Strawberries, or garden strawberries, are unpretentious and capable of producing berries under any conditions. But only with proper care will the berries be large and tasty, and the harvest stable. We will tell you how to care for strawberries so that they develop well, do not get sick, and bear fruit abundantly every year.

As soon as the snow melts, you can start processing the strawberry beds. We remove the cover, if there was one, and remove the old mulch.

• Gently loosen the soil around the bushes, trying not to damage the roots.
• We inspect the plants, cut off all damaged and dried leaves.
• We remove frozen plants.
• Overgrown bushes can be divided and replanted, at which time they will take root well.
• If necessary, carefully add soil to the exposed “growing point.”
• We pull out the weeds if they hatch.
• We combine watering with fertilizing and protection from diseases and pests.

Top dressing

In the spring, to stimulate the growth of vegetative mass, strawberries should be treated with preparations containing nitrogen. Feeding options:

• Urea (3 tablespoons) + 10 liters of water. After thoroughly stirring, pour 500 ml of solution under each plant.
• Ammonia (40 ml) + 10 liters of water. Having prepared the solution, water the entire plant using a watering can with wide holes; the solution cannot be stored.
• We use Fertika organomineral fertilizers (for strawberries) and OMU according to the instructions. In addition to the complex of NPK elements, they contain various trace elements and humic components.

In spring, foliar feeding is especially useful. Young leaves respond positively to spraying with nutrient solutions. Treat the entire plant after watering.

In spring we feed strawberries only once. We choose one of the options proposed above; you cannot use several nitrogen-containing drugs at the same time.

Protection from pests and diseases

In early spring, microorganisms that have overwintered in the upper layer of soil are activated. Burn old mulch removed from the garden bed and cut dried leaves.

To protect strawberries, water them and spray them with specially prepared solutions.

• Phytosporin: water to protect rot.
• Zircon: spray to boost immunity.
• Iodine (15 drops) + 10 liters of water; spray against gray rot and powdery mildew.
• Potassium permanganate (1/2 teaspoon) + a bucket of hot water (50 °C). Pour 200 ml of solution under the root of each plant.

After all initial measures to resuscitate strawberries have been carried out, the space between the bushes can be covered with straw or sawdust. This will prevent the soil from drying out, hinder the growth of weeds and protect the berries from contact with the ground.

Caring for strawberries in summer

During this period, we carry out standard care measures: water, feed, fight pests and diseases.

• We keep the soil in the beds moist by watering the plants 1 – 2 times a week. In hot weather you will have to water more often. Do not overwater strawberries; they react poorly to waterlogging.
• We remove the first tendrils so as not to weaken the plant. For reproduction, we leave a few secondary whiskers.
• We regularly inspect the bushes, remove damaged parts and monitor the appearance of pests and signs of disease.
• In the summer, strawberries will need potassium and phosphorus. We feed with mullein solution, which contains potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen in the proportions necessary for good fruiting.

Preparation of the feeding solution:

• Mullein: fill the bucket ¼ full with manure and add water; let sit for several days until the ammonia smell disappears.
• For watering: 1 liter of mullein + 4 liters of water; per 1 sq. m we use 10 liters of nutrient solution.

During the flowering period:

• Boric acid (5 g) + 1 liter of hot water, dissolved; add to a bucket of water; spray 2 times a week. The berries will grow large.

During the fruiting period:

• We reduce watering so as not to provoke the appearance of rot.
• Remove excess mustache.
• Weeding and loosening strawberries is not recommended.

After harvesting:

• We remove old bushes (3 years old) of strawberries.
• We tear off all the old, dried, damaged leaves.
• If we plan to propagate strawberries, we leave the first two rosettes on the bushes and cut off the rest. After the rosettes have rooted, we plant them in a permanent place.
• We carry out preventive treatment against pests and diseases. You can use the drug Fitoverm (2 treatments with an interval of 4 days), Bordeaux mixture.
• We fertilize with organic matter (horse manure, chicken droppings). In August we use liquid fertilizer. At a later date, you can spread pieces of organic matter between the bushes. In winter, it will additionally protect the roots from freezing, and in the spring, when the snow melts, it will enter the soil as the first fertilizing.
• We root strong rosettes left for propagation; We remove the remaining whiskers and rosettes.

