A delicacy familiar from childhood, which can be picked straight from the garden, fragrant and juicy, so sweet and tasty... There is probably no person who does not know about strawberries.
So many delicious things can be made from this beauty: bright red jam, a jar of which is so pleasant to open on a winter day, compotes, pies, various desserts.
Why buy this sweet berry if you can grow strawberries at your dacha and get a bountiful harvest yourself? After all, doing this is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
We all know this type of Pineapple strawberry, or large-fruited strawberry (Fragaria ananassa, F. grandiflora), this is what we grow in the garden. This is a perennial plant that consists of a rosette of leaves and peduncles emerging from it, on which inflorescences with white flowers are located.
But the most important thing for which strawberries are bred is the fruits, which differ in shape, size, color, and taste depending on the variety. They are mostly bright red, sweet, up to 5 cm in diameter.
You will not find wild species, this cultivated plant, bred from Chilean and Virginia strawberries. The berries have numerous medicinal properties.
Today, a large number of varieties are known that have high yields, large fruits, resistance to diseases and pests, and improved taste. A lot depends on the correctness of your choice.
Remontant varieties are very popular, which are able to bloom and bear fruit several times during the growing season. These are such as Ada (for places with snowy winters, the first berries are medium in size, the second are smaller), Remontantnaya Kyiv ( winter-hardy variety, the berries are larger, the yield is higher).
For growing indoors (in a greenhouse, indoors), Gorela, which has large spherical, light red fruits, and Vola, with large elongated berries with an orange tint, are suitable.
For open ground, you can use the varieties Zarya, Desna, Rusapovka, Talisman, Festivalnaya, Pocahontas.
According to the timing of fruiting, varieties are divided into:
The most best place there will be a southwestern slope (slope 2-3 degrees), it is undesirable to choose lowlands. To ripen, the berries need a lot of solar heat, but at the same time, light shading at midday will not be superfluous.
Strawberries can grow in any soil, but the yield will vary. The best are podzolized chernozem soils, light, permeable, and rich in humus. Acidity is 5.5-6.5.
Strawberry seedlings are planted in early spring or from mid-August to September 25 (after rain or watering). Moreover, it is very important not to be late with the deadlines and to plant strawberries as early as possible, if possible, otherwise they will die.
Having decided on the landing site, you need to prepare it. There should be no wireworm and May beetle larvae in the soil, and they are most abundant where potatoes grew. The Colorado potato beetle also does not disdain strawberry seedlings, so try not to place these crops nearby.
To combat soil pests, the soil is watered with ammonia water (norm: 200 g per 1 sq. m). To remove numerous weeds in the fall, the soil is treated with Roundup, then plowed in early October (depth 25-30 cm).
If you want to receive good harvest , you need to choose only high-quality seedlings, and also grow strawberries correctly. The seedlings should have a root collar diameter of about 6 mm, with a fibrous root system. These are elite varieties or 1st reproduction.
Planted in a prepared area in spring or autumn. Moreover, 5 days before planting, the plants are kept in a cool place.
Do not plant in wet soil, it must be moist. Place the root collar at ground level. Planting method: two-line or single-line. Then the plants are watered and the soil is mulched (dry soil, humus).
Care consists of regular watering to keep the soil moist, weeding between rows, fertilizing, pest control, disease control, and loosening.
This event is held three times a year:
After fertilizing, strawberries are loosened, watered, and mulched. It is advisable to water in the morning; the water should not be cold.
To prevent your beauty from being bothered by diseases and pests, strawberries are treated with appropriate preparations before flowering in the spring and after harvesting. These are copper oxychloride (from rot and spotting), potassium permanganate (from powdery mildew), phytosporin (for fungal diseases), colloidal sulfur (for powdery mildew).
During the growing season it is necessary to remove the tendrils, otherwise the main bush will become depleted.
Strawberries can be grown from seeds or using tendrils that are separated from the mother plant, covered with soil and watered.
Propagation by seeds allows you to get a harvest in the same summer. At the end of February, the seeds are sown in a special moistened soil mixture (peat, sand, humus) in a container without covering the seeds. Then cover with polyethylene and place in a warm place.
As soon as the sprouts appear, they are ventilated, and later I remove the film. In the phase of 2-3 leaves, the plant is picked. Seedlings are planted according to the recommendations discussed above.
