Strawberry shelter for the winter is necessary to protect the berries from the effects of low air temperature and wind. The methods and materials used for insulation depend on many factors.
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How to cover strawberries for the winter
Before you cover your strawberries, you need to prepare them. In the central regions, the procedure is carried out from late August to September. It is necessary to remove the mustache, damaged and yellow leaves from the plant. In three-year-old bushes, yield often decreases due to the growth of shoots, so they are planted in autumn. Also, the preparation includes hilling bushes and fertilizing. It is undesirable to use fertilizing containing nitrogen, this can provoke the development of the plant before the cold weather. The use of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers is recommended.
Strawberry shelter times vary according to region and weather conditions. In the middle lane, the bushes are insulated at the end of October after frosts. In the southern regions, the shelter is carried out in late November - early December, in the northern regions - in mid-October.
A good protection of bushes from frost and wind is a snow cover, its thickness should be at least 30 cm. Small fences should be made on the beds so that the snow stays in place.
In addition to the low temperature, the alternation of thaws with frosts has a negative effect on the plant. Strawberries are covered after a slight frost before snow falls. If you insulate it earlier, the plant can become resistant, the shoots will begin to rot.
How to cover strawberries
In the middle lane, strawberry cover can be easy. After frost, spruce branches are laid on the beds. Another method is to insulate the root collar of the plant, since vegetative and fruiting buds are formed in this part of the shoot.
The following materials are used as mulch:
- Sawdust. In the spring they will reduce weeds.
- Peat.
- Foliage, with the exception of fruit trees: these leaves are often contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.
- Straw. More suitable for southern dry areas. In other regions, the use of straw is not desirable. She does not hold back the snow, in early spring it begins to rot. Rodents are often found in the straw.
- Spruce spruce branches. Well suited for insulation: keeps snow cover, does not melt. But a lot of spruce branches are needed for a large number of beds.
Another way is to cover the strawberries with artificial material. This method is especially suitable for regions with cold winters.
With the arrival of cold weather, a heater is pulled over the installed arcs. It is recommended to use spunbond, the density of which should be at least 50 g per 1 sq. m. It is undesirable to cover strawberries with agrofibre without installing a frame. The contact of plants with the material leads to their freezing.
The following information will help in choosing a shelter:
- With dense planting of plants, their winter hardiness increases.
- The freezing rate of clay, sandy soils is higher than that of chernozem soils.
- Zoned varieties tolerate winter better.
- Plants planted in October have low frost resistance.
In winters with little snow, the areas between the rows are covered with mulch. This prevents the soil from freezing. Insulation can be organic mulch or agrofibre.
Do you shelter strawberries for the winter?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
You can also read about feeding strawberries during budding in the following article:How to feed strawberries during budding, flowering and fruiting