Content
Strawberries are found in the garden plots of almost all gardeners. This tasty and juicy berry is loved by both adults and children. However, not everyone knows how to grow it properly. The yield and size of berries directly depends on the care of the plants. To get good results of your work, you need to know all the secrets of growing strawberries in the open field. In this article, we will try to disassemble all the intricacies of caring for this plant.
Important details
It happens that by planting homemade strawberries on your site, you can get a very poor harvest. Sometimes the berries grow small or rotten. The taste of strawberries is not always pleasing. Instead of juicy and fleshy fruits, sour and watery fruits often grow. But this is not a reason to despair and give up what you started. First of all, you need to learn all the basic technologies for growing strawberries. You need to start with the garden and its location. Half the battle depends on the choice of the site.
Strawberry bed should not be in an area that is blown by winds from all sides. In winter, this area should be covered with 20 or 30 cm snow. Also remember that strawberries will not bear fruit in the shade, so choose an area with good lighting.
Strawberries will not grow well in a recessed area. In such a bed, cold air will always accumulate, which is why the bushes get sick and give a very late harvest. On the south side, the snow will melt quickly and the strawberries will remain defenseless against the spring frost. To avoid fungal diseases, strawberries should be transplanted to a new place every 2–4 years. Also, strawberry bushes should not be heavily thickened. In this case, the berries will be very small. The best distance between bushes is about 50 cm.
Site preparation
Any type of soil is suitable for growing strawberries. In this regard, strawberry is a rather unpretentious plant. Best strawberries feels like on black soil. You can also add some ash to the soil before growing strawberries. It is not advised to add peat to the soil for growing this plant. Too acidic soils are also not suitable.
Prepare the soil before planting. Especially in need of this are areas that have not previously been planted with anything. It is necessary to ensure that there are no larvae of May beetles or wireworms in the ground. These pests can actively destroy bushes in the winter. Moreover, one beetle larva can cope with 1 m2 beds.
To facilitate work, geotextiles can be used. This modern material will prevent germination weeds, since it does not transmit light. At the same time, geotextiles do not prevent moisture from entering. Many gardeners are happy to use this material, thereby saving time and effort.
In the spring, the site for planting bushes must be dug up and leveled with a rake. Further, compost can be added to it. Recently, it has become popular to use agrofibre on strawberry beds.It is spread over the surface of the soil, holes are made on the film, and then holes are prepared in them for the bushes. They are watered abundantly with water, and then the seedlings themselves are planted. Agrofibre is one of the best materials for growing various crops. It does not transmit light, thanks to which weeds cannot grow, but it perfectly transmits moisture.
For these purposes, roofing material can also be used. Only now you will have to think about the construction of a drip irrigation system. The hoses must be placed under the roofing felt in the form of a snake. You can purchase special hoses for drip irrigation or make holes yourself (using a gypsy needle or awl). Place a container of water near the garden bed and attach a hose to it. Watering often soil not necessary, as roofing material perfectly retains moisture in the soil.
Choosing strawberries for planting
For a better harvest, you should choose new elite strawberry varieties. When buying bushes, ask if the seedlings were sorted and rehabilitated. The first step is to pay attention to the root system of the strawberry. The root processes should be at least 7 cm in length, and the root collar at least 5-7 cm in diameter.
Some gardeners prepare seedlings on their own. To do this, in the fall, you need to dig up young bushes, and then place them in a dark, cool place. The bushes can be stored in the cellar until spring. Then, according to the scheme described above, they are planted in the garden.
In the spring, before planting strawberries in the open field, you need to take the seedlings to a shaded place and leave there for 5 days. The strawberry planting hole should be of such a height that the roots can be freely located in it. The root collar should be level with the ground. If the root system is too long, then it is shortened, leaving about 10 cm.
Agricultural technology for growing strawberries in the open field
Strawberries ripen much faster in the beds on the southwest side. A slight slope is allowed. The ideal soil acidity level for growing this berry is from 5.5 to 6.5. It is customary to plant seedlings in the ground in spring or autumn. In this case, the temperature regime on the street should be taken into account. Strawberries should not be planted too early in the spring or too late in the fall, so that the frost does not damage the grown bushes.
