Spring is just around the corner, gardening work will begin soon, and we need to prepare for it if we want to get a lot of healthy goodies from the garden. Let's find out how to care for strawberries in the spring so that there is a good harvest, simple tips specialists will help us with this.
Strawberries are a very popular and beloved berry by many. It attracts with its taste, magnificent smell and entices appearance. Every gardener dreams of growing a bountiful harvest of large, healthy berries. The key to success begins with caring for the plantation with the onset of spring.
To get a good strawberry harvest, you need to take care of it in the fall.
Green manure
From the end of August, green manure crops will be planted in the planned location: mustard, rapeseed, buckwheat and others. In a month, the seeds will germinate, the plants should be mowed and left in the garden bed, there is no need to dig them up, some of them can be composted if there are too many of them. Left mowed green manure will serve as food for earthworms. This will make the soil structure looser, increase its fertile properties, and prevent weeds from developing in the spring. Mustard and rapeseed help fight some diseases and pests.
Compost
The benefits of compost are invaluable for strawberries. It contains many elements necessary for plant development. Compost makes the soil fertile, as the substances are quickly absorbed by the crop. In early spring, before planting, you need to put a two-centimeter layer of compost and do not dig it up.
Chicken droppings
After planting the strawberry bushes, you need to water the row spacing with chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Where to start caring for the beds so that the harvest pleases you with the volume and quality of the berries?
As soon as the snow melts and the ground dries out, the winter shelter is removed from the plantation: straw, tops, spruce branches, which were used in the fall to protect strawberries from freezing.
They clear the beds of tendrils and dried leaves and carefully loosen the soil around the bushes, giving the roots a flow of air.
Tip 2 – reviewing overwintered plants
Each plant is carefully examined; not all of them survived the winter safely; damaged or diseased ones are urgently dug up and young plants are planted, preferably with a lump of earth, which have taken root from the first shoot.
Early transplantation allows the rosette to take root well and not wither until the soil dries out and hot days arrive.
They dig up the row spacing, try not to damage the roots and give them additional air flow. And all established roots of weeds are removed, which will reduce their number in the future and make it easier to care for in the summer.
The level of the growing point is determined, if the “heart” of the strawberry is higher than the ground, then the soil is dug under it, if the excess is removed below.
In spring, not only plants come to life, but all sorts of pests and diseases. Strawberry plantations are processed early, before their reproduction and spread begins.
Take into account that later, during flowering and harvesting, it is prohibited to pollinate plants with pesticides, so as not to kill the bees and not be poisoned by the berries.
For spring feeding, organic and complex mineral fertilizers are used. Humus, compost, peat are laid when digging the earth during the formation of beds, before spring planting, their action is sufficient for the entire period of active fruiting of strawberries. After four years of growth in one place, it falls, the berries become smaller, and the yield decreases.
Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in early spring to accelerate growth, and potash fertilizers are applied before flowering. There is a danger of overfeeding strawberries, and then their strength will go into the foliage.
Strawberries are very sensitive to watering; in the spring they are moistened as they dry out.
Several methods are used. From a hose under pressure, the fastest, but there is a risk of washing away and exposing the roots; from a watering can, which is very labor-intensive; a sprinkler is useful for roots and leaves, but you can wash off pollen.
Effectively drip irrigation, water gradually flows under each plant. They prefer evening watering; during the night the moisture is well absorbed into the ground, which affects the rapid growth of the plant with the onset of daylight and warmth.
4 secrets to getting a good harvest
Strawberries are one of the popular plants among gardeners and gardeners. Everyone has known since childhood the attractive aroma and sweet and sour taste of this juicy berry. Everyone wants to get a good harvest, but often improper care or weather vagaries negatively affect this crop. You can get a good strawberry harvest by using some tricks learned through experience. In addition to regular watering, strawberries need some care.
1. Mulching
Mulching has a number of advantages. It allows you to retain moisture for a longer period, slows down or stops the growth of weeds, and protects ripe berries from touching the ground.
For strawberries, mulching with straw, hay, pine needles, and rotted sawdust is very important. There are many benefits from this: there is no need to fight weeds, the berries do not touch the ground and will not become moldy, in hot, dry weather moisture in the soil is retained, the soil remains loose and does not crust, and there will be no slugs in the garden bed. The mulch should be spread out in a not very thick layer when flowers appear on the bushes.
2. Helpful neighborhood
Don't forget about the useful neighborhood. Garlic and onions are excellent neighbors for strawberries; the essential oils they secrete protect against pests and diseases.
3. Protection from wind and sun
Strawberries may suffer from strong wind and the scorching sun. On the north side of the bed you can plant tall plants like corn to protect against cold winds. You can plant cosmos between the bushes. This is not only beautiful, but will also help protect the strawberries from the scorching rays of the sun. You can plant other plants to create light shade.
4. Yeast supplements
Yeast-based fertilizers will be very useful. The recipe is as follows: dilute 100 g of yeast with one half of a bucket of water, and every other day, dilute 0.5 liters with a bucket of water. Water 0.5 liters per bush. This will give the plants a lot useful substances for growth and protects against rot.
To ensure that strawberries grow healthy and the harvest is good, it is enough to know a few secrets of experienced summer residents. With a little effort, strawberries will delight you with an abundance of juicy and aromatic berries that will be the envy of your dacha neighbors.
Proper planting of strawberries: 4 best ways, pros and cons
In order to reap a rich, good harvest from strawberries, they must be planted correctly. Professional gardeners recommend four methods that have proven effective.
