Caring for strawberries in spring. How to properly care for garden strawberries in spring What to do with berries in spring

Spring is just around the corner, gardening work will begin soon, and we need to prepare for it if we want to get a lot of healthy goodies from the garden. Let's find out how to care for strawberries in the spring so that there is a good harvest, simple tips specialists will help us with this.

Strawberries are a very popular and beloved berry by many. She attracts with her taste qualities, great smell and entices appearance. Every gardener dreams of growing a bountiful harvest of large, healthy berries. The key to success begins with caring for the plantation with the onset of spring.

To get a good strawberry harvest, you need to take care of it in the fall.

Green manure

From the end of August, green manure crops will be planted in the planned location: mustard, rapeseed, buckwheat and others. In a month, the seeds will germinate, the plants should be mowed and left in the garden bed, there is no need to dig them up, some of them can be composted if there are too many of them. Left mowed green manure will serve as food for earthworms. This will make the soil structure looser, increase its fertile properties, and prevent weeds from developing in the spring. Mustard and rapeseed help fight some diseases and pests.

Compost

The benefits of compost are invaluable for strawberries. It contains many elements necessary for plant development. Compost makes the soil fertile, as the substances are quickly absorbed by the crop. In early spring, before planting, you need to put a two-centimeter layer of compost and do not dig it up.

Chicken droppings

After planting strawberry bushes, you need to water the row spacing with chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.

Where to start caring for the beds so that the harvest pleases you with the volume and quality of the berries?

As soon as the snow melts and the soil dries out, they remove it from the plantation. winter shelter: straw, tops, spruce branches, which were used in the fall to protect strawberries from freezing.

They clear the beds of tendrils and dried leaves and carefully loosen the soil around the bushes, giving the roots a flow of air.

Tip 2 – reviewing overwintered plants

Each plant is carefully examined; not all of them survived the winter safely; damaged or diseased ones are urgently dug up and young plants are planted, preferably with a lump of earth, which have taken root from the first shoot.

Early transplantation allows the rosette to take root well and not wither until the ground dries out and hot days arrive.

They dig up the row spacing, try not to damage the roots and give them additional air flow. And all established roots of weeds are removed, which will reduce their number in the future and make it easier to care for in the summer.

The level of the growing point is determined; if the “heart” of the strawberry is higher than the ground, then the soil is dug under it, if the excess is removed below.

In spring, not only plants come to life, but all sorts of pests and diseases. The strawberry plantation is processed in early dates, until their reproduction and spread began.

It is taken into account that later, during flowering and harvesting, it is prohibited to pollinate plants with pesticides, so as not to kill the bees and not be poisoned by the berries.

For spring feeding, organic and complex mineral fertilizers are used. Humus, compost, peat are laid when digging the earth during the formation of beds, before spring planting, their action is sufficient for the entire period of active fruiting of strawberries. After four years of growth in one place, it falls, the berries become smaller, and the yield decreases.

Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in early spring, to accelerate growth, and potassium before flowering. There is a danger of overfeeding strawberries, and then their strength will go into the foliage.

Strawberries are very sensitive to watering; in the spring they are moistened as they dry out.

Several methods are used. From a hose under pressure, the fastest, but there is a risk of washing away and exposing the roots; from a watering can, which is very labor-intensive; a sprinkler is useful for roots and leaves, but you can wash off pollen.

Drip irrigation is effective; water gradually flows under each plant. They prefer evening watering; during the night the moisture is well absorbed into the ground, which affects fast growth plants with the onset of daylight and warmth.

4 secrets to getting a good harvest

Strawberries are one of the popular plants among gardeners and gardeners. Everyone has known since childhood the attractive aroma and sweet and sour taste of this juicy berry. Everyone wants to get a good harvest, but often improper care or weather vagaries negatively affect this crop. You can get a good strawberry harvest by using some tricks learned through experience. In addition to regular watering, strawberries need some care.

1. Mulching

Mulching has a number of advantages. It allows you to retain moisture for a longer period, slows down or stops the growth of weeds, and protects ripe berries from touching the ground.

For strawberries, mulching with straw, hay, pine needles, and rotted sawdust is very important. There are many benefits from this: there is no need to fight weeds, the berries do not touch the ground and will not become moldy, in hot, dry weather moisture in the soil is retained, the soil remains loose and does not crust, and there will be no slugs in the garden bed. The mulch should be spread out in a not very thick layer when flowers appear on the bushes.

