Autumn chores on the strawberry plantation: preparing the plants for winter. Autumn strawberry care - August and September Strawberry care in autumn

At the end of summer, strawberries run out of leaf growth resources. They need to be cut off, especially those whose stems turn red - this is a sign that the plant cannot provide them with nutrients. On old bushes that are 3-4 years old, the foliage is cut off completely. You shouldn’t be afraid of this, as minerals are saved and next year the berry bushes will bear fruit again. big harvest. But this fall you still need to think about how to feed your strawberries after harvest.

Required condition rapid growth shoots in spring and appearance large quantity buds - feeding strawberries in August after pruning. From these, ovaries are subsequently formed.

How to process strawberries in autumn for winter

In order for all the ovaries to survive until autumn and bear fruit, care must be carried out regularly throughout the growing season.

It consists of timely removal of dry leaves and whiskers. The tendrils that the bush throws out take a lot of nutrients, taking them away from the ripening berries. Pruning in summer is done with scissors or pruning shears. Cut shoots are not thrown away if you need to propagate the bed. They are dug in for a while so that they can be planted on their own in the fall. permanent place . Before autumn they will develop root system

and they will take root in a new place without problems. This method of planting strawberries in August requires the use of fertilizers - organic or mineral. The bushes are watered with infusion of manure or a diluted mixture of complex mineral mixture

, for example, containing potassium and phosphorus.

It is better not to use nitrogen supplements to prevent young seedlings from growing. This will not allow her to survive the winter well. The main thing that needs to develop is the root system. The best way to feed strawberry mustache seedlings in September is ash from tree branches, straw, tops and grass. It does not contain nitrogen, only phosphorus, potassium, calcium and trace elements. When a landing site is selected new bed

• , it is cleared of weeds, loosened, apply fertilizers:

• Compost– the most useful mixture of organic matter, soil, superphosphates.

• Humus The substance must be infused for at least a week so that excess ammonia disappears and does not damage the roots of young strawberry seedlings.

• Mineral fertilizers. They are applied to feed young strawberries in August based on the dosages in the instructions for one hole.

• Green manure. If this method used by the owners of the site, it also disinfects the soil and at the same time nourishes the plants with organic matter, which decomposes in the soil.

No more than two young rosettes can be left on the mother strawberry bush. Trim the rest and plant in a nutritious soil mixture.

Caring for old strawberry bushes

Fertilizing strawberries after fruiting should begin towards the end of the season so that all the berries ripen. Next stage– sorting. Bushes that are more than 4 years old should be removed by the roots and thrown into compost. The greatest increase in yield is given by 2-3 year old plants.

Work order:

• Removing old leaves from bushes. Experienced gardeners practice complete mowing of greenery.

• Weeding.

• Moistening the soil and watering with a nutrient mixture.

• Mulching with straw or green manure.

Video: Caring for strawberries after harvest

How to feed strawberries after trimming the leaves:

• Ammofoska. You can use dry granules, sprinkle them evenly under the roots, then water the soil so that the fertilizer dissolves and gets into the soil.

• Kemira for berries. Dig a hole around the bush and sprinkle with granules. Pour water and cover with a layer of soil.

• Furnace ash. Make an extract, pour boiling water over the substance and leave for 2 – 3 days.

• Green manure in the form of a solution or in beveled form. Place crushed nettles or other plants that are used as green manure in a bucket. Pour water and leave for 2 weeks until it starts to ferment. Apply the resulting infusion to each strawberry bush at the root after fruiting and pruning.

To prevent plants from getting sick or being damaged by pests, autumn feeding strawberries after trimming includes urea treatment - 30 g per bucket of water.

Cheap methods for feeding strawberries

Planting green manure on summer cottage- This is a way to save on the purchase of fertilizers. Green manure restores the fertile layer and gives plants all the necessary nutrients - potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The advantage of this method is that it is suitable for everyone garden crops, including for garden strawberries.