The first method is with separate bushes
This is when the bushes stand far apart from each other. The distance between rosettes is from 45 cm to 60 cm. Growing tendrils are constantly cut off to avoid intertwining of plants and to allow the bushes to develop and produce big harvest.
The disadvantages of this method are that it is labor intensive, since the soil must be loosened regularly, weeds must be constantly removed, mulched, and the mustache must not be allowed to grow.
The advantages of this method are that the berries grow large, few bushes are needed for planting, and the possibility of diseases appearing in plants is much less due to free ventilation.
The second way is in rows
He suggests planting plants in rows. With this option, the distance between the bushes is from 15 cm to 20 cm. There are row spacing in the form of a strip approximately 40 cm wide. The paths between the rows provide free access to the berries and a convenient opportunity to cultivate the soil, remove weeds and overgrown mustaches. The disadvantages are the same as the first method. And the advantages are that strawberries grow well and produce a large harvest not just for one year, but even for 5 or 6 years without replanting.
The third method is with nests
With this method, it is recommended to plant strawberries in the form of nests. That is, six more are planted around one bush, like in a hexagon. The nests are located from each other in rows at a distance of 25 to 30 cm, and the paths between the rows are 35 to 40 cm wide.
The disadvantage of this method is that planting requires a large number of bushes. The advantages are a richer harvest.
The fourth method is to plant strawberries in a carpet
In this case, the work is easier and faster, because no one trims the mustache, and over time the strawberries themselves grow over the entire area intended for them. Overgrown bushes create a natural special layer - mulch, inhibit the growth of weeds, and retain moisture.
This method is more suitable for those gardeners who grow strawberries in the country and do not have enough time to care for them. Bushes for carpet planting do not need frequent watering or applying fertilizers.
Cons: the berries of heavily overgrown strawberries become smaller over time.
Strawberry propagation using whiskers
To get more planting material from the strawberries that are already growing, you need to propagate the plant. To get full-fledged and productive seedlings in the future, you need to act correctly.
- Firstly, you cannot let the strawberries grow as they please, and then select the largest ones and replant them. In this case, there is a chance of losing half the harvest next year.
- Secondly, mustaches from bushes that are already bearing fruit are also not suitable for seedlings, since they have a low content nutrients. Such seedlings will be sick for a long time, have weak immunity from putrefactive diseases, and will reduce productivity. The plant must either bear fruit or grow tendrils. Then planting material it will be good and the harvest will be rich.
Strawberry propagation using mother bushes
It is best to propagate strawberries from mother bushes. The essence of this method is that in the first year there is a selection the best plants. This is when the mustaches are cut off from all the bushes and then it is observed which of them they gave it better harvest and endured all environmental conditions.
Such strawberries are marked or transplanted to a separate area. The next year, these bushes begin to grow mustaches, cutting off all the buds and preventing it from bearing fruit. The very first and largest rosettes are left for propagation, and the rest are removed.
Considering all these tips for caring for beds, bushes, correct landing, you will have a wonderful large and good harvest of tasty and large strawberries.
Spring - time will take its course garden plot and put things in order there. One of the urgent matters is caring for strawberries in the spring at the dacha. There is a lot to do: remove the covering material, water and fertilize the strawberry plantings, prepare the plants for the harvest season.
All procedures for caring for strawberries begin as soon as the snow cover melts. Deadlines may vary greatly depending on the region. To answer the question of when to process strawberries in the spring, you need to determine the region where they grow.
For the south of the country, work can begin as early as early March. For mid-latitudes and the Moscow region, the deadline shifts closer to April. In the northern regions and the Urals, events can be held no earlier than the end of April.
Proper care of strawberries in spring consists of several successive stages:
- removal of winter insulation, spruce branches, covering material;
- pruning and removing old withered foliage;
- watering and loosening of plantings;
- mulching;
- transfer.
Caring for strawberries in the spring after winter begins with accelerating the melting of snow from the ridges. To do this, they are sprinkled with ash and poured with boiling water. Boiling water also has a beneficial effect on plantings, destroying some pests and bacteria. Removing dry leaves and last year's leaves is an important measure to prevent fungal infections.
Fertilizing strawberries in spring
Most main question The question that a novice gardener faces when and how to feed strawberries in the spring has a fairly simple answer.
During the season, strawberries are fed several times:
- the first feeding should be carried out as early as possible;
- the second stage of fertilizing is carried out before flowering;
- the third time the strawberries are fed during the appearance of the ovary using boric acid;
- the fourth time the plant is fertilized when berries are actively growing on it;
- The last fertilizing is carried out immediately after harvesting.
Let's find out when and what fertilizers to apply to strawberries in the spring.
First feeding of strawberries
The most important fertilizing is the first spring application of fertilizers. Main task measures - accelerating the appearance of new buds and young foliage. To do this, choose a calm, windless, cloudy day.
Let's figure out how to fertilize strawberries in the spring. For feeding, you can use ready-made complex fertilizers with a large amount of nitrogen. or potassium nitrate (1 tbsp.) and nitroammophoska (1 tbsp.) are diluted in 10 liters warm water. Fertilizing is carried out half a liter for each bush on damp soil. You can also feed strawberries in the spring. Just add it to the above composition in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. This will improve the taste of future berries and increase their sweetness.
A good top dressing is to add a handful of wood ash under each bush. In order to feed strawberries with ash in the spring, simply scatter one full handful of it near each bush and loosen it around a little with a small hoe to embed the ash into the soil.
