What is the post-harvest strawberry care? We bring to your attention a complex necessary work for the care of strawberries after harvest.

Care of strawberries after harvest: a set of necessary works performed in July and August

Garden strawberry blooms and bears fruit very early. Per a short time from the melting of snow to mid-June, when the first berries ripen, the roots of the plant are not able to extract enough from the cold spring soil nutrients to form large, sweet and aromatic berries. Where does a good harvest come from? strawberry? It is laid in July - September of the previous year. From the right leaving per strawberries after harvest in July and August, the future harvest depends.

The miracle fruits of a perennial herb are distinguished not only by their excellent taste and beauty, but also by many healing properties... Strawberries are very fond of fertilizers and moisture, but after the berries ripen, they also need care and attention. During this period, new leaves and horns are formed, intensive growth of the root system is observed and new flower buds are laid. Careper strawberries after harvest consists in periodically watering the site, removing withered, dried and affected leaves, correct pruningstrawberries after harvest , fertilizing with fertilizers and preventive treatment of beds with insecticides.

The complex of necessary works on leaving per strawberries

after harvest

1. The area with strawberries must be cleared of weeds, loosened the soil and overlay it with chopped mullein or horse dung, laying on them still very young antennae.
2. The cleared passages between the beds must be filled with chips, branches, sawdust in order to exclude the growth of weeds, which will become an obstacle to the strengthening of new bushes.
3. In order for the plants to grow well and stock up on strength, you need to feed them immediately after fruiting, weed and remove all unnecessary from the garden, and the leaves affected by spores and bacteria should be burned. It is better not to touch the green and juicy mass. The site must be revised by the end of July so that the new foliage has time to grow before the onset of cold weather.
4. Old bushes that have served their time must be removed, and it is advisable to replace weak and diseased specimens with healthy and strong plants. It is recommended to transplant them with impressive clods of earth so that the strawberries in the new place take root well and do not get sick.
5. Particular attention should be paid to combating diseases and pests of strawberries. For this purpose it is used: - 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, spraying of which protects plants from rot;
   - insecticides used to treat bushes.
6. At the beginning of August, you need to take care of feeding the strawberries with fertilizers, which are used as: - mullein;
   - bird droppings;
   - complex mixtures.
7. A good effect is given by watering the beds with strawberries with infused poultry droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20. Before this process, the beds are watered clean water... Fertilizer must be applied at the root of each plant. Usually, one 10 liter bucket of solution is enough for 10 bushes. Watering with liquid can cause the mixture to get on the leaves and cause burns. Therefore, after feeding, the green mass must be washed with clean water using a watering can.
8. At the beginning of autumn, you need to take care of planting new bushes, which will give a full harvest in spring. For planting young animals, a garden bed is preliminarily prepared - the soil is disinfected and fertilized with humus. A solution is used for processing soda ash, prepared from 200 g of powder and 10 liters of water, as well as manganese, taken in an amount of 2 g per 10 liters of water. Such sensible precautions will help get rid of pests and diseases for a long time.

Video: Post-harvest strawberry care

Useful advice from Olga Platonova in the GOOD MORNING heading on the FIRST channel.

Video: About strawberries after fruiting

Strawberries, or garden strawberries, are significantly ahead of other plants in terms of ripening, opening the fruit season. In a few spring months, the plant has time to grow young leaves, bloom and give fragrant sweet berries, drawing strength from last year's reserves. Therefore, processing strawberries after harvest is the basis for future fruiting.

Strawberry bushes after harvest must be processed for the next season.

You can eat sweet berries of early varieties already at the end of May, and June gives you not only plenty of strawberries, but also stock up for the winter. During the ripening of strawberries, processing and caring for plants is minimal, but from July to September it is necessary to create the basis for future fruiting with the help of various agrotechnical measures:

• Watering;
• Top dressing;
• Treatments for diseases and pests;
• Rooting of whiskers and transplantation of daughter plants.

Pruning, disease and pest control

During the period of flowering and ripening of berries, it is unsafe to process plants, because the resulting crop will be unsuitable for food and processing, therefore all pesticides are postponed until the harvest is complete. It is advisable to plant varieties with different fruiting periods in different beds, so that immediately after harvesting, the bushes can be processed without waiting for the later varieties to ripen.

