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Many gardeners are engaged in growing strawberries. Recently, remontant strawberries have become increasingly popular. It has quite a few distinctive features compared to conventional varieties, and therefore has additional requirements for its care. This strawberry can be grown both in open ground and at home (in a greenhouse, bags, flower pots). In this article we will consider the features of growing, planting and care.
Features of landing
The main distinguishing feature of all remontant strawberry varieties is that they are able to produce several crops in one growing season (with proper care).
The quality and volume of the crop depends on how correctly the remontant strawberries were grown. The whole process should begin with the right choice of variety for cultivation. Since the selection of a variety is carried out by an empirical method, i.e. by tasting berries, experienced gardeners recommend growing several varieties at once, in order to choose the ones you like the most. For example, among the remontant varieties, the most positive reviews are the strawberries Queen Elizabeth, Mount Everest, Albion and many others. But remember that the purity of the variety is maintained only when the seedlings were grown from seeds (suitable for beardless remontant strawberries).
Planting remontant strawberries consists of several stages:
- growing seedlings from seeds (antennae can be used);
- planting seedlings in the garden.
Growing seedlings
It is best to plant strawberries in the ground on which the vegetable crop used to grow. In this case, soil moisture should be about 70-80%. To achieve this, you need to add 1 ml of water per 750 kg of dry substrate, after which everything should be carefully moved, avoiding the formation of lumps. Planting seedlings is carried out in a container of dense material, the diameter of which should be about 10 or 15 cm. This container must be filled with previously prepared soil. Leave about 3 cm of free space on top. After that, the seeds of the plant should be scattered on top and lightly sprinkled with earth (it should be dry). Then irrigate the ground with water using a spray bottle.
In order to grow remontant strawberries, certain conditions must be observed that are as close as possible to natural ones. In nature, seeds must be exposed to sunlight in order to grow. If the seeds are open to sunlight, then they will sprout a lot. Moreover, this condition is suitable not only for growing remontant strawberries, but also for ordinary varieties.
After the seeds of remontant varieties have been planted, the container must be covered with a transparent plastic film, and then placed in a warm place. After three weeks, the first shoots will begin to appear in it. They need to be watered periodically.
Planting seedlings in the garden
The place of future growth of strawberry bushes should be protected from the winds and well lit.
Strawberry seedlings should be planted in early May. Before this, the beds must first be cleared of germinated weeds. You should also loosen the earth and make compost. The most suitable soils for planting remontant plants are fertile medium loamy soils, which are closest to neutral in composition.
On the prepared bed, you need to dig a hole and pour it with water. Seedlings of large-fruited remontant strawberries (as well as small-fruited ones) are carefully removed from the container where they had previously grown, and planted in this hole with a clod of earth. The root system before planting can be sprinkled with a preparation like “Kornevin”. Then you should compact the soil around each planted seedling.
There are the following rules for proper planting for the effective cultivation of remontant strawberries:
- planting of seedlings is carried out in May, although planting in the fall is possible for remontant varieties;
- the landing site must be completely cleared of weeds;
- a month before planting seedlings, 5 kg / m should be applied to the ground2 humus or compost;
- before planting seedlings directly, the earth is fertilized with superphosphate, potassium salt and ammonium nitrate;
- it is not recommended to plant seedlings deep (“heart” should be on the surface);
- the distance between plants should be about 70 cm between rows and 40 cm between strawberries;
- landing is necessary only in the cool time of the day (rainy weather will be optimal);
- watering the wells is carried out with a small amount of water;
- it is recommended to use growth preparations for the root system of the plant;
- after planting the seedling, the ground should be compacted as tightly as possible (so that there are no voids under it).
Large-fruited remontant strawberries often propagate with the help of a mustache (small-fruited varieties are most often propagated by seeds) and, to a lesser extent, with the help of bush divisions. Propagation of strawberries with antennae is considered the easiest. For planting, only those sockets that are as developed as possible are selected. To maintain the necessary qualities of the variety, only the mustache of the first generation should be used for planting. They are dug up and planted in the right place. This method does not require high costs, as well as any additional knowledge.
