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Strawberries are found in garden plots in almost all gardeners. This tasty and juicy berry is liked by both adults and children. However, not everyone knows how to properly grow it. The yield and size of the berries directly depends on the care of the plants. To get good results from your work, you need to know all the secrets of growing strawberries in the open field. In this article, we will try to analyze all the subtleties of caring for this plant.
important details
It happens that by planting homemade strawberries on your site, you can get a very poor harvest. Sometimes the berries grow small or rotten. The taste of strawberries is not always pleasing. Instead of juicy and fleshy fruits, sour and watery ones often grow. But this is not a reason to despair and quit what you started. First of all, you need to learn all the basic technologies for growing strawberries. You need to start with the garden and its location. Half the battle depends on the choice of site.
A bed for strawberries should not be located on a site that is blown from all sides by the winds. In winter, this place should be covered with 20 or 30 cm of snow. Also remember that strawberries will not bear fruit in the shade, so choose an area with good lighting.
Strawberries will not grow well in a deep place. Cold air will always accumulate in such a bed, which is why the bushes get sick and give a very late harvest. On the south side, the snow will melt quickly, and the strawberries will remain defenseless against spring frosts. To avoid fungal diseases, strawberries should be transplanted to a new place every 2-4 years. Also, you can not strongly thicken the strawberry bushes. In this case, the berries will be very small. The best distance between the bushes is about 50 cm.
Site Preparation
Any type of soil is suitable for growing strawberries. In this regard, strawberries are a rather unpretentious plant. Strawberries feel best on black soil. Also, before growing strawberries, you can add a little ash to the soil. It is not advised to add peat to the soil for growing this plant. Too acidic soils are also not suitable.
Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the soil. Particularly in need of this are areas that have not previously been planted with anything. It is necessary to ensure that there are no larvae of May beetles or wireworms in the soil. These pests can actively destroy bushes in winter. Moreover, one beetle larva can cope with 1 m2 beds
To facilitate the work, you can use geotextiles. This modern material will not allow weeds to germinate, as it does not transmit light. At the same time, geotextiles do not prevent moisture from getting inside. Many gardeners are happy to use this material, which saves time and effort.
In the spring, the area for planting bushes must be dug up and leveled with a rake. Next, you can add compost to it. Recently, it has become popular to use agrofiber on beds with strawberries. It is spread on the surface of the soil, holes are made on the film, and then holes for bushes are prepared in them. They are abundantly watered with water, and then the seedlings themselves are planted. Agrofibre is one of the best materials for growing various crops. It does not transmit light, so weeds cannot grow, but it perfectly transmits moisture.
Roofing material can also be used for these purposes. Only now you have to think about the construction of a drip irrigation system. The hoses must be placed under the roofing material in the form of a snake. You can purchase special hoses for drip irrigation or make holes yourself (using a gypsy needle or awl). Near the beds, you need to place a container with water, and attach a hose to it. Often it is not necessary to water the soil, since the roofing material perfectly retains moisture in the soil.
Choosing strawberries for planting
To obtain a better harvest, you should choose new elite varieties of strawberries. When buying bushes, ask if the seedlings have been sorted and improved. First of all, pay attention to the root system of strawberries. Root processes should be at least 7 cm long, and the root neck should be at least 5–7 cm in diameter.
Some gardeners prepare seedlings on their own. To do this, in the fall it is necessary to dig up young bushes, and then place them in a dark, cool place. Bushes can be stored in the cellar until spring. After that, they are planted in the garden according to the scheme described above.
In the spring, before planting strawberries in the open field, it is necessary to take the seedlings to a shady place and leave there for 5 days. The hole for planting strawberries should be of such a height that the roots can be freely located in it. The root neck should be flush with the ground. If the root system is too long, then it is shortened, leaving about 10 cm.
Agricultural technology for growing strawberries in the open field
Strawberries ripen much faster in the beds on the southwest side. A slight slope is allowed. The ideal level of soil acidity for growing this berry is from 5,5 to 6,5. It is customary to plant seedlings in the ground in spring or autumn. In this case, the temperature regime on the street should be taken into account. Strawberries should not be planted too early in spring or too late in autumn so that frosts do not damage the grown bushes.
