Strawberries are one of the most beloved berries by both children and adults. It is grown in almost every household plot, and with proper care, even from a small bed they get a crop that is enough for food and for harvesting for the winter.
After fruiting, it is necessary to provide the bushes with a comfortable wintering and reliable protection against frost, but in spring, gardeners have more important tasks. What is the care of strawberries in the spring, when you can carry out the necessary procedures, and when it is better to leave the berries alone, how to protect the plantings from pests and diseases, and also a lot of other very important information you can find out from the article.
Content
Does strawberry need care when planting in the open ground
Mostly strawberries are grown in open ground. Greenhouses are rarely built for berries, mainly when it comes to industrial scale. Today there are varieties that are suitable for indoor conditions, but in flower pots on window sills - this is more exotic than a way to harvest.
Strawberry - a plant, in general, unpretentious. It can grow on different types of soil, does not require constant attention to itself, but still needs some care, and especially in spring. The main stages of positive cultivation are:
- irrigation (stimulates the processes of vegetation);
- loosening (provides oxygen to the roots, prevents stagnation of moisture);
- top dressing (increases yield and quality of fruits);
- mulching (protects against drying out, frost);
- transplantation (helps to prolong the fruiting period).
Features of strawberry care in the spring
In parallel with the melting of snow, a strawberry wakes up. You cannot postpone all necessary procedures. It is necessary to carry out everything planned on time, because after wintering the sprouts need support and top dressing, and the future harvest depends on how well they are carried out.
But focusing only on melting snow is not worth it. In some regions, this may take a long time. In this case, the beds can be sprinkled with wood ash. This will accelerate melting and help young sprouts to quickly escape from the snow captivity.
When there is no snow on the beds, you need
- cleanse dry leaves, mulch and other plant debris;
- inspect the bushes and remove dry leaves, frozen shoots and unnecessary antennae;
- pick weeds;
- loosen the soil;
- to feed.
You should also carefully examine the strawberries in order to identify possible bare roots after winter. In this case, they must be sprinkled on top with a mixture of sand, peat and garden soil (in equal shares).
In the suburbs and the Volga region, work with strawberries begins in late March. In the Urals and Siberia, work is shifted by 2-3 weeks. After cleaning the debris above the beds, you can make a film shelter, this will protect the young sprouts and make it possible to get the crop 1.5-2 weeks earlier.
Shelter removal after winter
If the strawberry was under cover, there is no need to rush to remove it.Under it, a greenhouse effect is created, and young sprouts can not withstand a sharp temperature drop and die. But overexposure is not worth it. Otherwise, there is a risk that the bushes will grow too quickly, and even because of the excessive amount of moisture, molds and rotting of the plants may begin.
Depending on the region, shelter can be removed in mid-April - early May. This procedure should be carried out gradually. First, the agrofibre or film is removed literally for half an hour in the warm time of the day, then the time is gradually increased, always covering at night.
If straw, fallen leaves or another mulch was used as a shelter, you need to gently move it around the bushes, and then, after a while, when the strawberry adapts to natural conditions, it must be completely removed.
Watering, loosening, mulching
Loosening the soil in beds with strawberries is one of the most important principles for caring for it. The first time it is carried out as soon as the earth dries slightly. This will retain moisture at the roots, improve oxygen access to them.
This first loosening is the most important. Due to melting, the soil is overly compacted. Do not miss this time, if you carry out the procedure in a timely manner, you can increase the yield by 10-15% in such a simple way.
Between the rows, you can loosen the earth to a depth of 10 cm. Near the bushes, you should be more careful, otherwise the root system, which is located almost on the surface, may be damaged.
Watering is also important for the crop. It should be carried out as necessary, monitoring the condition of the soil. If it crumbles in your hands, then the time has come, and if it sticks together in a lump, you can still wait.
Before flowering begins, you can water from a hose or watering can directly through the bushes, as soon as flowers and ovary appear, only the soil should be watered.
Any strawberry grower in their area should know the so-called critical periods during which irrigation is required. The first - before flowering, the second after harvesting. At this time, at least a bucket of water must be poured under each bush, but gradually, so that the moisture is evenly absorbed.
Another of the mandatory methods for the care of strawberries is mulching. Mulch does not allow weeds to grow, retains moisture in the soil, does not allow berries to contact the ground, rot and get dirty. Also, using mulching, it turns out to make the soil more loose, to supplement its composition with nutrients. And the beds with mulch look more neat and attractive.