2. Helpful neighborhood

Don't forget about the useful neighborhood. Garlic and onions secreted by them will be excellent neighbors of strawberries. essential oils protect against pests and diseases.

3. Protection from wind and sun

Strawberries may suffer from strong wind and the scorching sun. On the north side of the bed, you can plant tall plants like corn to protect from cold winds. You can plant cosmos between the bushes. This is not only beautiful, but will also help protect the strawberries from the scorching rays of the sun. You can plant other plants to create light shade.

4. Yeast supplements

Yeast-based fertilizers will be very useful. The recipe is as follows: dilute 100 g of yeast with one half of a bucket of water, and every other day, dilute 0.5 liters with a bucket of water. Water 0.5 liters per bush. This will give the plants a lot of nutrients for growth and protect them from rot.

In order for strawberries to grow healthy and the harvest to be good, it is enough to know a few secrets of experienced summer residents. With a little effort, strawberries will delight you with an abundance of juicy and aromatic berries that will be the envy of your dacha neighbors.

Proper planting of strawberries: 4 best ways, pros and cons

In order to reap a rich, good harvest from strawberries, they must be planted correctly. Professional gardeners recommend four methods that have proven effective.

The first method is with separate bushes

This is when the bushes stand far apart from each other. The distance between rosettes is from 45 cm to 60 cm. Growing tendrils are constantly cut off to avoid intertwining of plants and to allow the bushes to develop and produce big harvest.
The disadvantages of this method are that it is labor-intensive, since the soil must be loosened regularly, weeds must be constantly removed, mulched, and the mustache must not be allowed to grow.

The advantages of this method are that the berries grow large, few bushes are needed for planting, and the possibility of diseases appearing in plants is much less, thanks to free ventilation.

The second way is in rows

He suggests planting plants in rows. With this option, the distance between the bushes is from 15 cm to 20 cm. There are row spacing in the form of a strip approximately 40 cm wide. Paths between the row provide Free access to berries and a convenient opportunity to cultivate the soil, remove weeds and overgrown mustaches. The disadvantages are the same as the first method. A plus is that strawberries grow well and produce a large harvest for more than one year, but even 5 or 6 years without replanting.

The third method is with nests

With this method, it is recommended to plant strawberries in the form of nests. That is, six more are planted around one bush, like in a hexagon. The nests are located from each other in rows at a distance of 25 to 30 cm, and the paths between the rows are 35 to 40 cm wide.

The disadvantage of this method is that planting requires a large number of bushes. The advantages are a richer harvest.

The fourth method is to plant strawberries in a carpet

In this case, the work is easier and faster, because no one cuts off the mustache, and over time the strawberries themselves grow over the entire area intended for them. Overgrown bushes create a natural special layer - mulch, inhibit the growth of weeds, and retain moisture.

This method is more suitable for those gardeners who grow strawberries in the country and do not have enough time to care for them. Bushes when planted in carpets do not require frequent watering or fertilization.
Cons: the berries of heavily overgrown strawberries become smaller over time.

Strawberry propagation using whiskers

To get more planting material from the strawberries that are already growing, you need to propagate the plant. To get a full-fledged one in the future productive seedlings, you need to act correctly.

1. Firstly, you cannot let the strawberries grow as they please, and then select the largest ones from them and replant them. In this case, there is a chance of losing half the harvest next year.
2. Secondly, mustaches from bushes that are already bearing fruit are also not suitable for seedlings, since they have a low nutrient content. Such seedlings will be sick for a long time, have weak immunity from putrefactive diseases, and will reduce productivity. The plant must either bear fruit or grow tendrils. Then planting material it will be good and the harvest will be rich.

Strawberry propagation using mother bushes

It is best to propagate strawberries from mother bushes. The essence of this method is that in the first year there is a selection the best plants. This is when the mustaches are cut off from all the bushes and then it is observed which of them they gave it better harvest and endured all environmental conditions.

Such strawberries are marked or transplanted to a separate area. The next year, these bushes begin to grow mustaches, cutting off all the buds and preventing it from bearing fruit. The very first and largest rosettes are left for propagation, and the rest are removed.