As soon as it gets warmer outside, the film should be removed from the bushes. In the autumn, planting can begin from mid-August and end at the end of September. Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to moisten the soil. You can also plant bushes after rain, while the soil is still quite wet.
When growing strawberries, make sure that the soil does not dry out too much. Regular watering is the key to a good harvest. Some gardeners are building a drip irrigation system in their garden. Thus, you can save time and effort. The system can be fully automated so that it independently supplies water to the site at the appointed time.
It is very important to remove weeds from the garden from time to time. In open beds, they grow much faster. You will also have to constantly carry out pest control, which also do not mind eating strawberries. To prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, you can mulch with humus or straw.
The technology for growing strawberries provides for regular soil moisture for the first time after planting the bushes. Plants will need to be watered every day for the first week. Watering should be moderate, but regular. Then you can reduce the number of waterings to 1 time in 2 days. Cultivation and care in the open field provides for regular weeding and removal of weeds. It is also necessary, if necessary, to deal with pests and to carry out the prevention of various diseases.
Feeding of strawberries
At each stage of growth, strawberries need different fertilizers. For example, during the flowering period, the plant needs potassium. This element contains such fertilizers:
- Kalimagnesia;
- potassium sulfate;
- potassium chloride.
It is necessary to use the given preparations strictly according to the instructions. To increase the yield of strawberries, foliar feeding of strawberries with boric acid should be carried out. To do this, in one container, mix 1 teaspoon of the substance with 10 liters of water. For feeding adult bushes, it is customary to use a solution of nitroammophoska. She also fertilizes the bushes after harvesting. Only in this case, the amount of substance in the solution must be increased by 2 times.
Also during the flowering period, organic fertilizers can be applied. For example, wood ash or chicken manure is perfect. And before wintering, you can fertilize the bushes with a solution of urea. This will help you get a better harvest next year.
Pruning and propagating strawberries
Strawberries propagate in three ways:
- Seeds.
- Young bushes from mustaches.
- The division of an adult bush.
The easiest and most popular way is to plant mustache seedlings. To prepare seedlings for breeding, it is necessary to leave the strongest mustache on the bush. Mustaches must be cut off 10-14 days before disembarkation. The mother bush is suitable for growing mustaches for three years.
An important step in care is pruning leaves from the bushes. This allows you to protect the bushes from pests and possible diseases. Use a sharp pruner for pruning. The procedure can be carried out in the morning when the dew subsides or in the evening. On the bush, you must leave all the petioles and stems. All overgrown leaves and mustaches should be removed. This procedure is very important before wintering strawberries. For the winter, only young and healthy shoots are left on the bushes.
Mulching strawberries
Mulching the soil on beds with strawberries should be carried out in the fall to protect the flower stalks from contact with the ground, and also in the fall to prepare the bushes for winter frosts. Ideal as an organic mulch:
- straw;
- manure;
- compost;
- humus.
Inorganic types of mulch include:
- polyethylene film;
- granite;
- a rock;
- mulch paper.
Recently, mulch paper has been in great demand. This material does not contain harmful paints and does not rot. At the same time, it perfectly protects plants from fungi and prevents weeds from germinating. Also, this coating does not allow moisture to evaporate from the ground. Mulch will not only protect the soil from drought, but also decorate your summer cottage.
strawberry shelter
Not all varieties need shelter for the winter. You should also take into account the climate of your region. In cold, very frosty winters, shelter, of course, will not be superfluous. In warm weather, the covering material is removed so that the strawberries do not rot. Small frosts will not harm the bushes in any way, but, on the contrary, will only harden them.
Conclusion
Strawberry lovers should not be afraid to grow it outdoors. This is a hardy plant that will do well in any type of soil. Of course, growing strawberries in the open field requires some effort. Fortunately, there are many materials and devices that simplify the task. You could learn some features of growing strawberries in this article. Following these rules, growing strawberries will not be difficult at all. We also offer you to watch a video in which you can see with your own eyes how to grow an excellent strawberry crop in the country.