To understand how to feed strawberries with iodine in the spring, you need to understand that iodine is not a nutrient in itself. Iodine is an excellent antiseptic, and by treating strawberries with it, gardeners rather disinfect the plantings, destroying bacteria, fungi and some pests, than feed the plant.
To disinfect strawberry beds, 15 drops of an alcohol solution of iodine diluted in a bucket of water are enough. The prepared liquid is generously watered onto the ridges from a watering can. You can treat the roots of young bushes with iodine before planting in the garden bed and spray the strawberries before flowering.
Fertilizing strawberries with yeast
Regular baker's yeast can become excellent option for spring feeding of strawberries. By themselves, they contain the entire spectrum of nutrients, potassium and phosphorus, a large amount of vitamins, as well as copper, iodine, zinc and many other minerals necessary for plant health.
In order to properly feed strawberries with yeast in the spring, you need to prepare a solution using live or dry yeast, sugar and water. 50 grams of live yeast should be dissolved in a liter of warm water. Before use, the mixture is diluted in 5 liters of water and used for fertilizer.
Dry yeast can also be used. To do this, take 1 tsp. yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, dissolve in a liter of warm water and let it brew for two hours. Before use, the solution is diluted in 5 liters of water in the same way as the previous one.
Second stage of feeding
As soon as the first flower buds appear on the bushes, it means it’s time for the second feeding. During the flowering period, the plant spends a lot of energy, and first of all it needs potassium and phosphorus.
For feeding, you can use potassium salt (1 tbsp) with the addition of nitroammophoska (2 tbsp) diluted in 10 liters of water. Half a liter of solution is added to each bush. Nitroammofoska contains potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen and can be used as an independent fertilizer.
Fertilizing strawberries during flowering
The next feeding is carried out when the first ovaries appear on the plants. This stage of strawberry fertilizer application in the spring is used to increase the yield. By spraying a strawberry bed with boron, you can greatly reduce the number of barren flowers and ensure excellent productivity.
This feeding is carried out on the foliage by spraying the plant with a solution of boric acid (2 g per 10 l). The water for the solution must be warm. You can dilute boric acid, used to feed strawberries in the spring, in a small container with warm water, and then add the solution to cold water.
What else can you feed strawberries in the spring during flowering? You can use mineral fertilizers based on phosphorus and potassium. You can also use it during flowering yeast feeding, bird droppings and wood ash, introducing solutions of these substances at the root of the bushes.
Can be carried out foliar feeding by spraying strawberries with a composition of potassium sulfate (2 g), boric acid (1 g) and potassium permanganate (1 g) diluted in 5 liters of water. For spraying, you can use ready-made preparations, such as Kemira.
Strawberries have a superficial root system, and is practically unable to obtain moisture from the lower layers of the soil on its own. Therefore, to provide it with vital fluid, it must be watered regularly and correctly. In addition, the productivity of the plant directly depends on this.
While the strawberries are not yet blooming, we can use the sprinkling method, but as soon as the first buds begin to appear on the bushes, the bushes need to be watered strictly to the roots. If you use a hose with high water pressure, you can expose or even damage the root system. To avoid such troubles, it is best to use the drip irrigation method for strawberries. This is especially true when strawberries are planted on top of black film.
General rules for watering strawberries:
- In spring, watering can begin at the end of March to speed up the thawing of plantings.
- In the spring months, watering is carried out once a week with water at room temperature.
- One bush requires at least half a liter of water.
- Before flowering, strawberries are watered on the leaves using the sprinkling method.
- After the buds appear, the plant is watered at the root.
- Watering should be plentiful, especially when pouring berries.
- Immediately after planting, the bed is watered every day for a week.
- After the plant has taken root, watering is reduced to once every 2-3 days.
Treatment of strawberries from diseases and pests in spring
Among the large selection of drugs, it can be difficult to understand what is best to spray strawberries against pests in the spring. You can use chemicals, biologically active drugs, or use folk remedies.
Biological agents work based on natural processes, suppressing pathogenic organisms through the activity of beneficial fungi. Such treatments do not require special precautions; plants can be treated with them during fruiting and freshly processed fruits can be eaten without restrictions.
The most popular biological drugs on the market are:
- Aktofit;
- Trichodermin.
Among the chemicals we can highlight: phytoferm, actellik and. As a rule, such drugs have a wide spectrum of action and a large list side effects. In addition, they require careful handling and the use of personal protective equipment.
In order to start transplanting strawberries to another place in the spring, you need to wait until the soil warms up to +8 ºС. The place chosen is flat, high, well lit by the sun and protected from northern winds. Good precursors are legumes, carrots, onions, garlic and aromatic herbs.
Before transplanting strawberries, add humus (5 kg per sq. m.), potassium sulfate (15 g per sq. m.), ammonium sulfate (25 g per sq. m.) and (60 g per sq. m.) to the garden bed, before transplanting strawberries. ). Everything is dug up with a bayonet and a ridge is formed. After two weeks, you can begin replanting.
Before planting strawberries, the ridge is spilled with warm water and marked according to a 50x40 cm pattern. Young plants that are not yet 2 years old are suitable for replanting. Each bush must have at least 2 leaves and a root at least 5 cm long.
The seedling is placed in a previously prepared hole, sprinkled with soil, and lightly compacted. It is important that the growing point of the strawberry, the so-called “heart,” always remains above ground level. Afterwards the plant is watered with humus, sawdust or straw.
Nothing pleases a gardener more than the result of his own labors. In order for the strawberry garden to bring rich harvests every year, it is necessary to take care of it on time.
