We grow strawberries with our own hands – tips and tricks
Strawberries are considered the queen of the garden for a reason; proper care of strawberries is the key to a large harvest of this wonderful, tasty and healthy berry.
Growing strawberries and caring for them is not as simple as it might seem to novice summer residents and gardeners.
Even experienced gardeners are more than eager to please strawberries! And the site for it is chosen the sunniest, and the most fertile land is allocated, and irrigation is provided on time.
And strawberries, despite all the worries and care, no, no, and they are capricious! But you want not one or two berries, but a good rich harvest.
You can choose any soil for growing strawberries. Of course, there is still a definite connection between soil quality and yield.
The best harvest will, of course, be on podzolized chernozem soils and on dark gray forest soil of medium and light composition. Light gray, soddy soils will yield lower yields.
The presence of groundwater is also important, but they should not be too close to the surface.
The most suitable slopes for planting strawberries are in the south-west of the estate, with a slope of 2-3 degrees.
It is in such areas that the growing season begins much earlier, and the harvest here ripens faster. Lowland or confined areas are not recommended for planting strawberries.
If it freezes to the soil at a depth of 15 – 18 cm to -8 degrees, then your strawberry may die.
The acidity of the soil for strawberries should be 5.5 – 6.5, and the humus should be at least 2% or you can buy best grow box for beginners online to regulate the everything.
Table of Contents
How to prepare a plot for strawberries?
We have already considered tips on how to properly fertilize the garden , now about preparing the site.
The sworn enemy of the potato is the Colorado potato beetle, and does not disregard strawberry seedlings… Therefore, before planting strawberries, you should check the soil for the presence of May beetle larvae and wireworms.
The highest probability of the presence of these larvae is in areas close to the forest belt. The critical mark for the content of larvae per unit area is 0.5 / sq.
In this case, ammonia water is introduced into the soil at the rate of 2 t / ha or alkaloid lupine is planted. When the larvae eat its beans, they die.
If your site is too clogged with cereal weeds, then in the fall the soil is treated with Roundup, at the rate of 3 l / ha.
Somewhere in October, the soil needs to be plowed to a depth of 25 – 30 cm. In winter, snow retention will be a good measure of support and increase soil moisture.
In the spring, the soil is harrowed right before planting strawberries, and then cultivated 14-16 cm deep.
Fertilizer for strawberries is applied depending on the result of analyzes of the chemical composition of the soil in your area.
Before planting strawberries in a new area, it should be examined for infestation with soil pests. If found, they must be destroyed, and only after that proceed to planting the plants.
If a lot of May beetle larvae (1 larva per 2 square meters) or wire worm have been identified, the soil should be treated with ammonia water at the rate of 2000 l / ha.
At the same time, it is not enough to carry out surface treatment, ammonia water must penetrate into the soil to a depth of 20 cm. This will require resorting to the help of a plow or cultivator.
Thus, it is possible to guarantee the death of about 90% of the larvae of these pests. However, the plantation owner must scrupulously observe not only the proportion of breeding, but also the timing of soil cultivation.
Processing should be carried out in May, because in the future the insects will move to a greater depth, and getting to them will be extremely problematic.
If it is not possible to use ammonia water, it can be replaced with such insecticides as “Bazudin”, “Confidor”, “Marshal”.
It is best to use them during the period when insects get out to the top after wintering in the soil – thus the owners of the plantation will give them a worthy welcome.
Seedling quality
In order to get a rich strawberry harvest , experienced gardeners recommend buying and planting only sorted and healthy high-quality seedlings.
the diameter of the root collar of such seedlings should be at least 6 mm, the roots should be fibrous, and the root processes should be at least 7 – 9 cm in size. to plant elite varieties or varieties of the 1st reproduction.
The correct solution would be to plant frigo seedlings – plants, i.e. such plants, which were dug up in late autumn and were preserved throughout the winter at low temperatures.
Garden strawberry seedlings are planted in early spring or early autumn. It is very important to invest in the timing of planting, and plant as early as possible.
If you are late and do not plant strawberries on time, then most of the seedlings may die.
You can grow strawberry seedlings yourself
A suitable soil is taken: universal or specialized, 0.3 parts of sand is added to 1 part of the soil.
The earth must be literally sterile. This is due to the fact that strawberry seedlings are very sensitive to all kinds of fungal diseases, just like children. But with the formation of 2 – 3 true leaves, the threat of diseases decreases.
Sterility is achieved by one of the methods of heat treatment – frying or steaming the soil, up to about 100 degrees.
The mixture is poured into the container, slightly compacted, not moistened.
Then a layer of snow is poured onto the surface of the substrate, about 3-5 cm. Seeds are laid out on the surface of the snow, it is better to arrange them in a checkerboard pattern, the seeds are small, so they will be clearly visible on the snow.
The container with seeds is covered with glass or transparent film, placed on the windowsill. At first, a temperature of + 18-20 is preferable, after a week it can be increased to +25.
It is necessary to periodically ventilate the container with seeds, and moisten if necessary.
Until the seeds germinate, additional lighting is not required. After the emergence of seedlings, they can be supplemented with fluorescent lamps.
Watering, especially in the first days after germination, should be very careful, in fact, drip in order to avoid waterlogging, which can lead to the disease of the seedlings with a black leg and their further lodging, because the spores of this fungus can even be contained in the air.
A good prophylaxis is watering and spraying with a weak solution of antifungal plant protection agents, for example, Fitosporin.
As soon as the plants have 2-3 true leaves, we begin to water them more abundantly and gradually accustom them to open air, if the temperature outside is above 10 degrees.
At this time, they dive into individual containers. And when the ground in the open field warms up enough, we transplant the strawberries to a permanent place, it is better in a state of at least 5-6 true leaves.
The flowers that appear are removed until an adult plant is formed, since the flowering greatly depletes the young plant.
A week after transplanting, they are fertilized with a fertilizer solution, the concentration of which is halved.
Previously considered How to plant grapes correctly , I will be glad if it helped you
Planting strawberry seedlings
It is best to plant strawberries in late summer, early fall. Before planting, the seedlings are kept cool for about five days.
The soil must be moist. The roots should be 8-10 cm and placed in the ground, and the root collar at ground level.
Immediately before planting, strawberry seedlings are kept in a cool place for about 5 days.
For planting, it is best to choose moist, but not wet soil. Make sure that during planting, the box where the seedlings are located is in the shade.
If everything is done correctly, then the root collar will be at ground level, and the root system will be located vertically.
Then water it so that a crust does not form, and immediately after watering, fertilize the earth with humus or sprinkle it with dry earth.
Some tips on how to grow strawberries correctly
Need to mulch strawberry bushes. Then there will be no need to fight weeds, because of the mulch layer, the weeds will not germinate and the earth will be constantly wet.
The mulch keeps moisture from evaporating. It is better to mulch like this. Put packing cardboard on the ground itself, and pour straw or just grass on top.
- For garden strawberries – the introduction of manure or humus is mandatory.
- Be sure to change the planting site, strawberries are not grown in one place for more than 4-5 years. Bushes begin to age and lose yield.
- Periodically update the varieties of strawberries you are growing. If you constantly grow strawberries of the same varieties, then over time, pathogens will adapt, and the berries cannot defend themselves.