Green mass is used in different ways:

• cut and dig up with soil - in the case of strawberries, this must be done carefully so as not to damage the root system with a shovel or flat cutter;

• mulch berry bushes with greens;

• prepare an infusion and pour over it strawberry patch what they feed it after fruiting for the future harvest.

Mulching is the safest and most useful way in every way. Firstly, you don’t need to waste your energy on digging up the soil, simply laying mulch between the rows. By spring, it will rot on its own and food will reach the roots of the bushes.

Secondly, the work of soil microflora, which dies during digging from ultraviolet rays, is not disrupted. Thirdly, mulch warms the roots in winter and plants survive even at very low temperatures.

Fourthly, plant residues retain snow and moisture in the spring, allowing plants to quickly grow green mass. Fifthly, mulch prevents weeds from spreading, which reduces costs manual labor and retains nutrients for strawberries.

Variety Victoria - what to feed in the fall

Strawberry Victoria - the most popular and unpretentious variety, but to obtain annual harvests, it also requires care, which consists of periodically trimming the mustache, watering, replanting as necessary, and treating against diseases and pests. The variety is classified as remontant and bears fruit only once per season.

With proper agricultural technology, you can get more than 1 kg of berries from one bush in one season. For proper care, it is better to use O. Ganichkina’s method for feeding strawberries after fruiting:

• Victoria is fertilized in the fall with natural fertilizers to restore the fertile layer.

• It is necessary to mulch with plant materials - sawdust, straw, green manure, peat.

• Feeding remontant strawberries after fruiting begins in July so that the plant gains strength before wintering. During this period, generative buds are being laid, which will provide the next year's harvest. It is important that these buds receive nutrition and do not degenerate, then the promised kilogram of berries from the bush will definitely ripen.

• in autumn before feeding Victoria need to be poured out up to 10 liters of water per 1 square meter to moisten the soil well and deeply. Then you can prepare a working solution of fertilizers and water the bushes. Strawberry roots are quite deep - up to 30 cm, so you need a lot of liquid.

To prevent strawberry mites from bothering you in the spring, you need to spray the seedlings with a pest repellent in the fall, preferably natural - Fitovir or its analogues. In spring, if growing leaves become deformed, repeat the treatment.

But those gardeners who stop paying due attention to this miracle berry in the fall are very mistaken. Strawberries require no less care at this time than in spring and summer time . Winter is just around the corner, and right now strawberries are gathering strength to survive safely. severe frosts and meet the arrival of next summer in full health and splendor.

Strawberry bushes continue to actively develop in September, the leaf apparatus is formed, the root system is growing, and, most importantly for us, this autumn time are already starting to appear flower bud primordia, on which both the quantity and quality of the berries set next year directly depend. Therefore, in September I continue to care for strawberries with the same regularity as, for example, in May and June.

After each watering it is necessary loosen the beds. To do this, I use a special hoe and carefully loosen the beds between the rows so as not to touch the strawberry bushes. This especially applies to powerfully growing mature (two to three year old) strawberry bushes. Thanks to the pine needle mulch, there are few weeds in the strawberry beds, but those that do appear I delete it immediately. At the same time I cut off the propagation shoots that appear throughout the season - mustaches. To avoid damaging the bushes, I trim them with scissors. You shouldn’t delay this, the mustache takes a lot of strength from the strawberry, and it will be very useful for other purposes.

By September, on the bushes of some varieties of strawberries (for example,"Lord" ), which are partly repairable, may appear autumn flowers . Of course, in our climate, you can’t expect berries from them, and I also delete them regularly.

I constantly carefully inspect my entire small strawberry plantation. It sometimes happens that after summer season some bushes become sick and begin to clearly lag behind the rest in development. This rarely happens, and in this case, without thinking twice, I simply dig up the rejected bush and send it to the compost, deepen the hole in its place and transplant a healthy bush there from a small reserve of strawberries available specifically for this purpose. When excavating with a large lump of earth transplanted strawberries are not sick at all and feels in a new place no worse than its neighboring bushes.