To process strawberries after fruiting with minimal cost labor and time, it is recommended to completely remove old leaves on which pests and pathogens accumulate. The only exceptions are remontant varieties, from which it is recommended to remove only damaged and weak leaves. If the aisles and beds were covered with mulch, it is better to remove it and burn it along with old leaves, especially if pest infestation is noticed.

For the prevention of fungal diseases, bushes and soil surface can be treated with Nitrafen or Bordeaux mixture. If the bushes are affected by a strawberry mite, or to prevent its appearance, it is possible to treat them with Actellik, Fitoverm, Karbofos, Fufanon or other acaricides and insecticides wide range actions.

What to do with the formed depends on the needs for planting material. Most It is recommended to remove the whiskers so that the plant does not waste energy on growing daughter rosettes. It is worth leaving only not a large number of young rosettes on 1-3 year old bushes to replace dead or old plants.

Bordeaux mixture is used as a prophylaxis for fungal diseases of plants.

Watering and fertilizing

Abundant fruiting takes away from the plant great amount nutrients that need to be added with top dressing so that the bushes can lay flower buds and prepare for wintering. Organic and mineral fertilizers are used as top dressing, but before applying them, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the aisles of weeds and loosen the soil.

Horse manure is considered the best organic fertilizer. It is enough just to spread the pieces of horse manure in the aisles and the nutrients, along with the rains, will gradually pass into the ground. You can also use cow dung, humus, chicken manure solution, or compost.

When choosing a mineral fertilizer for strawberries, it is better to give preference to complex preparations without chlorine content. Ammophoska has proven itself well, which contains almost all the necessary substances (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, magnesium, sulfur, calcium). Mineral fertilizers are scattered around the bushes at the rate of 20 g per 1 m 2, and then embedded in the soil with a rake and watered abundantly.

After fertilizing, watering and loosening, it is advisable to mulch the soil in order to more easily maintain a constant moisture level. During the period of growing leaf mass, laying future flower stalks and preparing for winter, it is very important to maintain constant soil moisture and not let the plantings dry out.

It is important to remember that it is the period after picking the berries that is most important for setting flower stalks. When carrying out the recommended agrotechnical measures, strawberries will certainly delight the next year bountiful harvest sweet aromatic berries.

PAY YOUR ATTENTION!))))

We are talking about strawberries that bear fruit only once per season (disposable). Repairing strawberry varieties require different care

Garden strawberries bloom and bear fruit very early. In a short time from the melting of snow to mid-June, when the first berries ripen, the roots of the plant are not able to extract enough nutrients from the cold spring soil to form large, sweet and fragrant berries. Where does a good strawberry crop come from? It is laid in July - September of the previous year. Strawberry care in July and August is the basis of next year's harvest.

At this time, the second wave of leaf growth begins, as well as the regrowth of new horns and the laying of new flower buds. In the horns, nutrients are deposited, which the plants of garden strawberries will spend next year for the formation of berries. Old leaves that have completed their function begin to die off, a large number of whiskers appear.

The second half of summer is the best time to take care of the future harvest.

So, the berry picking is over. How to care for strawberries further?

Pruning old strawberry leaves

Carefully cut off any old leaves, being careful not to damage the hearts and young leaves. It is more convenient to do this if garden strawberry different varieties on your beds, it is matched by the timing of fruiting, and varieties of the same timing are grouped in rows. Early varieties can be treated first, until young leaves appear. At the same time, more late varieties still continue to bear fruit. Do not be late with this procedure, because with the regrowth of young foliage, you will need more time and diligence. In addition, diseases and pests that have appeared on old leaves during the season will have time to move to new ones.

Remove season-dried leaves and all plant debris from your plantings: pathogens also remain on them. If you notice that the growing young strawberry leaves are shriveled, deformed, this means that the plants are infected with a strawberry mite. Treat the strawberries with any anti-tick drug (acaricide). A good result is obtained by treatment with Actellik, Kleschevit (aka Fitoverm), Titovit Jet or a solution of colloidal sulfur.

