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Strawberries are a tasty, healthy and very beautiful berry. This is a real storehouse of vitamins and microelements, and given that only honeysuckle ripens earlier, its importance in the diet of a person weakened by winter beriberi can hardly be overestimated. They eat fresh and frozen strawberries, make jams, compotes from them, prepare marshmallows and juices. In recent years, varieties have been bred that are suitable for growing on a windowsill in winter, fruiting in autumn, and also pleasing to the eye with pink, red and crimson flowers.
The berry most often grown on an industrial scale is the strawberry. It is planted in greenhouses, in strawberry fields and more than 4 million tons of berries are harvested annually. Today there are more than 2500 varieties, their number is growing every year. Summer residents did not bypass strawberries. Growing it is troublesome, it requires knowledge of agricultural technology and diligence, but there is nothing tastier than a fragrant sweet berry plucked from your own garden. Today we will tell you how to plant strawberries in the fall.
Strawberry or strawberry
Strictly speaking, the berry that we call strawberries is a large-fruited strawberry. Strawberry is a dioecious plant, it has female plants that bear fruit after flowering and male plants that give only flowers. Its berries are small, only slightly larger than those of wild strawberries, never completely stained, but very sweet and fragrant.
Large-fruited (garden) strawberries originated about 300 years ago in France from an accidental cross-pollination of Chilean and Virginian strawberries. Suddenly, a rather large berry grew from the planted seeds. Its large-fruitedness was genetically fixed, and a random hybrid later became the progenitor of all varieties of cultivated strawberries.
The berry came to Our Country from England, at first it was called “Victoria”, then the name “strawberry” became widespread, under which it is known today. We will also call garden (it is also called cultivated or pineapple) strawberries strawberries so as not to confuse.
What you need to know when buying seedlings
There are many varieties of strawberries. Inexperienced owners are tempted by colorful advertisements or reviews from relatives living in other areas, and plant berries that are not intended for cultivation in their region. Naturally, they do not get a good harvest.
Another danger when buying planting material is weed varieties that are passed off as elite. Bluff does not give berries at all, Dubnyak does not even bloom, Bahmutka or Suspension will delight you with a meager harvest of small fruits.
Unscrupulous merchants, who did not manage to sell their products on time, dip the roots of strawberries in boiling water, which makes the leaves (as well as flowers and fruits on remontant varieties) seem fresh. Naturally, such seedlings will not take root.
It is best to buy berry seedlings from large garden centers or reputable growers. Of course, they cost more than on the market, but by propagating the variety, it will be possible to exchange with neighbors or acquaintances.
When is the best time to plant strawberries?
It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question when it is better to plant strawberries, our country is large, the climatic conditions are different. Let’s consider this question in detail.
Strawberry planting dates
The berry is planted in spring or autumn. Usually plantings carried out at the end of summer are also called autumn. For the Middle Strip, the best time in spring is mid-April – mid-May, and in autumn – the period from August to mid-September. In the southern regions, with favorable weather, strawberries can be planted as early as March, but sometimes they finish rooting in early November. In the North-West, spring plantings are best – so the berry has more time to adapt and root.
But these terms are very conditional, it all depends on the weather. You can not plant strawberries:
- in the spring, until the snow melts and the ground warms up a little;
- in summer, if hot days are expected ahead (in the southern regions, in general, there is no question of summer planting);
- autumn, just before frost.
Planting in the spring
The main thing is not to rush and not rush to plant strawberries in the spring. The best planting dates are the beginning of field work, when the soil is well supplied with moisture accumulated in the winter-spring period. Being late is fraught with the death of a large part of the plants, even with sufficient watering. But for the northern regions, spring is the best time to plant this berry.
Of course, this does not apply to planting material sold in containers.
Planting in autumn
Planting strawberries in the fall will allow you to get a good harvest of berries next year. This is the best time for rooting seedlings for most regions. Distinguish:
- early autumn planting – from August to mid-September;
- mid-autumn – from mid-September to mid-October;
- late autumn – ends 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost.
Each owner can determine the timing of planting strawberries in the fall based on their climatic conditions and weather forecasts. Berries take root best of all during early autumn and mid-autumn planting. Before the onset of frost, they take root well, next year they fill fruitful strips 20-25 cm wide and give a high yield.
With a sufficient amount of snow in winter, autumn planting has a significant advantage over spring planting. In autumn, seedlings dry out less, and this is very important for successful rooting. In addition, the survival rate of the berry is positively affected by lower air and soil temperatures than in spring, which provides better conditions for its development. It is best to do planting with the onset of rain.
