug up a couple of weeks before the scheduled date.
When digging on the site, fertilizers must be applied. Strawberries love organic matter, especially rotted manure, peat and compost. Used for fertilizing strawberries and mineral mixtures. This culture will gratefully accept feeding with nitrophos, which is introduced at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. on the square of the garden.
After digging, beds should be formed. It is advisable to do high beds especially if the region is rainy. It is enough to make the bed height about 30 cm.If the terrain is dry, then the beds may not be raised, or raised only by 10 cm.
By planting outlets in high beds, the bushes will be protected from attacks by slugs and snails.
Step-by-step instructions on how to plant different varieties of strawberries
Before planting the sockets in open ground, it should be placed in a weak solution of salt with an additive for 10 minutes. copper sulfate... To do this, dilute 3 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. salt and 1 tsp. copper sulfate. Place the rosettes in the solution completely, together with the leaves and roots. After that, the seedlings are rinsed and planted.
If you have purchased early varieties of strawberries, plant them close. Each outlet is planted at a distance of 15 cm from the other. You can leave about 60 cm in the rows. If you arrange the seedlings in this way, then in the very first season the strawberries will give a rich harvest. But with such a planting, after collecting all the berries, every second outlet is removed. As a result, the distance between the outlets will be 30 cm. This way you can achieve a rich harvest even next year.
When landing late strawberries the distance between the rosettes is increased to 20 cm. 60 cm is also left between the rows. After all the berries are harvested in the first year, every second rosette is thrown away, which makes it possible to increase the yield of the second year.
How to plant strawberries correctly and how deep should the bushes be? When planting, dig holes according to the size of the roots, carefully lower the roots into the hole and cover them with earth, spreading them well. In this case, you cannot fill the socket with soil - it should be slightly above the soil level. After planting, the soil is spilled and the rosettes are mulched to reduce moisture evaporation. The next day, you need to inspect the plantings, and, if necessary, dig in sockets that are too high or raise those that are too low.
Many gardeners, due to the lack of space on their plots, grow crops in a vertical way. You can plant a berry garden on multi-tiered beds, which saves space. For this, shapes are made in the form of pyramids or cones, which are filled with earth. It is necessary that the volume of each container be at least 1.5 liters, otherwise the plant will not be able to bear fruit.
The berry is also grown through seeds, but the seed method is too laborious and time-consuming. Mainly through seeds these berries are grown by breeders.
Strawberries are one of the most popular berry crops grown in summer cottages... Every year, gardeners look forward to the start of the season. Strawberries have two growing periods. The first collection takes place in the spring, and the second in the summer. In order to get a rich harvest, you need to choose the right site, purchase good seedlings, choose the best methods for planting strawberries and care for them throughout the entire period.
Sowing plot
Chernozem, loamy or sandy loam soil is the soil on which strawberries will feel great and give a rich harvest.
A gardener will receive a low yield if he plants a berry on light gray, peat, clay or sod-podzolic soil.
In addition, strawberries should not be grown in the lowlands. The backyard should have soil with an acidity of 5-6 pH. Also for strawberries, soil is ideal in which the level groundwater is at least 60 cm. Attention should be paid to the depth of freezing: at 8ºC frost, the freezing of the soil should be less than 20 cm.
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Planting methods for strawberries on the site
In order to plant strawberries in your garden plot, there are several methods:
- line method;
- film tunnel method;
- method of vertical beds;
The arrangement of beds and planting strawberries do not require a special tool, but you will have to prepare something. Required inventory:
- seedling;
- shovel;
- rake;
- cord;
- wooden pegs;
- roulette;
- bayonet;
- roofing material;
- plastic sheeting and wire arcs;
- agrofiber;
- peat;
- compost.
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Planting strawberries with a line method: features and nuances
For planting strawberries with a line method on 100 m², you should purchase up to 670 pcs. seedlings. The berries can be planted at any time of the year except winter. But there are the most favorable moments for planting strawberries. For example, in early April, strawberries will grow better than in May, and when planted in the last month of summer, the gardener will harvest the next season. The most extreme is mid-September.
It is best to choose cloudy weather for planting. You can plant in a one-line or two-line method. The most common method is two-line. In this case, the distance between seedlings of seedlings should be about 20 cm, and the distance between lines up to 30 cm.With the one-line method, the distance between plants remains the same as in the two-line method (20 cm), and the distance between lines changes to 70 cm. beds it is best to choose a direction from north to south.
