Contents
That is why it is important to care for strawberries all summer long.
What is important to know about strawberries after fruiting
| When the leaves grow | Early in spring, after harvest and in late September – early October |
| When flower buds are laid | In the middle of July |
| When mustaches grow | Throughout the season |
| How deep are the roots | The main mass – at a depth of 20 – 30 cm |
| early spring, after harvest and late September – early October | early spring, after harvest and late September – early October |
Watering strawberries after fruiting
Strawberries are still a water drink, you need to water it once a week. Irrigation rate – 1 liters per 15 sq. m. And to simplify your work, the beds can be mulched – with hay, straw, humus or compost with a layer of 1 – 3 cm. The mulch will protect the soil from the rapid evaporation of moisture and then it will be possible to water the plants less often – 5 time in 1 weeks.
How to feed strawberries after fruiting
After harvesting, strawberries need 2 top dressings.
In early August – 100 g (1/2 cup) double superphosphate and 20 g (1 tablespoon) potassium sulfate per 1 sq. m.
In mid-October – 2 kg (1/4 bucket) of humus or compost per 1 sq. m. By the way, in addition to giving strawberries nutrients, they will also protect the roots from frost in the event of a cold, snowless winter.
How to process strawberries after fruiting
In order for strawberries to grow well and lay the foundation for the future harvest, it is important to provide them with a number of agrotechnical measures after fruiting.
Protection against diseases and pests. After harvesting, strawberries must be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture (1). It will protect plants from diseases and pests.
In autumn, in late September – early October, if the strawberries are severely affected by pests, you need to dig up the aisles of strawberries, but not deep – about 15 cm. frost, they will die. Of course, in this case, strawberries cannot be mulched for the winter.
Weeds. Some gardeners, especially naturalists, deliberately leave weeds on strawberry plantations. Say, they shade the plants in the heat and in general – in the meadows, strawberries grow in the grass and feel great.
That’s right, but strawberries in the meadows give very small berries – a small amount of water and nutrients is enough for ripening. And varietal strawberries (garden strawberries) have large berries, and the needs of plants are higher. In addition, meadow grass is quite low, but weeds, such as sow thistle, thistle, nettle and amaranth, can grow up to 1 m or more. And they take almost all the water and food from the berries. In addition, they are often carriers of diseases that can also pass to cultivated plants. So weeding is a must.
During the season, strawberries need to be weeded at least 2 – 3 times (2):
- at the end of May;
- before ripening berries;
- late July – early August
Better yet, cover the aisles with a special black non-woven material – it is sold in garden centers. Non-woven, like mulch, protects the soil from drying out quickly, but, in addition, does not allow weeds to germinate. Yes, it is more troublesome and costly, but the plants will please you with a generous harvest – with such shelter of the beds, the number of berries, according to some reports, increases by 50 – 60%.
Removing whiskers. Many summer residents neglect this occupation for a long time and troublesome. Over time, the beds with strawberries turn into a continuous field, and the yields are getting smaller and smaller year by year. Because plantings become thickened, plants are forced to fight for water and food. Even young rooted plants compete with mother plants. Therefore, it is important not to be lazy and cut off all the mustaches that appear during the summer.
During the season, the mustache should be trimmed 3-4 times (3). It is especially important to do this immediately after harvest (4). A mustache is better with a sharp knife – so the plants are less injured.
By the way, many gardeners, removing the whiskers from strawberries, leave some of them for divorce. But this is wrong. If you need to propagate a variety, several mother plants should be planted separately from the main berry plantation. Studies have shown that if left on the main beds, plant yields drop significantly in subsequent years. And in plants with a mustache, winter hardiness decreases.
Should I prune strawberries after fruiting?
This is perhaps one of the main disputes among gardeners. Some believe that removing leaves is harmful. Others are sure that it is, on the contrary, a blessing. So where is the truth?
Proponents of pruning the leaves believe that in this way strawberries can be rid of diseases – usually in the second half of summer they become covered with spots. And if you cut off all the greens, a new one will grow healthy.
In fact, pruning has no effect: diseased leaves are removed, but spores of pathogens remain in the ground. Yes, new leaves grow healthy. However, they do not remain clean for long – fungi colonize them rather quickly. Especially in cool rainy weather. But even if the leaves went healthy in the winter, next year the strawberries will still be covered with “sores”.
But these are not all the problems that arise after pruning the leaves. If cut in hot weather, plants can die if not watered weekly – it takes a lot of water to grow a new leaf.
It is only necessary to cut the leaves completely in one case – if the strawberry is affected by the strawberry mite. Do it in the first half of August. Leaves should be removed with thin secateurs or sharp scissors. But it is impossible to cut them off with your hands, as some summer residents do – this way you can damage the roots. And do not try to cut the leaves under the root! Leave petioles about 10 cm long – this is a guarantee that you will not damage the growing point. And it is best to do this in cool cloudy weather (but not in rainy!), In the morning or in the evening. Cut leaves infected with a tick must be burned.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about caring for strawberries after fruiting with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.
Do I need to cut off dried leaves from strawberries?
How many years does a strawberry bear fruit?
Why don’t strawberries bear fruit?
• planted late – the optimal planting time is the beginning of August;
• deepened the heart (growth point) or, conversely, planted strawberries too high;
• overfed with fertilizers;
• malnourished;
• you have been sold a weed variety (Dubnyak, Zhmurka, Bakhmutka, Suspension) – they either do not bloom at all, or form an empty flower).
Sources of
- State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii- i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/
- Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.
- Under the reaction of Tarasenko M.T. Strawberries (translated from English) // M .: Publishing house of foreign literature, 1957 – 84 p.
- Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.