How to loosen and fertilize strawberries

Thoroughly loosen the soil between the rows to a depth of 10 cm. It is impossible to loosen deeply directly near the bushes, so as not to damage the root system. In strawberries, it is located superficially. While loosening, slightly huddle the bushes so that the adventitious roots growing on the strawberry horns at this time are under a layer of soil.

Considering that during this period strawberries are gaining strength for the next fruiting and are very demanding on the supply of nutrients, it is necessary to make top dressing.

To do this, apply a complete mineral fertilizer with microelements to the soil.

Calculation: 20-30 grams per 1 square meter... Special strawberry fertilizers are best suited for this, containing all the necessary elements in a balanced form. Ammophoska is not bad for this purpose: in addition to the basic nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), it contains calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Chlorine-containing fertilizers should be avoided because strawberries cannot tolerate chlorine. A very good result is given by the introduction of humus, which not only fertilizes the soil, but also significantly improves its structure.
After applying fertilizers, embed them in the soil.

So that after watering a crust does not form on the soil surface, mulch the bed with peat.

How to water strawberries

Water the strawberries thoroughly after applying dry dressing

Keep the soil moist for the rest of the season, watering sparingly but abundantly. Frequent surface irrigation usually do not benefit strawberries. After watering abundantly, loosen the soil to remove weeds. Cut out the newly growing mustache - fruiting on next year it will be much weaker if the bush spends energy on the formation of daughter rosettes, and not flower buds. Timely removal of the whiskers stimulates the formation of new flower buds. Powerfully overgrown young leaves in winter cover the strawberry bush and contribute to a more successful overwintering.

Every gardener wants to get tasty, large and juicy strawberries in season. And it's time to take care of the future harvest right after the harvest.

Caring for a fragrant berry is a long-term, almost all-season process, but feeling the care of the gardener, strawberries will not be stingy to reward him with a generous harvest. Consider how to care for the soil after harvesting strawberries.

Pruning old strawberry leaves and whiskers

The plant transferred its juices to the ripening berries, now the gardener's task is to help the bushes regain strength, give them the opportunity to form new leaves and prepare for a long winter in order to have a decent harvest next spring.

Important! 5-year-old strawberry plantations should be replaced with young plants.

Having collected the last berries at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to carry out weeding the garden with strawberries, after all, weeding is not carried out during the entire fruiting period. Then straw, sawdust, pine needles and other mulch are removed and carefully loosen the soil under bushes and aisles.

The cut material must be removed from the beds. At first glance, such a cruel procedure will give the bush the opportunity to release new leaves and buds by the fall.

Having found a lot of shoots thrown out by the plant, a natural question arises: what to do with a strawberry mustache. Nature provides that the strawberry mustache is necessary only for reproduction.

Therefore, if necessary, to propagate strawberries, the strongest antennae are left for rooting, and the resulting young seedlings are separated in autumn and transplanted to the beds.

The rest of the whiskers must be removed, since they will take juice and strength from the mother bush, thereby making it weak and reducing the next year's harvest. Thrown out by the plant not needed by the gardener the mustache is cut as low as possible to the ground with a sharp pruner or knife.

Breaking off the process is fraught with the pulling out and death of the entire plant. Since strawberries throw away the mustache several times during the warm season, the mustache is trimmed several times as they appear. This will save the bush from unnecessary expenditure of energy.

How to feed strawberries after harvest

A plant needs good nutrition for recovery, therefore, it is necessary fertilizer strawberry after harvest. It can be done with the following mixture: potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and superphosphate in a 1: 1: 3 ratio, dissolve in water and pour the bushes with this solution.

Strawberries will also benefit from sprinkling the base of the bush with vermicompost, rotted compost, or covering the plant with pieces of dried manure. You can nourish a strawberry plantation by sprinkling it with crushed wood ash, - 2 kg per square meter.

Did you know?After two months of growth, the strawberry leaves begin to age.

How to water strawberries after harvest

After harvesting, strawberries do not need intensive watering of the soil. It is necessary to water the bushes only during the dry season. The main thing is not to allow the earth to dry out after fruiting.