Video: caring for strawberries in spring:

Caring for remontant strawberries

Remontant strawberries allow you to harvest multiple times during the season. It needs frequent feeding in order to bloom and bear fruit profusely.

In spring, strawberries are fed as usual - with nitrogen fertilizers. Next, we periodically fertilize the plant when planting flower stalks and after harvesting.

On some remontant varieties you can simultaneously see buds, ovaries, flowers and ripe fruits. It is recommended to feed such bushes every week, alternating ash, green fertilizer and organic matter.

• Ash top dressing: 1 glass of ash + 10 liters of water, leave for 1 hour. Contains potassium, phosphorus, microelements.
• Green fertilizer: 200 g of young nettle leaves + 1 liter of boiling water, leave for two days. Before watering, add the infusion to a bucket of water. Contains nitrogen and potassium.
• Organic fertilizer: mullein infusion (1:10) or bird droppings infusion (1:20). Contains phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen.

Throughout the season, we remove drying leaves and fruitless tendrils from strawberries. The plant will overwinter along with the leaves; we will remove them in the spring, when we prepare the strawberries for the next fruiting cycle.

Caring for garden strawberries involves performing a number of simple agrotechnical measures. With a little effort, you will collect a large harvest of aromatic and tasty berries on your plot.

Strawberries are not only a very tasty crop, but also very rewarding. By creating optimal conditions for it, you can get full yield of berries, and the yield sometimes stuns even experienced gardeners.

It is not difficult to understand what optimal conditions are and how to create them, but agricultural work must be carried out:

• regularly;
• in a timely manner;
• in accordance with the biological characteristics of the culture.

Regional features of strawberry care

Starting from early spring until the moment when the strawberries go under the snow, strawberry bushes need care.

The snow has melted - it's time to open the season for caring for strawberries.

If it’s not difficult to learn the basics, then you can only understand what exactly your strawberry plantation needs by carefully observing the crop.

It's no secret that strawberries are grown in all climatic zones, and this is what imposes its own characteristics. Growth, development and productivity are affected by:

• humidity;
• temperature;
• soils.

All these indicators are different in different climatic zones, and taking them into account, it is possible to prevent the development of many diseases, and help the strawberry crop show its full genetic potential.

Seasonal strawberry care

It often happens that novice gardeners take care of the carrier of the fragrant berry until the moment of fruiting, and after harvesting, they forget about it.

Immediately after the snow melts, you can put up a greenhouse if you plan to plant homemade strawberry seedlings early.

But having given away the sweet fruits, the strawberry bushes immediately begin to take care of the “heirs” - the mustache, and then lay flower buds for future fruiting. Leaving the bed to itself, without fertilizing and watering, will not be possible to get a good yield next year.

In order to properly care for strawberries, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the seasonal work plan and promptly, if necessary, make adjustments to it. The need may arise in the following cases:

Spring strawberry care begins with cleaning the garden bed.

As soon as the snow begins to melt, the old strawberry leaves become visible, they are large and green. They will continue to function for some time. Their role is great; in the process of redistribution, nutrients from the leaves move to the rhizome and new growing rosettes. When the leaf turns brown it can and should be removed.

There are many opinions about when and whether it is necessary to remove foliage, but the removal of healthy foliage is not scientifically justified, but those that have served their purpose can already be cut off.

The soil needs to be loosened and wilted leaves trimmed.

As a rule, you need to dig up the rows in the fall, but if this is not done, you can do it in early spring.

In the spring, you need to rake out last year's mulch, weeds, and old leaves.. By carrying out this work, we remove pathogens and pests that have found a winter refuge along with the debris, and also allow the soil to warm up faster, which will speed up the extension of flower stalks and fruiting.

Feeding

Early spring feeding can be of two types:

1. To boost immunity;
2. Nitrogen fertilizer.

If the strawberry plantation was planted at the end of last summer or early autumn, and the soil is prepared according to all the rules of agricultural technology, then such strawberries do not need spring feeding.

For immunity

After harvesting, before the start of the growing season, it is advisable to help the strawberries adapt and treat them with immunostimulating drugs like “ Kendal" Dissolving 1 tbsp. spoon in a bucket of water and treating the bed can increase the protective powers of the crop, especially if the winter has not been entirely successful.

Experienced gardeners speak well of the drug " Megafol" Biologically available nutrients contained in the fertilizer are quickly absorbed by strawberry bushes and distributed throughout all generative organs, helping them quickly enter the fruiting stage.