Considering all these tips for caring for beds, bushes, correct landing, you will have a wonderful large and good harvest of tasty and large strawberries.

In this article we will tell you in great detail, how to care for strawberries in spring for a good harvest. We will also share with you information on how to care for this berry in other periods.

It is worth remembering that among many gardeners, strawberries are considered a very capricious berry. She demands to herself special attention and care. For example, strawberries need to regularly remove tendrils, old leaves and small berries. In addition, it is also necessary to promptly remove watery berries, which will simply deprive the bush of the required amount of nutrients. Now we will try to consider the main rules, which include caring for strawberries in spring and summer.

Naturally, with the onset of warm weather, many gardeners are concerned with the question of how to properly caring for strawberries in the spring outdoors plot. IN spring period Caring for this crop is very labor-intensive. This time should not be missed in order to get an excellent harvest.

The beds where strawberries grow after winter should be put in proper order. The soil must be clean and moist. All existing weeds and debris must be removed. And after harvesting in the fall, all strawberry bushes should be prepared for winter period. It is probably clear to you that any of these stages requires the necessary skills and knowledge. When the strawberry bushes thaw with the onset of spring, it is necessary to clear them of dry grass and leaves. If the bush is frozen, it should be removed.

The topmost layer of soil, which is autumn period you mulched, you must remove it by 3 cm. This must be done in order to reduce the amount harmful insects, which could easily winter in this soil layer. In addition, this procedure will help sun rays reach the roots and warm them up quickly.

Recommendation! Often, novice gardeners make a very serious mistake - they pour a thick layer of soil under each strawberry bush. As a result, the roots take a very long time to warm up. Then the berries begin to ripen very late and they are usually very small and not sweet.

If you don’t know when to start caring for strawberries in the spring, then it’s worth saying that this should be done immediately after the onset of warm weather. Now it is important to touch upon such issues as fertilizing and mulching the berries.

• When the soil becomes loose, you need to sprinkle the strawberry beds with sawdust. In addition to sawdust, you can use peat crumbs, humus, and small straw. You should also fertilize each strawberry bush with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
• After the first new leaves appear on the bushes, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with a solution of mullein with the addition of ammonium sulfate.
• Complex mineral fertilizers can be applied to the soil to feed strawberries as early as the beginning of May.

On a note! In order to reduce the possibility of the manifestation of all kinds of diseases, the bushes should be sprayed around using a solution copper sulfate. Only this procedure must be carried out before the buds open.

As for watering, strawberries need to be irrigated once a week. Only in this case, the bushes need to be watered in the morning so that the water is warm. Before strawberries bloom, they can be irrigated with rainwater. And after the flowers and first berries appear, you need to make sure that water does not get on the plant itself. There should be no weeds in the beds where strawberries grow.

Caring for strawberries in the spring at the dacha should definitely be done correctly. In this case, you can get a tasty and rich harvest of berries. Treatment of bushes in spring is, first of all, feeding. She will help give strawberry bushes active growth after a cold winter.

If you are well versed in the basics of proper strawberry fertilization in the spring, then you can get a good harvest and very tasty berries. It is only necessary to take into account the fact that strawberries are not fertilized in the first year of their life. And as for remontant varieties, then they require regular seasonal feeding. The very first feeding of this plant should be carried out in the last ten days of April, when a constant temperature has established. During this period of time, fertilizing is carried out with complex fertilizers. If you have just started growing strawberries, then in the spring you can use ready-made mineral fertilizers as top dressing. Fertilizing is applied in early spring. And one more time, after harvesting. You should take no more than 25-30 grams of fertilizer per 1 sq.m. landings.

In order for strawberries to produce a good harvest, it is important to take proper care in the spring. And the tips published above will help you do this correctly. Now it’s worth talking about the rules for caring for strawberries in the summer. After you carry out all the necessary procedures in the spring, summer care for strawberries will be minimal. You will need to weed the beds regularly and water the strawberries once a week. In addition, it is necessary to inspect the bushes for the manifestation of various diseases and the effects of pests.

It is important to know! If, when inspecting strawberries, you see damaged parts, they should be removed immediately.

After the first berries begin to appear with the onset of summer, we advise you to add straw or sawdust under the bush. This procedure will help avoid contamination of the plant berries themselves with soil and ensure an even distribution of the surface on which they will grow.