Caring for strawberries in the spring in the photo
The first thing to do with strawberries in the spring is to carry out a detailed inspection of the bushes that have survived the winter. All other agrotechnical activities, what to do with strawberries in the spring after winter, are described by month later in the article.
March.
What kind of strawberry care you can start in spring in March depends on climate zone. The earlier in the spring the soil around the plants thaws and warms up, the faster and more actively the roots will begin to grow. On damp and heavy clay soils, as well as peat-boggy soils, water often stagnates in the spring. To ensure the respiration of the root system, excess melt water must be diverted from the plantation. To do this, drainage ditches are installed or deep wells are made.
What else to do with strawberries in spring: When the snow completely melts, remove all types of shelter.
April.
Now let’s look at what to do with strawberries in early spring in April, what events should be planned for this month. After the snow melts, they evaluate how successfully the strawberries overwintered. Living, well-wintered plants greet us with a bunch of young bright green leaves in the center of the bush. Dried, old, brown or maroon leaves lie on the ground along the outer edges of the bushes. Work on putting the strawberry plantation in order begins with the removal of outdated and unsightly leaves. They serve as a place for overwintering spores of fungal pathogens of strawberries ( various kinds leaf spots and gray rot).
The “stripping” operation is carried out by tearing off the dried foliage with your hands directly from the base of the bush or cutting it using pruners or ordinary scissors. It is important to remember that to prevent the spread of pests and diseases, you should always start all treatments first on young plants, and then move on to older plantings.
What else to do with strawberries in the spring at the dacha is, at the same time as removing outdated leaves on bushes of strongly growing varieties (such as Carmen, Kubata, Redgauntlet, Stranger, etc.), be sure to thin out the horns - an analogue of pruning fruit trees and bushes. Small, underdeveloped horns that thicken the bush are broken out or cut out. It is advisable to leave 6-7 large full-sized horns on the bush.
h2>How to properly thin out, clean and tidy up strawberries in the spring: agricultural weeding techniques
Weeding strawberries in the spring begins with assessing the condition of the bed. Bushes that have not overwintered usually have dried out brown leaves located not only along the outer contour of the bush, but also in the very core. Strawberry agricultural technology in spring recommends digging up such plants completely. Upon completion of work, all plant debris must be burned.
Before you peel strawberries in the spring, you need to understand that “old” bushes that are more than 4 years old emerge from winter very weakened. It is also more advisable to get rid of them now, if for some reason you did not have time to do this in the fall.
In areas with heavy, poorly cultivated soil, you can often observe the so-called “bulging” of bushes - the living green core of the plant is raised high above the soil surface, the roots are bare, and the bush tilts to one side. If the core of such “protruding” plants is good and powerful, and the age is no more than 1-2 years, then before tidying up the strawberries in the spring, the situation can be corrected by digging them up with a large lump and replanting them at the correct level.
Protrusion, as well as soaking of plants in damp, low-lying areas, as a rule, are the main reasons for the death of strawberries in winter time. After “cleaning up” and removing dead plants, we calculate losses. If the number of dead and severely weakened plants is about 25-30%, then this is a good reason to seriously think about moving the strawberry planting to another, more favorable place on an area with light and cultivated soil.
Now you know how to properly thin out strawberries in the spring in general terms, but that’s not the whole job. In some places, the orderliness of the rows is probably disturbed by young rosettes that have taken root in late autumn. Do not rush to immediately pull them out along with the weeds, trying to restore the geometric harmony of the plantings. These sockets, quite possibly, will come in handy just for filling empty seats.
The main activities that need to be done with strawberries in the spring are completed by the onset of May. All that's left is feeding and loosening and weeding. Let's talk about this in more detail. The period when the snow has just melted and the soil retains a sufficient amount of moisture - best time for loosening and first mineral fertilizing to ensure rapid growth of vegetative mass and full development of peduncles.
See what to do with strawberries in the spring in the video, where all types of work are presented:
The easiest way to feed plants is to scatter granular complete complex mineral fertilizer in the rows or around the bushes at a distance of 10-15 cm.
How to feed strawberries in the spring after winter: mineral fertilizers
In spring, of all the nutrients for strawberries, nitrogen is primarily important. Now complete complex fertilizers with a sufficiently high nitrogen content are often sold under the trade name “Spring”. The approximate application rate is 25-30 g of fertilizer for 2-3 adult bushes.
Before feeding strawberries in the spring, we recommend that you learn about another reliable “recipe” for spring feeding - dilute rotted manure with water in a ratio of 1:8, and add 60 g of simple superphosphate and a glass (250 g) of wood to a bucket (10 l) of such a solution ash. Pour this nutrient solution under the root of the plant at the rate of 1-2 liters per bush, depending on its age and size.
Opponents of “chemistry” and supporters of using only natural substances on the site feed the strawberries at this time, scattering wood ash and chicken droppings around the bushes. Approximate consumption rates for one adult bush: no more than 1 dessert spoon of dry chicken manure and a quarter cup of wood ash. Just like mineral fertilizer granules, we scatter these substances around the bushes.
For gardeners who want to keep up with new advances in intensive agricultural technologies, we recommend additional foliar feeding. For this purpose, mineral fertilizers for strawberries are used: in the spring, in the first ten days of May, when sunny and warm weather sets in, we spray the bushes on the leaves with an aqueous solution of a complex composition. The standard rate for such fertilizing is 10-15 g of fine-crystalline water-soluble fertilizer per 10 liters of water. Adding to this will help enhance the spraying effect. nutrient solution growth regulators such as humate. We add these drugs in the concentration recommended by the manufacturers. Spraying is carried out in dry, windless weather, abundantly wetting the leaves.