Useful video
It is perhaps difficult to find a garden that does not have at least one strawberry bed. And, of course, every site owner wants to receive bountiful harvests large and sweet berries from spring until frost. In this case, it all starts with the correct landing, or rather with choosing the most optimal time for this work. So when is the best time to plant strawberries?
If your strawberry plantation is three, maximum four years old, then it’s time to think about updating the plantings of this crop. As a rule, by this time, aging bushes are already massively affected by diseases and pests, their productivity drops sharply, and the berries become smaller and become sour.
Please note that plants of remontant and neutral varieties garden strawberries It is recommended to change even more often - once every two years. The fact is that they bear fruit at least twice a season and therefore quickly waste their potential and grow old. Already in the third year, the number of berries on the bushes of these varieties decreases so much that they become further cultivation unprofitable.
Strawberry seedlings can be planted both in summer-autumn and in autumn period. IN middle lane spring planting is carried out between April 20-30 (depending on weather conditions) and June 15. Autumn - from August 15 to September 15. Large-fruited remontant strawberries It is recommended to plant in August, and small-fruited ones in May.
U different terms planting can be found both certain advantages and some disadvantages. So, to the advantages of summer autumn planting can be attributed:
The disadvantages of this landing time include:
Advantage spring planting strawberries are obvious: the plants quickly take root under the rays of the warm, but not yet aggressive spring sun. At the same time, there is no longer any hope of getting any noticeable berry harvest this year...
Keep in mind that when planting rosettes in early autumn and late spring, most of the leaves on the bushes are torn off, leaving only 1-2 of the smallest ones. If you neglect this recommendation, the planted plants can easily dry out. Despite the fact that the strawberry root system begins to partially function within a couple of hours after planting, evaporation from the surface of the leaf apparatus is so great that the roots simply cannot deliver the required amount of water to them.
When planting in early spring or late autumn, the air temperature is very moderate, and therefore evaporation is insignificant. During this period, only disease-damaged and dry leaves are removed. This is due to the fact that even in the most severe frosts, metabolic processes between the above-ground and underground parts of a strawberry seedling do not stop, so if all the foliage is removed from the plant during late-autumn planting, it will most likely die.
How to determine when is the best time to plant strawberries in your region? In areas characterized by dry autumns and snowless winters, as well as sudden temperature changes during the cold season, it is safer to postpone this work until the spring.
However, even in this case, summer-autumn planting of strawberries can be quite successful if you provide the young plants with sufficient winter watering. After all, it is the lack of moisture in the soil (especially on sandy loams) that is the main cause of the mass death of rosettes during wintering.
I suggest watching a short video instruction on spring planting strawberries.
Strawberries are one of the healthiest garden plants. The yield of ripe berries is stable for several years. With proper care and the right choice of site, the plant gives a good harvest. What variety of berries should I choose for planting? When to plant strawberries? You will find answers to all these questions here.
Choosing the right variety
There are many different varieties of strawberries. However, only a few have giant berries. Varieties such as Octava, Rozanka, Elvira-80, Marmion and others have large fruits.
Growing strawberries in the ground or in pots
This plant is quite applicable for both options. But most often strawberries are grown in open ground. Plants grown directly in the ground remain there for several years. Therefore, you must choose the right place that you want to use for quite a long time to grow strawberries. Also, the site should be located near a source of water, since strawberries require frequent watering. It can also be grown in pots and containers. This is aesthetically pleasing and healthy, because strawberries are a storehouse of vitamins. Specialized containers consist of several pockets for placing plants. If there are restrictions on your garden area, you can plant strawberries in containers, pots, or car tires.
Choosing a location on the site
Before landing, you must choose a place, taking into account the following rules:
The plant needs a location that receives six or more hours of sunlight per day.
The site must be near water.
Don't plant strawberries in areas where you grew tomatoes or peppers. These crops can carry Verticillium wilt, a disease that can kill the berry plant.
When to plant strawberries? Soil preparation
Before planting, you need to prepare the garden soil by adding plenty of well-seasoned manure, peat and compost. Strawberries grow well in slightly acidic soil, so adding all this will provide the plant nutrients, and will also improve the soil structure.