Whatever method you choose to get an excellent harvest, you must follow all the rules of agricultural technology. It is the remontant varieties, due to the peculiarities of their physiology (high yield, which leads to the rapid depletion of the plant), that are the most demanding in terms of planting and care. In one place, strawberries can grow for about two to three seasons, and with proper care – up to five years.
How to care?
Once you have planted a remontant strawberry, the plant must be properly cared for in order to retain its properties.
Rules for the care of remontant varieties:
- to ensure proper air exchange, it is necessary to carry out regular loosening of the soil around the strawberry bushes;
- to prevent the roots from being exposed, you need to periodically add earth;
- the most important condition is periodic and abundant watering of the plant (you can use both a bucket and a watering can);
- during the flowering period, strawberry bushes must be fed with mineral fertilizers that are designed specifically for strawberries, as well as an infusion of bird droppings. Fertilizer mixtures used to feed vegetables or flowers cannot be used;
- it is also necessary to carry out regular weeding.
In addition, in the case of lying berries on the ground, you can use ring-shaped wire supports. To get larger fruits, you need to constantly cut off the antennae. This plant at home, with proper care, is able to yield 10-30% more than conventional varieties grown in the standard way.
How to prepare for wintering?
Like any other plant grown in an open field garden, remontant strawberries need to be prepared in a certain way for wintering. In order for the bushes to survive the winter normally, the following manipulations should be carried out:
- during autumn planting, a break is carried out at the mother bush of all mustaches of the first order (they can be used to obtain seedlings at home or planted in open ground). Rooting mustaches of the first order is also allowed;
- antennae are planted at a distance of no more than 20 cm from each other;
- after planting, the bushes need to be watered with a small amount of water;
- after the bushes have suffered the first frost, all leaves should be removed;
- after trimming all the leaves, strawberry bushes are covered with covering material.
Subject to the above rules, you can protect strawberries from winter frosts and get a plentiful, and most importantly, high-quality harvest at the beginning of summer.
How to deal with pests?
One of the fundamental steps in the care of any remontant strawberry variety is the protection of the plant from various pests and diseases. As you know, even proper care is not always able to protect the plant from pathogenic microorganisms and insects. If various diseases lead to a weakening of the plant, as a result of which the taste of the crop is significantly reduced, and the fruits themselves become smaller, then insects spoil the already matured excellent crop (which is especially regrettable). Therefore, gardeners are ready for a lot to protect their crops and the bushes themselves from the negative effects of both insects and microorganisms.
Most often, strawberries are affected by aphids. To combat these insects, a special solution is used, which is prepared as follows: a couple of heads of garlic are poured into three liters of cold water. This infusion should be infused for a week. After that, strawberry bushes can be sprayed with this solution using a spray bottle. This is the most effective and environmentally friendly way to deal with such pests.
In case wasps have chosen the berries, jars can be placed around the beds in which sweet compote will be poured.
If birds began to eat your berries, then an excellent solution to this problem would be to place glass red balls near the bushes, which are readily used in the decoration of residential premises. After unsuccessful attempts to peck such balls, the birds will give up trying to eat strawberries.
In case of infection of plants with various pathogenic microorganisms or pests of a lower order, only specialized means should be used. But remember that sometimes potent chemicals are used to treat bushes for various diseases, which can adversely affect the quality of berries (accumulation of toxic substances is possible in fruits). Therefore, preventive treatment of plants should be carried out before the onset of the flowering period in order to avoid the negative effect of disinfectant solutions on berries.
Measures to protect against diseases should not be neglected, because it is much easier to prevent the disease of strawberry bushes than to carry out treatment later.
In order to enjoy a delicious berry, you need to make enough effort not only to properly plant and grow bushes, but also to ensure proper care. It is remontant strawberry varieties that need more painstaking care, due to their accelerated life cycle.
Video “Repair strawberries”
In this video, you can get acquainted with the features of growing and caring for small-fruited varieties of strawberries (strawberries).
