Strawberries are the queen of berries! She is welcome for every gardener. The growing season has 2 waves: in spring and summer after the first harvest.
For successful cultivation strawberries need to choose the right site, variety, seedlings, observe crop rotation, planting method and be ready to fight pests and diseases.
Soil and place for growing strawberries. Strawberries grow best on black soil, loamy and sandy loam soil, on dark gray forest soils on the southwestern small slopes.
The yield will be worse on light gray, peaty, clayey, sandy or soddy-podzolic soil in the lowlands. , you need the pH to be 5 - 6.5. Level groundwater should be at least 60 cm, and the soil in winter at a depth of 15-20 cm did not freeze to -8 ° C.
How to prepare a plot for planting strawberries
Colorado potato beetle, strawberry nematode and others will not refuse such a treat as strawberry. Before planting, it is better to check the site for the presence of their larvae. After the snow melts and the soil dries up, collect all the remnants of the vegetation, burn it. If there are a lot of larvae, then alkaloid lupine is planted, the larvae die from it, or the soil is treated with ammonia water (20kg per 1sotka). In the fall, you can clear the area from cereal weeds with the Roundup composition (2.5-3 liters per 1 ha). Till the soil to a depth of 25-30 cm in October.In the spring, they harrow and cultivate immediately before planting to a depth of 15 cm.
How to determine the quality of seedlings for planting strawberries
The best seedlings are those with a root collar more than 6 mm in diameter, and root system fibrous, in the processes of the roots more than 7 cm.Seedlings should have 3-5 leaves, a whole apical bud and juicy roots white length 3-5cm.
Strawberry seedlings, sourced or picked locally, need to be planted faster. If, for some reason, the planting is delayed, then the seedlings can be stored for 2-3 days dug in damp loose earth in a shaded place or a cold room (basement, cellar), wrapping the roots in moist moss.
How to plant strawberries
Strawberry seedlings are planted in early spring (as early as possible) or very early fall. Autumn planting is carried out from August 10 to September 25, after moistening the soil well. Do not over tighten with planting, as later spring or autumn planting will significantly reduce the yield. It is believed that you can plant strawberries in summer time, July-August, by two-line method. Then early vegetables can be grown on the selected site in the spring. But in the south of Russia and Ukraine in the summer-autumn period there is little precipitation, and the temperature of the air and soil is so high that no shading and irrigation give the desired effect. The planted plants wilt and die quickly.
5 days before planting, the seedlings are kept in a cool place, immediately before planting, the roots are dipped in a clay mash for better survival in order to avoid drying out. They are planted in damp, but not wet soil. When planting, the seedling box should be in the shade. If the root system is too long, then shorten it to 7-10 cm.
To protect against rapid drying of the soil and the formation of a crust, the holes of the watered plants should be sprinkled with earth, and even better - with humus. After planting, the soil on the site is compacted, it should be loosened to give free access to water and air to the plant roots. If the weather is dry, watering should be repeated as needed.
Clay Talker Recipe:
- Pour 1/2 bucket of orange clay with water so that it covers the clay a bit, leave to infuse.
- After a while it will be a creamy mass.
- If the lumps of clay are not completely dissolved in the water, then stir the mass several times so that the water can completely absorb all the lumps.
Methods for growing strawberries in the country
Growing strawberries in the beds by the line method
With this arrangement, 600 to 670 seedlings are required per 100 m2.
Any time for planting strawberries can be chosen, except for winter. In spring, strawberries are planted as early as possible, in early April, since if they are planted in May, development will be much slower. If planted in July-August, it will be possible to harvest the next season. The last date for planting strawberries is mid-September.
1 - two-line; 2 one-line; 3 - two-line on the ridges
Cloudy and wet weather is chosen for planting. You can plant one-line method, two-line or two-line in the beds. The most optimal is a two-line planting, where the distance between plants is 15-20 cm, between ribbons (rows) 60-70 cm, between lines 30 cm.With a one-line planting method, the following distances are observed: between plants 15-20 cm, between lines 60-70 see. Place the beds from north to south, plant 2 rows of strawberry seedlings around the edges.