Advice! Fully ripe berries from strawberry bushes must be collected regularly. The berry must be removed with the stalk. If the summer turns out to be rainy, then the bushes of the plant will need to be covered under film. This is required so that excess moisture does not become destructive for the bushes. Otherwise, various diseases can quickly develop, and the berries will become insipid and watery.

To please strawberries with a good harvest in the summer, take proper care in the spring. Pest control must also be implemented. It is also important to provide some details about preparing strawberry bushes for winter.

• After you collect the very last berries from the bushes, you need to trim the tendrils and leaves: this way the plant will be able to withstand the winter perfectly.
• Leaves should be cut at a distance of up to 10 cm from the soil surface. Only one stem should remain from the strawberry bush. But you should not be upset about this, since the plant will be able to survive wintering more easily.
• Trimmed bushes should be immediately treated with special agents against diseases and pests, and mineral fertilizers should also be added to the soil.

Instead of a conclusion

We hope that you were able to learn about how to care for strawberries in early spring. Our article has provided you with many interesting tips that you can easily apply in real life.

Video on the topic: caring for strawberries in the spring at the dacha open area video

What could be tastier than a ripe, sweet and juicy strawberry picked on your own plot? To achieve a large and tasty harvest of garden strawberries in the summer, you need to take care of the bushes in the spring, because the crop is quite demanding in terms of care and needs the attention of the gardener.

When is the best time to start caring for plants? open ground? IN different regions our country optimal time the beginning of events may differ: in the South - from mid-March, in Middle lane(Moscow region) - from the second half of April, in Siberia, the Urals, in the Leningrad region - from the end of April or beginning of May.

What does it take to care for strawberry bushes on the site after winter? Let's look at the main stages of caring for strawberries in the open ground in spring in more detail.

Removing cover

Removing the cover from strawberries is done after the snow has completely melted and a positive temperature has established. It is necessary to completely remove the cover and remove the mulching material. In this case, you need to act carefully so as not to damage the bushes or pull out any plants. But if, nevertheless, some bushes were pulled out of the soil, then most likely they were already too weak or sick, so there is no need to worry!

If you are growing strawberries on agrofibre (spunbond), then you do not need to remove it from the ground, you only need to remove debris and leaves from its surface.

Note! It is very important to remove the cover and remove the mulch in a timely manner, otherwise the strawberry bushes under the cover may grow moldy, and pests and pathogens may become active in the mulch.

Trimming

Strawberry pruning is another one. important point caring for the plant in spring. The event performs a sanitary function because it helps eliminate diseased, diseased, damaged, and dried bushes. Thus, the garden strawberry bushes are rejuvenated and healthier. They will not waste their energy senselessly, but will direct resources to laying flower buds and thus you will be able to get a more abundant harvest.

When is the best time to prune strawberries? In different regions, the timing of the procedure may vary: in the middle zone (Moscow region) - in the second half of April, in the South ( Krasnodar region(Kuban), Northern Caucasus) - pruning is carried out in mid-March, in Siberia, the Urals, in the Leningrad region - in early May.

So, the basic rules spring pruning strawberries:

• It is necessary to eliminate all dried, diseased and damaged leaves.
• You should trim carefully, without touching the heart and young healthy plates.
• In this case, you should try to prune close to the root.
• Last year's mustache also needs to be eliminated (but only if you do not want to reproduce).
• The above-ground part of the plants that you cut needs to be burned because it may contain pathogens and pest larvae.

Important! To trim garden strawberries, you should use sharp, disinfected pruners or scissors.

Watering

The first watering of the strawberry beds should be done after the snow has melted and the soil has dried out. It is especially important to introduce moisture under two- and three-year-old garden strawberry bushes, because their hearts above the ground can become very dry.

The rate of watering in spring is approximately once every 7 days. It is recommended to do this in the morning or evening. You need to use warm water.

Advice! Before the first flowers appear on plants, you can sometimes irrigate using the sprinkling method (that is, irrigate the above-ground part of the plant and the soil).

After the flowers appear and the fruit begins to set, you can water the plants only at the root! Water should not get on the plants themselves!