Late late autumn planting, which is carried out before the soil freezes, is rather a forced measure, it does not provide good rooting. Often, poorly accustomed bushes, during sharp temperature fluctuations, which especially often occur in the southern regions, bulge out of the ground. Such plants with a bare root system often die from drying out and freezing in early spring. However, practice shows that even under conditions of rather late planting, strawberries are satisfactorily preserved until spring, if there is shelter and sufficient snow cover. Under a layer of snow of 15 cm, the berry withstands frost well even at minus 30 degrees.
Planting strawberries in autumn
Now we know when to plant strawberries in the fall and we can move on to the rules for planting them.
Place for a berry
In one place, the berries can grow and bear fruit abundantly for up to 5 years. But since we often plant two-year-old bushes, this period is reduced to 4 years, then the fruits become smaller and there are fewer of them.
Strawberries need to be grown in a well-lit, wind-protected place, flat or with a slight slope. On shaded beds, it will also bloom and bear fruit, but the berries, compared to those growing in full light, will be sour and small, and the harvest will be poor.
When choosing a place for a berry plant, consider what crops grew in the garden before. Plant strawberries after:
- legumes;
- mustard;
- umbrella;
- onion or garlic;
- green;
- beets.
Bad berry precursors will be:
- nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers);
- cabbage;
- cucumbers;
- Jerusalem artichoke;
- many decorative flowers.
Soil Preparation
Strawberries are not very demanding on soil, but it is best to grow them on slightly acidic loamy or sandy loamy soils rich in humus. Cold clayey or wetlands without cultivation are unsuitable for the berry plant. In humid places, strawberries are planted on high ridges. On sandy soils, the yield is low, the berries are small, and they do not retain moisture well. It is necessary to add humus (humus, compost) and clay for digging.
At least 2 weeks before planting strawberries, dig the area to the depth of a shovel bayonet, carefully select the roots of weeds. Usually, before planting strawberries, a bucket of humus, 30 g of superphosphate and a liter jar of ash are brought in for digging. Be sure to do this only with carpet planting (when growing, strawberries cover the entire garden). If you are going to grow berries in individual bushes or strips, to save money, you can apply fertilizer under the root before planting seedlings.
Planting strawberries
There are many ways to plant berries, for example:
- Carpet plantings – bushes are planted on a bed up to 1 m wide according to the 20×20 scheme and allowed to grow freely so that over time they cover the entire area.
- Line – the berry is planted at a distance of 15-20 cm in strips spaced from each other by 0,8-0,9 m. Over time, continuous “lines” are formed, the mustache that protrudes beyond them is removed.
- Strawberries are often planted in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other (the gap depends on the size of an adult bush). In the future, the mustache is regularly cut off.
Immediately before planting, soak the seedling roots for 30 minutes in water with the addition of epin, humate, or any growth stimulant. Leave 3-4 leaves on each strawberry bush, carefully cut off the rest, cut off excessively long roots up to about 10 cm.
If you have not previously applied fertilizers, before planting strawberries in the fall, add humus, ash and superphosphate to the holes or furrows, mix with the soil, pour well with water and let it soak.
When planting, the roots of the berry should go vertically down and in no case be bent. Make sure that the hearts (the center of the bush with a growing point) remain at ground level, their protrusion or deepening are signs of improper planting. Fill the hole with soil and gently compress the soil. Water the berries generously. Mulch the planting with peat, pine needles, humus or well-rotted sawdust.
Strawberry transplant
It is best to plant strawberries in the fall. Old bushes bear fruit poorly and only take up space. Healthy one- and two-year-old berries are taken from the old site and planted on a new bed as described above.
Planting a strawberry mustache
Mustaches are taken from plants that produce the best berries. Few? What to do, then they will give a good harvest. This is the selection on a single personal plot.
We offer for viewing a video dedicated to the autumn planting of strawberries:
Shelter for the winter
Strawberries hibernate best under snow cover, which, as noted above, allows it to survive 30-degree frosts. In the absence of snow, the berry may die already at -12 degrees.
In cold, snowless regions, strawberries in autumn can be covered with spruce branches, corn stalks, covered with dry leaves of fruit trees or straw. With a short-term decrease in temperature in places where temperatures below ten degrees of frost are rare, you can temporarily cover the berry beds with agrofiber or spunbond. Proper planting of strawberries in the fall will not protect it from freezing, the owners should take care of the safety of plantings.
Conclusion
Strawberries are a whimsical culture, but if planted correctly and well cared for, they will surely please the owners with fragrant sweet berries. Have a good harvest!