At the strawberry growing site, it is recommended to carry out soil mulching straw, peat or sawdust - this will keep moisture in the soil. After watering, you need to let the soil around the strawberries dry slightly and thoroughly loosen the soil in the beds.

How to process strawberries to prevent disease and pests

After the completion of fruiting, the plants should be inspected and made treatment against diseases and pests.

Diseases affecting strawberries:

• powdery mildew- manifests itself as a gray bloom on the foliage, which rots, curls and falls off. For treatment, the beds are treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur - 50 grams per 5 liters of warm water.
• gray rot- manifests itself as gray spots that affect the berries, is cured with a solution of copper chloroxide - 40 grams per 10 liters of water.
• black rot- analogue of gray, only spots on the berries are black, the methods of treatment are the same.
• spotting- leaf lesions with brown-red spots, get rid of it with a solution of copper chloroxide - 50 grams per 10 liters of water.

Important! The foliage of a reddish hue is cut and burned in preparation for wintering - this will protect the plantings from pests

Berry growing areas need constant control and protection from strawberry pests.

Most frequent pests:

• strawberry weevil- an insect that eats leaves and buds, get rid of it by spraying the bushes with karbofos - 75 g per 10 liters of water.
• strawberry mite- a small insect, the presence of which is betrayed by yellowed deformed foliage. They get rid of it in the same way as from the weevil.
• spider mite- forms a cobweb on the foliage, the fight against it consists in treating the plant with a phytoverm solution, as well as cutting and burning all the leaves after fruiting.

To get the maximum yield of strawberries (garden strawberries), it is necessary to properly care for it. Agrotechnics can correct many mistakes made during planting, as well as reveal all the advantages of the variety. At improper care strawberries produce small sour berries, and varietal differences are canceled out.

This strawberry has been properly cared for.

Introducing strawberries

Strawberries are perennial grown for the sake of obtaining berries. The plantation gives high yields for no more than 4 years, then the berries become smaller, their taste becomes sour. Although the bushes with proper care can live for more than 20 years, but the harvests from them will be small.

Horns

The bush has about 30 rosettes (horns). The older the bush, the more horns
it consists, their number depends on the care and variety. The growth of rosettes begins after the end of fruiting, every year they form higher and higher above the ground. Strong bushes of strawberry have many horns, weak bushes have few.

Peduncles appear from the tops of the rosettes, respectively, the more luxuriant the bush, the more abundant flowering and fruiting. At the bottom, the rosettes grow together into one small stem, on which adventitious roots are formed. Powerful bushes lay many flower stalks, bloom for a longer time and yield higher yields.

Diagram of the structure of the strawberry bush

Mustache

The strongest whiskers of the plant give in the first year of cultivation, every year the formation becomes weaker, while the whiskers become smaller. By the fourth year, the strawberry usually no longer gives a mustache. If someone gets vegetative shoots from their 5-6 year old plantation, it is because they have not been well looked after and there are bushes. of different ages, and the whiskers give rise to young, rooted plants.

Vegetative shoots begin to form when the length of daylight hours is more than 12 hours and temperatures above 15 ° C. The laying of flower buds in rooted whiskers occurs after 2-3 months (therefore, when autumn planting very few buds are laid, they do not have time to ripen and the yield for the next year is low).

Berries

Several factors affect the quality of strawberries.

1. Soil composition. Strawberries grown in poor soils have a less pronounced taste than when grown in fertile lands.
2. Weather... The more direct sun hits the bushes, the sweeter the berries. Strawberries growing under tree crowns, no matter how you look after them, usually have sour berries.
3. Grade. Most European strawberry varieties are sweeter than domestic ones.

Properties of berries.

• Berries plucked by unripe berries turn red during transportation and storage, but they will not be completely sweet.
• The flavor characteristic of the variety is acquired only when fully ripe on the bush. For disclosure taste completely reddened berries are not removed for 2-3 days. Such berries are unsuitable for storage or transportation, but their taste is fully manifested.
• To obtain maximum yields, the berries are picked unripe, as this stimulates the growth of the remaining ovaries. As a result, strawberry yields are increased.
• Unripe berries of any variety have the same sweet and sour taste.

