Harsh winters often ruin garden crops. Especially those plants that have a very delicate root system suffer. Strawberries are just such. To protect it from frost, you need to cover it for the winter.
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Preliminary preparation
Before sheltering a strawberry, you must first remove any unwanted plants that are adjacent to it. This is necessary to make the root system stronger. This procedure is carried out at the end of August. Even if a little weeds appear in the fall, it will not harm the strawberries, since it will no longer be able to give ripe seeds.
It is also necessary to remove all antennae from the bushes, since their development requires energy. Because of this, strawberries may not have enough strength in the winter.
In September, the crop is fed with organic fertilizers. Humus or manure is best.
Around each bush, you need to mulch the soil.
Most suitable materials
It is easiest to use snow for cover. It is collected from the rest of the sites and transferred to the strawberry garden.
In regions where winters have little snow due to temperature jumps, it is necessary to use a different natural material. Spruce branches, sawdust, hay, dry leaves and branches, etc. are well suited for shelter. Also, synthetic agrofibre shelters have proven themselves well.
If foliage is chosen as insulation, you need to make sure that there are no diseases on it. Pathogenic organisms can easily go to the covered culture and destroy it.
Thatch is often home to rodents. It is especially attractive to mice if it contains seeds. Therefore, building a straw shelter can be dangerous for strawberries. In addition, high humidity can cause the straw to rot, causing the bushes underneath to rot.
It is best to use spruce branches, pine needles or artificial materials such as agrofibre. They allow air to pass through in sufficient quantity for the plant.
What methods of shelter can be adopted
Young bushes are completely covered with the selected material. It is enough to overlay perennial plants with insulation in a circle, since they are already quite developed and powerful.
If the first snow has already fallen, spruce branches or other material is placed on top of it. It is necessary to make small fences on the beds in advance so that the snow does not erode, but remains in the required place for as long as possible.
There is also an air-dry method. It will take more time and effort, but the plants are guaranteed not to freeze or mate.
Even in the fall, you need to install plastic or metal arcs over the strawberry beds. After the arrival of cold weather, a heater is pulled over them. The most suitable in this case is agrofiber. Its density should be at least 50 g per 1 sq. m.
This is a kind of tunnel, inside which an ideal microclimate is created. There is a normal temperature, sunlight enters and air circulates.
You can't just cover plants with agrofibre. There must be some space. Otherwise, in places of contact, the strawberries will freeze strongly.
Do you shelter strawberries for the winter?
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You can also read about feeding strawberries in the following article:Feeding strawberries during flowering for a good harvest