Some gardeners cover the area before planting with a dark cloth or oilcloth, having previously made cutouts for the strawberries. This provides several advantages:
The fabric suppresses weed growth because the grass seeds do not receive light.
The soil under the fabric remains warm.
Moisture loss is reduced, which helps the growth and development of bushes.
When to plant strawberries?
Typically, gardeners plant and replant strawberries in late July - early August, when the harvest has already been harvested and the young rosettes have grown. Over time, the strawberries grow larger and your strawberry rows become too crowded for the plant. The yield of berries may decrease, so it is better to divide the bushes in early spring (before flowering), if you did not have time to do this in the fall.
Advice from gardeners
The lunar calendar will help you choose when planting strawberries auspicious date. It is better to plant or replant plants on a cloudy day or in the evening, when there is no active sun. Just dig up the young strawberry rosettes and place them in new places. Transplanted plants should be watered generously to help them establish themselves in their new location.
Fertilizer
Growing high-yielding strawberries requires monthly application of a balanced fertilizer. Adding compost annually is also beneficial.
Watering
Plants like well-drained, moist soil. Make sure your plants are getting enough water. Watering should be done in the evening or early in the morning.
Winter care
In areas with harsh winters, it is better to use mulch to prevent strawberries from freezing. Pine mulch or straw work well as it is light enough to not weigh down the plants. In the spring, after the soil has dried, gently remove all the mulch from the area with a rake.
Delicious garden berry
Growing strawberries is an affordable and enjoyable way to produce fresh, sweet berries in your own garden. Now you know when to plant strawberries and how to care for them. Having undertaken these simple steps, you can enjoy fresh, delicious berries for a long time.
Strawberry is one of the most popular berry crops. It can be propagated using tendrils and seedlings grown from seeds. The plant grows on any soil, but the taste and size of the berries depends on its composition, nutritional value, and structure. Strawberries are planted in open ground in spring, late summer and early autumn. So that she quickly takes root and pleases abundant flowering and a good harvest, you should know simple planting techniques and stick to simple rules care
For strawberries, choose sunny, flat areas, protected from strong drafts. Strawberries love plenty of light fertile soil, cleared of harmful weeds (thistle, wheatgrass, sowweed and others). Groundwater should lie no closer than 1 m to the surface. Strawberries should not be planted in lowlands where the cold accumulates in the morning. Not suitable for planting steep slopes, since in winter the snow blows off them and the plants can freeze, and in the spring the soil is washed away by meltwater, and the roots of the berry plant are exposed. Strawberries feel comfortable and produce good yields in slightly acidic soils (pH 5.8–6.2). Preference is given to light loams and soils with a high sand content.
The best places for planting strawberries are well-lit areas with flat surface, protected from strong winds
First, the selected area is cleared of debris: branches, leaves, stones. Then all weeds are removed. This can be done in different ways:
It is imperative to destroy pests: insect larvae, spores of various fungi. To do this, the ground is sprayed with ammonia water or Roundup, which is universal remedy weed and pest control. The working solution is prepared as follows: 100 g of a high concentration drug is stirred in 10 liters of water. This amount of solution can treat up to 2 acres of land.
The cleaned soil must be fertilized before loosening. You can use various organic and mineral fertilizers:
The plantation for planting strawberries is dug up in advance. In summer and autumn, bushes are planted in prepared soil every month. Before this, green manure is sown, which will have time to grow 10–15 cm. The mass is mowed and then plowed or buried when digging into the ground. If planting is planned in the spring, then the soil should be prepared in early September.
If you plan to plant strawberries in the spring, then preparatory work should start in the fall
Choosing the right strawberry variety is one of the main factors bountiful harvest. Today there is a great demand for remontant varieties that bloom throughout the growing season: from early spring to late autumn. 2-3 crops are harvested from one bush per year. The abundance of strawberry seedlings at the market makes one’s eyes wide open, but one needs to pay attention to the following nuances:
If the bush has bloomed, then you need to look at the size of the flower. Big size inflorescences speaks of large berry. Seedlings with small flowers or without buds cannot be planted, as they will not produce a harvest.
On a new site, experienced summer residents advise planting from 3 to 5 different varieties strawberries They will provide cross-pollination, which increases yields.