On a personal plot, where good taste is more appreciated than an increase in yield by 300-500 g, it is better to let the strawberries fully ripen and taste their true taste. But in wet weather, berries should be removed that are not fully ripe, since it is ripe berries are affected by rot and mold in the first place.

The merits and demerits of culture

The main advantages of strawberries.

• Strawberries can give good harvests when applying very small doses of fertilizers and easy care... The main thing is to fertilize the soil well before planting the crop.
• Annual harvests. Strawberries do not have a fruiting frequency like some other berries (such as raspberries).
• Quick first harvest.
• Very simple and easy reproduction. The bush is capable of producing several dozen whiskers per season, from which the best are selected and rooted. Over the summer, you can plant a bed of the most valuable variety.
• Unpretentiousness of plants. Strawberries can grow under the crowns of young trees, in flower beds, among weeds (but yields in such thickets are reduced).

Disadvantages of culture.

• Defeat with gray mold. Most modern varieties are quite resistant to this disease, but with improper care, you can lose up to a third of the harvest. Domestic varieties are more resistant to disease than European ones.
• Insufficient self-fertility of strawberries. For a good set of berries, several different varieties are grown on the plot.
• Winter hardiness is the ability not only to endure negative temperatures, but also winter thaws without being damaged. In domestic varieties, it is quite high, the loss of bushes in the spring is insignificant. In European varieties of strawberries, winter hardiness is lower, the plants freeze slightly, and in severe winters they freeze completely. But some imported varieties grow successfully in our conditions; for the winter, the bushes are covered, which somewhat reduces the loss of plants.
• Short fruiting period. The berry yields maximum yields for 3-4 years, then it must be completely renewed.

All the disadvantages of the berry are surmountable, the main thing is not to leave the strawberries without proper care.

Features of growing and caring for strawberries

Main components proper care are:

1. weeding;
2. loosening;
3. water regime;
4. top dressing.

Strawberry care is simple, but requires patience and consistency.

Weeding strawberry beds

Planting strawberries should always be weed-free. This culture does not like competitors and, if the plot is overgrown, produces small sour berries. Weeding is carried out as the weeds grow, 6-8 times per season.

Simultaneously with the removal of weeds, the mustache is also cut, especially in spring. If they are removed in time, then the plants will switch to flowering, otherwise all the power of the bushes will go into formation and there will be no berries.

Loosening

Strawberries love loose, well-permeable soil. There should always be free air access to the roots. Before flowering, the soil is loosened 3 times, and after picking berries - once every 2 weeks. If the weather is rainy and the ground is quickly compacted, then loosening is carried out more often. The soil is cultivated to a depth of 3-4 cm.

Starting from the second year, strawberry bushes are spud, since adventitious roots appear on the stem. Hilling stimulates root formation, growth of horns, bushes become more luxuriant, which gives an increase in yield.

How to water strawberries

Strawberries are most demanding for moisture in June, when berries, whiskers and leaves grow at the same time. If the weather is dry, then the plot is watered every 2-3 days to a depth of 30 cm, and if possible, then every day.

Watering is best done in the aisles, for which a furrow is made in the middle of the bed during planting, which will collect water when the snow melts and during watering. The plants are not watered under the root, because root system Strawberries are spreading and the bulk of the roots are located on the periphery of the aerial part of the plant.

After harvesting, the plants begin a second peak in root formation and foliage growth. At this time, the plot is watered 1-2 times a week. If there is no rain, then watering is carried out daily. Before and after flowering, the bushes can be watered with sprinkling, strawberries are very fond of high humidity air.

Before flowering, strawberry plantations can be watered.

During flowering and fruiting, only the aisles are watered, the water temperature should be at least 15 ° C. The rest of the time, the plants tolerate watering with cold water well.

In the fall, pre-winter watering is done. The earth is shed to a depth of 30-50 cm. Wet soil better protects strawberries from frost, so it is necessary that the plot goes under the snow wet.

