Strawberries: growing and care. All about remontant strawberries, rules for care and reproduction How many days does a strawberry ripen

The decisive role in the ripening of strawberries belongs to the conditions climate zone. In the central strip of Russia, it is harvested in the second decade of June, but early varieties can ripen at the beginning of the month. In the Siberian regions, this deadline is 2-3 weeks late. In the southern regions, the berry ripens by the end of May.

So that beds with strawberries easily overwinter, it is better to plant seedlings in July, August, but it is possible in September, depending on the weather. At this time, she will have time to take root well. If this period was missed for planting, it can be done in mid-April, preferably under a film, and get a crop even a little ahead of schedule.

The maturation time from the beginning of flowering and pollination of flowers is usually four to five weeks. Weather conditions and the quality of care play a decisive role. In warm weather, ripening is faster.

Strawberry close-up

According to the duration of fruiting, strawberries are divided into ordinary, with the ripening of berries once a season, and remontant, yielding a crop from May to September-October.

Ordinary varieties

Ordinary varieties of strawberries are classified depending on the ripening period as follows:

Early. Popular species -, Clery, Olvia, Dawn, Anita (Italy), Czech beauty,. Competent care and favorable weather are a guarantee that fruiting begins in the second - third decade of May;
Mid-early. Stand out - Stolichnaya, Elsanta, Crown (Holland), Krasny Bereg (Belarus), Ellis (England). The fruiting period in mid-early species shifts by an average of a week, compared with the early one;
Middle late. These include Present, Nightingale, Shelf, Asia, Aroza. They bear fruit a week later;
Late. There are not very many of them. Famous -, Tarusa, Chamora, Adria (Italy), Pegasus ripen last.

An ordinary berry produces a crop once a season. The mass of fruits is from 25 to 50 g. It is distinguished by an abundance of developed antennae.

Repair varieties

Remontant varieties of strawberries are increasingly leading in garden and household plots. They are remarkable for the ability of multiple flowering and fruiting during one season. Plants have 15 times more inflorescences than ordinary plants, they yield 2-3 times during the vegetative period. The convenience of growing is that it practically does not give a mustache.

Berry ripening occurs in waves. The first batch of the crop is harvested in June, the second stage of berry ripening occurs in the early ten days of July. In mid-August, you can harvest for the third time. Fruiting continues until frost.

Remontant strawberries grow intensively, the bushes develop rapidly. Experts do not advise keeping it in the beds for more than two years.

The favorite types of remontant strawberries are Queen Elizabeth, Uralochka, Charlotte, Brighton, Lyubava, Primadonna, Tribute, Albion.

Remontant varieties are divided into long daylight hours (dns) and neutral daylight hours (nsd). They have different dates ripening berries. To ensure continuous fruiting, it is recommended to plant both of these species.

Remontant strawberries can be small-fruited and large-fruited. The advantage of the latter is large fruits weighing up to 50-70 g. Remontant varieties yield an order of magnitude more than ordinary ones.

How to speed up the ripening time of strawberries in the open field?

What are the ways to speed up the ripening of berries. To accelerate the ripening of berries in open field gardeners recommend some simple tricks:

1The most common is growing under cover of non-woven material - spunbond on a frame of arcs. You can arrange such a shelter in early spring when the air temperature is stable above -5 degrees. V middle lane It's the end of March - the beginning of April.

It is permissible to simply cover the plantings with agrofiber without a frame in spreading, but the disadvantage is the lack of ventilation.

The process of ripening berries and warming up the soil will be accelerated by the method of mulching row spacing with lutrasil or black film. The spring sun warms the soil faster and creates the conditions for the start of plant vegetation. This technique will speed up the harvest 6 days earlier than usual.

Later, when the ground thaws, you need to cut off all the old leaves with pruners. To protect plants from spider mite, the middle of the bushes shed hot water temperature 60-65 degrees. Sprinkle the beds with ash and loosen to a depth of about 3 cm. Mulch with manure. Then again close landing easy nonwoven fabric stretched over arcs. For a day, during the flowering of bushes, shelters must be removed for pollination of flowers. The ripening period of berries in this case will be shorter by 1-2 weeks.