Nitrogenous fertilizer

If strawberries have been growing in one place for several years, or were planted in unprepared soil, then thorough feeding is required.

With the appearance of young leaves, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied.

The beginning of the strawberry growing season occurs when the soil just begins to thaw. Then, literally after 10–20 days (depending on the air temperature), the phase of extension of peduncles follows. During this period, there is no time to think, but you need to feed the bushes with quickly soluble nitrogen fertilizers. You can’t scatter granules under the bushes; they take time to dissolve, but you need to prepare a solution and water it.

For feeding, you can use a ready-made universal preparation for strawberries “Master”. Ingredients: urea, superphosphate, orthophosphoric acid are in the fertilizer in an easily accessible, chelated form and will be immediately absorbed by the plant.

You can feed with a solution consisting of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate, 20 g per bucket of water. 250 ml of this fertilizer is poured under each bush.

If the weather is not favorable

Sometimes spring is not pleasant with warmth and sun, and constant rainfall does not contribute to optimal growth.

In this case, you cannot do without the help of drugs. "Growth concentrate", "Kendal", "Baikal" . By feeding with these means, we will increase immunity and stimulate the movement of nutrients. Regardless of the weather, the flower stalks will find the strength to carry out the necessary biochemical processes for advancement.

Watering

Nutrients can be absorbed by the root system only in liquid form.

As soon as the earthen crust dries out from the melt water, we begin to water the strawberries.

Consequently, as soon as the earthen ball under the root system dried out, the nutrition stopped. At this moment, growth, development, and protrusion of peduncles stop and the process of aging and death begins.

If it is not possible to provide a strawberry bed with constant irrigation, you should not dream of a good yield - it will not happen. Moreover, there is no point in planning and planting strawberries without watering.

In the period of modern technologies, it is absolutely simple and inexpensive to equip beds with drip irrigation; this will make the gardener’s life easier and will ensure crop productivity.

Diseases and pests

If the garden bed is new, it makes sense to talk to your neighbors in the area and ask them about the troubles on the strawberry plantation, since insects will certainly bring pathogens and pests to you.

At the first symptoms of diseases, we treat the plantation with biological preparations.

When analyzing last year’s season, you need to remember what disease or pest “ruled” the garden bed and take preventive treatments.”

As soon as the peduncle begins to emerge, treatment with drugs "Calypso", "Nurell-D", "Taurus", "Caesar" will prevent the appearance of mites, aphids, weevils, wireworms, and thrips on strawberries.

Against berry rot, as soon as strawberries begin to bloom, treatment with drugs is good "Switch" and "Teldo".

Care after fruiting

Harvesting can take up to a month.

Working with a mustache

We leave the mustache only for reproduction.

If you don't need planting material, work hard remove mustache in time . As soon as they reach a length of 10 cm, they are cut with scissors. Strawberries spend a lot of nutrients to grow mustaches, so those varieties in which their formation is not very pronounced need less feeding. Mustache trimming is carried out 2-3 times and occurs mainly in mid-summer.

If planting material is needed, then the mustaches are left, but only the first two, and the rest are also removed.

When growing seedlings, you need to constantly correct and direct the tendrils in the right direction, and the place where the rosette is formed should be spudded and kept in optimal humidity.

Feeding

To make strawberries bloom better, we apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Beginner gardeners, sometimes having harvested their crops, leave the strawberries alone, but exactly at the end of summer strawberries need some TLC, which will ensure the yield of the next season.

Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are needed to set flower buds. However, practice shows that the best effect is obtained when organic and mineral fertilizing alternates. This happens because potassium and phosphorus are brought into an “digestible” form with the help of microflora, and organic matter will help maintain the amount of microflora at an optimal level.

If you build a plan in which fertilizing is carried out every 12-15 days, but with alternation, then next season the strawberry yield will increase significantly.

For summer feeding, it is good to use an infusion of mullein or chicken droppings.

• For organic feeding, add water to a bucket 0.5 kg of horse, cow or pig manure, or 0.2 kg of chicken manure , dissolves and waters 250 ml under each bush.
• For mineral feeding, 2 tbsp is dissolved in the same amount of water. spoons of superphosphate. If the soils are light and there is a lot of precipitation, then the frequency of fertilizing needs to be increased and done every 7–10 days .
• Gives an excellent effect adding furnace ash with immediate embedment into the ground. It must be added at the rate of 1 kg per m2.