The most modern gardeners will find it convenient to feed their plants using dry fertilizer sticks. Several of them (according to the manufacturer’s recommendation) are stuck into the soil around the plants. This is not the entire arsenal of ways to feed strawberries after winter in the spring; manufacturers are constantly offering new formulations.
Just don’t forget that for young plants planted in the fall of last year, we reduce all the given norms by 30-50%.
Every gardener knows what work must be done with strawberries in the spring. To incorporate the applied fertilizers into the soil and combat soil compaction, we dig or loosen the row spaces deeply. The depth of loosening in the row spacing is at least 8-10 cm, near the bushes - so as not to damage the superficial root system - no more than 2-3 cm. The importance of this work cannot be underestimated, because it will ensure the incorporation of fertilizer granules, will help in the fight against germinating weeds, and promotes preservation of moisture in the soil and access of oxygen to the root system.
After loosening, we proceed to the most favorite procedure for strawberries - mulching strawberries in the spring with organic matter: it is this operation that optimizes the water regime of the soil, ensures good heating of the soil under the bushes, and stimulates the growth of young adventitious roots that will feed the ripening berries. Mulching creates conditions for a uniform and constant supply of nutrients to young roots.
How to mulch strawberries in spring: as a material it is better and more convenient to use a mixture in equal parts lowland peat and fine fraction of manure humus. It is quite possible to use these substances separately, just like leaf humus. Optimal layer 2-3 cm of such nutritious mulch. We mulch the soil under the plants within a radius of 15-20 cm. Generous owners mulch the entire surface of the ridges.
It is not advisable to use humus from a compost heap, where weeds rot in the summer, for mulching. Subsequently, you will have to spend a lot of effort on weeding and fighting the numerous seedlings of these weeds.
In heavily weeded areas, just after fertilizing and digging is the most convenient time to cover the soil between the rows with black non-woven material. It will not interfere with the flow of moisture and air to the roots, but will not allow weeds to sprout.
For those who want to get the most early harvest berries are in season or plans to feast on red berries in the fall, the month of May is the best time to construct and install film or polycarbonate shelters over strawberry bushes. In the spring, these structures will ensure faster development of plants and protection of flowers from possible frosts, and in the second half of summer they will provide additional warmth necessary for the ripening of the second harvest of remontant varieties.
A decrease in night temperature to minus 1 degree Celsius is detrimental to flowers and young strawberry ovaries. In emergency cases, flowering plants are covered with white at night. non-woven material density 30-40 g/m2. When using ordinary plastic film for covering, it is important to prevent its direct contact with leaves and flowers. They pull it on temporary pegs.
IN recent years Cases of May drought have become more frequent. Therefore, it is important not to miss the moment and when very hot weather sets in and the soil quickly dries out (especially in areas with light sandy soils), start watering. It is optimal to carry them out in the evening in furrows made at a distance of 30 cm from the center of the bushes. The average norm is 0.5-1 liters of water per bush.
If you do not plan to propagate strawberries, promptly remove any tendrils that appear to increase the yield of berries.
Usually, already at the end of April - beginning of May, with the onset of warm weather and the growth of young leaves and peduncles, the first signs of pest damage appear in strawberries.
As soon as this happens, you need spring treatment strawberries in the spring using insecticides. Small white flies, 2-3 mm in size, sitting on the underside of leaves and flying up when you touch the leaves, strawberry whiteflies. They feed by sucking plant sap. They are most numerous and, accordingly, harmful in years with an early, dry and hot spring.
In years with warm and wet springs and in low-lying damp areas, strawberry leaves and flower stalks can be damaged by nocturnal slugs. The first treatment of strawberries in the spring to protect against slugs and putrefactive diseases from folk remedies can be done by dusting the soil around the plants with tobacco dust mixed with slaked lime or ash (1:1) at the rate of 20-25 g per square meter. As a means of chemical protection, scatter preparations with the active ingredient metaldehyde around the plants.
It is quite possible that some gardeners will think that this is not such a problem - a certain number of damaged leaves.
A lot of them grow, there is enough for everyone to eat, and it is more expensive to carry out chemical treatment.
This would indeed be the case, but at the same time other, much more dangerous pests begin to feed on strawberry leaves.
One of the most common and dangerous pests fruit crops is the raspberry-strawberry weevil - a grayish-black beetle 3-5 mm long. Treatment of strawberries in early spring against pests necessarily includes the fight against weevils and their larvae.
Adults overwinter in the soil at a depth of 1.5-2 cm or under a large layer of plant debris that has not been harvested since the fall. In the spring, when warm weather sets in, the beetles come to the surface and eat the strawberry leaves. However, the greatest damage is caused by these insects when the females begin to lay eggs in the retractable strawberry buds. The larvae that hatch after a few days feed on the contents of the buds. A new generation of beetles feeds on young leaves, gnawing holes in them, and later the females lay eggs, damaging the buds of another berry crop - raspberries.
If the pest population is high, strawberry flower stalks can be completely destroyed. Refusal to carry out treatment against such a pest is a threat to completely lose this year's harvest. From preventive measures To reduce crop losses from the activity of the raspberry-strawberry weevil, it is not recommended to increase the number of early varieties strawberries, since they are the ones who suffer most from this pest.
But still, we would call the group of root weevils the most insidious and dangerous pests of strawberries, which include the small black weevil, the earthy elephant and the nettle leaf weevil.