In early spring, organic mulch in the form of sawdust, straw, laid in the fall, must be removed from the roots of the bushes, it slows down the thawing of the soil.

It must be remembered that the earliest varieties are most suitable for obtaining early berries: Dawn, Alba, Honey, Clery, Kimberly and others.

An effective method of growing strawberries in greenhouses, but it is quite expensive.

For getting early harvest additional stimulation needed fruiting in the form of dressings and protective treatments from pests and fungal diseases. The list of basic agrotechnical requirements also includes the removal of old leaves, regular watering, weed control, loosening of row spacing.

Conclusion

In central Russia, gardeners breed a considerable number of strawberry varieties domestic and foreign selection. To date, there are more than 64 varieties in the State Register. Among other signs, they differ from each other in terms of ripening of berries.

In order to grow and harvest strawberries from your own beds, you need to study the characteristics of the varieties. The main thing is to plant seedlings of the right varieties in a timely manner and provide them with competent care.

Planting several varieties on the site will extend the period of eating tasty and healthy berries.

The result of your hard work will be good harvest!

This berry is one of my family's favorites. Since June, everyone has been looking forward to the first strawberries. The year before last, I added a few more remontant varieties in my garden and now I can pamper my family with strawberries throughout the summer.

Many will agree that a self-grown berry is tastier and sweeter than a “rubber” and tasteless one from a supermarket. After all, in our garden we try to grow environmentally friendly, which you can safely give to children.

To understand when you can harvest, you need to take into account several factors, without knowing which it is difficult to determine the timing of the harvest. Strawberries are a capricious berry and require constant care, as well as knowledge of planting and fertilizing rules.

Be sure to know when the berry is planted. Usually a plant is planted in August or September, sometimes in October. It is important that the bush take root well and root system adapted to the ground.
If this time is missed, then the berry is planted already in April and covered with a film, since there may still be frosts at night and the earth has not warmed up.
An important factor is the characteristics of the soil and climate in the area where strawberries are grown. If the summer is rainy and cold, then you will not have to count on a good harvest. Also, heat and drought, lack of timely watering will also not bring the desired result. We will consider growing strawberries in central Russia.
The most important thing is what varieties are grown in the garden or in the greenhouse. Now many grow remontant varieties. They bring harvest throughout the summer - 2 - 3 times. The process proceeds in waves. If the beginning of autumn indulges in warm weather, then in October you can still harvest a small crop of the last berries.
Most gardeners grow this berry outdoors and choose local or selective varieties. The first berries can be harvested in early June or mid-July. If the weather is bad, it is recommended to improve the yield with a liquid foliar fertilizer from the Folirus range. They not only help to grow a decent strawberry crop, but also improve the taste of the berry.

So, only by linking all the main factors together, we can draw some conclusions about the timing of the first and subsequent harvests. Let's try to figure it out in order.

Features of growing remontant varieties

There are many varieties of this species, and each has its own advantages. General growing conditions and rules allow you to feed and properly care for strawberry bushes in time.

Here are the most famous varieties of remontant strawberries:

Superfection.
Albion.
Geneva.
Fort Lar.
Wim Rina.
Alapaho.
Beauty.
Queen Elizabeth 2.
Red Rich.
Portola.
Monterey.
Diamond.

It is important to remember that in order to maintain the purity of the variety, it is better to propagate a berry with a mustache. But you can also divide the bush and seeds. The advantage of seed propagation is the purity of the variety and healthy berries. They are larger than ordinary varieties, the weight of one berry can reach up to 75 grams.

As for the antennae, all remontant varieties do not differ in large antennae (sometimes they are practically absent). This is the advantage of regular strawberries.

The main phytoperiods of cultivation

All garden strawberries are divided into 3 periods depending on the length of daylight hours: long, short and neutral day strawberries. The peculiarity of varieties of different periods is characterized by the ability to produce different yields.
The second or third harvest often produces 60 to 90% of all fruiting in long-day strawberries. Naturally, a very large load falls on the bushes. Often, with inattentive care, strawberries die after the last harvest, because there are not enough nutrients.
Varieties belonging to the neutral do not depend in their development on the length of daylight hours and produce a crop every 6 weeks. From July to mid-autumn, the bulk of the crop ripens. These varieties may soon completely crowd out all the others, because they give a lot of berries all season.

