Strawberries have long been considered one of the most beloved fruit and berry crops. And even though it takes a lot of effort every year to obtain a harvest of juicy, aromatic fruits, it is cultivated by most owners of their personal plots.
As practice shows, in one place, garden strawberry bushes produce stable yields for 3-4 years. Further, the yield decreases sharply, and the fruits become smaller and lose their sugar content. That is why experts advise updating the culture by planting seedlings of the varieties you like or propagating plants using mustaches.
Ideally, according to the rules of crop rotation, beds for strawberries are arranged in a new place each time. Otherwise, there is a high probability of accumulation of phytopathogens and pest larvae in the soil. The best precursors of the crop are onion vegetables and flowers, as well as legumes, nightshade, pumpkin crops and green manure.
Landing dates
Garden strawberries can be planted in two terms.Early planting is carried out in August - September, and late planting - in October - November. The technology for early autumn planting is no different from late autumn. The only caveat is preparing the seedlings. When planting in early autumn, when the weather is still quite warm, 1-2 of the youngest and strongest leaves are left on each bush.
The remaining leaf plates must be cut off before the procedure. Removing leaves is necessary because a large amount of moisture evaporates from their surface. Therefore, after immersion in the soil, the plant may die, since the root system, which has not yet taken root in the first day in a new place, does not have time to provide the above-ground part of the seedlings with either moisture or nutritional components.
Planting in cold soil in the second half of autumn does not pose a threat to the leaf apparatus, which does not evaporate such an amount of moisture during low solar activity. Late autumn planting involves removing only problematic leaves from each healthy bush with garden shears: dried leaves, those with mechanical damage or signs of damage by phytopathogens.
Soil preparation
2-3 weeks before planting, the beds are plowed to the depth of a spade, covering with fully matured compost or well-rotted manure of herbivores (6-8 kg/sq. m).
During the remaining time before planting, the soil partially shrinks. If it is not possible to prepare the beds in advance, then immediately after digging and adding organic matter, the soil is spilled so that it is partially compacted due to water.
As for mineral fertilizers, when planting strawberries in autumn, experts advise applying double or simple superphosphate (70 g/sq. m) and any available potassium products without chlorine, for example, potassium sulfate (30 g/sq. m).Complex preparations (“Ecoplant” or “Potassium Monophosphate”), which are plowed into the soil according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, are also suitable. These fertilizers are used in addition to compost.
Superphosphate has a prolonged effect. As the drug granules dissolve, the phosphorus released over 12-24 months contributes to the qualitative strengthening and branching of the root system of the bushes. The addition of potassium leads to an improvement in the formation of fruit buds for the next season and an increase in the winter hardiness of seedlings.
According to reviews from experienced gardeners, filling the beds for garden strawberries during autumn planting with large doses of compost and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers will allow the plants to grow, develop and bear fruit normally for 2-3 years. This diet requires only 2-3 root and foliar feedings for each season - with a predominance of nitrogen in the spring, and phosphorus and potassium after the end of fruiting.
When cultivating beds for strawberries, you should not use fresh manure and chloride fertilizers. Culture reacts negatively to these types of organics and minerals. Planted plants may begin to hurt and even die completely. It is also undesirable to use fertilizers in the fall containing increased doses of nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of the above-ground parts. Before wintering, plants should take root well and grow only a few new leaves, and not develop a powerful leaf apparatus.
Landing
About a liter of water must be poured into each planting hole. The roots of the seedlings need to be carefully straightened. It is better to gently press down the soil around the bushes with your hands, thus removing voids in the ground and ensuring the most intimate contact of the root system with the soil.
When immersing seedlings in the soil, it is very important to correctly place the root collar. It cannot be buried, since during precipitation and watering the growing point (the heart of each bush) will sink into the soil, which will negatively affect the establishment of the bushes.
High planting is also dangerous, when the growing point protrudes several centimeters above the surface of the beds. This position of the strawberry core leads to exposure of the roots and drying out of the plants. Therefore, the root collar of strawberries must be placed strictly, level with the surface of the plantation.
To improve plant development, prevent the spread of weeds and insulate the roots in winter, after planting, the beds can be mulched with organic matter, for example, rotted straw, humus, hay or compost.
If you plant strawberries correctly before winter, the plants will thank you with a bountiful harvest next season, especially if you follow all the rules of agricultural technology.
Easy work for you in the berry patch and garden!
