Most gardeners usually plant strawberries in the springtime. But despite this, in some regions, it is better to plant in August. So the plants have time to take root before the onset of cold weather, overwinter without problems and in the next season please with an early harvest.
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How to choose healthy seedlings
It is advisable to buy seedlings from trusted sellers or in specialized nurseries. In the market, the buyer cannot be sure of the variety and quality of the planting material.
Many gardeners use their own seedlings, which are obtained by propagation with rosettes or by dividing a bush. For reproduction with rosettes, mustaches are taken from one-year or two-year-old bushes.
When purchasing seedlings, you need to pay attention to the diameter of the horn. Its thickness must be at least 10 mm. The minimum root length is 5 cm. In healthy seedlings, ready for planting in a permanent place, the root system completely fills the container in which they grow. And in peat pots, the roots are visible even from the outside.
Also, the seedlings should have several developed leaves without spots or other damage. If you buy an infected plant, you can lose all plantings.
There are many varieties of strawberries now. But during the selection, it is advisable to focus not only on taste, but also on the resistance of the variety to diseases.
Landing time and weather conditions
Strawberries should be planted in cloudy weather or the next day after rain. It is better not to land during rain or hot weather.
Planting times may vary depending on climatic conditions and weather.
Seat selection
The strawberry planting area should be well lit and sheltered from the wind. In shaded areas, the fruits ripen more slowly, become small, and also the taste of the berries deteriorates - they become more sour.
It is desirable that the landing site be level and located on a hill. It is best to place the garden in the southwestern part of the site. It is impossible for there to be prolonged stagnation of moisture.
If the groundwater is at a depth of less than 60 cm, then strawberries may develop fungal diseases.
The landing site must be changed every 4 years. This allows you to increase the yield.
Soil requirements
For strawberries, fertile and light soil is best, in which moisture does not accumulate. On such a soil, the culture develops well and gives a large harvest. It is desirable that it be loamy or sandy loam soil.
Otherwise, the following components should be added to the bed:
- 2.5 buckets of coarse river sand are added to heavy and clay soils for each square meter;
- 2.5 buckets of humus are introduced into sandy soils per 1 sq. m.
Fertilizers are also applied. For 1 sq. m you need:
- 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate;
- 3 tbsp. l. superphosphate;
- 1 bucket of humus.
It is necessary to evenly distribute fertilizers over the garden bed and dig up. Then you need to give the site a couple of weeks to rest.
The soil for planting strawberries should be slightly acidic. For deoxidation, liming is carried out, but this must be done in advance - 5-6 months before planting. If liming is carried out before planting the bushes, the roots may be damaged.
Landing rules
Strawberries are most often planted in rows or ribbons that consist of two rows. With the first method of planting, you need to observe a gap of 40 cm between individual bushes, between rows - 60 cm. With the second, 50 cm is kept between the rows, 70 cm between the ribbons, 40 cm between the bushes.
For each bush, you need to prepare a hole. The depth should be such that the entire root system fits freely. Excessively long roots can be shortened. Before planting, the hole is filled with water.
Seedlings should not be planted very deeply, so that the growing point does not end up underground. Otherwise, the culture will not bloom and yield.
It is also not worth planting very high, as the root system can suffer from winter frosts. The growth point should be located exactly at the soil level.
If the seedlings are weak and there are doubts that they will not take root, two plants are planted in each hole. Then one of them should definitely take root. And if two seedlings are successfully adapted at once, then fruiting will be more abundant.
After planting, the land around the bushes must be lightly tamped with your hands and mulched. As mulch, they usually take straw, compost, rotted sawdust or special covering material.
Further care
You should start caring for your strawberries as soon as they are planted. For example, young seedlings need to be properly watered. The water should be settled and not cold. The first week, strawberries are watered daily. Care must be taken to ensure that no water gets on the leaves. The next 2-3 weeks are watered less often, but more abundantly. Then watering should be done only when necessary.
It should be noted that if August is rainy, then such an irrigation system is not required. In this case, they just make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Also, immediately after planting, it is advisable to do a little shading for the seedlings.
Before wintering, strawberries are watered abundantly, after which a shelter is created. For shelter, you can use spruce branches, straw, fallen leaves or tops. It is removed in the spring, when a stable above-zero temperature is established.
Do you plant strawberries in August?
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