This strawberry bears fruit all summer and part of autumn, so it needs good care and attention. Some knowledge and skills are needed to keep the yield good.

Rules for the care of remontant varieties

The duration of fruiting in varieties of neutral daylight hours is not more than a year, and in a long one - no more than three, because the load on the bushes is very high. Therefore, special care is simply necessary.
It is advisable to remove the first flower stalks, then the second ovary and subsequent crops will be much larger.
It is desirable to plant new bushes in places where onions, carrots, beets, radishes used to grow (green manure crops). Remontant strawberries do not like such predecessors: peppers, eggplants, potatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, legumes. Garlic can be planted between rows to protect strawberries from pests and fungal infections.
Bushes should be planted in holes at a distance of 20 - 25 cm. The row spacing should be at least 50 cm wide.
Be sure to choose well-lit and warm places for planting, ensure regular watering.
First loosen the soil, and then mulch.
Fertilize and feed in time, remove old dried and reddening leaves.

In order for the plant to prepare for winter, which is problematic, because we harvest even in October, the beds should be covered with foil.

Especially in regions with cold climates. So the yield will increase and it is possible to collect ripe berries earlier. If you do not track the process of preparing for winter, then strawberries can simply freeze.

Ripening strawberries of ordinary varieties

Such bushes produce a crop, basically, once a season. Their fruits are smaller - 25 - 30 gr. The tendrils are much more developed compared to remontant strawberry varieties. They are divided into 4 subgroups:

Early maturation period.
Mid-early.
Medium.
late.

Each subgroup has the most favorite varieties that are a priority when planting. Let's take a closer look at some of the features.

early varieties of strawberries

Honey

I fell in love because of the large, dense and juicy berries (up to 40 gr). You can collect up to one and a half kg from one bush. Despite their large size, they have excellent sweet taste. Begin to ripen from 15 to 25 May.

Alba

A big plus is high resistance to diseases. The fruits are medium (up to 30 g), elongated conical shape. In the European part of Russia, the berry ripens early - in the first decade of May. From one bush collect up to 1.2 kg. The variety also tolerates transportation very well.

Clery

The variety also has very large fruits - at first up to 50 grams, at the end of fruiting up to 30 grams. They have a wonderful aroma of strawberries, are well transported, perfectly preserved, do not rot, on average they collect up to one and a half kg from one bush.

Anita and Kimberly are also popular. Berries of these varieties have a pronounced sweet taste. The advantage is that with excellent palatability have a high yield.

Mid-early varieties

Crown

It is considered a Dutch variety, begins to bear fruit by the 15th - 18th of June. There is almost never powdery mildew.

Florida festival

The berries are very large (up to 50 gr), well stored. They have an elongated shape, dense and juicy in structure. The variety is highly disease resistant.

Cardinal

characteristic the average size(30 gr), have a strong aroma, elongated shape, are perfectly stored and transported. Gray rot is not terrible for this variety. Feature - gives a crop twice a season.

Still successful: Anita, Red Coast, Ellis.

Mid-season varieties

Elsanta

Dessert variety, very delicious strawberry, with a slight sourness, the size is smaller than average (13 - 15 gr). The fruits are conical and slightly rounded. Perfectly kept.

Asia

The berries are quite large, weight - more than 40 grams. They have a sweet taste, perfectly tolerate transportation.

White Swede

A unique variety - white berries with a pinkish tinge, with a pronounced taste of pineapple, fruit weight - up to 25 g. Up to 1 kg is harvested from a bush, strawberries are sweet to taste.

To these varieties, you need to add the following: Nightingale, Syria, Marmalade, Darselect, Queen. They begin to ripen from the second half of June and actively bear fruit until the second half of July.