Plant strawberries on small areas follows the cord. To do this, at two opposite ends of the site, using a tape measure, you need to make marks for future rows-lines. Put the pegs in the marked places and pull the cord on every two opposite pegs. Using a 25 cm stick near the cord, mark the planting spots in the row. On the same side of the cord, make the holes with a bayonet, and on loose soil - with ripper cats or hands. A liter of water is poured into the hole. When the water is absorbed into the soil, the roots of the seedlings are placed in the formed mud and well covered with mud, the holes are covered with dry earth, which must then be squeezed tightly. The holes should be so deep that when planting the roots of the plants do not bend. Before planting, it is necessary to examine each strawberry bush and remove plants with diseased, underpowered leaves and roots. In seedlings intended for planting, the roots should be somewhat shortened, leaving them 5-7 cm long. This will contribute to a stronger development of lateral roots.
To protect strawberries from pests, dirt and decay, place roofing material or lutrasil on the ground, making holes in it 25-30 cm wide from each other (cut the canvas with a knife crosswise and fold the corners into the soil).
Make a hole bayonet shovel and arrange the seedlings so that the heart is flush with the soil. If the heart (growth point) is deep, it will rot, if it is high, it will freeze from the cold in winter.
1 - correct;
2 - wrong (deep);
3 - wrong (high)
Sprinkle earth over the roots and compact a little. Water at the rate of 0.5 liters per plant and so on for 7-10 days, until it takes root. Be sure to mulch after watering. It is important that the roots when planting are located in the hole freely and the earth is tightly attached to them. With such a planting, the plant, pulled by the leaf, does not pull out, If the roots are not tightly compressed with earth, then the plant takes root more slowly and may die.
Do not leave the covering material on the site for the next year, since under it the ants will create colonies, which will be extremely difficult to fight - the plants will die.
In dry hot weather, the plants are shaded with green branches or burlap, after watering they are mulched so that the soil does not crust. In November, strawberries are covered in the event that there is no snow cover yet.
Growing strawberries under cover (film tunnels)
The shelter allows plants to develop faster, to ripen several weeks earlier than plants planted in open ground. Usually grown this way early varieties strawberries. The simplest shelters are film tunnels. Strawberries are covered with 1 and 2 years of fruiting. Install tunnels in late April-early May: install wire arcs, placed at a distance of 1 meter from each other, up to half a meter from the ground. Bury the ends in the soil and fix the film on them. The film can sag from the side and top, therefore, the arcs should be secured with twine. The film tunnels need to be ventilated from time to time, watered, mulched and harvested, which means that one side must be made deaf by sprinkling with earth or placing heavy objects on the edges of the film; on the other side, attach the rail to the film. At the end of the shelter, collect the film, tie it into a knot, tie it to the pegs, which you then dig into the ground.
It is not difficult to take care of strawberries in film tunnels, place the thermometer in a shelter, if the temperature inside the structure rises above 25 ° C, then it is urgent to ventilate. When on the street good weather and the strawberries are blooming, the shelter is being removed for the day. When the crop is harvested, the film is removed.
- In summer, strawberries are watered once a week early in the morning warm water... Weed the beds periodically. Fertilize and watch out for pests on strawberries.
- In the fall, strawberries are covered with straw, spruce branches, corn stalks, or fallen leaves (spunbond or lutrasil will also work). If there is no such covering material, then spud the bushes without sprinkling the growth points. Immediately add compost, peat or a mixture of these as fertilizers.
Growing strawberries in vertical beds
Growing takes place in a multi-tiered arrangement of containers. This method can be used both outdoors and indoors in cases where the soil is infertile, heavy, with high level groundwater, near fences and various buildings. The undoubted advantage is the ability to receive a large number of harvest with a small planting area.
As containers for vertical cultivation strawberries use any design of cone-shaped and pyramidal shapes, 10 cm high. The containers should be positioned so that there is a distance of at least 10 cm between the plants, and the volume for each root system is at least 1.5 liters. The containers are filled with a mixture in equal proportions of peat, humus and sod land, you can use peat and sod land in a ratio of 2: 1 and a little sand.
Having prepared containers and freshly dug strawberry seedlings, planting begins from the lower tier. Such strawberries need regular watering with warm water (2-3 times a week, 200-300 g for each bush), fertilizing is carried out (combined with watering) and mustache removal.