Summer watering

Like spring, summer watering is an integral part.

The formation of whiskers and the formation of buds require a huge amount of nutrients, and all of them will enter the strawberry vascular system only when they are in dissolved form.

Watering should be optimal and not allow the earthen ball under the strawberry bushes and young rosettes to dry out.

Weed control and loosening

Prevent weeds from growing.

Moisture and nutritious soils are to the liking of not only strawberries, but also their competitors - weeds. Weeds should not be allowed to rise higher than 1 cm.

To make maintenance easier, high mulching is used. With its help, you can easily achieve optimal humidity with small waterings and block the access of sunlight to weeds, thereby preventing their growth.

Try to find a strawberry bush here.

When pulling out weeds, you should simultaneously loosen the soil, which will improve soil aeration.

Caring for strawberries in autumn

Summer feeding continues until mid-September. A good supply of nutrients will allow the bushes to prepare for future fruiting, etc.

The main task of autumn is to carry out an inspection, with an analysis of what was seen, and cleaning. Take a closer look at the bushes, their centers and leaves. Damaged and wilted bushes must be mercilessly removed. , reddened and yellowed, are cut off and taken out of the garden. There is no point in storing such material; it will be a source of infection of neighboring bushes.

If there are not many damaged bushes, then the place where they grow, after removal, can be covered with stove ash, which, creating high alkalinity, will “finish off” the remainder of the spore-bearing microorganisms. It would be a good idea to scatter the ash throughout the area.

conclusions

Strawberry yield depends on many factors and none of them should be neglected.

Video about caring for strawberries

In order to get maximum yields of strawberries (garden strawberries), you need to properly care for them. Agricultural technology can correct many mistakes made during planting, as well as reveal all the advantages of the variety. If not properly cared for, strawberries produce small, sour berries, and varietal differences are reduced to nothing.

These strawberries have been properly cared for.

Introduction to strawberries

Strawberries are a perennial plant grown for their berries. The plantation produces high yields for no more than 4 years, then the berries become smaller and their taste becomes sour. Although bushes with proper care can live for more than 20 years, their yields will be small.

Horns

The bush has about 30 rosettes (horns). The older the bush, the greater the number of 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 strawberry bushes have many horns, weak ones have few.

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

Strawberry bush structure diagram

Mustache

The plants produce the strongest tendrils in the first year of cultivation; every year the tendril formation becomes weaker, while the tendrils become smaller. By the fourth year, strawberries usually no longer produce whiskers. If someone receives vegetative shoots from his 5-6 year old plantation, it is because it was poorly cared for and there are bushes of different ages, and the shoots are produced by young rooted plants.

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

Berries

The quality of strawberries is influenced by several factors.

1. Soil composition. Strawberries growing in poor soils have a less pronounced flavor than those grown in fertile soils.
2. Weather. The more direct sun the bushes get, the sweeter the berries. Strawberries growing under the canopy of trees, no matter how you care for them, usually have sour berries.
3. Variety Most European strawberry varieties are sweeter than domestic ones.

Properties of berries.

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

On a personal plot, where good taste is more valued 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, you should pick the berries not fully ripe, since it is the ripe berries that are affected by rot and mold first.

Advantages and disadvantages of culture

The main advantages of strawberries.

• Strawberries can produce good yields with very small doses of fertilizer and simple care. The main thing is to fertilize the soil well before planting the crop.
• Annual harvests. Strawberries do not have a periodicity of fruiting, like some other berries (for example, raspberries).
• Quick first harvest.
• Very simple and easy propagation. A bush is capable of producing several dozen tendrils per season, from which the best ones 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 by gray rot. 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 the disease than European ones.
• Insufficient self-fertility of strawberries. To ensure good berry set, several different varieties are grown on the plot.
• Winter hardiness is the ability not only to withstand negative temperatures, but also winter thaws without being damaged. In domestic varieties it is quite high, and the loss of bushes in spring is insignificant. European varieties of strawberries have lower winter hardiness; the plants freeze slightly, and in severe winters they freeze completely. But some imported varieties grow successfully in our conditions; The bushes are covered for the winter, which somewhat reduces plant loss.
• Short fruiting period. The berry plant produces maximum yields for 3-4 years, then it must be completely renewed.