At the beginning of autumn, I begin to prepare beds for planting winter onions and garlic, adding sand, humus ash, etc. Onion and garlic - good predecessors for strawberries. Therefore, I choose places for these crops so that next year after harvesting, young strawberries can be conveniently placed in these beds. At the same time, depending on the state of the plantings, I roughly estimate which strawberry beds will have to be uprooted next year after fruiting. To avoid confusion, in a special notebook I draw simple planting plans for strawberries and other vegetables for each year.

Having such data for several years at hand, plan for planting, taking into account the most rational crop rotation, all my small area not difficult. In the spring, of course, adjustments are possible, but the approximate plan, as a rule, is followed.

At this same time in autumn, while the recent harvest of magnificent strawberries is in my mind, I slowly think and figure out how many strawberry bushes to grow in the near future and which varieties to use as a basis. Some varieties that cannot withstand the test of the harsh conditions of our area have to be abandoned, while other varieties that are new to me, on the contrary, I plan to plant in small quantities for testing.

Now I have two main varieties - “Lord” and “Yulia”, and there is no replacement for them yet. This year, planted in small quantities and “ Sunny Polyanka" But the final opinion regarding it and the variety “ Idun“It hasn’t worked out yet. I’m in no hurry, I’ll look at them for another year, and then we’ll see.

In September, there is already little work at the dacha, mostly just collecting vegetables, so it is at this time that I stock up on needles for later covering the entire strawberry plantation for the winter. I have a pine forest just 300 meters from the site, and it’s not difficult to go and rake up old pine needles; you can even pick up mushrooms along the way. The consumption of pine needles is well known to me based on experience - this is about one bag per strawberry bed of 5 sq m. For convenience, I immediately pour the brought mulch into the aisles between the strawberry beds - this will make it more convenient to use. These piles of needles do not particularly interfere with caring for strawberries in September and lie quietly until the time of their use (end of October).

As soon as summer residents do not mock the poor strawberries in the fall: they are cut to zero, weeded, dried, covered with film... All this leads to freezing and a decrease in yield. Proper care Picking strawberries in the fall is not difficult, but requires some knowledge.

It would seem that we all know how to care for strawberries in the fall - cut off their leaves, and that’s the end of it. However experienced gardeners They will say that this approach is wrong and they will be right. Indeed, for a full harvest in next year It’s worth preparing strawberries for winter from mid-summer.

Fertilizing strawberries in autumn

Strawberries need to be fed three times a year: before flowering, after fruiting and in September before wintering.

Every gardener has his own answer to the question. Some people use a 10% solution of mullein mixed with ash, some infuse bird droppings, and others prefer specially developed complex fertilizers.

After picking the berries, strawberries, as before, need care and attention. Therefore, never hesitate about whether to water your strawberries in the fall. Of course, both watering and removing the whiskers must be continued.

The last moisture-recharging irrigations are carried out already in October with a frequency of once every seven days, provided that the weather is dry. If it rains and the soil is saturated with moisture to the very roots, then it is not necessary to water the strawberries.

In September-October strawberry bushes The signs of all diseases affecting your plantation are more visible than ever. This is a suitable period for treating plantings with drugs against pests and diseases. But, before processing strawberries in the fall, you need to rid them of weeds, which interfere with the ventilation of the bushes and take away some of the nutrition.
There is a nuance to this: weeding strawberries in the fall is not recommended, since you can damage the root system of the plants, which will not have time to recover before frost. The best option there will be weeding at the end of summer or treatment with Lenacil (a herbicide intended specifically for strawberry plantings).

After the strawberry bed has been left free of unauthorized settlers in the fall, you can begin to expel pests and diseases.

The debate about whether it is necessary to trim strawberry leaves in the fall has lasted for decades and is still not over. From the point of view of pruning supporters, diseases develop on old leaves and peduncles and can settle harmful insects and spores of fungal diseases, so it is better to remove them, leaving only short stems. Opponents of this position believe that a bush pruned for the winter will spend all its energy on the formation of new greenery and will go under the snow weakened, which will negatively affect the fruiting of the next season.