Late varieties of strawberries

Malvina

Ripens the latest, at the end of July. The berries are bright scarlet, juicy and shiny. Up to 2 kg are harvested per season. Perfectly preserved. The variety is winter-hardy.

Bohemia

Often gives a second crop on a par with remontant varieties. On the bush big size fruits (up to 50 gr), yield 1.5 - 1.8 kg per season. The shape is wide cone-shaped, juicy inside, shiny and bright red on top.

Galia

Large strawberries - up to 40 gr, cone-shaped with a cut end, yield up to 1 kg from one bush. Inside a pink berry light shade, sweet and fragrant. Bushes are resistant to cold and disease.

Late-ripening also include Galya Chiv, Adria, Alice.

This video will help you learn how to care for strawberries after fruiting. at excellent care on the next year strawberry bushes will again please with a good harvest. When there is more experience in growing strawberries, you can combine different varieties and types of this berry. Then almost the entire season will be fresh fruits.

To get the maximum yields of strawberries (garden strawberries), it must be properly looked after. Agricultural technology can correct many mistakes made during planting, as well as reveal all the advantages of the variety. With improper care, strawberries produce small sour berries, and varietal differences are reduced to nothing.

These strawberries have been properly cared for.

Introduction to strawberries

Strawberry is perennial grown for berries. The plantation gives high yields for no more than 4 years, then the berries become smaller, their taste becomes sour. Although the bushes, with proper care, can live for more than 20 years, but there will be few yields from them.

Horns

There are about 30 sockets (horns) in a bush. The older the bush, the more more horns
it consists, their number depends on the care and variety. The growth of rosettes begins after the end of fruiting, every year they form higher and higher above the ground. Strong strawberry bushes have many horns, weak ones have few.

Peduncles appear from the tops of rosettes, respectively, the more magnificent the bush, the more abundant flowering and fruiting. At the bottom, the rosettes fuse into one small stem, on which adventitious roots form. Powerful bushes lay many peduncles, bloom for a longer time and the yield from them is higher.

Structural diagram of a strawberry bush

Mustache

The strongest whiskers of the plant are produced in the first year of cultivation, every year the whisker formation becomes weaker, while the whiskers become smaller. By the fourth year, strawberries usually no longer grow mustaches. If someone gets vegetative shoots from their 5-6 year old plantation, it is because it was poorly cared for and there are bushes different ages, and whiskers produce young rooted plants.

Vegetative shoots begin to form when the day length is more than 12 hours and the temperature is above 15 °C. The laying of flower buds in rooted whiskers occurs after 2-3 months (therefore, when autumn planting very few buds are laid, they do not have time to mature and the yield for the next year is low).

Berries

Several factors influence the quality of strawberries.

Soil composition. Strawberries growing on poor soils have a less pronounced taste than when grown on fertile lands.
Weather. The more direct sun hits the bushes, the sweeter the berries. Strawberries growing under the crowns of trees, no matter how you take care of them, usually have sour berries.
Sort. Most European strawberry varieties are sweeter than domestic ones.

properties of berries.

Plucked unripe berries turn red during transportation and storage, but they will not be completely sweet.
The taste characteristic of the berry variety is acquired only when fully ripe on the bush. To reveal the taste qualities, completely reddened berries are not removed for 2-3 days. Such berries are unsuitable for storage or transportation, but their taste is fully manifested.
To obtain maximum yields, the berries are picked unripe, as this stimulates the growth of the remaining ovaries. As a result, strawberry yield increases.
Unripe berries of any variety have the same sweet and sour taste.

On a personal plot, where more is valued good taste, rather than adding 300-500 g to the crop, it is better to let the strawberries fully ripen and taste their true taste. But in wet weather, the berries should not be fully ripe, since it is the ripe berries that are affected by rot and mold in the first place.

Advantages and disadvantages of culture

The main advantages of strawberries.