Loosening and weeding

This type of care, such as loosening, is recommended for all garden crops, but strawberries love it especially. The procedure promotes soil aeration, i.e. improves the supply of oxygen to the root system of the plant, optimizes soil water permeability.

By the way! During this procedure, you also need to weed the weeds in the garden bed.

Loosen the soil around garden strawberries carefully, to a shallow depth (about 2-3 centimeters), since the roots of the plant are close to the surface of the earth. It is recommended to carry out the event after each watering or rain.

Note! When loosening strawberries in the spring, inspect the plants:

• if you see that the roots are exposed in the garden bed, then you must carry out hilling, that is, sprinkle the roots with soil;
• if the plant growth point is in the ground, then, on the contrary, you need to rake the earth around it.

Mulching

Strawberries, like other garden crops, need to be mulched. This element of care is extremely important, since a layer of mulch preserves the evaporation of moisture (you can water less frequently), prevents the growth of weeds (no need to weed the beds), eliminates the need for loosening, and in dry weather it protects the root system of the plant from overheating, and in cold weather, vice versa , warms.

In addition to the benefits listed above, thanks to mulch, garden strawberries have more attractive look, rot less often and can be stored longer.

To mulch the beds, you can use peat, humus, compost, rotted sawdust, and straw. Optimal thickness layer - five centimeters.

By the way! Instead of mulching, covering material is often used, but this requires the crop to be applied to it initially.

Top dressing

To get abundant, delicious harvest, you need to regularly care for plants. In addition, it is necessary to regularly feed the garden strawberry bushes, it is especially important to do this in the spring. Conduct spring feeding Strawberries should only be planted after the soil temperature is above 8 degrees Celsius.

Important! Before applying fertilizers, be sure to water the soil with plain water.

You can feed strawberries for the first time in early spring with nitrogen fertilizers, for example, a solution of bird droppings or ammonium nitrate. After the plant begins to grow, it is useful to feed it with complex mineral fertilizer, for example, Nitroammophoska.

Then you should feed before flowering, during the formation of buds (this feeding is very important!). During this period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, for example, Potassium Monophosphate, should be used. You can also use special fertilizers, for example, “Strawberry” from Fasco, Fertika “Kristalon” for strawberries and wild strawberries.

Advice! If, when applying fertilizer, you get on the above-ground part of the plant, you need to carefully rinse this area.

Treatment against pests and diseases

Pests and diseases can significantly damage the harvest or completely deprive you of it. To prevent their destructive effects, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatments of strawberries against pests and diseases in the spring.

The first time you need to treat strawberry bushes is after removing the cover and removing the mulch. You can use, for example, Bordeaux mixture. Then you should carry out the treatment before flowering, and you need to spray not only the bushes themselves, but also the soil around them. The following fungicidal drugs can be used against diseases: Fitosporin-M, Fitolavin, Gamair, Alirin. And use the following insecticidal preparations against pests: Fitoverm, Lepidotsid.

Transfer

Strawberries grow well and bear fruit in one place for about three to four years, and then they need to be transplanted to another place. Without timely replanting, the quality and quantity of the harvest will decrease significantly. This is due to the fact that the plants grow and lack nutrients in the garden.

The timing of transplanting strawberries to a new place differs in different regions of Russia: in the South (Krasnodar Territory (Kuban), Northern Caucasus) - it is better to do this in April, in the middle zone (Moscow region) - it is optimal to transplant in early May, in Siberia, in the Urals, Leningrad region - the optimal time for transplantation is at the end of May. In this case, the air temperature should remain stably above 10 degrees Celsius.

To replant, you need to dig up the bush without damaging the roots and earthen coma. It is advisable to replant it to a new place together with a lump of earth.

Video: transplanting strawberry bushes.

Caring for strawberries in the spring is very simple, but it is important to carry out all activities efficiently and in a timely manner. Thanks to simple manipulations for caring for garden strawberries, you can not only get a harvest that is excellent in taste and quality, but also make it easier for yourself to grow a wonderful crop.

Strawberry ( garden strawberries) is a rather capricious culture. Therefore, it needs to be carefully looked after from early spring to late autumn. We will tell you what work needs to be done and when.

They begin to look after the strawberry bed even before the snow has completely melted (usually in March), and work is completed with the onset of frost.