All the shortcomings of the berry plant can be overcome; the main thing is not to leave the strawberries without proper care.

Features of growing and caring for strawberries

The main components of proper care are:

1. weeding;
2. loosening;
3. water regime;
4. feeding

Caring for strawberries is not difficult, but it requires patience and systematicity.

Weeding strawberry beds

Strawberry plantings should always be free of weeds. This crop 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 trimmed, especially in the spring. If they are removed in time, the plants will switch to flowering, otherwise all the strength of the bushes will go into the formation of berries and there will be no berries.

Loosening

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

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

How to water strawberries

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

It is better to water between rows; for this purpose, make a furrow in the middle of the bed when planting, which will collect water when the snow melts and during watering. The plants are not watered at the roots, since the strawberry root system is spreading and the bulk of the roots are located on the periphery of the above-ground part of the plant.

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

Before flowering, strawberry plantations can be watered with “rain”.

During the flowering and fruiting period, only the row spacing is watered; the water temperature should not be lower than 15°C. The rest of the time, plants tolerate watering well with cold water.

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

During flowering and ovary growth in the event of rainy weather, strawberries suffer from waterlogging. Signs of this are the appearance of large brown spots on the leaves and ovaries (without spoilage). Waterlogging of strawberry plantations especially often occurs on dense clay soils. The roots cannot provide normal nutrition to the above-ground parts and the bushes begin to drop the largest berries.

When signs of oxygen starvation appear, deep loosening (5-7 cm) is carried out. If the berry grower experiences constant waterlogging, then the beds are raised to 15-20 cm. When the strawberries do not have ovaries, they do not suffer from waterlogging, but, on the contrary, produce lush foliage and powerful tendrils.

Fertilizing strawberries with folk remedies (ash, chicken droppings)

Strawberries and berries remove quite a lot of nutrients from the soil; these are not only basic nutritional elements (NPK), but also microelements that need to be replenished. Lack of nutrition begins to appear in the second year of cultivation; in the first year, the plants have enough fertilizer applied before planting.

Nutritional deficiency never manifests itself in any one element, so complex fertilizers containing microelements are always applied to the plot. It is better to feed strawberries with organic fertilizers, since they act more gently and last longer.

In the first year of cultivation, if the soil has been properly prepared, fertilizers are not applied. In the second and subsequent years, the berry garden is fed 2 times per season. In the spring, ash is added to the surface of the soil around the bushes, and then the soil is loosened shallowly. On infertile soils in May, humates, humus or

Ash should not be added with manure because a chemical reaction occurs that releases large amounts of nitrogen, which can damage plants.

To prepare an herbal infusion, the herb is placed in a plastic barrel, filled 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 harvest, strawberries begin a second wave of root and leaf growth, and at this time they need nitrogen. Fertilize with a solution of mullein or bird droppings (1 l/10 l of water). Bird droppings are preferable for strawberries and are now sold in garden centers. This is the most concentrated fertilizer in terms of nutrients.

In case of excessive use of organic matter, overfeeding and fattening of strawberry bushes may occur. With proper application of fertilizers, the size of leaves and berries increases and the yield increases.

Excess nitrogen manifests itself in the appearance of large leaves and crushing of berries, and plant productivity is significantly reduced. Overfeeding occurs due to frequent use of grass fertilizer or failure to comply with the norms for applying other organic fertilizers.

To prevent fattening of plants with organic matter (except manure and compost), ash is added, 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 susceptible to diseases and pests.

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

Is it necessary to feed strawberries with yeast, iodine, boric acid and ammonia?

Fertilizing with folk remedies (yeast, iodine, boric acid, ammonia) is extremely undesirable for the crop.

Firstly, this is a monofertilizer that does not provide plants with the entire set of microelements.

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 quickly evaporate; they must be immediately washed into the lower layers of the soil, which is impossible with a large plot area.

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

Fertilizer for a strawberry plantation must be systematic, fully providing the plants with the necessary elements, and no experiments with fertilizing are allowed.

Strawberry plantation care

Regular care is the basis for a high yield. With proper agricultural technology, strawberries can produce up to 300 g of large berries per bush in the first year. On the 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 in advance. The newly planted mustaches are shaded from the sun, otherwise the seedlings will wilt, since the roots cannot yet replenish the water that is lost when it evaporates by the leaves. Wilting is not very dangerous for seedlings; when the evening coolness sets in, they will straighten out.

