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To help strawberries winter properly, it is necessary to protect the bushes from the cold by worrying about their shelter in advance. If this is not done, then in the spring the result can be quite deplorable – bushes frozen to the roots do not wake up from hibernation, and partially damaged ones give a poor harvest. About how to cover strawberries for the winter and how to do it correctly, read on.
Preparing for the cold
It is known that the roots of this plant can die already at a temperature of about minus 8 degrees. And the part of strawberries growing on the surface may not fully recover when the thermometer drops to minus 9. What should gardeners do in this situation? To avoid trouble and protect the plant in the cold season, you should cover the strawberries in advance.
In order to have time to do this before the onset of the first cold weather, to protect the roots, you need to make a special shelter and hide the strawberries under the snow cap. But not only snow will become your faithful assistant in sheltering the plant. It is also recommended to feed the root system with manure or other components of organic origin. Mulching will also help protect the plant.
Starting from mid-autumn, strawberries should be prepared for the upcoming winter. If this is done a little earlier, then in the presence of high air temperature, the opposite effect can be achieved – plants are able to ban in sheltered soil. The guideline for starting a set of measures to shelter the plant should be the freezing of the earth by 4 – 5 centimeters.
Cover technique
Strawberries by the onset of winter should grow healthy leaves, which will be an excellent protection for the kidneys from frost. In autumn, you should follow the rules of agricultural technology, fertilizing and removing pests. At the end of summer, it is advised to loosen the ground near the bushes. Strawberries should not be transplanted late. Weeds are also best removed in the spring. Snow can serve as the best thermal insulation for a plant, as it prevents the soil from freezing.
A layer of mulch, consisting of humus, reeds, peat, pine and spruce needles, and reeds, is capable of preventing soil cracking. Its stocks should be stored in bags or simply poured out near the beds with strawberries. Mulch should be used in an amount of approximately one bag per 24 to 26 plant bushes. Dry mulch, taken in an armful, should be overlaid with adult strawberry bushes on all sides, the layer should be about 10 – 15 cm.
After the onset of the first slight frost, strawberries must be covered. Here it is important to take into account factors such as the geographical location of the site and its microclimate. To protect garden strawberry bushes, cover them with straw in large quantities. Just make sure that the straw does not come across seeds that can attract rodents, or sawdust.
In order to properly make a shelter for a plant, a material such as agrofiber is used. The thickness of the layer of strawberry shelter should be about 6 – 8 cm. In the event that a little snow falls in winter, the bushes not covered with it can die due to the onset of sharp frosts. To delay the melting of snow in your garden, it is recommended to shade it with large boxes or other materials that are on hand. When heat comes, the bushes of the plant should be freed from covering material so that they can have an area for normal growth and development.
Agrofibre is also capable of helping in the fight against the negative impact on strawberries of spring frosts. They need to cover the plant at night, and remove the material in the morning to allow the bees to pollinate the plant. Experts advise, whenever possible, to grow those varieties of strawberries that are most suitable for your region. In the presence of a sufficiently large layer of snow, they can overwinter even without special shelter.
Shelter material
Many gardeners are concerned about an important question – how to cover strawberries for the winter? In a snowless winter, the best plant materials to help you cover and protect strawberries from freezing are leaves, hay, straw, spruce branches. Experts call spruce spruce branches the best option, under a layer of which dry raspberry branches or brushwood can be placed in order to provide plants with air access.
Another plant material, pine needles, has also proven itself well. It is quite breathable, while it has thermal insulation properties and does not allow strawberry bushes to rot. Mature plants should be sprinkled with needles, as if spudding them in a circle, and young bushes can be covered completely. Even if there is no snow at all, and the thermometer drops to minus 25 degrees, with this method of protection, a sufficient amount of heat will be stored on the ground.
If it is impossible to get needles or spruce branches, you can use the purchased material for shelter, called “Agrotex”. It will not allow rodents to settle near the bushes, is breathable, is able to provide access to light and water, and can level out unwanted temperature changes.
Even in the presence of severe frosts, the temperature under such material will be much higher than in open space. This air-dry method is quite good for beds that have a small area. In addition to “Agrotex”, you can also use “Spunbond” or even a film. Some growers have adapted to cover strawberries using these materials without the use of arcs. But experts do not advise covering plants without arcs with materials, because there is a danger of freezing at the points of contact.
Video “Preparing strawberries for winter”
The video shows one of the methods for sheltering strawberry bushes for the winter.