March

When the first warm days arrive and the snow partially melts from the beds, cover the strawberries with plastic film or agrofibre. This will allow you to get early harvest berries

The covering material is placed on arcs so that there remains between it and the plants. air gap. Please note: the greater the volume of air under the shelter, the more low temperature will be able to withstand strawberry bushes.

As soon as the snow has completely melted, the bed is cleaned: dried leaves and flower stalks are removed, and the remains of the mustache are cut off using scissors. Young rosettes are planted in the places where the dead bushes grew.

After restoration of the beds, preventive treatment against diseases and pests is carried out. Plantings are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture or any chorus-based preparation.

When the ground thaws, the soil in the strawberry bed is loosened. This will help retain the moisture accumulated over the winter. At the same time, the bushes are lightly hilled so that root system grew faster.

April

If you plan to plant strawberries in the spring, do it as early as possible. In April, the weather can be different: sometimes in the middle of spring there is still a dense layer of snow, and sometimes at this time the buds are already in full bloom. Therefore, when setting a suitable time for planting strawberries, they focus more on weather conditions rather than time.

Strawberry seedlings are planted in the spring. It is important that by this time the soil has warmed up to about 10°C

When the strawberries begin to grow, the plantings are mulched with organic matter or a special mulch film. During the period of massive foliage growth, a second preventive treatment against diseases is carried out.

If harmful insects appear in April, the bushes are sprayed with chemical insecticides (Actellik, Teldor, Envidor, Calypso, etc.). also in Lately The complex drug Teovit Jet has proven itself well - a contact fungicide and acaricide.

If garden strawberry bushes have been growing in one place for more than 3 years, they will need additional feeding. At first growing season garden strawberries need nitrogen fertilizers, during the flowering period - in phosphorus, and after fruiting - in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

May

Garden strawberries grown in tunnels are ventilated daily so that the plants do not overheat under the rays of the spring sun. In the morning, one or both ends are opened slightly, and closed at night.

Strawberries grown in open ground are covered with spunbond at night, as returnable spring frosts(and sometimes even a decrease in temperature to 1°C) can destroy plants.

When strawberries bloom, strawberry weevils may appear on them. The bushes are sprayed with garlic infusion or other folk remedies for pest control.

The weather is often dry in May. For proper plant development and fruit formation, the strawberry bed is regularly watered. In the second half of May (depending on the region and weather), early varieties of strawberries begin to bear fruit. The harvest is harvested in a timely manner, then watering is carried out after collecting ripe berries.

If there is frequent heavy rain at this time, the plants are protected from rot and powdery mildew. They also remove weeds if necessary.

In May, garden strawberries begin to actively produce tendrils, which take a large amount of nutrients from the plant. If you grow strawberries for berries, and not for propagation, then the tendrils should be removed regularly.

By properly adjusting the number of tendrils on the bushes, you can get both planting material and a good harvest of berries

June

The harvest continues. In the second half of the month they begin to bear fruit and late varieties. To prevent the berries from getting dirty and rotting, black leaves are laid under the bushes. non-woven material or add shavings. This helps protect garden strawberries from gray rot and weeds.

Also in June, strawberry rosettes are rooted in separate cups or cassettes. Such plants will be ready to be transplanted to a new location in 2-3 weeks.

July

After the end of fruiting, all old, diseased and damaged leaves are removed from the bushes. Water the bed well, loosen the soil around the bushes and remove all excess tendrils from them.

In July, strawberry mites can settle on strawberry bushes. Leaves are cut off from damaged plants and burned. Then the entire bed is sprayed with water (about 60°C) or a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

If other insect pests appear on the plants, the strawberry bushes are sprayed with chemical or biological insecticides. You can also resort to folk safe means. In addition, during this period, strawberries are often affected by spotting, powdery mildew, and gray rot. 1% Bordeaux mixture with the addition of colloidal sulfur (100 g of the drug per 10 liters of water) helps to cope with diseases.

August

At the end of summer, the soil in the strawberry bed is deeply loosened and complex fertilizer is applied: 1 tsp. under each bush. By the end of the month, they finish planting the mustaches, and the bushes are watered regularly.

In the second half of summer - early autumn, you should take care of timely watering of the strawberry bed

September

This month, flower buds form, from which next year berries will appear. Therefore, in September it is important not to forget to water the plants.