You can use film, newspapers, dry grass and freshly cut weed, humus from leaves, needles, etc. Mulch should be laid out with a layer of 4-6 cm.
Mulching is carried out after fertilizing with fertilizers.
Top dressing
Hurry to feed strawberries is not worth it. The first time the bush is more than enough meltwater, let them absorb its maximum amount. When the leaves grow well, you can begin to fertilize.
Organics are added during the preparation of the garden bed, introducing it directly into the soil. If you use 5-8 kg per square meter, this amount is enough for about 5 years.
In spring, it is necessary to feed strawberries with nitrogen (ammonium nitrate 35 g per square meter) at the first loosening and potassium (potassium sulfate 30 g per square meter) before flowering. This is enough until the fall.
Top dressing can be carried out in a dry way, sprinkling fertilizer between the rows, or liquid, dissolving the specified amount in 10 sheets of water and carefully spilling the soil.
If strawberries need additional nutrition, you can dissolve 1 part of chicken manure in 10 parts of water and insist 5-7 days. After pouring 100 ml under each bush.
Pruning
The first pruning of leaves is carried out when inspecting the bushes in early spring. Remove under the root all sodden, frozen and old leaves. Leave only fresh greens, do not spare, otherwise there may not be a crop at all.
The second time to trim the leaves should be after fruiting. If the plantings are very large, a complete mowing under the root is carried out, but at home it is better to devote a little time to this and cut off only the old ones that have begun to die. You should also remove any signs of spoilage or illness. A new young leave.
After the procedure, you need to feed and thoroughly water.
Disease and Pest Treatment
Prevention is the best treatment, so consider these measures first.
For spring spraying strawberries use:
- Zircon. This drug is natural, it improves the plant's immunity;
- Fitosporin. Protects from gray rot;
- Phytocide. Prevents the development of fungus;
- Actellik. Eliminates insect pests.
These are broad-based remedies, and there is also a specially developed “Strawberry Rescuer”. This medication is effective:
- stimulates growth and development;
- protects against ticks and other pests;
- prevents the development of late blight and other diseases of strawberries;
- creates a harmful environment for larvae and eggs of pests.
With all its merits, the product is absolutely safe for people, animals and any crops.
You can use folk remedies. Even regular potassium permanganate with regular use perfectly protects strawberries from fungi and pests.
Seating of old bushes
It is believed that strawberries can only be transplanted in the fall, but it is also allowed to do this in the spring. It is especially advisable to plant old bushes if not everyone has survived the wintering well and there are dead. Then it is possible to drop young sockets in their place, only it is necessary to act very promptly, otherwise these landings may die.
Planting should be carried out when there are no leaves on young sprouts. The bush should be divided in half, leaving one part in place, and the second transplanted into the prepared hole. After feeding peat, and after two to three days watering (only if there is a need).
In a month it will be clear whether the sprout has taken root or not.
How to reanimate a crop if it had time to freeze
Not all strawberry bushes tolerate wintering, but you should not be upset. If the plant died, then it was weakened or hurt. Harvesting from him sensible would still not have been received. But if only a part has frozen, you need to take resuscitation measures without delay.
To do this, dig the entire bush. Divide it (cut with a sharp knife) into parts (each should have 2-3 leaves), removing the affected leaves. After lowering the roots into potassium permanganate for half an hour. Pour the prepared hole, mix with peat and humus, plant strawberry seedlings at the root point.
Care Mistakes
To destroy the beds with strawberries can not only diseases and pests, but also the gardeners themselves. The most common errors are:
- excessive fertilizing;
- damage to the growth point during pruning of old leaves;
- deepening in the soil;
- too deep loosening near the bush, which leads to injury to the roots.
Experienced gardeners say that it is better not to pay enough attention to strawberries than to give an excessive amount of it.
Advice
And for beginners, and those who have been growing strawberries for more than a year and consider themselves a professional, the following tips will not hurt:
- use drip irrigation for strawberries, this will help to achieve the optimal level of soil moisture;
- when choosing a place for the bed, consider the principles of crop rotation. Strawberries love the soil after onions and garlic, beets and carrots, celery and any greens;
- add peat and sand to the soil so that the bed is light and airy;
- Do not fertilize with manure and other organics in the spring, this procedure is best done in the fall.
And also, make a plan for the care of strawberries, follow all the points, and she will certainly thank you with a generous harvest.
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