Plants are protected from frost as follows:
- The containers are removed and placed on the ground, covered with agrofibre, leaves or peat.
- If the frosts intensify, the layer of "insulation" is also increased, plus it is covered with a layer of snow, trying to keep the temperature inside above 6 ° C.
Growing strawberries under agrofibre
Thus, berries can be obtained earlier, by about a week. When the snow melts, the strawberry bushes are covered with agrofibre, which allows creating good temperature for the growth and development of plants, and also protects against temporary frosts and winds. When the weather conditions become stable, the material is removed.
To get a harvest 2 weeks earlier than usual, you can also use a tunnel under the agrofibre. Long wire frames, 2 m long, are placed in an arc along the rows of strawberries at a distance of 1 m from each other, using a wire with a thickness of 4-6 mm. They are deepened into the ground to a depth of 25-30 cm, fastened on top and covered with agrofibre in April, burying the ends into the ground. If the weather is warm, slightly open the ends of the agrofiber for ventilation. If the weather is completely settled, then the material can be opened completely. Close it with agrofibre immediately after the plants have faded.
An efficient way to grow strawberries from seeds
it interesting waywhich is not suitable for every strawberry variety, and especially not for hybrid varieties.
Prepare a container or box at least 10 cm deep, fill it halfway with purchased seedling soil, water well. Arrange the strawberry seeds and cover the drawer with glass. Attention: you do not need to cover the seeds with soil! Put the box in warm place, the soil will be moistened, and when the first shoots appear, move to the brightest place. Remove the glass from the box. When a few true leaves appear, pick into the pots and fertilize every two weeks with a special strawberry fertilizer. As the seedlings grow up, they can be transplanted into open ground in the country. In order for the cultivation of strawberries from seeds to end with a good harvest, it is important to observe some more rules: plant the seedlings shallowly, do not fill the apical bud. Strawberries that are not planted deeply enough can expose their roots when watering.
How to harvest strawberry seeds: To grow strawberries from seeds, only the largest berries should be used, which are harvested in July-August. With a blade, remove thin layer rub the berries and rub on the cloth. Dry in the sun, peel the seeds and collect in paper bag... Store at room temperature for planting.
To grow strawberries from seeds, pay attention to such varieties as: Mutofavorite, Bogota, Lakomka, Sakhalin and others. So that you can feast on strawberries constantly, select varieties with different terms ripening.
How to water strawberries
- Strawberries are poured from a watering can. This irrigation method is suitable for small planting beds.
- Watering strawberries with a hose is a minimum cost physical strength, but it takes a lot of time, the water is unevenly distributed, it is possible to damage the seedlings and it is impossible to water it with warm water, as strawberries love.
- The presence of a well or a well on the site also takes place.
- Drip irrigation from irrigation system manufacturers - power (water) is supplied directly to the root system. Suitable for growing strawberries in a bag or container way, as the system is installed in a pipe break. For ordinary beds, a system that is installed in lateral surface or at the ends of the pipe. "Factory" drip irrigation It is also good because, along with water, plants can be fed with fertilizers (fertigation). Among the disadvantages are the cost and the inability to protect plants from frost.
- Sprinkling with sprinklers: circular, fan, swing, rotary and other types. But here it is advisable to use warm water.
- In furrows: Before planting, make furrows, water well and plant the seedlings in the furrow walls, depending on how many are row planting.
You can determine the level of soil moisture as follows: use a shovel to dig the soil to the depth of the roots and take soil samples, squeeze in your hand and feel how moist the soil is by touch.
Strawberry care
Remove weeds and any pests you see, and loosen the soil after watering or compaction. If in the year of planting the soil was supplied with organic matter and mineral fertilizers, then strawberries do not need additional feeding. If not, then in the spring, when digging, you need to add 15 g of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium salt to 1 sq. M, 30 g and 10 g, respectively.
Winter care for strawberries
A luxurious snow cover will be an excellent means of protecting plants from frost. The layer should be from 10 to 20 cm. In the absence of snow and mulch in the form of straw at a temperature of -12-16 ° C, plants may die.