To shade the mustache, cover it with newspapers, white cloth, or throw a little grass over it. 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 first days, the planted mustaches are well watered. In the future, the soil under the young bushes should always be moist. In the case of a warm and dry autumn, water the strawberries once a week.

It is important to prevent strawberries from becoming overgrown with weeds. If this is not done in the year of planting, then in the future the fight against them will become much more difficult. Weeds will grow through the bushes and it will no longer be possible to remove them without damaging the crop.

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

Preparing strawberry beds for winter

European varieties require special care when preparing a plot for winter, since they are less winter-hardy. In the fall, if the weather is dry, water-recharging irrigation is carried out. Water protects rhizomes well from freezing by 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 straw, fallen leaves and pine needles under the bushes and between the rows. They cover only bare ground; there is no need to cover the plants themselves, since they go into winter with leaves, which themselves act as insulation.

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

Caring for strawberries in spring

In the spring, after the snow melts, dry leaves are cut off from the bushes, insulation is removed from the garden bed (if it was used), weeded from the first weeds and loosened. Old bushes that have a small woody stem with adventitious roots are additionally spudded to make them more powerful. Large plants have better flowering and higher yields.

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

The main task in spring is to ensure rapid warming of the soil so that plants quickly grow foliage and begin flowering. With an early start of the growing season, flowering will occur in moister soil. To warm up the soil as quickly as possible, you can put black film between the rows.

Some gardeners, on the contrary, do not remove the insulation for a long time, fearing damage to the strawberries by frost. But, firstly, it is not afraid of frost in the 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 is prepared, the larger the berries will be.

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

Old dry leaves along with last year's tendrils are removed, but young foliage does not need to be trimmed. Trimming green leaves in the spring delays flowering for 2 weeks (until new ones grow); the plant spends a lot of energy growing foliage, which is why the berries become smaller.

During a dry, warm spring, when the soil quickly dries out, watering is carried out. After the young leaves grow, do spring feeding.
If plants are weakened after winter and grow poorly, they are sprayed with growth stimulator “Zircon” or “Epin”.

How should strawberries be cared for after harvest?

After fruiting, the spring leaves look yellow and spotted; they are removed along with overgrown tendrils and weeds. You cannot mow down all the foliage, since the roots growing at this time require starch, which comes directly from the leaves; if they are removed, this will slow down the preparation of strawberries for winter.

After harvesting, be sure to carry out a second feeding to replenish the nutrients carried out with the berries.

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

If the bushes are intended for fruiting, then all emerging mustaches are cut off. The plot is inspected once every 4-5 days, since the shoots appear until October, and the spears of shoots that have just appeared are removed.

Strawberries have a balance between bean formation and fruiting: if plants are not given the opportunity to form tendrils, then it increases fruiting and, conversely, if they are not picked, the yield is greatly reduced.

The plantation should always be free of weeds, fertilized, and the bushes should have their tendrils trimmed.

In the fall, moisture-recharging irrigation is carried out, if necessary, insulation is laid out between the rows.

Caring for the plantation in the last year of cultivation

When fertilizing in spring, you can give a little more nitrogen, the bushes will not have time to get fat, and this will not reduce the yield. When the soil is dry, watering is carried out. Immediately after fruiting, the bed is dug up. This year you can plant early cabbage on it, which will have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather (this is why increased doses of nitrogen were given).

Mulching strawberries

When caring for a plantation, mulching materials are used to protect berries from dirt and rot, insulate bushes in winter and protect the soil from premature warming up during a thaw. and prevents the formation of soil crust after rains or watering.

Using mulch when growing strawberries is the best way to keep the plot clean and makes caring for it much easier. To prevent undesirable effects when using it, mulch is applied under certain conditions.

Sawdust, straw, dry moss, fallen leaves, and pine needles are used as mulching materials. Their disadvantage is the fixation of soil nitrogen, which causes nitrogen starvation of plants. Therefore, mulch is applied in the fall as insulation between rows; by spring, the process of decomposition of fiber (of which it consists) will be completed and nitrogen fixation will not occur.

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

To do this, either soak them in a barrel with a fertilizer solution (sawdust), or water them very generously 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 it with urea as a nitrogen fertilizer enhances acidification. This effect gives excellent results on leached chernozems. This should not be allowed on acidic soils. 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 inhibits the growth of weeds more than hay and straw.