Strawberries can produce good yields with very low amounts of fertilizer and easy care. The main thing is to fertilize the soil well before planting the crop.
Annual harvests. Strawberries do not have a periodicity of fruiting, like some other berries (for example, raspberries).
Quick first harvest.
Very simple and easy reproduction. A bush for a season is able to give several dozen mustaches, from which the best ones are selected and rooted. During the summer, you can plant a bed of the most valuable variety.
The unpretentiousness of plants. Strawberries can grow under the crowns of young trees, in flower beds, among weeds (but yields in such thickets are reduced).

Culture deficiencies.

The defeat of gray rot. Most modern varieties are quite resistant to this disease, but with improper care, you can lose up to a third of the crop. Domestic varieties are more resistant to the disease than European ones.
Insufficient self-fertility of strawberries. For a good setting of berries, several different varieties are grown on the plot.
Winter hardiness is the ability not only to endure negative temperatures, but also winter thaws without being damaged. In domestic varieties, it is quite high, the loss of bushes in the spring is insignificant. In European varieties of strawberries, winter hardiness is lower, plants freeze slightly, and in severe winters they freeze completely. But some imported varieties grow successfully in our conditions; bushes cover for the winter, which somewhat reduces the loss of plants.
Short fruiting period. The berry gives maximum yields for 3-4 years, then it must be completely renewed.

All the shortcomings of the berry can be overcome, the main thing is not to leave strawberries without proper care.

Features of growing and caring for strawberries

Main Components proper care are:

weeding;
loosening;
water regime;
top dressing.

Caring for strawberries is simple, but requires patience and consistency.

Weeding strawberry beds

Planting strawberries should always be free from weeds. This culture does not like competitors and, in case of overgrowing of the plot, produces small sour berries. Weeding is carried out as weeds grow, 6-8 times per season.

Along with the removal of weeds, the mustache is also cut off, especially in spring. If they are removed in time, then the plants will switch to flowering, otherwise all the strength of the bushes will go into mustache formation and there will be no berries.

loosening

Strawberries love loose, well-permeable soil. To the roots must always be Free access air. Before flowering, the soil is loosened 3 times, and after picking berries - once every 2 weeks. If the weather is rainy and the earth is quickly compacted, then loosening is carried out more often. The soil is cultivated to a depth of 3-4 cm.

Starting from the second year, strawberry bushes are spudded, as adventitious roots appear on the stem. Hilling stimulates root formation, the growth of horns, the bushes become more magnificent, which gives an increase in yield.

How to water strawberries

The most demanding strawberries for moisture in June, when berries, mustaches and leaves grow at the same time. If the weather is dry, then the plot is watered every 2-3 days to a depth of 30 cm, and if possible, then every day.

Watering is best done between the rows, for which a furrow is made in the middle of the beds during planting, which will collect water when the snow melts and during irrigation. Plants are not watered under the root, since the root system of strawberries is sprawling and the bulk of the roots are located along the periphery of the aerial part of the plant.

After harvesting, the plants begin the second peak of root formation and foliage growth. At this time, the plot is watered 1-2 times a week. If there is no rain, then watering is carried out daily. Before flowering and after it, the bushes can be watered by sprinkling, strawberries are very fond of high humidity air.

Before flowering, strawberry plantations can be watered with "rain".

During flowering and fruiting, only row-spacings are watered, the water temperature should not be lower than 15 ° C. The rest of the time, the plants tolerate watering with cold water well.

In autumn, water-charging pre-winter watering is done. The earth is shed to a depth of 30-50 cm. Moist soil better protects strawberries from frost, so it is necessary that the plot goes wet under the snow.

During flowering and growth of ovaries in case of rainy weather, strawberries suffer from waterlogging. Signs of this are the appearance of large brown spots on the leaves and ovaries (without spoiling them). Especially often, waterlogging of a strawberry plantation occurs on dense clay soils. The roots cannot provide normal nutrition to the aerial parts and the bushes begin to shed the largest berries.

When symptoms appear oxygen starvation carry out deep loosening (5-7 cm). If the berry plant experiences constant waterlogging, then the beds are raised to 15-20 cm. When there are no ovaries on the strawberries, it does not suffer from waterlogging, but, on the contrary, gives lush foliage and a powerful mustache.