Strawberry development in subsequent years
Second year after landing
In the spring, when you see young strawberry shoots among the foliage, remove the shelter, remove the yellowed and dried leaves (burn), as they could overwinter different kinds pathogens and pests. Do not touch the green last year's foliage, it will nourish the plant and protect the buds from spring frosts.
Let the soil dry out so that you can loosen the aisles well. Then just water and loosen. When the ovary forms, spread out sawdust, straw or peat, such mulch will serve to retain moisture and protect against rotting and bending to the ground during the fruiting period.
That's it, now we are harvesting and waiting for the strawberries to start "throwing away" the mustache. Inspect the ridges every week, guiding the mustache into the strawberry rows to thicken them. In one season, an adult strawberry bush should have 3-5 young shoots. With greater thickening for the next year, the yield will fall, the berries will become smaller, and diseases will develop more. Remove the weakest whiskers, they will drink juice from the plant, which can be directed to the development of stronger ones. Before winter, cover the strawberry bushes with spruce branches, straw or other covering material.
Third and fourth year after planting strawberries
Here, the care will be the same, it consists in the regular removal of all whiskers (the bushes no longer need to be compacted), if necessary, remove the foliage at the end of the season and spud regularly adventitious roots (near the soil surface).
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, soil is ideal for strawberries in which the groundwater level is at least 60 cm. Pay attention to the freezing depth: at 8ºC frost, soil freezing should be less than 20 cm.
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Planting methods for strawberries on the site
In order to plant strawberries in a garden plot, there are several methods:
- line method;
- film tunnel method;
- method of vertical beds;
The arrangement of beds and planting of 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 film 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 the plants remains the same as in the two-line method (20 cm), and the distance between the lines changes to 70 cm. the beds are best chosen 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 with 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 strawberries have too long roots, they should be shortened. The average length will be about 7 cm. By pruning the roots, the gardener will enable the plant to further develop its root system.
Not all gardeners know a little trick. In order for ripe berries to remain intact and clean, so that pests and excess moisture do not spoil them, to the ground experienced gardeners roofing material is laid. Crosswise cuts are made on the canvas with a knife. The holes in the canvas should be made at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The corners of the roofing material are folded inward and a plant is planted in the resulting hole. Dig a hole with a small shovel and place the plant in such a way 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 timeplanting 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 ground 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 ground must be tamped and water each plant with water. Water the strawberries for 10 days until they take root. During dry weather in hot weather, plants should be covered with green branches or burlap. In addition, you shouldn't forget about mulching. By loosening the soil, the gardener 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... For this, early varieties of strawberries are suitable, which can be covered with foil.
Installation of tunnels. Tunneling starts in April or May. On the site at a distance of 1 m, wire arcs are installed between themselves. The height of the arches should be approximately 0.5 m from the ground. A film is mounted on the arcs and secured with twine. This is done to prevent the film from sagging between the arcs. Spread earth on one side of the film and lay bricks. And on the other side, 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 simple. 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 carefully 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 groundwater levels. Also, this method is used if strawberries are planted next to buildings or fences. The advantage of the method is a fairly large yield with a relatively small planting area.
Containers for vertical cultivation can be any cone-shaped and pyramidal structures. 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 soil in a 2: 1 ratio by adding a little sand to the mixture.
After the containers and seedlings are prepared, they 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. When 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.
Strawberries are one of the healthiest garden plants... Yield ripe berries stable for several years. With proper care and the right choice the plant gives good harvest... What kind of berries to choose for planting? When to plant strawberries? You can find the answers to all these questions here.
Choosing the right variety
There are many different varieties of strawberries. However, only a few have giant berries. Large fruits are of such varieties as Octava, Rozanka, Elvira-80, Marmion and others.
Growing strawberries in the ground or in pots
This plant is quite applicable for both options. But most often strawberries are grown in the open field. Plants grown directly in the ground remain there for several years. Therefore, you must choose right placeyou want to use pretty long time for growing strawberries. Also, the site should be near a water source, as strawberries require frequent watering. It can also be grown in pots and containers. It is aesthetically pleasing and useful, because strawberries are a storehouse of vitamins. Specialized containers are several pockets for placing plants. If there are restrictions on the area of \u200b\u200byour garden, you can plant strawberries in such containers, pots, or tires from car wheels.