From my own practice, I recommend purchasing seedlings of elite varieties of first reproduction. Before planting, I soak the roots of the bushes in clean water with the addition of a growth stimulator and several crystals of copper sulfate for half an hour. This technique promotes rapid rooting of seedlings, which has a beneficial effect on the growth of the above-ground part of strawberries.
The optimal time for planting berries is the last ten days of July and the first days of August. By this time, the seedlings will have developed a good root system, which will affect next year’s harvest. The bushes need to be replanted with a large lump of nutritious soil. Most often they try to plant 1–3 remontant varieties and the same number of ordinary ones. This combination allows you to harvest from late June until late autumn.
Plant strawberries on a warm, cloudy day in the evening to help the plants take root better.
Instructions for summer planting strawberry bushes in open ground:
The whiskers begin to grow after the berries ripen. After harvesting, they are thinned out, leaving for propagation the highest quality ones, on which a strong rosette has formed. It is cut off and transplanted to a new place.
In order for strawberries to develop quickly and produce a good harvest, they need to be fed regularly:
Spring feeding is combined with cutting off leaves. To stimulate a better ovary, use a solution of nitroammophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). The most commonly consumed organic matter is mullein and chicken droppings. 0.5 l nutrient solution pour under every bush. In the second feeding before harvesting, fertilizers containing potassium (wood ash, potassium nitrate) are used.
As soon as the first berries begin to appear, 0.5 liters of liquid solution is added under the bush - 2 tbsp. pour boiling water over the ash, leave for 2–3 hours and dilute with 10 liters of warm water
An addition is spraying the bushes with a solution containing a high content of microelements. For these purposes, use 2 g boric acid, diluted in 10 liters of water. Strawberries need a third feeding because they have become depleted during the growing season. The situation will be corrected by a solution of 2 tbsp. l. nitroammofoski or 1 tbsp. ash per 10 liters of water.
Spring planting in late April - early May, according to many experienced summer residents, Not best time for growing strawberries. The bushes take root less well and often get sick because they react poorly to sunny weather. Before planting, the soil is moistened, but it should not be wet. The soil must be fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers. Otherwise, the planting technology is similar to the summer one.
Benefits of autumn planting strawberries:
In autumn, strawberries can be planted until the end of Indian summer. Strawberry plantings should be renewed every 3-4 years and this is best done in September.
Most experienced gardeners grow strawberry seedlings from seeds. This requires patience and knowledge, as well as creating the necessary conditions.
There are many seeds sold on the market and in specialized stores. different varieties and strawberry hybrids.
The colorful packaging depicts huge, delicious berries and promises early ripening and resistance to any diseases. Difficult to do for an inexperienced gardener right choice. It’s better to study strawberry varieties and look for the name you like.
A huge number of seeds of varieties and hybrids of garden strawberries are offered for sale in specialized stores.
In Russia, remontant varieties are popular, producing 2–3 harvests per season:
To obtain early (ripen in mid-late June) large-fruited dessert berries, the following varieties are recommended:
Mid-early strawberry varieties (harvested in the second half of June):
If you want the strawberry not to lose its maternal characteristics, new variety should be cultivated at some distance from other plantings. Then it pollinates only with itself.
Strawberry seeds are easy to prepare if you follow simple rules:
Before planting, the seed material is soaked and stratified. Soak the seeds on cotton pads, which are placed in a saucer and moistened warm water. Any growth stimulant is added to it:
To carry out simplified stratification, the seeds are laid out on moistened cotton swabs, covered with other swabs prepared in the same way, and placed in the refrigerator in the lower compartment for three days. The temperature is set to 4–6 o C. Tampons can be replaced with paper napkins.
When stratifying, seeds are kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.
The manufacturer indicates planting dates on the seed packet.
Strawberry seedlings can be grown in transparent containers or plastic cups. Through their walls the degree of moisture content of the substrate is visible.
Many gardeners use containers for sour cream, yoghurt, and milk. IN Lately Peat cups are popular.
IN peat cups convenient to grow strawberry seedlings
A special soil for strawberry seeds or flower seedlings, purchased in a store, is suitable as a substrate. But you can cook it yourself: equal parts river sand and lowland peat are mixed with two shares of turf soil.
In open areas, the most common classic planting is:
Free space is needed to care for strawberries and fight weeds and pests.
There are also many non-standard planting methods, for which bags, shelters, and landscape changes are used. Among them the most common:
To save space, strawberries can be planted outside the beds using various devices.