In our opinion, the truth, as always, is in the middle: you can either prune strawberries immediately after fruiting, so that they have time to form new lush greenery before winter, or do pruning in the fall, but remove only dried and diseased leaves.

IMPORTANT! The main protection of the bush from frost and wind is its lush leaves, so you cannot leave strawberries to spend the winter without leaves.

If you are planning to trim strawberry leaves in the fall, then take sharp gardening scissors or pruning shears, be sure to put on gloves and prepare a container for the leaves - you should not leave them in the garden bed or between the rows.

FACT! Repairing strawberries Do not prune in the fall, only remove diseased and damaged leaves with the onset of cold weather. This is done very carefully so as not to damage the root system.

Mulching strawberries in autumn

The best shelter for wintering strawberries is snow. It is he who is able to reliably cover the bushes and protect them from soil cracking, damping off, freezing and other misfortunes. But what if there is no snow in your area in winter?

In this case, the gardener himself will have to play the role of caring nature. Strawberries need to be covered for the winter, and there are now enough methods and materials for this. The easiest thing you can do is mulch your strawberry bushes in the fall with plant-based ingredients.

The ideal shelter for garden strawberries is needles - they do not get wet, do not stick together and do not attract mice. If you cannot get pine litter or spruce branches, then choose another suitable material– straw, compost, humus, dry leaves, etc.

Remember that if you have chosen spunbond for covering, you cannot place it directly on the leaves - this will lead to freezing of the strawberries in places of contact with the material. Such covering materials require the installation of arcs.

IMPORTANT! You need to mulch and cover the strawberry bed in the fall after the first frost. Bush passed subzero temperatures, will become more hardened and will withstand wintering easier.

Autumn care picking strawberries does not require serious time or financial investment, but despite its simplicity it gives tangible results. In the spring, your bushes do not waste time on recovery and immediately begin to actively grow, bearing fruit longer and more actively than usual.

27.09.2016

In general, feeding strawberries in August and autumn is not necessary. There are several reasons for this:

• strawberries are grown in one place for no more than 5 years, and more often 3-4;
• standard technology provides for powerful pre-planting filling of the soil with organic and mineral fertilizers. Their aftereffect lasts 3-4 years;
• fertilizing is carried out either only in the spring, or in the spring and immediately after harvesting and pruning old leaves, when the formation of flower buds for the next year begins. It is too late to feed strawberries in August.

But this is “in general”. Actually there are options:

1. If the plants are not affected by spots and there are no mites on them, the leaves are not mowed immediately after harvesting the berries, but mowed only in August. This is especially often practiced in the southern regions. In this case, fertilization is often delayed. If you trim the leaves late, you can also feed strawberries in August.

   In this case they enter:

   • compost or humus - 1.5...3 kg per 1 m2, depending on the composition of the soil (more on sand, light and medium sandy loam or, conversely, heavy floating soils);
   • nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - approximately 2...3 grams of active substance per 1m2. You should be extremely careful with the application of nitrogen fertilizers: excessive doses of nitrogen in the fall reduce the winter hardiness of plants.

   It should be understood that the same doses of fertilizers must be applied in early spring. If spring feeding was not carried out, the application rate can be doubled.

   Of course, it would be better not to apply approximately 2...3 grams of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium per square meter, but to accurately calculate the dose of fertilizer based on an analysis of the soil and leaves. The problem is that such analysis is expensive, and its results still need to be interpreted. In relation to amateur gardening, a couple of tens or hundreds square meters it's not worth it. For industrial cultivation, such an analysis is advisable, but specialized farms prefer to adhere to standard technology, which does not provide for late summer and autumn application of fertilizers.

2. According to some authors, foliar feeding with a 0.3% solution of ammonium nitrate in August or autumn can increase the yield next year by 5...10%.

That's all. However,

Caring for strawberries in summer should be carried out systematically. The future strawberry harvest greatly depends on this. You need to pay attention to spots on strawberries, also mites on strawberries can do a lot of harm and you also need to constantly fight them.