October

In October they create for plants favorable conditions which will help them survive the winter well. To do this, water the beds, loosen the soil, and remove weeds. Strawberry bushes are covered with peat, humus or compost.

November

When the top layer of soil (to a depth of 5-7 cm) freezes, the beds are mulched. This will prevent plants from being pushed out of the ground. To hold back the snow, brushwood, Jerusalem artichoke leaves, and raspberry or corn stalks are placed on top. In this form, strawberries overwinter.

Thanks to proper and timely work on caring for strawberries, you will be able to grow healthy plant and collect a good harvest of sweet berries. Follow these recommendations - and everything will work out for you!

Strawberries, like other garden crops, need care. It needs to be watered, fertilized, fed, treated against pests and diseases. Let's take a closer look at exactly how to care for strawberries in the spring so that they please their owners with a rich harvest this season.

Start garden work care strawberry beds spring is the period when the snow melts, it gets warmer, and the ground dries out a little. In the south, for example, in Kuban, this can happen as early as mid-March, in the middle zone and Moscow region - in April, in Siberia and the Urals - by the beginning of May.

The need for proper care of strawberries in early spring is explained by the fact that only after carrying out certain agrotechnical measures can one hope that the plants will develop as needed throughout the growing season. Without care, they will not be able to show their full potential, they will develop worse, and produce a much smaller harvest.

How to care for strawberries in spring: basic activities

The complex for caring for strawberries in the spring at the dacha includes: removal of insulating material and old leaves, as well as watering, fertilizing, preventive and therapeutic treatments of plants with folk remedies.

Opening bushes after winter

The time when it is already possible to open strawberry bushes after winter comes after the snow has melted and the weather warms up. The cover of all plants is removed - the mulch that protected them from freezing in winter, as well as other debris. The easiest way to do this is with a small rake. You need to act carefully so as not to catch the sockets with them and tear them out.

Removing the cover allows the sun's rays to freely penetrate the plants and soil, warming it, and the destruction of old material in which pests and pathogens may remain reduces the likelihood of disease development and pest proliferation.

Trimming

At the same time, the bushes are inspected: some of the leaves may be damaged by frost, diseases, wither, or turn yellow. All such leaves are cut with pruners, a knife or scissors along with the petioles and burned. You can’t tear them off; if you pull too hard, you can tear out the rosette by the roots; such a plant, buried again, will hurt and will begin to bear fruit later.

When pruning strawberries in the spring, all last year's tendrils that will not be used this year are also removed. The plants will grow new ones this season.

Loosening and weeding

The next step in caring for remontant and regular strawberries is loosening the soil and simultaneous weeding. The purpose of loosening is to improve soil aeration (as a result of which air will better penetrate to the roots of plants) and soil water permeability, and retain winter moisture in the soil. Loosening must be done extremely carefully so as not to touch the roots, which, by the way, are very close to the surface of the earth.

If in some places the strawberry roots are exposed, then they are sprinkled with earth, slightly hilling the plants. Those specimens whose cores ended up in the soil during the winter, on the contrary, are raked. During the loosening process, weed seedlings are also removed, therefore, so that they do not have time to grow, loosening is carried out as often as possible.

Watering

If it turns out that after removing the mulch the soil has already dried out, then you need to water the strawberries. This is especially important for those plants that are 2-3 years old: their centers can rise above the ground and dry out quickly.

Then strawberry bushes Water in the spring approximately once a week, in the morning or evening. Use warm water. Before the plants produce their first flowers, it is convenient to water them by sprinkling. Afterwards, during mass flowering and setting of strawberries, it is better to apply watering at the roots to avoid moisture getting inside the flowers and on the berries, which can lead to a decrease in setting and rotting of the strawberries. To water the crop, you can use a drip irrigation system: spread the hoses over the beds and turn on the watering.

Mulching

This is one of the recommended methods for caring for strawberries after winter. After removing the old covering material and loosening, the beds must be covered again with a new layer of mulch. Suitable materials for this are straw, hay, peat, compost, humus or agrofibre.

The advantages of mulching strawberries: moisture is retained under the layer of cover, watering can be done less often, and air can pass inside without obstruction. This will also allow you to almost do without weeding, because the mulch will stop the growth of weeds. Lying on straw or hay, the berries do not touch the ground, do not become dirty or rot.