Initially, adults feed in the same way, gnawing holes in strawberry leaves. Damage to leaves and flower stalks caused by slugs must be distinguished from more dangerous damage by weevils by the shiny trail of dried mucus left behind. Holes in leaves damaged by weevils are usually clean, as if with scorched edges.
Female weevils lay eggs not in buds, but near the base of the bushes. The larvae, which appear in June-July, feed on juices from the root collar of the plant and young roots. Bushes, as a rule, with already filling berries begin to lag in growth without visible reasons wilt first in hot sunny hours, and then all the time, even if there is sufficient moisture in the soil. If several larvae feed on one bush, then we lose not only this year’s harvest, but also the entire plant.
To limit the harmfulness and intensive reproduction of all types of weevils, the following are recommended: preventive measures: careful removal of all decomposing plant debris from the plantings in the fall - dead leaves of strawberries, raspberries and apple trees - and deep digging of the soil in the fall. Individuals that went to winter in upper layers soils end up at greater depths and die.
Among the folk remedies for control and prevention against all types of weevils, there is a known method of mulching the soil around plants with spruce or pine needles. A layer of such mulch makes it difficult for insects to reach the soil surface, and the strong smell repels females that lay eggs in the buds
Strawberry pest control work in early spring
But no matter how much one would like to completely abandon chemical treatment in the spring in the fight against strawberry pests, there is a great risk of losing not only a significant part of this year’s strawberry and raspberry harvest due to weevils, but also of losing fruit-bearing strawberry plants for the future year.
The most reliable means of protecting plants in early spring from all types of sucking and gnawing insect pests in the spring is to spray the plants with an insecticide solution. One of the old remedies is the universal drug karbofos.
Of the new generation of drugs that are gentler for humans and environment that do not have a pronounced toxic odor, we can recommend the drugs Actelik and Aktaru in standard concentrations. However, in order for the processing to be beneficial, we must not forget about the basic rules for its implementation. Spray on dry leaves and plant buds on a dry, windless day at a temperature of at least 14 degrees. The approximate consumption of the working solution is from 0.2 to 0.5 liters per linear meter of row.
The timing of work with strawberries in early spring is very important: it depends on the specific weather conditions of the year - approximately in the first ten days of May, when the buds of strawberries and apple trees begin to emerge and the first leaves damaged by beetles appear. The deadline for such treatment is no later than 5-6 days before the start of flowering (approximate calendar dates are May 10-15). Chemicals protection will repel pollinating insects, which will adversely affect the harvest.
Watch how strawberries are cared for in early spring in the video, which shows all the agricultural activities:
It's time to take care of the future harvest and start caring for the strawberry beds. Here is a seasonal scheme for growing strawberries in the country to help all lovers of this berry!
Before processing and feeding strawberries (strawberries) in the spring, you need to clear the beds of debris, thin out, prune, and, if necessary, replant the plants. They clean the bushes from last year's leaves and from those that froze in the winter.
They collect the old mulch, cut off all the withered tendrils, shoots, peduncles and leaves, and the basal leaves (which spread along the ground) - remove everything, leaving only a bush with a few green leaves. The collected litter is removed from the beds and burned or composted, which helps prevent plant diseases and destroy pests that have survived over the winter. The beds must be periodically loosened.
Organic fertilizers for strawberries: when to apply
Caring for strawberries in the spring includes 2 mandatory feedings after winter and a 3rd in the second half of the growing season after harvesting:
- first feeding- organic fertilizers (dung, mullein - 30 g/10 l of water) or mineral (nitroammophosphate, potassium or ammonium nitrate - 25-30 g/10 l of water) are carried out immediately after cleaning the plants;
- second feeding- simple superphosphate is used - 10-20 g/10 l of water, boric acid - 1-2 g/10 l of water, potassium sulfate, potassium magnesium or complex fertilizers for berries and fruit crops in chelate form, and the dosage as supplied must be strictly followed to fertilizer instructions. This feeding is carried out during the flowering period;
- third feeding held at the end of summer for better harvest next year, the plants are fertilized with urea or ammonium nitrate (30 g/10 l of water).
With the appearance of the first ovary, straw or sawdust is placed under the shoots, then the berries will not lie on the ground and rot. To receive bountiful harvest And large berries The whiskers are torn off during flowering and fruiting. After harvesting, one tendril is left growing directly from the mother plant, from which a young bush will form over the summer.
In order not to add excess fertilizer to the soil under strawberries, you should focus on external signs mineral starvation or excess nutrients on strawberries.
How to determine mineral starvation in strawberry plants
Nitrogen starvation on strawberries it appears as a general yellowing and redness of the leaves, except for the leaf veins, which remain green, and as a weak formation of whiskers. The growth and development of plants is suppressed, and their productivity decreases. The entire cycle of vegetation and ripening is accelerated.
Excess nitrogen appears on the lower leaves: with a brown-green color, the edges of the plates turn brown and bend toward the underside with “burnt” edges. The decay of leaf tissue from the edges spreads throughout the plastic, and the leaf dies.
First signs lack of phosphorus appear during fruiting: the old leaves of the plant acquire a reddish color in the form of a “herringbone”, the fruits are soft and tasteless. The formation and development of reproductive organs sharply decreases.
For potassium deficiency A red border appears on the strawberry leaves, the berries are poorly colored and are poorly stored.
Excess potassium(with a lack of magnesium) causes the formation of bitter rot on fruits.