This berry is not considered a capricious plant and goes well with many flowers and vegetables:
Strawberries normally tolerate the presence of sage, parsley, and borage. But proximity to potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers is undesirable, since they have a common pest - a nematode. A weevil can move from a raspberry growing nearby to a strawberry.
Garlic - good neighbor for strawberries
Proper planting of strawberries is the first step towards growing a berry rich in vitamins and microelements. You can read, study, watch videos about growing strawberries a lot, but if you don’t pick them up garden tools and do not start preparing the ground for planting bushes - the theory will never be translated into practice. Start with simple steps: buy seedlings, plant in pre-prepared soil, water, loosen the soil, mulch. There will definitely be a result!
Garden strawberry is a variety of wild strawberry. She has more large leaves and berries rich in vitamins and microelements. The culture propagates by seeds and rosettes. The plant takes root in any soil, but depending on the quality of the soil and the quantity nutrients depends on the size of the fruit. Strawberries can be planted in mid or late spring, as well as in autumn. In order for the culture to quickly take root and not die in winter, you need to adhere to several rules.
A simple way to propagate domesticated strawberries is from runner seedlings. In summer, the plant produces shoots. The rosettes are sprinkled with substrate and watered regularly so that they take root. Closer to autumn, the workpiece is separated from the mother bush sharp scissors or a knife. The seedlings are dug up and inspected, healthy specimens are selected. Viable pieces have white and elastic roots, a well-developed core and at least 3-4 leaves. Deformed and limp sockets are thrown away; they will not survive the winter. Roots strong seedlings shorten, leaving 6–7 cm. Before planting, shoots are soaked in water or solutions that stimulate growth.
If the strawberry does not grow a mustache, you can propagate it by dividing the bush. Select the largest and densest varieties and dig them up. The root system is carefully cleaned from the earthen lump and cut into 2-3 parts with a sharp knife. Each piece must have a core and full leaves, at least 4 pieces.
The most difficult method of propagation is seeds. Planting material is prepared independently. They select large fruits and wait until they ripen. Soft, rich red berries are mashed and passed through a sieve, separating the pulp from the seeds. The seeds are transferred to a colander lined with gauze and washed with water. Planting material is sown in prepared pots or open ground. In spring, seedlings appear, which need to be carefully looked after. The strengthened rosettes are dug up and planted. They produce a harvest within a year.
In the spring they awaken and begin to actively reproduce, destroying root system domesticated strawberries. Strawberries take root well in soil that previously grew marigolds, cereals, onions or garlic, carrots, beets or radishes.
Select areas located on the south-eastern side of the garden. Ideally, trees grow next to the strawberries, which will create shade and cover the delicate foliage from direct contact. sun rays. Strawberries give a rich harvest if they grow in black soil or dark gray forest soil. I like the culture to be loamy and sandy loam soil. The berries will be small and sour if the dacha owner has chosen a soddy-podzolic or light gray substrate located in a lowland. Strawberries do not take root in areas with too much wet soil which is constantly flooding.
Before planting the crop, the soil is dug up and carefully inspected. If beetles or eggs are found in the substrate, you need to treat the soil with ammonia water. The solution destroys larvae and spores of fungal diseases. Alkaloid lupine can drive away pests. The selected area is sown with the plant, and after a year the crop is dug up and replaced with strawberries.
Areas with a lot of weeds are watered with Roundall solution. For 1 hectare take 2 liters of the drug. The product copes with perennial plants, which are firmly rooted, and destroys weed seeds.
The substrate is enriched with humus and wood ash 2–3 weeks before planting strawberry bushes. You can use compost or peat. Fresh manure is prohibited; the component produces a lot of nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green mass, but suppresses the formation of buds.
Fertilizer is generously sprinkled on the beds and dug to the depth of a spade bayonet. The area is leveled with a rake and left for 3 weeks. To get a good harvest, it is recommended to supplement the compost with potassium compounds and superphosphate. For 1 m2 take 20 g of the first and 40 g of the second additive. At increased acidity soils use dolomitic lime, approximately 250–300 g.
Strawberries are transferred to new beds every 2–4 years. It is recommended to sow the land in which strawberries grew with grain or onion crops. They help the soil recover and become saturated with nutrients. Strawberries can be returned to the old site after 3-4 years. The substrate will need that much time to become enriched with micronutrients.