Caring for strawberries in August

Without knowing how to care for strawberries in August, you risk losing your harvest next year. The last month of summer is often dry and hot. Therefore, it is important to water at least 2 times a week. The plants themselves “signal” the need for watering - the bushes droop and the foliage dries out.

You can water strawberries either by sprinkling or at the root - the sun is no longer so aggressive, and there will be no burn on the leaves

If the leaves continue to dry out, become stained, or weaken, they should be carefully cut off and only 3-4 healthy leaves should be left to improve the health of the “green mass.” The same goes for mustaches, which can be removed if they are still growing or if you forgot to do so in July.

Plants can be fed with a weak solution of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) and loosen the soil. One 10 liter bucket should be enough for 10-12 bushes. You can form earthen “sides” up to 15 cm high around the beds and fill them to the top with water.

And it is also recommended in August plant new strawberry bushes Location on. It is best to do this in the evening or on a cloudy day. The seedlings must have three true leaves and a developed root system. It is planted in a previously prepared wet hole.

Caring for strawberries in September

Autumn strawberry care is different from summer events insignificant. However, they should not be neglected either.

Some varieties of strawberries continue to form flowers even in September. The berries on them will not ripen before the onset of cold weather, so such “idle” inflorescences should be picked off. The same goes for strawberry mustaches.

Even if the forecasts promise mild winter, feed the bushes. Ammophos is perfect for this (the contents are added at the rate of 30 g per 1 sq.m.). For “warming” they also add rotted chicken droppings, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:15. 1-1.5 liters of the composition are poured under each bush. Sometimes cow manure is used, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10 with the addition of 1 cup of ash. Strawberries are watered generously with the resulting mixture at the rate of 1.5-2 liters per bush.

For the last time before winter, inspect the strawberry bushes and discard diseased and affected specimens, as well as remove excess tendrils and withered leaves. Don't throw away "bad" plants, but put them in the compost pile.

Caring for strawberries after trimming the leaves

Caring for strawberries open ground involves not only the removal of tendrils and inflorescences, but also leaves. However, there is no need to “expose” the plant completely, since by tearing off healthy leaves, you reduce the likelihood of the formation of peduncles and fruits, reduce the yield and doom the strawberries to difficulties during the wintering period. First of all, remove dry and withered leaves affected by strawberry mites. If the fruit-bearing plant is almost entirely affected, then it is easier to cut it off with pruners just above the growth point and burn the remains.

If you need seedlings for propagation, then you should not remove the whiskers, you need to give them the opportunity to take root and grow a strong rosette

After pruning, loosen the soil and water it. Treat the bushes with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkle with ash. To provide good growth buds, feed the strawberries with universal fertilizer at the rate of 10 g per 10 liters of water. Ammonium nitrate and nitrogen fertilizers are also suitable (use according to instructions).

Towards the end of September, strawberry bushes can be covered with straw to protect them from upcoming frosts. Place freshly cut grass between the rows - it will become the first spring fertilizer.

Fertilizing strawberries in autumn

After the above work on autumn strawberry care, dig up the rows, hill up and feed the bushes with fertilizer. You can use manure (2-4 kg per 1 sq.m.), chicken droppings (1 kg per 10 liters of water) or wood ash (100 g per 1 sq.m.). In this case, manure is applied so that the fertilizer does not touch the strawberry leaves: to avoid burns to the plant. On the contrary, ash is sprayed not only under the roots, but also on the leaves.

Complex fertilizer (2 tablespoons of nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water) is suitable as a mineral fertilizer.

Caring for remontant strawberries

From mid-September, start caring for fruit-bearing bushes. Loosen the soil to hide the root system and protect it from the cold. As a rule, at this time the plants are covered with a “blanket” of cut green manure or the soil is mulched with straw, hay, fallen leaves and mowed weeds. Remove remaining flower stalks so that they do not weaken the plants, and cut off any withered leaves after the first frost.

Covering strawberries for the winter

The final stage of autumn care garden strawberries- this is insulation. 2 days after treatment and feeding, cover the bushes with straw, spruce paws or fallen leaves. This will not only protect your strawberries from winter frosts, but will also serve as an additional source of organic matter.