Straw as mulch.

Mulching with grass and straw. Hay and straw consist of almost the same fiber and very strongly bind soil nitrogen. They are introduced in the fall. When using hay or straw as mulch in the spring, crumbled manure is added along with them, or the freshly spread mulch is irrigated with nitrogen fertilizers (humates, mullein, herbal infusion). In this case, nitrogen fixation does not occur and the yield does not decrease. They are laid out between rows in a layer of 5-7 cm.

Leaf mulch. It is advisable to add foliage from deciduous trees in the fall, laying it out in row spacing in a layer of 15-20 cm. In winter, it will serve as insulation. When used in spring, freshly spread leaves are watered with humates, mullein, or herbal infusion.

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

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

• strongly acidifies the soil;
• has a very high moisture capacity, which makes it almost impossible to saturate it with a nitrogen solution;
• in wet weather it gets wet and interferes with normal breathing of the roots;
• In winter, it can become covered with an ice crust, which leads to damping off of plants.

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

Protecting berries from dirt

Berries lying on the ground become contaminated with soil, and they are more susceptible to gray rot. To prevent the berries from coming into contact with the soil, you can make various supports for the bushes: from wire, plastic bottles, planks, film; stores sell special rings on legs. But all this is suitable for a small plot.

On a large plantation, plucked lower peripheral leaves are placed under the green berries. If the bush is healthy, the 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 picker should move around the site in frequent rotation.

Other useful articles on growing strawberries:

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

Everyone knows the red, sweet, juicy berry called strawberry. To get a good full harvest, it needs to be provided with quality care not only during the active growing season, but also during flowering. Strawberry care consists of proper irrigation, feeding, removing weeds, excess tendrils and fluffing up the soil around the bushes.

Did you know?The weight of the world's largest strawberry was 231 grams.

Features of feeding strawberries during flowering, how to fertilize a sweet berry

Many gardeners are of the opinion that strawberries do not need fertilizer during the budding period, but this is not true. The bush spends almost all its vitality on forming inflorescences and ripening berries. Below in the text we will consider fertilizing strawberries during flowering; apply fertilizers only to planted and already fruit-bearing bushes. Strawberries need feeding three times a year: at the beginning of the growing season of the bush, during flowering and at the end of fruiting. The most important thing for strawberries is fertilizing the bushes during flowering and formation of berries. You can feed strawberries during flowering with what experienced gardeners recommend: complex mineral fertilizers. In order for fertilizers to penetrate into the soil and be absorbed by strawberry roots, the soil around the bushes must be loosened.

Important! Mineral fertilizers are applied once during strawberry budding.

Simple agrochemicals are not used during strawberry flowering. During the period of ovary formation, bushes require potassium in large quantities. To meet the need for potassium, use an infusion of chicken manure, mullein + ash or potassium nitrate. When the buds begin to appear, a teaspoon of saltpeter is diluted with ten liters of water and each bush is watered. The consumption rate for a bush is about 0.5 liters. When the inflorescences appear, the strawberries are topped with a solution of chicken droppings or mullein with ash at the rate of half a liter jar per ten liters of water.

Foliar feeding of strawberries with boric acid during flowering helps to increase the inflorescences, which in turn affects the amount of harvest. To spray bushes, 1 g of boric acid is diluted with ten liters of water. Spraying is also carried out with 0.02% zinc sulfate. Such spraying not only saturates the strawberries with microelements, but also promotes the formation of the ovary and increases the yield by up to thirty percent.

Yeast fertilizer for strawberries became known not so long ago, but managed to gain popularity among gardeners. The plants are fed with yeast twice a season. One kilogram of yeast is dissolved in five liters of water and allowed to brew for two hours. A half-liter jar is taken from this solution and diluted in ten liters of water. At least 0.5 liters of ready-made fertilizer is poured under each bush. The effect of using yeast in your garden will pleasantly surprise you.

Based on the above, everyone will choose for themselves what is best to feed their strawberries during flowering. The main thing is to remember that fertilizing bushes has a great influence not only on the growth of bushes, but also on the timely ripening of berries.

Did you know? By picking strawberries with the stem, you extend the shelf life of the picked berries.