If there is a lack of sulfur on old leaves after fruiting a brown-black border appears, and on young leaves such a border is yellowish in color, the leaf blade is deformed. The roots are yellow in color and their development is suppressed. The growing point is fleshy, weakly branching.
Boron deficiency appears on the upper parts of plants during severe drought and on carbonate, overly limed soils. It causes drying and deformation of the leaf blade. The stems of such plants are shorter, with crust-like spots, and a large number of small, weak leaves develop. The flowers are small and very deformed. The fruits are ugly in shape, small with poorly developed seeds, the skin is cracked, there is suberized tissue in the pulp and on the skin. The development of the root system is suppressed, although the root system during boron starvation is highly branched and thickened.
Magnesium is part of the chlorophyll in the green tissues of the plant, and if there is a lack of it, chlorophyll disintegrates, starting from the lower leaves. Strawberries produce very thin lower leaves of a pale green color; interveinal spotting begins at the edges of the leaves. Early leaf fall is observed, starting from the lower part of the shoot.
Zinc deficiency found mainly on carbonate, heavily calcareous soils, and can intensify when large doses of phosphorus are added. Strongly manifested in spring. Leaves with wavy edges, the growth and development of daughter shoots of plants are greatly retarded.
Iron deficiency appears more often on alkaline soils, where it is in a bound, indigestible state, as well as when large doses of phosphorus, manganese, lime, copper and zinc are added. Due to the weak mobility of iron inside the plant, old leaves remain green, while young and newly formed leaves become small, acquiring a chlorotic color - light green, whitish, yellowish. The roots turn yellow and their size decreases. By contributing organic fertilizers, you can acidify the soil and thereby increase the solubility of iron and its availability to plants.
How to properly water strawberries
To obtain an abundant and high-quality harvest, strawberry plants need proper watering beds, they need constant, but not excessive moisture.
For watering, a sprayer is best so that the water falls on the soil like normal precipitation, in the form of a shower, but at the same time puddles are not created on the soil, causing rotting of the roots, since the roots of the plants are close to the surface.
In dry weather, water up to 4-5 times a week. If it rains periodically, the amount of watering decreases. Before flowering, it is recommended to water the bushes along the foliage, and when flowers appear - at the root or between the rows.
For irrigation, it is advisable not to use cold water from wells or wells, but to water with warm water in the late evening and in the morning (preferably before sunrise). After watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil to improve root aeration.
Strawberry diseases
In our conditions, strawberries (strawberries) can be affected by gray rot, leaf spots, and fusarium wilt.
Among the pests in some years, aphids, thrips, slugs, spider mites, strawberry-raspberry weevil.
Protective measures against diseases and pests on strawberries using pesticides can be carried out twice - at the very beginning of budding and after harvesting, so that residual amounts of their active substances do not accumulate in the berries.
It is preferable to use biological products: against diseases - Fitosporin-M, Alirin-B, Baktofit, Sporobacterin, Rizoplan, Glyokladin, against leaf-eating insect pests - Lepidotsid, against sucking pests - aphids, thrips and mites - Fitoverm.
If there is a significant spread of diseases, you can use chemical fungicides of preventive (Bordeaux mixture) and therapeutic action (Topaz, Agrolekar, Propi Plus, Chistoflor), if there is a threat of severe damage by insects - Taran, Fury, Fufanon-Nova, Alatar, against slugs during their mass reproduction between rows are treated with the drugs Thunderstorm, Slime Eater, Aksela.
Pesticidal treatments of strawberries (strawberries) must be carried out in strict compliance with the regulations for use indicated in the instructions on the container packaging.
Step-by-step maintenance work strawberry beds during the season - these are necessary measures that need to be carried out consistently, then the berry harvest will delight you with its abundance and quality.
(The material was prepared by specialists from the department of protection, agrochemistry, quality and safety of crop products of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Rostov Reference Center of Rosselkhoznadzor”).
As for the fight against mineral starvation of strawberries, in our online store you will always find large selection highly effective and safe! When purchasing and using Folirus foliar fertilizers, take a moment to photograph your healthy plants And wonderful harvest! Send your photos to the editor, and we will definitely post them!
Have a great season and lots of sweet berries!
What could be tastier than a ripe, sweet and juicy strawberry picked on your own plot? To achieve a large and tasty harvest of garden strawberries in the summer, you need to take care of the bushes in the spring, because the crop is quite demanding in terms of care and needs the attention of the gardener.
When is the best time to start caring for plants? open ground? IN different regions in our country, the optimal start time for events may differ: in the South - from mid-March, in Middle lane(Moscow region) - from the second half of April, in Siberia, the Urals, in Leningrad region- from the end of April or beginning of May.
What does it take to care for strawberry bushes on the site after winter? Let's look at the main stages of caring for strawberries in the open ground in spring in more detail.
Removing cover
Removing the cover from strawberries is done after the snow has completely melted and a positive temperature has established. It is necessary to completely remove the cover and remove the mulching material. In this case, you need to act carefully so as not to damage the bushes or pull out any plants. But if, nevertheless, some bushes were pulled out of the soil, then most likely they were already too weak or sick, so there is no need to worry!
If you are growing strawberries on agrofibre (spunbond), then you do not need to remove it from the ground, you only need to remove debris and leaves from its surface.
Pay attention! It is very important to remove the cover and remove the mulch in a timely manner, otherwise the strawberry bushes under the cover may grow moldy, and pests and pathogens may become active in the mulch.
