Contents
Transplanting strawberries in the spring to a new place is an important agrotechnical moment that allows you to consistently get large yields. The procedure is quite simple, but requires compliance with basic rules.
Is it possible and why to transplant strawberries in the spring
Strawberries when grown in the garden need to be transplanted from time to time to a new place. Usually the procedure is carried out every 3-4 years. There are several reasons that make a transplant an urgent need:
- Soil depletion. If strawberries grow in one place for a long time, over time, they begin to lack trace elements in the soil, even with regular top dressing.
- The appearance of a mustache. The plant produces buds from which long shoots appear and rise higher up the stem every year. The mustache robs the main bush of strength and resources, and freezes out in winter and provokes the rapid aging of the culture.
- Fungi and pests. Regular transplanting helps protect strawberries from diseases and parasites that breed in the soil.
In some cases, the reason for the transfer is an unsuccessfully chosen place for the initial placement of the culture. If excess water constantly accumulates in the garden, it is better not to wait for the bushes to rot, but to urgently transplant them to another part of the garden.
Pros
You can also transfer the culture to another corner of the garden at the end of the growing season. But it is better to transplant strawberries in the spring – there are several reasons for this:
- The soil after the snow melts does not yet have time to overgrow with grass, so the selected area does not need to be thoroughly weeded.
- There is a lot of free space in the garden, and you can choose the most convenient and advantageous place for transplanting strawberries.
- The earth is well moistened with melt water left after the snow has melted, and does not require additional abundant moisture.
- Most horticultural crops take root best in the ground in the spring. Strawberries are no exception.
One of the main advantages is that the crop planted at the beginning of the growing season is guaranteed to take root and get stronger by the onset of winter. When transplanting in the autumn, survival is often in question if frosts come earlier than expected.
Cons
Transplanting in the spring has not only advantages, but also some disadvantages:
- Strawberries moved to a new location at the beginning of the growing season will not produce a large crop this season. It will take more than a year to wait for large ripe berries.
- Shrubs with early transplantation can freeze during return frosts, which often come contrary to forecasts.
- If the weather is hot and dry in spring, the strawberries will root more slowly and there is a chance they will dry out.
The disadvantages include the fact that at the beginning of the season the choice of berry seedlings in gardening stores is much more modest than in autumn. At the same time, plants are much more expensive.
When strawberries are transplanted in the spring, in what month
You can transplant strawberries in the spring to another place from the end of March to the end of May. At the same time, for seedlings of different types, their optimal terms are distinguished:
- Early spring. You can transfer strawberries to the ground immediately after the snow melts. However, during this period, plants are transplanted mainly in closed greenhouses. In the southern regions, culture is allowed to be rooted directly on a thawed garden during the construction of a film shelter.
- From the end of April to the second decade of May. In the middle of spring, strawberry mustaches that have grown stronger in autumn are transferred to open ground, and division is also carried out for adult and healthy plants. It is recommended to first wait until the culture starts to grow slightly, and immediately after that, transplant.
- At the end of May. After the final establishment of warm weather in spring, strawberries obtained from seeds are transferred to the ground – they are especially vulnerable in open soil conditions. In the last days of May, bushes grown in a greenhouse can be planted in the garden. They are also sensitive to changing external conditions.
With a late May transplant, strawberries often have time to release buds. During the procedure, flower stalks are usually removed so that the plant can direct all its forces to rooting.
How to transplant strawberries
Since strawberries are actively growing in the beds, it is not customary to transfer them to a new place unchanged. When moved, the bushes divide or cut off the whiskers to increase yields and increase the population.
Strawberry transplant with rooted mustache
When transplanting in the spring, it is easiest to reproduce with a mustache. You need to choose the strongest and healthiest strawberry bushes with productive shoots. Usually, several plants are left in the garden in advance for subsequent reproduction and their flower stalks are cut off, deliberately preventing fruiting.
The transfer algorithm looks like this:
- On a developed strong mustache of a strawberry bush, the first rosettes are selected and glasses filled with humus are placed in the soil under them.