During flowering and growth of ovaries in case of rainy weather, strawberries suffer from waterlogging. Signs of this are the appearance on the leaves and ovaries of large brown spots(without spoiling them). Especially often waterlogging strawberry plantation happens on dense clay soils... The roots cannot provide normal nutrition for the aerial part and the bushes begin to shed the largest berries.

When signs of oxygen starvation appear, deep loosening is carried out (5-7 cm). If the berry is constantly waterlogged, then the beds are raised to 15-20 cm. When there are no ovaries on the strawberry, it does not suffer from waterlogging, but, on the contrary, gives lush foliage and a powerful mustache.

Feeding strawberries with folk remedies (ash, chicken droppings)

Strawberries with berries take out quite a lot of nutrients from the soil, these are not only basic nutrients (NPK), but also trace elements that need to be replenished. Lack of nutrition begins to manifest itself in the second year of cultivation, in the first year the plants have enough fertilizers applied before planting.

Lack of nutrition never manifests itself for any one element, therefore, complex fertilizers containing trace elements are always applied to the plot. Feeding strawberries is better organic fertilizers because they act more gently and lastingly.

In the first year of cultivation, if the soil has been properly prepared, no fertilizer is applied. In the second and subsequent years, the berry is fed 2 times per season. In the spring, ash is brought to the surface of the soil around the bushes, and then the soil is shallowly loosened. On infertile soils in May, humates, humus or

Ash should not be applied along with manure, as a chemical reaction occurs, as a result of which a large amount of nitrogen is released, which can damage the plants.

To prepare the herbal infusion, the herb is placed in plastic barrel, poured with water and left to ferment for 10-15 days. At the end of fermentation, 1 liter of infusion is diluted in 10 liters of water and the bushes are watered at the rate of 1 liter per plant.

After harvesting, strawberries begin a second wave of regrowth of roots and leaves, and at this time they need nitrogen. Feeding is done with a solution of mullein or bird droppings (1 l / 10 l of water). Strawberry bird droppings are preferred and are now sold in garden stores. It is the most concentrated fertilizer in terms of nutrients.

In the case of excessive use of organic matter, overfeeding and fattening of strawberry bushes may occur. At correct introduction fertilization, an increase in the size of leaves and berries occurs, and the yield increases.

Excess nitrogen manifests itself in the appearance of large leaves and crushing of berries, the productivity of plants is significantly reduced. Overfeeding occurs due to the frequent use of herbal fertilizers or non-compliance with the application of other organic fertilizers.

To prevent the fattening of plants with organic matter (except for manure and compost), ash is introduced, which does not contain nitrogen and creates a predominance of potassium and phosphorus in the soil. Plants overfed with nitrogen do not tolerate winter well and are more affected by diseases and pests.

Underfeeding for strawberries (and not only for them) is better than overfeeding, since in this case the situation is easier to fix.

Do I need to feed strawberries with yeast, iodine, boric acid and ammonia

Top dressing folk remedies(yeast, iodine, boric acid, ammonia) is highly undesirable for culture.

Firstly, it is a monofertilizer that does not provide plants with the entire set of trace elements.

Secondly, the bushes can be easily overfed (especially with ammonia), which will cause significant damage to the plantation.

Thirdly, iodine, boric acid and ammonia are volatile solutions that evaporate quickly, they must be immediately washed out into the lower layers of the soil, which when large area plots are impossible.

Fourth, yeast is an excellent protein feed for animals, but does not contain any plant nutrients.

Fertilization of a strawberry plantation should be systemic, completely provide the plants with the necessary elements, and no experiments with feeding are allowed.

Strawberry plantation care

Regular maintenance is the basis for a high yield. With proper agricultural technology, strawberries can give up to 300 g in the first year large berries from the bush. On garden plot you need to have four plots (beds) of strawberries: the first, second, third and fourth years of fruiting.

How to care for strawberry seedlings

When planting seedlings, no fertilizers are applied. The soil must be fertilized beforehand. The newly planted mustache is shaded from the sun, otherwise the seedlings wilted, since the roots cannot yet make up for the loss of water that is lost when it evaporates by the leaves. Withering is not very dangerous for seedlings; when the evening coolness sets in, they will straighten out.