Trimming
Pruning strawberries is another important point in caring for the plant in the spring. The event performs a sanitary function because it helps eliminate diseased, diseased, damaged, and dried bushes. Thus, the garden strawberry bushes are rejuvenated and healthier. They will not waste their energy senselessly, but will direct resources to laying flower buds and thus you will be able to get a more abundant harvest.
When is the best time to prune strawberries? In different regions, the timing of the procedure may vary: in the middle zone (Moscow region) - in the second half of April, in the South ( Krasnodar region(Kuban), Northern Caucasus) - pruning is carried out in mid-March, in Siberia, the Urals, in the Leningrad region - in early May.
So, the basic rules spring pruning strawberries:
- It is necessary to eliminate all dried, diseased and damaged leaves.
- You should trim carefully, without touching the heart and young healthy plates.
- In this case, you should try to prune close to the root.
- Last year's mustache also needs to be eliminated (but only if you do not want to reproduce).
- The above-ground part of the plants that you cut needs to be burned because it may contain pathogens and pest larvae.
Important! To trim garden strawberries, you should use sharp, disinfected pruners or scissors.
Watering
The first watering of the strawberry beds should be done after the snow has melted and the soil has dried out. It is especially important to add moisture to two- and three-year-old garden strawberry bushes, because their hearts above the ground can become very dry.
The rate of watering in spring is approximately once every 7 days. It is recommended to do this in the morning or evening. You need to use warm water.
Advice! Before the first flowers appear on plants, you can sometimes irrigate using the sprinkling method (that is, irrigate the above-ground part of the plant and the soil).
After the flowers appear and fruit sets begin, you can water the plants only at the roots! Water should not get on the plants themselves!
Loosening and weeding
This type of care, such as loosening, is recommended for all garden crops, but strawberries love it especially. The procedure promotes soil aeration, i.e. improves the supply of oxygen to the root system of the plant, optimizes soil water permeability.
By the way! During this procedure, you also need to weed the weeds in the garden bed.
Loosen the soil around garden strawberries carefully, to a shallow depth (about 2-3 centimeters), since the roots of the plant are close to the surface of the earth. It is recommended to carry out the event after each watering or rain.
Pay attention! When loosening strawberries in the spring, inspect the plants:
- if you see that the roots are exposed in the garden bed, then you must carry out hilling, that is, sprinkle the roots with soil;
- if the plant growth point is in the ground, then, on the contrary, you need to rake the earth around it.
Mulching
Strawberries, like other garden crops, need to be mulched. This element of care is extremely important, since a layer of mulch preserves the evaporation of moisture (you can water less often), prevents the growth of weeds (no need to weed the beds), eliminates the need for loosening, and in dry weather it protects the root system of the plant from overheating, and in cold weather, vice versa , warms.
In addition to the advantages listed above, thanks to mulch, garden strawberries have a more attractive appearance, rot less often, and can be stored longer.
To mulch the beds, you can use peat, humus, compost, rotted sawdust, and straw. Optimal thickness layer - five centimeters.
By the way! Instead of mulching, covering material is often used, but for this, the given crop must first be applied to it.
Top dressing
To get a bountiful, tasty harvest, you need to regularly care for your plants. In addition, it is necessary to regularly feed the garden strawberry bushes, it is especially important to do this in the spring. Spring fertilizing of strawberries should be carried out only after the soil temperature is above 8 degrees Celsius.
Important! Before applying fertilizers, be sure to water the soil with plain water.
You can feed strawberries for the first time in early spring. nitrogen fertilizers, for example, a solution of bird droppings or ammonium nitrate. After the plant begins to grow, it is useful to feed it with complex mineral fertilizer, for example, Nitroammophoska.
Then you should feed before flowering, during the formation of buds (this feeding is very important!). During this period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, for example, Potassium Monophosphate, should be used. You can also use special fertilizers, for example, “Strawberry” from Fasco, Fertika “Kristalon” for strawberries and wild strawberries.
Advice! If, when applying fertilizer, you get on the above-ground part of the plant, you need to carefully rinse this area.
Treatment against pests and diseases
Pests and diseases can significantly damage the harvest or completely deprive you of it. To prevent their harmful effects, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatments of strawberries against pests and diseases in the spring.
The first time you need to treat strawberry bushes is after removing the cover and removing the mulch. You can use, for example, Bordeaux mixture. Then you should carry out the treatment before flowering, and you need to spray not only the bushes themselves, but also the soil around them. The following can be used against diseases fungicidal preparations: Fitosporin-M, Fitolavin, Gamair, Alirin. And use the following insecticidal preparations against pests: Fitoverm, Lepidotsid.
Transfer
Strawberries grow well and bear fruit in one place for about three to four years, and then they need to be transplanted to another place. Without timely replanting, the quality and quantity of the harvest will decrease significantly. This is due to the fact that the plants grow and lack nutrients in the garden.
The timing of transplanting strawberries to a new place differs in different regions of Russia: in the South (Krasnodar Territory (Kuban), Northern Caucasus) - it is better to do this in April, in the middle zone (Moscow region) - it is optimal to transplant in early May, in Siberia, in the Urals, Leningrad region - the optimal time for transplantation is at the end of May. In this case, the air temperature should remain stably above 10 degrees Celsius.
To replant, you need to dig up the bush without damaging the roots and earthen coma. It is advisable to replant it to a new place together with a lump of earth.
Video: transplanting strawberry bushes.
Caring for strawberries in the spring is very simple, but it is important to carry out all activities efficiently and in a timely manner. Thanks to simple care procedures garden strawberries You can not only get a harvest that is wonderful in taste and quality, but also make it easier for yourself to grow a wonderful crop.
