According to experienced agronomists, the best time to plant varietal and remontant strawberries is autumn. The yield of the crop directly depends on how powerful and developed the strawberry root system is in the spring. Therefore, the main task of the gardener during autumn planting is to purposefully create favorable conditions for the rooting of seedlings in the time remaining before the onset of frost.
Preparing the soil for autumn planting of garden strawberries
Since strawberries grow and bear fruit consistently in one place for up to 4 years, it is impossible to do without first filling the soil with fertilizers. Compost and phosphorus added before planting will provide the plants with adequate nutrition for a long time. These products have a prolonged effect.
A week before planting, it is necessary to cultivate the soil. The soil on the site is dug up to a depth of a spade, covering with mature compost or well-rotted manure of herbivores (1 bucket per 1 sq. m), and then thoroughly loosened and leveled.
In addition to organic matter, it is recommended to add double superphosphate for plowing at the rate of 70 g per square meter. m.
Strawberry planting dates
Seedlings with a closed root system (seedlings grown in individual planting containers) take root well in any warm season, be it early spring, autumn and even hot summer. It is enough just to organize regular watering of the beds, especially during dry periods.
It is recommended to plant seedlings with an open root system before winter in the middle zone from the beginning of September to the end of October. In a warm autumn, it is not too late to plant strawberries in November.
Early autumn planting, when the weather is still quite warm and the sun is very active, involves removing all excess leaves from the bushes. On each plant you need to leave only 2-3 of the strongest shoots.
When planting late (2 weeks before the onset of frost), seedlings with open roots do not need to pick off the leaves, except for dried or damaged ones.
In addition, to improve the survival rate of plants, excessively long roots should be trimmed. The optimal length of roots for autumn planting is 5 cm. The shortened roots actively develop in the time remaining before frost, mastering the fertile soil and absorbing the necessary nutrients.
Before planting, it is best to keep seedlings with an open root system in clean water for at least two hours so that the roots are well saturated with moisture.
Landing
Optimal planting scheme: 60 cm by 40 cm. The two-line method of growing strawberries has proven itself well, when 60 cm is left between the rows, and the gap between the lines is maintained at about 90 cm. With this scheme, it is convenient to care for plants throughout the growing season and propagate strawberries using mustaches .Cups with layers, which are placed in a large gap between the lines, will not interfere with agricultural activities.
It is not advisable to plant garden strawberries in dry soil. When planting seedlings after heavy rains, additional watering is not required, but in dry weather, each planting hole must be filled with water at a rate of at least 1 liter. According to reviews from experienced gardeners, the roots of each seedling immersed in mud take root much better, due to which the percentage of dead plants is significantly reduced.
The growing point should be level with the ground. To make further watering easier, you should make a small hole around each bush and then gently pinch it with your fingers.
Watering the planted seedlings with a rooting solution
The use of rooting agents after autumn planting is an effective way to help plants build a powerful root system, working until the soil cools to sub-zero temperatures. We are accustomed to using preparations with root-forming properties (Kornevin, Kornerost, Radifarm, Ferti Root, etc.) exclusively in the spring.
But it is much more important to stimulate the growth of suction roots of garden strawberries when planting strawberries before winter. In addition, modern means with growth-stimulating properties increase the stress resistance of bushes to unfavorable factors that inevitably arise during transplantation, especially seedlings with an open root system that has previously been pruned.
Prepare a working solution of the selected product according to the instructions on the package, and carefully pour it into each bush into the hole from a small watering can without a nozzle.Make sure that after watering the root collar of the plants is not buried (silted) or, conversely, is not exposed, and, if necessary, either compact the soil with your hands or add a little fertile soil mixture under the problem seedlings. After watering, the heart of each bush should be located flush with the surface of the soil.
Mulching
Whether to mulch strawberry plantings or leave the beds open before winter is up to each gardener to decide for himself. According to reviews from experienced summer residents who annually harvest record harvests of strawberries, in the presence of mulch the plants endure the winter much easier. An insulating layer under bushes planted in the fall is laid out 2 weeks after planting. Rotted straw, pine litter, composted sawdust, humus or hay are laid out around the plants and between the rows in a layer of 15 cm.
I wish you good harvests of fruit and berry crops every summer!