Domesticated strawberries are planted in spring or autumn. In summer the air temperature is too high. The soil dries out quickly, even frequent watering does not help. A crop deprived of water withers and dies.
In spring, strawberry seedlings are planted at the end of April or May, when the ground warms up to a depth of 5–6 cm. In autumn, strawberries are prepared for propagation in September. Some summer residents begin planting crops in late August. Autumn seedlings have time to take root and take root over the winter, so the harvest is harvested the following year.
Rosettes are soaked in a solution of copper sulfate before planting. The drug is mixed with baking soda in a ratio of 1 to 6. The preparation is diluted with water: 10 liters of liquid are taken per 30 g of the composition. Copper sulfate disinfects seedlings and protects against fungal diseases.
Sockets dug out of the ground are sent to the cellar or basement for 12–24 hours. The root system is dipped into a mash of orange clay. Mix 5 kg of dry component with water to obtain a creamy mass. The preparation is infused for several hours, and then the strawberries are smeared with orange paste. The roots are also wrapped in wet paper so that the shoots do not lose moisture. Seedlings protected from drying out can be stored for several days.
Strawberries are planted in the evening, choosing a cloudy day. It's good if it rains a little. There are 4 common planting methods:
The first option is suitable for people who rarely come to their dacha. The mustaches that form on strawberry bushes are not torn off, but are allowed to take root. The culture gradually grows and takes over the area. A special microclimate is created, and a layer of natural mulch is formed on the ground. Strawberries planted using the carpet method should rarely be watered and fertilized. Weeds do not grow in the strawberry plot. The soil is rarely loosened, mainly in autumn and spring.
The carpet method has only one drawback. Berries due large quantity whiskers and rosettes gradually become smaller.
Summer residents who want to get large fruits choose the method of planting individual bushes. A distance of 45–60 cm is maintained between the beds. Strawberry tendrils are regularly cut off so that the plants do not intertwine with each other. The artisanal method is complex and labor-intensive. You often have to loosen and mulch the soil with straw, apply fertilizers and water the beds, and also fight weeds.
Thanks to the artisanal method, strawberries develop intensively and bear fruit, and the likelihood of fungal diseases is reduced, because each plant is ventilated.
In order to replant strawberries not after 2-3 years, but after 5-6 years, summer residents divide the plot into rows. The space between the holes is 15–25 cm. The row spacing is 40 cm. The method is practically no different from the artisanal one. The strawberries are torn off, the rows are regularly weeded, the plants are watered and mulched.
A rich harvest is obtained by planting strawberries in nests. The largest and fluffiest bush will become the core, which is surrounded by the rest of the plants. Form a hexagon. The distance between the central and side points is 5–6 cm.
This method will require a lot of planting material. A distance of 25–30 cm is maintained between nests. The method ensures a rich harvest.
Summer residents who are tired of fighting weeds are advised to pay attention to non-woven material. The invention is called “Spunbond”. Dense black material allows air to pass through and retains moisture in the soil, creating favorable microclimate for the development of strawberries, but protects against plant pests.
Summer residents using Spunbond plant strawberries in rows. Before work, water the soil abundantly. Strawberries do not take root well in dry soil. At a distance of 55–60 cm, grooves are dug, the substrate is covered with non-woven material and secured with stones or boards. Cross-shaped cuts with a diameter of 5–6 cm are made in a dense workpiece. Holes are formed by hand into which strawberry seedlings are placed. The root system is straightened so that the shoots look down and slightly to the side, sprinkled with earth, leaving the core on the surface. The corners of the non-woven material are carefully straightened so that they cover the base of the strawberry. Only leaves remain outside.
Strawberries are planted in a similar way without non-woven material. The holes are moistened abundantly, the root system is straightened and sprinkled with wet substrate. The seedlings are watered abundantly so that they take root better. Sprinkle fresh straw on top. Thanks to mulching, moisture is retained in the soil longer, and the roots do not overheat or freeze.
Tip: The ammonia solution in which sockets are soaked to prevent fungal infections can be replaced garlic water. The product is prepared from 2-3 crushed cloves and 1 liter of liquid base.