- The processes are installed in the middle of the containers and fixed on both sides with a wire loop.
- Parts of the mustache that do not connect to the main bush are immediately cut off.
- Glasses with buried processes are watered daily to maintain high humidity, in dry weather – twice a day.
- After the young roots of the rosettes fill the glasses, and several leaves appear, the mustache is separated from the main bush.
- The resulting seedlings are removed from the soil and transferred to a new place, if necessary, cutting off the shoots released by them.
When transplanted with a mustache in the spring, strawberries demonstrate complete survival and die only in rare cases.
Transplanting strawberries by dividing the bush in spring
Another way is to transfer the culture to a new place using division. The transplant procedure is quite simple:
- Healthy and well-developed strawberries are carefully removed from the soil along with an earthy clod and placed in a large pot.
- Old dry leaves and shoots of the plant are cut off.
- The roots are carefully cleaned of the soil, trying not to leave damage, and the strawberries are lowered into a basin filled with water.
- They wait for the independent separation of the bush when soaking, if necessary, cut off the horns with a sharp knife.
- On each of the seedlings, three large leaves are left on two stems, and the remaining plates are removed along with peduncles and darkened old roots.
- The feeding processes are treated in a disinfectant solution and Kornevin.
You can transplant strawberries in May, first into pots and grow a little before transferring them to the ground. But if the weather is good in spring, and the land on the site is nutritious, then it is allowed to immediately place young seedlings in open soil.
How to transplant strawberries in the spring to a new place
When transplanting strawberry bushes in the spring, you must follow the simple rules of agricultural technology. Culture requires attention from the gardener, but in good conditions it takes root easily.
Site selection and preparation
Berry culture prefers moist soil, but does not tolerate stagnant water. When transplanting strawberries, you need to place them on a site with a slight slope, located away from underground sources. The best place for the plant is a warm and sunny place on the southwest side of the garden with shelter from strong winds.
When preparing the soil for transplanting in the spring, it is necessary, first of all, to dig up the site and remove the remains of plant debris from it. The soil is shed with a disinfectant solution, after a couple of days 20 g of potassium sulfate, 50 g of superphosphate and 6 kg of humus per 1 m are added to the ground2. After that, the site is dug up again for even distribution of fertilizers.
Selection of planting material
Before transplanting in the spring, the bushes are carefully examined. Strong, healthy plants are suitable for transfer. If there are no leaves on the bushes even at the end of April and May, or the plates are weak and dull, it is better to put the strawberries in the old place or completely remove them from the site.
Do not transplant plants with spots and holes on the green parts, sluggish stems and other signs of disease. Not only will they not take root in the new site, but they are also likely to damage neighboring bushes.
Step by step guide
The algorithm for transplanting strawberries in the spring to a new place is very simple:
- On the prepared site, they dig shallow, but wide holes. In size, they should exceed the root system of seedlings twice.
- The recesses are shed with settled warm water.
- Seedlings are placed in holes and dug up level with the ground.
If desired, beds for strawberries can be covered in advance with black film or agrofibre. In places of holes, it is necessary to make slots and plant bushes directly through them. Covering material will insulate the root system of plants and prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture.
How to care for strawberries after transplanting in the spring
Strawberry beds require attention from the gardener, but the rules for care are quite simple. There are a few things to watch out for:
- Watering. The soil at the strawberry roots should not dry out. In the first month after transplantation and in the absence of covering material, the soil is moistened daily.
- Shading. If the beginning of the season turned out to be sunny and with a little rain, it is worth installing a small canopy over the beds for at least 2-3 weeks.
Feeding berry bushes in the first year after transplanting strawberries in the spring is not necessary. Top dressing is applied only for the second season. During the summer, it is necessary to remove the growing mustache in time, and with the onset of autumn, the beds should be covered with high quality for the winter.
Conclusion
Transplanting strawberries in the spring to a new place is a mandatory procedure that must be carried out at least once every 3-4 years. When grown on the same bed, the bushes quickly weaken, and their yield drops sharply.