Caring for the soil during flowering and removing unnecessary tendrils

When strawberries bloom (late April - early May), they require increased attention and care. Promotes good flowering by timely removal of weeds and loosening the soil around the bushes, which improves air exchange. In order for the flowering bushes to gain strength for fruiting, the mustache and leaves of the strawberries must be trimmed in advance. Dried leaves are carefully removed using pruners.
During flowering, all tendrils are removed without exception, as they take away moisture and nutrients from the plant. In addition to the mustaches and dried leaves, the first strawberry inflorescences must also be removed. It is generally accepted that subsequent peduncles are larger than the previous ones, and this affects the size of the berry. Removing flower stalks is not necessary. During flowering, it is necessary to add straw or sawdust under the bushes so that the berries are clean and do not rot from contact with wet soil.

How to properly water strawberries during flowering

Watering strawberries during flowering plays a big role. Due to the shallow root system, strawberries are not able to extract moisture from the bowels of the earth; we, gardeners, must help them with this. To get juicy large berries, you need to water the ground around the bush so that the water reaches the roots. You need to stick to the golden mean when watering.

Both underwatering and overwatering have a negative impact on the berries and root system. In the first case, the root will dry out and the berry will not pour; in the second, both the root and the berry will begin to rot. How often to water strawberries during flowering also depends on precipitation. If the weather outside is rainy and air humidity is high, stop watering. In dry, hot weather, abundant irrigation is carried out every three days so that the bushes do not fall apart and the berries are evenly filled. Watering is carried out in the morning or evening, when the sun is not shining, the water should not be cold. Water the plants using drip irrigation or under a bush. When watering under the bush, make sure that the roots are not exposed.

Important!Water flowering strawberries only at the root; under no circumstances should water get on the flowers.

Strawberry pollination rules

The consequence of inadequate pollination of strawberries is distorted small berries. Poor pollination can be caused by a sharp drop in ambient temperature, fog, and frequent precipitation. To avoid such undesirable consequences, you need to help strawberries with pollination. If your strawberry bed is small, you can resort to pollination with a soft brush on the flowers in the afternoon. In dry, windless weather, a fan is used on large plantations and in greenhouses. Pollen, picked up by air currents, is spread throughout the garden bed.

It is important to put things in order shortly before the first berries ripen (usually it begins 3.5-5 weeks after the start of flowering, depending on the variety and weather). Weeds have no place in the garden bed at this time - they take away food and water from the strawberries, block light and retain moisture. As a result, berries are at greater risk of developing gray mold, and plants may become victims of pests. Yes, and looking for berries in grass thickets will be problematic.

There is no point in putting off weeding and loosening until the process of fruit ripening has begun - the berries will become covered in dirt. It is very good to mulch the soil under the bushes with light, dry straw or high-moor peat.

How to water strawberries

The need for moisture increases sharply about a week before ripening. If the weather is dry, then watering at this time is absolutely necessary. However, you should not turn the beds into a swamp - this will negatively affect the quality of the berries and cause an outbreak of diseases. It is advisable to repeat watering after each berry picking: it is safe for greenish fruits, but it gives an impetus to the next wave of ripening.

Do you need fertilizing?

Strawberries benefit from spraying the leaves with solutions of microelements or humates (according to the instructions) once every 2 weeks. Full feeding is now needed only once - at the moment when the first berries have already grown to the size characteristic of the variety, but have not yet turned white. For it, you can take ready-made fertilizer for garden strawberries or potassium nitrate (about 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). Ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate (10 g per 10 liters of water) are also suitable. Fertilizers are applied in dissolved form after preliminary watering.

What to use to pick berries

Strawberry fruits are very delicate, especially those that ripen first. Therefore, it is better to forget about buckets and large baskets. Fortunately, nowadays families are left with a lot of unnecessary packaging that is perfect for berries: juice cartons, transparent containers in which cookies are sold. Short cut plastic bottles will also work. The general rule is this: the larger the berries, the smaller the container should be.

How long can strawberries grow in one place?

The plant itself, under favorable conditions, can exist for 20 years. But it is important for us not only to keep the strawberries alive, but also to get a harvest. And it is maximum in volume and optimal in quality in plants in the first two years of life. Then the bushes are rebuilt to maintain their own well-being, and the quality and quantity of berries decreases every year.

Ideally, once-bearing varieties require renewal at least every two years. It is better to replant remontant ones every year. Zem-clunica can be kept in place for up to 4-5 years.