For shading, the mustache is covered with newspapers, a white cloth or a little grass is thrown over them. After 2-3 days, the shelter is removed, by this time the plants have already taken root and can independently extract water from the soil. In the early days, the planted mustache is well watered. In the future, the land under the young bushes should always be moist. In the case of warm and dry autumn, the strawberries are watered once a week.

It is important not to overgrow the strawberries with weeds. If this is not done in the year of planting, then in the future, the fight against them will become much more complicated. Weeds will germinate through the bushes and can no longer be removed without damaging the crop.

Young strong whiskers, after rooting, begin to produce whiskers themselves, which must be removed, since they weaken the plant and interfere with its preparation for winter.

Preparing strawberry beds for winter

Special care when preparing a plot for winter requires European varieties as they are less hardy. In the fall, if the weather is dry, water-charging irrigation is carried out. Water well protects the rhizomes from freezing, conducting heat from below to the roots of plants.

It is better to insulate strawberries for the winter.

For better wintering, strawberries are insulated by laying out fallen leaves and needles under the bushes and in the aisles. They cover only bare ground, the plants themselves do not need to be covered, since they leave before winter with leaves, which in themselves are insulation.

The main thing in winter is to prevent the roots from freezing. If there is no insulation, then soil is poured into the aisles and under the bushes with a layer of 3-4 cm.

Spring strawberry care

In the spring, after the snow melts, dry leaves are cut off from the bushes, insulation (if used) is removed from the garden, weeded from the first weeds and loosened. Old bushes that have a small woody stem with adventitious roots, additionally huddle so that they are more powerful. Have large plants better flowering and higher productivity.

Loosening is carried out to a depth of 2-3 cm, since the roots of the strawberry are shallow. With this treatment, the earth warms up faster and the plants start to grow.

The main task in spring is to ensure that the soil warms up quickly so that the plants grow foliage and begin flowering sooner. At an early start of the growing season, flowering will occur in more moist soil. For the fastest warming up of the earth, you can put a black film in the aisles.

Some gardeners, on the contrary, do not remove the insulation for a long time, fearing frost damage to strawberries. But, firstly, frosts are not terrible for her in spring, and secondly, strawberries bear fruit from mid-June to mid-July (depending on the variety), and in May they need time to prepare for flowering. The better it prepares, the larger the berries will be.

Dry leaves must be removed in spring so that the earth warms up faster.

Old dry leaves along with last year's mustache are removed, but young foliage does not need to be cut off. Pruning green leaves in spring delays flowering for 2 weeks (until new ones grow), the plant spends a lot of energy on growing foliage, because of this, the berries become smaller.

In a dry warm spring, when the earth dries up quickly, watering is carried out. After the young leaves grow back, spring feeding is done.
If the plants are weakened after winter, grow poorly, they are sprayed with a growth stimulator "Zircon" or "Epin".

What should be the care of strawberries after harvest

After fruiting, spring leaves look yellow and spotty, they are removed along with regrown mustaches and weeds. It is impossible to mow all the foliage, since the roots growing at this time require starch, which comes just from the leaves, if they are removed, this will slow down the preparation of strawberries for winter.

After harvesting, it is imperative that a second feeding is carried out to replenish the nutrients taken out with the berries.

In the second half of summer, mustaches begin to grow more actively in strawberries. In no case should they be allowed to take root. They compact the planting and weaken the bushes, which leads to a decrease in the yield and taste of the berries.

If the bushes are intended for fruiting, then all the whiskers that appear are cut off from them. The plot is examined every 4-5 days, since the whiskers appear until October, and the newly appeared spears of the shoots are removed.

Strawberries have a balance between production and fruiting: if the plants are not given the opportunity to form whiskers, then it enhances fruiting, and vice versa, if they are not cut off, the yield is greatly reduced.

The plantation should always be weed-free, fertilized, and the bushes should be trimmed with mustaches.

In the fall, water-charging irrigation is carried out, if necessary, a heater is laid out in the aisles.