Top dressing

There is no need to rush to feed plants in open ground in early spring. The first application of fertilizers is carried out only when the ground temperature is not lower than 8-10°C. If it is lower, then plant roots simply will not be able to draw nutrients from the soil. It is recommended to combine fertilizing with irrigation.

For early spring feeding, use nitrogen fertilizers - saltpeter, urea, slurry. It is carried out when the plants begin to grow new leaves and flower stalks. Fertilizer is prepared as follows: fill a third of the bucket chicken droppings, pour water on top and leave to infuse for 3 days. Before watering, dilute 0.5 liters of slurry in a bucket of water. When using mineral fertilizers Strawberries are first watered with plain water, and then only with a fertilizer solution.

For the next (before flowering) feeding of strawberries, phosphorus-potassium mixtures are used. It’s convenient to use nitroammophoska, it has all 3 nutrient. Before flowering, it is also advisable to spray the strawberry bushes with a solution of boric acid.

Treatment against diseases and pests

To treat strawberries against diseases in the spring, it is enough to use folk remedies, not strong chemicals. They are quite effective as a preventative rather than curative treatment, and do not harm plants.

Boric acid

This substance prevents infection with bacteriosis and root rot. Prepare the product by dissolving only 1 g of acid in a bucket of warm water and mixing it well. For 1 strawberry, use 0.3 liters of solution, then sprinkle the ground with ash. Processing time is 1 month, starting from mid-April.

Bordeaux mixture

This well-known antifungal agent is used immediately after removing the mulch and a second time - just before flowering. When processing strawberries in early spring, it is necessary to spray not only the plants themselves, but also the soil between them, since this is where the pests overwintered. Bordeaux mixture for strawberries is prepared from 100 g of copper sulfate and quicklime in a bucket of water. Both components of the solution are prepared separately and only then mixed together.

inkstone

A solution of this substance is used to disinfect the soil against the development of anthracnose, powdery mildew and gray rot. Recipe: 400 g of vitriol per bucket hot water. They water the ground with it a week before transplanting strawberry bushes onto it, spending 4-5 liters per hole. To cultivate the ground under already growing strawberries, prepare a weaker solution: 30 g per 10 liters. The treatment is carried out until new green leaves appear on the bushes.

Ash

You can use wood ash: make a solution out of it, or simply sprinkle the bushes and soil near them. The ash will gradually dissolve during watering, and while it lies on the ground, it will save the strawberries from attack by slugs.

Iodine

The substance is used against powdery mildew; treating strawberries with iodine is also effective against cockchafer larvae. Treat the bushes before flowering begins. Composition for spring treatment strawberries: for 10 liters of water take 1 liter of milk and 10 drops of iodine tincture.

Boiling water

Hot water, according to gardeners, helps well against ticks, fungi and nematodes. The time for treatment with boiling water is early spring, before the buds open. Directions for use: pour boiling water into a cold watering can and put on the nozzle. Water the bushes carefully: 0.5 liters is enough for 1 strawberry. You don’t have to worry about burning the plants: by the time you bring the watering can to the garden bed, the water will cool down to an acceptable temperature.

Potassium permangantsovka

Strawberries are also sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate in the spring. Potassium permanganate is used against pennies, a pest that is not averse to settling on crop bushes. The solution suitable for processing should be bright pink.

Urea

Urea is not only a fertilizer, but also protective agent. Its solution is sprayed on strawberries in the spring against diseases: scab, spotting, as well as weevils, aphids and copperheads. Composition of urea solution: 30-40 g of substance per bucket of water. The processing time for strawberries is before the leaves begin to grow.

Copper sulfate

This product is used to spray garden strawberries against major fungal diseases. The time of application is until the green young leaves appear. Composition: dissolve 100 g of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water, consumption – 20-25 plants. Repeated use, if necessary, is carried out after 2 or 3 weeks.

Ammonia

Processed ammonia strawberries from the ubiquitous ants, the larvae of the cockchafer. The product not only protects plants, but also nourishes them with nitrogen. Ingredients: 10 liters of water, 40 ml of ammonia and 1 household. soap in shavings. The solution is used all at once; it cannot be stored. For getting good harvest The crop is watered with this product twice – before regrowth begins and before flowering.