Choosing a place on the site
Before boarding, you must choose a seat, taking into account the following rules:
The plant needs a place that receives six or more hours of sunlight per day.
The site must be near water.
Do not plant strawberries in areas where tomatoes or peppers have grown. These crops can carry verticillium wilt, a disease that can kill a berry plant.
When to plant strawberries? Soil preparation
Before planting, you need to prepare your garden soil by adding plenty of well-seasoned manure, peat and compost. Strawberries grow well in slightly acidic soil, so adding all of these will provide the plant nutrientsand will also improve the structure of the soil.
Some gardeners cover the area before planting with a dark cloth or oilcloth, having made preliminary cutouts for the strawberries. This has several advantages:
The fabric inhibits the growth of weeds as the grass seeds do not receive light.
The soil under the cloth remains warm.
The loss of moisture is reduced, which helps the growth and development of the bushes.
When to plant strawberries?
Usually, gardeners plant and transplant strawberries in late July - early August, when the harvest has already been harvested and the young rosettes have grown. Over time, the strawberry grows and your strawberry rows become cramped for the plant. The yield of berries may decrease, so it is better to divide the bushes in early spring (before flowering), if you did not have time to do this in autumn.
Gardener tips
The lunar calendar when planting strawberries will help you choose an auspicious date. It is better to plant or transplant plants on a cloudy day or in the evening, when there is no active sun. Just dig out the young strawberry rosettes and place them in their new spots. Water the transplanted plants abundantly to help them establish themselves in a new place.
Fertilizer
Growing high-yielding strawberries requires a balanced fertilization every month. The addition of compost every year is also beneficial.
Watering
Plants like well-drained, moist soil. Make sure your plants are getting enough water. Watering should be done in the evening or early in the morning.
Winter care
In areas with harsh winters, it is best to use mulch to prevent strawberries from freezing. Pine mulch or straw works well as they are light enough to not crush the plants. In the spring, after the soil dries out, gently rake away all the mulch from the site.
Delicious garden berry
Growing strawberries is an affordable and enjoyable way to produce fresh, sweet berries in your own garden. Now you know when to plant strawberries and how to care for them. By taking these simple stepsyou can enjoy fresh delicious berry for a long time.
Strawberry!!! You can talk about it endlessly. Strawberries are most often mistakenly called large-fruited garden strawberries... Real strawberries are rarely grown in gardens. It differs from strawberries in a number of biological features. But since it happened so, in the future we will talk about strawberries, bearing in mind that they are still large-fruited strawberries. Everyone loves strawberries, they are very tasty and healthy. Probably there is no other berry in the garden that could compete with it. Obviously, therefore, each owner personal plot dreams of the magnificence of the strawberry beds in his garden, abundantly strewn with berries. It seems to a novice gardener that growing strawberries is a difficult process and it is too early for him to do it. But it only seems at first glance. Once you learn the basics, any gardener can get great results. We start with planting material ... It is also worth mentioning that often summer residents, in addition to growing fruits in the garden, are interested in breeding bees. If you are unable to breed bees on your own and have your own honey, you can always purchase it from a trusted seller.
Strawberries are bred with either seeds or mustaches. You can purchase ready-made seedlings with a closed root system, grown in plastic containers... Such seedlings can be planted throughout the season, they take root well. Seedlings obtained from seeds are healthier planting material because diseases in strawberries are not transmitted through seeds, and the layers obtained from the mustache can be infected from the mother bush. Instructions for growing seedlings from seeds can be found on the package.
Strawberries are considered one of the tastiest and most easily grown berries. The fruit consists of a tender, juicy pulp with a delicious aroma and taste.
Strawberries are very nutritious and contain valuable chemical substances: organic acids, dyes, tannins, calcium salts, iron metals, a lot of sugar, phosphorus, vitamins of group A, B, C.
Strawberry is a perennial plant that occupies a niche between shrub and herbaceous forms. It has three types of shoots: shortened stems, whiskers, peduncles. It is easy to grow it on any site, observing only a few rules. We will talk about how to properly grow strawberries in this article.
How to properly grow strawberries on the site?