Plantation care of the last year of cultivation

At spring feeding you can give a little more nitrogen, the bushes will not have time to grow fat, and the yield will not decrease from this. With dry soil, watering is carried out. Immediately after fruiting, the bed is dug up. This year you can plant on it early cabbage, which will have time to mature before the onset of cold weather (for this, increased doses of nitrogen were given).

Mulching strawberries

When caring for a plantation, mulching materials are used to protect berries from dirt and decay, to insulate bushes in winter period and protecting the soil from premature heating in a thaw. and prevents the formation of soil crust after rain or watering.

The use of mulch in strawberry cultivation is The best way keeping the plot clean, which greatly facilitates its care. To prevent undesirable effects during its application, the mulch is applied under certain conditions.

Sawdust, straw, dry moss, fallen leaves, needles are used as mulching materials. Their disadvantage is the binding of soil nitrogen, which causes nitrogen starvation of plants. Therefore, mulch is introduced in the fall as a heater in the aisles, by the spring the process of disintegration of fiber (of which it consists) will be completed and nitrogen binding will not occur.

In the spring, the insulation is removed for better heating of the soil, then it is returned as mulch, and a fresh portion of the material is added to it. When mulching materials are introduced in the spring, they must be impregnated with a solution of humates, mullein or bird droppings.

To do this, either they are soaked in a barrel with a fertilizer solution (sawdust), or they are watered very abundantly with these fertilizers so that the mulch is completely saturated with the solution. Then the binding of soil nitrogen will not occur, and the plants will not experience nitrogen starvation.

Mulching strawberries with sawdust. Sawdust strongly acidifies the soil, watering them with urea as a nitrogen fertilizer increases acidification. This effect gives excellent results on leached chernozems. On acidic soils, this should not be allowed. To prevent acidification of the soil, sawdust is first soaked in a barrel with humates or chicken droppings, after which they become an excellent mulching material. Spread on the beds in a layer of 6-10 cm. Sawdust is stronger than hay and straw and inhibits the growth of weeds.

Straw as mulch.

Mulching with grass and straw... Hay and straw are almost the same fiber and bind soil nitrogen very strongly. They are brought in in the fall. When used as a mulch of hay or straw, in the spring, crumbs are added with them or watering is carried out on the newly laid mulch nitrogen fertilizers(humates, mullein, herbal infusion). In this case, nitrogen fixation does not occur and the yield does not fall. They are laid out in the aisles with a layer of 5-7 cm.

Leaf mulch. It is advisable to apply the foliage of deciduous trees in the fall, laying it out in the aisles with a layer of 15-20 cm. In winter, it will be a heater. In spring use, freshly decomposed leaves are watered with humates, mullein, or herbal infusion.

Mulching strawberries with needles. Pine and spruce bark and needles protect plants well from diseases, since they contain phytoncides. The material is taken only under healthy trees, scattered in the aisles and under the bushes with a layer of 7-10 cm. Since this material strongly acidifies the soil, it is brought in with manure crumbs.

Peat as mulch they are not used on strawberries, since it has a number of significant disadvantages:

• strongly acidifies the soil;
• has a very high moisture capacity, which is why it is almost impossible to soak it with a nitrogen solution;
• in damp weather, it gets wet and interferes with the normal respiration of the roots;
• in winter it can be covered with an ice crust, which leads to damping off of plants.

The correct use of mulch not only makes it easier to care for the plantation, but it is itself a good fertilizer.

Protecting berries from dirt

Berries lying on the ground are contaminated with soil, and moreover, they are more strongly affected by gray rot. So that the berries do not come into contact with the soil, you can make various supports for the bushes: from wire, plastic bottles, boards, films, special rings on legs are sold in stores. But all this is suitable for a small plot.

On a large plantation, plucked lower peripheral leaves are placed under green berries. If the bush is healthy, red berries can lie on the ground for some time without being damaged.

When growing strawberries, you do not need to maintain a plantation with a more productive fruiting period. The berry must move through the plot in frequent rotation.

Other helpful articles on growing strawberries:

1. What pests can threaten your plantation and how to effectively deal with them.
Planning to tackle strawberries? Then this is the very first article you need to read.
2. ... In order for the strawberry to grow large, it will have to be carefully looked after.