If country cottage area small, and you need to save space, it is recommended to build a pyramid from old tires or boxes. The height of the structure can reach 10 m. The containers are filled with a nutrient mixture, which includes peat, turf soil and humus. To make the substrate looser, add a little sand to it.
The distance between bushes in containers is 15–20 cm. The volume of soil for the root system is 1.5 liters. In winter, the structure is dismantled, and the components are buried in the ground and mulched with fallen leaves. In the spring, during the period of frost, the containers are covered with film or non-woven material.
Summer residents who want to harvest in May or June build mini-greenhouses for strawberries. The soil is enriched with fertilizers, dug up, and after 3 weeks the beds are formed. Make small arcs of wire with a radius of 50–60 cm and install them at a distance of 1 m.
The covering material is secured to the frame using jute rope. One side of the film is pressed to the ground with iron slats or stones, the other is left free to make it convenient to plant strawberries and care for the crop. The ends of translucent polyethylene are tied with ropes and fixed with pegs, and then buried in soil. The makeshift greenhouse will be warm and humid. The film attracts sunlight, retains water and protects against weeds.
A thermometer is attached to the inner wall of the greenhouse. If the thermometer shows +25 or higher, the free edge of the film is opened slightly and the greenhouse is ventilated. Strawberry loves warmth, but the heat makes him weak and sick.
The greenhouse is ventilated on sunny days, and when the bushes bloom, the covering material is removed for the whole day and returned to its place in the evening to protect the seedlings from frost. The film is completely removed after the berries are formed.
In the early morning, before the heat sets in, the crop is watered with heated water. It can’t be cold, otherwise the strawberries will get sick. The beds are moistened once a week. The earth is periodically loosened, removing weeds and dried bushes. In autumn, strawberries grown in a greenhouse are covered with a mixture of fallen leaves, straw and spruce branches. Before mulching, the soil is enriched with peat and compost.
Hybrid varieties of strawberries are propagated by rosettes and division of the bush. Other varieties can be obtained from seeds. Growing seedlings is easy. You will need a container 10–15 cm deep. The container is half filled with substrate for seedlings, and the soil is watered generously.
Using a toothpick, make small grooves or depressions in the ground at a distance of 5–6 cm. Seeds are placed in the holes; they are not sprinkled with soil. The container is covered with glass and taken away warm room. The container with young shoots is placed on a lighted window. The transparent cover is removed to allow the seedlings to breathe.
Seedlings with 2 true leaves are planted in individual pots. Fertilizers for strawberries are added to the soil every 2 weeks. Grown and strengthened bushes are planted in open ground in spring or autumn.
It is recommended to surround strawberry beds with plants that repel pests. Slugs cannot stand the smell of parsley, Colorado beetles and other insects do not like garlic, radishes, marigolds, onions, sage and spinach. Pests are repelled by beans and lettuce, as well as cabbage and beets.
Bushes planted in spring have their tendrils and inflorescences removed in the first year. They prevent the plant from taking root and getting stronger. 15 days after planting, the soil is fertilized with mineral or organic fertilizers. IN flower shops they sell vermicompost. At home, fertilizer is prepared from fermented grass or bird droppings. The workpiece is soaked in water and left for several days. The concentrated solution is diluted and added to the substrate after weeding and abundant watering.
The ground around the strawberry bushes needs to be mulched. The soil is sprinkled with pine or spruce needles. The aroma of pine needles repels mole crickets, Colorado potato beetles and other pests. Fir needles are replaced with straw. The workpiece is first soaked in water and laid out in a thin layer on a film or sheet of iron and left in the sun. Waiting for the weed seeds to germinate. Clean and dry straw is scattered between the rows and under the bushes. Use hay or dried grass in a similar way.
Garden strawberries are watered from a watering can 2-3 times a week. The spray from the hose is too strong and may damage the leaves and core. The watering can is replaced with sprayers: fan, swing, circular or rotary. Strawberries will like it too drip irrigation. The main thing is that the water is warm and settled, without heavy metal impurities.
You can plant remontant strawberries in spring and autumn. The ground in front gardening work enriched with fertilizers, and then mulched with straw or pine needles. Young strawberry seedlings are watered and fertilized regularly, protected from cold and pests, and in the first year the tendrils and inflorescences are plucked. Thanks to this, the culture quickly takes root and adapts to new conditions.
