Regardless of the timing of the onset of climatic spring, in order to obtain a good strawberry harvest, a certain order of work on the beds must be observed. Skipping or not completely completing one of the types of care, you can not only allow the appearance of various pests, but also significantly reduce the yield.
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Processing after winter
When the land is completely free of snow cover, at the end of March, and in some regions even in May, it is time to carry out the primary processing of the strawberry beds. It is necessary to find out how the bushes survived the winter frosts, whether old plants should be treated and new plants should be planted.
When the ground begins to warm up, clean up the beds with berries. Remove the old layer of mulch, rotten or dry leaves and tendrils left over from the last year. Spray the berry area with 1% Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate.
In order for the berries to appear and ripen early, it is worth pulling a film or agrofibre on the installed arcs. This will save the planting from sudden frosts and allow the bushes to grow faster.
Spring feeding
The first time you need to feed the strawberries is between 15-20 April - when the leaves are just beginning to grow. Fertilizers for feeding strawberries should be saturated with nitrogen. You can use several feeding options:
- 10 liters of water, 1 liter of chicken manure or mullein. Stir the ingredients and leave for 3 days. Watering per 1 bush - half a liter of infusion;
- 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophosphate. Stir and water at the rate of 1 bush - half a liter of infusion;
- 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. spoon of ammonium sulfate, 2 cups mullein. A liter of solution per bush.
The next feeding will be carried out when the first buds begin to appear on the plants. Here you should use fertilizer with potassium. A watering solution should be prepared. To do this, dilute 1 teaspoon of potassium nitrate in 10 liters of water and pour 0.5 liters of solution under each bush.
Care before flowering
In addition to feeding the strawberry bushes, before flowering begins, you should take care that the ground at the roots does not dry out, and that the root system receives enough air. To do this, berry plantings should be watered regularly and the soil should be loosened every 2 weeks.
The first loosening must be done at the moment when cleaning will take place after all the snow has melted. You need to loosen the soil a little so that additional roots grow.
At the night of planting, it is still better to cover with foil or agrofibre, even if it is already warm enough. This should be done before the end of May, because night frosts can destroy the buds ..
Leaving during flowering
It is best not to disturb planting while the strawberry is in bloom. Of course, you do not need to stop moistening the soil and weeding the beds. But feeding and processing from insects should not be carried out.
After flowering is over, the plants produce numerous whiskers. They need to be left only on those bushes that are grown as uterine.
Protection against spring pests and diseases
If in the last season of planting strawberries were sick or were exposed to pests, it is worth treating the bushes before the buds appear.
Insecticides ("Aktara", "Tanrek", "Inta-Ts-M", etc.) will help against the most common pests. There are no complex preparations for all diseases, so you need to decide on the one that suffers from strawberries. "Fitosporin", "Glyocladina" or their analogs will be of great help in the prevention of diseases.
Agrotextile
Agrofibre, white and black, can greatly facilitate maintenance. It is best to cover the planting before planting the bushes. The advantage of this method is that the bushes will receive moisture and liquid fertilizers, and the weeds will not be able to germinate to the surface. Ripe berries will remain clean, as they will not come into contact with the ground, but will lie on agrotextiles.
Planting berry bushes under black agrofibre is easy. It is necessary to spread the material on the beds and leave 15 centimeters on the sides, and press the edges with heavy objects. Cut cross-shaped holes on the surface of the panel and plant strawberry bushes in them.
Spring mulching
If you do not want to use agrotextile, then you need to mulch the plantings. Dry straw, grass, fallen needles, peat are perfect for mulch. But keep in mind that this mulch acidifies the soil. Therefore, it is worth checking the acidity of the soil every 3 years.
Planting strawberries in spring
It is best to plant berries in the fall, but in the spring you can replace the bushes that have died in winter with young ones. New plants will grow stronger over the season, although there will be no or very few berries on them.
Bushes should be planted at a street temperature of 8 or 10 degrees. Choose strong and healthy seedlings. Before planting the plants, the soil is weeded from weeds, the soil is loosened, and fed with humus or compost. After that, the landing must be combed with a rake. 2 weeks before planting, the soil should be treated with "Fitosporin", and just before planting, it is worth pouring ash into the holes.
Do you know how to care for strawberries in spring?
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