For the convenience of planting on the site, you can pull the cord. That is, on each side of the site, future beds should be marked using a tape measure. Drive the pegs into the marked places and pull the cord. Take a wooden stick about 25 cm long and mark the places where the seedlings will be planted along the cord.
Next, you should make the holes either with your hands or with a bayonet. The depth of the hole should be sufficient so that the roots of the plant do not bend when planting. Pour 1 liter of water into each hole. The roots of the seedlings are placed in the resulting slurry and carefully covered with mud, and then covered with dry soil. The soil around the plant is well compacted. Before planting, each plant should be carefully examined and diseased plants with rotten roots and leaves should be excluded.
If the roots are too long, the strawberries should be shortened. The average length will be about 7 cm. By pruning the roots, the gardener will enable the plant to develop its root system strongly in the future.
Not all gardeners know a little trick. To ripe berries remain intact and clean so that pests and excess moisture do not spoil them on the ground experienced gardeners roofing material is laid. Crosswise cuts are made on the canvas with a knife. The holes on the canvas should be made at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The corners of the roofing material are bent inward and a plant is planted in the resulting hole. Dig a hole with a small shovel and place the plant so that its heart is flush with the soil surface. By placing the heart quite high above the soil, the gardener can freeze the plant in winter time planting too deep can cause rotting.
It is very important that the roots of the strawberry in the hole are located freely, and the soil is tightly attached to the plant. In order to check if the earth is compacted tightly, you just need to pull on the sheet. If the roots are poorly tamped, then the plant will take root for a long time or may even die.
After planting, the soil must be tamped and water each plant with water. Water the strawberries for 10 days until they take root. During dry weather in the heat, plants should be covered with green branches or burlap. In addition, mulching should not be forgotten. By loosening the soil, the grower allows the roots to receive more air and water. At the onset of frost, when the snow has not yet fallen, the strawberries must be covered.
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Film tunnels
This planting method allows you to plant strawberry seedlings several weeks earlier and thus get ripe berries much faster than when grown on open ground... Suitable for this early varieties strawberries that can be covered with plastic.
Installation of tunnels. Tunneling starts in April or May. On a site at a distance of 1 m, wire arcs are installed between themselves. The height of the arcs should be approximately 0.5 m from the ground. A film is mounted on the arcs and secured with twine. This is done so that the film does not sag between the arcs. One side of the film is sprinkled with earth and bricks are laid. And on the other hand, the rail is attached. This design will allow you to freely raise one edge of the tunnel and take care of the plants: watering, ventilating, mulching and, of course, harvesting.
Caring for strawberries under the film is easy. A thermometer is placed inside the greenhouse, and if the temperature rises above 25ºC, the greenhouse is ventilated. During good weather or flowering, the film can be lifted from time to time. And during harvesting, it can be removed altogether.
For watering strawberries, take warm water. Watering is best early in the morning. For good growth and the development of the plant, it is necessary to periodically weed and introduce top dressing. You also need to watch out for harmful insects that can damage the berries.
To protect strawberries from frost, shelters are used, which are made from straw, spruce branches or fallen leaves. If there is no such material, you should spud the strawberry bushes, without sprinkling the growth points, and thoroughly fertilize with peat or compost.
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Vertical beds
Strawberries with this planting method grow on a multi-tiered container. Planting strawberries in this way is most effective if the soil is infertile, heavy or with high level groundwater. Also, this method is used if strawberries are planted next to buildings or fences. The advantage of the method is quite big harvest with a relatively small landing area.
Containers for vertical cultivation any constructions of conical and pyramidal shapes can serve. When choosing containers, it should be borne in mind that the distance between the plants should be about 10 cm, and the volume should be at least 1.5 liters. Each container should be filled with a mixture of peat, humus and turf in a 1: 1: 1 ratio. In addition, you can use peat and turf in a 2: 1 ratio by adding a little sand to the mixture.
After the containers and seedlings are prepared, start planting strawberries, starting from the lowest tier. Water the strawberries every other day, at the rate of 300 ml warm water under each bush. At the same time, the mustache is fertilized and removed.
In the cold season, the containers are removed and placed on the ground. For shelter, use agrofibre, leaves or peat. At severe frosts the cover layer is made larger and covered with snow on top. Thus, the temperature inside the container will be kept within 6ºC of heat.