Where to plant strawberries? Choosing a place
It is better to plant strawberries on flat irrigated areas protected from the wind, where there are no perennial weeds. You can plant bushes between gooseberries or currants. In the garden with big trees it is better not to plant strawberries, in the shade it will bear fruit poorly, besides, when spraying trees, dangerous pesticides can get on it.
Strawberries are unpretentious, can grow on any soil, but still, the largest harvest it produces on light soils rich in humus. Fruits poorly on saline soils, limestone, with a close occurrence of groundwater.
The most high yield strawberries are observed in the first year, which is why, taking off several harvests, strawberries need to be alternated with other crops. It is better to do this every 3 or 4 years.
It is very important to prepare the soil well before planting. The richer it is in nutrients, the more powerful the root system will be, therefore, more productive fruiting.
To successfully grow strawberries, the soil must be prepared a month before planting. Dig up to a depth of 30 cm. For planting in the spring, the soil is prepared in the fall. For 1 sq. up to 8 kg of compost, about 100 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt are introduced. Loosen and level the soil.
How to plant strawberries correctly?
Strawberries can be planted from spring to autumn, but best time for planting bushes - late summer, early autumn. The bushes must have time to take root, get stronger in order to endure the winter.
When choosing planting material, give preference to plants with a well-formed rosette, with 3-4 leaves, in the center the growth bud should be intact, dense, green. Roots up to 6 cm long should not be dry, have a good lobe.
There are several ways to plant strawberries. Plain strawberries are best planted in rows. On the prepared plantation, rows should be marked at a distance of 50 cm from each other. In each row, prepare shallow pits, between which there should be 20 to 30 cm, fill them with water.
Two antennae can be planted in one hole. Before planting, cut the roots to 4 cm so that they do not bend in the ground. Sprinkle the bushes with earth, press down. Further, a little secret, each bush, as it were, is pulled up a little by the leaves, this must be done so that the heart (rosette) is cleared of soil and does not rot in the future.
After planting, it's important to water the strawberries properly. You need to water around the bush and make sure that water does not get into the center. Before firm rooting of seedlings, water the strawberries in the morning and in the evening.
Some gardeners use black film when growing strawberries. Under it the soil warms up well, whiskers do not take root, there are no weeds, and the soil remains loose and moist. At the same time, the berries are always clean and dry.
Continuing the theme of planting strawberries, we want to offer you a training video on how to plant strawberries correctly.
Strawberry propagation
Continuing the topic of how to grow strawberries, it is important to reveal the issue of its reproduction. Strawberries reproduce in several ways: by dividing bushes, by seeds, or by mustache seedlings.
- To get the latest high-yielding varieties, for growing repair strawberries without whiskers, apply seeds.
- Varieties that do not have a mustache growth are propagated by seedlings obtained by dividing the bush. The bush is dug out of the ground, divided into bunches with roots, which are then planted.
The main breeding method, the fastest and most reliable, is a mustache seedling. Ready rooted shoots are dug out, separated from the mother plant, the roots are cut to 6-7 cm, extra leaves, leaving 3-4 leaves.
The seedlings should have a well-developed bud (core), an overgrown root system. The dug out seedlings are temporarily dipped in an earthen chatterbox so that the roots do not dry out. It is better to plant it on the same day.
How to care for strawberries?
Soil for strawberries and fertilizer
In early spring it is necessary to clean the strawberry plantation with a rake. All dry leaves, dead whiskers, dried bushes are scooped up, they are carriers of pests and diseases.
After that, the soil must be well fertilized with mineral fertilizers, humus must be added and loosened well. Throughout the growing season, the soil should not contain weeds, be always loosened and well, but moderately watered. When the ovaries begin to form, the soil should be moist, the yield will depend on this.
For 1 sq. up to 30 liters of water is consumed, after each harvest, refreshing watering is performed - up to 10 liters per 1 square meter.
Mulching strawberries
When ovaries begin to form, it is recommended to stop loosening the soil and mulch. Best material for this - rye or wheat straw... So that the weed seeds and grains in it do not sprout, the material must be prepared in advance: shake the straw, moisten it with water and leave it in the sun, the seeds will germinate.
After the straw dries well, you can use it as mulch. For the same purposes, hay, mown before the formation of seeds in the grass, is suitable.