As soon as it gets warmer outside, the film should be removed from the bushes. In the fall, planting can begin in mid-August and finish at the end of September. Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to moisten the soil. You can also plant the bushes after rain, while the soil is still quite wet.
When growing strawberries, you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out too much. Regular watering is the key to a good harvest. Some gardeners are building a drip irrigation system in their garden. Thus, you can save time and effort. The system can be fully automated so that it independently supplies water to the site at the appointed time.
It is very important to remove weeds from the garden from time to time. In open beds, they grow much faster. You will also have to constantly carry out pest control, which also do not mind eating strawberries. To prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, you can mulch with humus or straw.
The technology of growing strawberries provides for regular soil moistening the first time after planting the bushes. For the first week, you will have to water the plants every day. Watering should be moderate but regular. Then you can reduce the number of waterings to 1 time in 2 days. Outdoor cultivation and care involves regular weeding and weeding. It is also necessary to control pests and prevent various diseases as needed.
Feeding strawberries
Strawberries need different fertilizers at each stage of growth. For example, during the flowering period, the plant needs potassium. This element contains the following fertilizers:
- potassium magnesium;
- potassium sulfate;
- potassium chloride.
It is necessary to use the given preparations strictly according to the instructions. To increase the yield of strawberries, foliar should be carried out feeding strawberries using boric acid. To do this, mix 1 teaspoon of the substance with 10 liters of water in one container. For feeding adult bushes, it is customary to use a nitroammophoska solution. She also fertilizes the bushes after harvesting. Only in this case, the amount of the substance in the solution must be doubled.
Organic fertilizers can also be used during the flowering period. For example, wood ash or chicken droppings are great. And before wintering, you can fertilize the bushes with a urea solution. This will help you achieve the best harvest for the next year.
Pruning and propagating strawberries
Strawberries propagate in three ways:
- Seeds.
- Young mustache bushes.
- By dividing an adult bush.
The easiest and most popular way is to plant mustache seedlings. To prepare the seedlings for breeding, you must leave the strongest mustache on the bush. The mustache must be cut off 10-14 days before planting. The mother bush is suitable for growing a mustache for three years.
An important step in the care is trimming the leaves from the bushes. This helps protect the bushes from pests and possible diseases. A sharp pruner is used for trimming. You can carry out the procedure in the morning when the dew subsides or in the evening. All petioles and stems must be left on the bush. Any overgrown leaves and whiskers should be removed. This procedure is very important before wintering strawberries. For the winter, only young and healthy shoots are left on the bushes.
Mulching strawberries
Mulching the soil in the strawberry beds should be carried out in the fall to protect the flower stalks from contact with the ground, and also in the fall to prepare the bushes for winter frosts. As an organic mulch, the following are great:
- straw;
- manure;
- compost;
- humus.
Inorganic mulches include:
- plastic wrap;
- granite;
- a rock;
- mulch paper.
Recently, mulch paper has been in great demand. This material does not contain harmful paints and does not rot. At the same time, it perfectly protects plants from fungi and prevents weeds from germinating. Also, this coating does not allow moisture to evaporate from the ground. Mulch will not only protect the soil from drought, but also decorate your summer cottage.
Strawberry shelter
Not all varieties need shelter for the winter. You should also take into account the peculiarities of the climate in your region. In cold, very frosty winters, shelter, of course, will not be superfluous. In warm weather, the covering material is removed so that the strawberries do not melt away. Small frosts will not harm the bushes in any way, but, on the contrary, will only temper them.
Conclusion
Strawberry lovers need not be afraid to grow them outdoors. It is an unpretentious plant that bears fruit well in any type of soil. Of course, growing strawberries outdoors takes some effort. Fortunately, there are many materials and gadgets that simplify the task. You could find out some of the features of growing strawberries in this article. By following these rules, it will not be difficult to grow strawberries. We also offer a video for your viewing, in which you can see with your own eyes how to grow an excellent strawberry harvest in the country.
