I decided to write this article, as I recently discovered very contradictory information about digging land in a garden with strawberries. Many gardeners have already opened the summer cottage season and carried out the first work on caring for the berry. I, too, am one of those who have already cleared the plantings of dry leaves and loosened the topsoil.
However, just recently I read an article by an author who claims to have given up the spring digging. According to him, this procedure is meaningless and can even harm the culture. In the material, he made the following arguments:
- Since strawberry roots are very close to the soil surface and are weakened after winter, they can be easily damaged during the procedure;
- In the process of loosening the topsoil, you can accidentally sprinkle young leaves, which will lead to their rotting;
- The earth can fall on the rosettes of strawberry bushes, which will negatively affect the future fruiting of the crop.
Referring to personal experience, the author recommends not to carry out the loosening procedure in order to avoid injury to plants. This is a rather controversial recommendation, and I would not pay any attention to it if it was an isolated one. However, over the past month, I have come across three materials of this kind. I decided to think about it.
Since loosening the soil in a strawberry garden is a rather frequent procedure, it is difficult for me to imagine how you can damage the roots of plants. After all, row spacings are dug to a depth of 10 cm, rows to a depth of 5 cm, and the soil next to the bushes is loosened no deeper than 3-4 cm at all. And this is all done neatly and with a small spatula. In addition, I always see that I am digging and can stop in time.
The arguments about the land that can get on the bushes are also incomprehensible to me. Firstly, when I work near the crop, I always lift the twigs and leaves if they are on the ground. Secondly, if the soil gets on the plant, there is nothing difficult in gently shaking it off. These are the basics of working with cultivated plants.
Therefore, I am absolutely sure that the loosening procedure is necessary for strawberries both in the spring and throughout the season.
Read also on my website -We make supports for strawberries from scrap materials: 4 ideas
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