On the market especially for mulching, you can buy the black covering material "Agril".
Mulching the soil allows you to grow large and sweet strawberries: to retain moisture, prevents weed growth, helps ripe berries not to rot, color better, stay dry, facilitates their collection.
If strawberries are watered by rain, mulching is carried out to a thickness of up to 7 cm in a continuous layer. When watering along the grooves, mulching is carried out only under the bushes, leaving aisles for watering.
After fruiting ends, all the straw, and with it dry shoots, leaves are raked up and burned. All pests and foci of diseases are destroyed at the same time.
Further watering and fertilizing strawberries
After the completion of fruiting, the plant begins to grow new roots, whiskers, leaves. At this time, you need to feed the bushes with organic and mineral fertilizers, water and loosen the soil. This will ensure normal growth of new shoots. For 1 sq. up to 3 kg of humus, up to 30 g of superphosphates, up to 15 g of saltpeter, 20 g of potassium salt are introduced.
In the summer, the soil should be kept loose, moderately moist, free from weeds. This will allow future flower buds to form correctly.
It is worth noting, however, that excessive nutrition can affect the excessive growth of vegetative mass, this can lead to stretching, thickening of plants, and the formation of gray rot. So irrigation and fertilization during this period should be optimal.
Freezing - how to preserve strawberries?
During the flowering of strawberries, frosts are often observed in the middle regions of Russia. How to protect the future harvest from them? To combat frost, smoke heaps are made around the area with strawberries, they should not burn much, but emit a lot of smoke.
How to make a smoke pile correctly? A stake is driven into the ground, around which dry is laid down combustible material (needles, straw, brushwood, shavings). On top of it - straw manure, tops, raw leaves. All this is covered with an earthen layer up to 6 cm.
If the soil temperature drops to zero, the stake is removed from the pile, and a torch is inserted in its place. Smoke should continue for two hours after sunrise.
Strawberry flowers can be protected by sprinkling, starting before the temperature drops and continuing after sunrise until all the ice has left the plants.
Can strawberries be grown all year round?
Is it possible to grow strawberries not only in the spring-summer period, but also in winter, autumn, that is all year round? This question is of interest to many amateur gardeners. Yes, strawberries can be grown throughout the year, not only in greenhouses, but even in an apartment. For this, special remontant strawberry varieties were bred.
Such strawberries do not like multiple transplants, so you need to immediately pick up a convenient container for growing for them. In it, it will grow and winter. Most unpretentious variety of the remontant strawberry is called "Elizabeth II".
Each individual plant will need 3 liters of soil. If the strawberries will be planted in a pot or jar, choose a container that is more spacious. In boxes and containers, the bushes should grow from each other at a distance of up to 20 cm. A popular method of growing is in bags, in this case it is possible to harvest more than five crops per year.
The main condition for growing a remontant variety is good lighting, lamps are used for this daylight... It is also necessary to provide a comfortable temperature and ventilation. A balcony or a heated greenhouse is best.
How to grow strawberry seeds?
Strawberry seeds can be grown and planted both in the garden and in pots.
This is not difficult at all if you follow the following rules:
- To collect seeds, you need to select a strawberry variety that has not been grafted, otherwise you will not be able to achieve the desired results. Often the seeds of grafted varieties do not even germinate.
- Opt for a ripe, dark red berry with soft flesh.
- Strawberries must be placed in a bowl of water, covered with a lid and left to ferment for 4 days.
- Using a fine sieve, rub the softened fruit through it and separate the seeds with a spoon. This should be done with care so as not to damage the seeds.
- Rinse the seeds directly in a sieve under running water.
- Gently select the seeds and place them on a linen towel. Leave to dry for five days.
- After the seeds are well dry, separate them with a thin needle from each other, place them in a paper bag. Store in a cool place.
- Do not forget to sign the packet: the strawberry variety, the date the seeds were harvested.
How to grow strawberries - video
We offer you a video about correct cultivation strawberries.
Pruning strawberries
Spring strawberry care
Secrets of effective strawberry cultivation for a good harvest
1. Planting material for strawberries
2. Sowing strawberries
3. Planting strawberries in the ground
4. Care of strawberries
5. Ripening of strawberries
6. Preparing strawberries for winter