Feeding strawberries with folk remedies (ash, chicken droppings)

Strawberries with berries take out quite a lot of nutrients from the soil, these are not only the main nutrients (NPK), but also trace elements that need to be replenished. The lack of nutrition begins to appear in the second year of cultivation, in the first year the plants have enough fertilizer applied before planting.

Lack of nutrition never manifests itself in any one element, therefore, complex fertilizers containing trace elements are always applied to the plot. It is better to feed strawberries with organic fertilizers, as they act more gently and for a long time.

In the first year of cultivation, if the soil has been properly prepared, fertilizers are not applied. In the second and subsequent years, the berry is fed 2 times per season. In the spring, ash is brought to the surface of the soil around the bushes, and then the earth is loosened shallowly. On infertile soils in May, along with ash, humates, humus or

It is impossible to bring ash along with manure, because it occurs chemical reaction, which releases large amounts of nitrogen, which can damage plants.

To prepare an herbal infusion, the herb is placed in a plastic barrel, filled with water and left to ferment for 10-15 days. At the end of fermentation, 1 liter of infusion is diluted in 10 liters of water and the bushes are watered at the rate of 1 liter per plant.

After harvesting, strawberries begin the second wave of regrowth of roots and leaves, and at this time they need nitrogen. Do top dressing with a solution of mullein or bird droppings(1 l/10 l of water). Bird droppings are preferred for strawberries and are now sold in garden stores. This is the most concentrated fertilizer in terms of nutrients.

In the case of excessive use of organic matter, overfeeding and fattening of strawberry bushes may occur. With proper fertilization, the size of leaves and berries increases, and yields increase.

Excess nitrogen is manifested in the appearance large leaves and crushing berries, the yield of plants is significantly reduced. Overfeeding occurs due to the frequent use of grass fertilizer or non-compliance with the application of other organic fertilizers.

To prevent the fattening of plants with organic matter (except for manure and compost), ash is introduced, which does not contain nitrogen and creates a predominance of potassium and phosphorus in the soil. Plants overfed with nitrogen do not tolerate winter well and are more affected by diseases and pests.

Underfeeding for strawberries (and not only for her) is better than overfeeding, since in this case the situation is easier to correct.

Is it necessary to feed strawberries with yeast, iodine, boric acid and ammonia

top dressing folk remedies(yeast, iodine, boric acid, ammonia) is highly undesirable for culture.

Firstly, it is a mono-fertilizer that does not provide plants with the entire set of microelements.

Secondly, the bushes can be easily overfed, (especially with ammonia), which will cause significant damage to the plantation.

Thirdly, iodine, boric acid and ammonia are volatile solutions that evaporate quickly, they must be immediately washed into the lower layers of the soil, which, when large area plots are impossible.

Fourth, yeast is an excellent protein food for animals, but does not contain any plant nutrients.

Strawberry plantation fertilizer should be systemic, fully provide the plants with the necessary elements, and no experiments with feeding are allowed.

Care of a strawberry plantation

Regular care is the basis of a high yield. Strawberries at proper agricultural practices in the first year can give up to 300 g large berries from the bush. On the garden plot you need to have four plots (beds) of strawberries: the first, second, third and fourth years of fruiting.

How to care for strawberry seedlings

When planting seedlings, no fertilizers are applied. The soil must be fertilized in advance. A freshly planted mustache is shaded from the sun, otherwise the seedlings will wither, since the roots cannot yet make up for the loss of water, which is lost when it evaporates from the leaves. Wilting is not very dangerous for seedlings; when the evening coolness sets in, they will straighten out.

For shading, the mustache is covered with newspapers, a white cloth, or some grass is thrown over them. After 2-3 days, the shelter is removed, by this time the plants have already taken root and can independently extract water from the soil. In the first days, the planted mustache is well watered. In the future, the ground under the young bushes should always be wet. In the case of a warm and dry autumn, strawberries are watered once a week.

It is important to prevent weeds from overgrowing strawberries. If this is not done in the year of planting, then in the future the fight against them will become much more complicated. Weeds will grow through the bushes and it will not be possible to remove them without damaging the crop.

Young strong whiskers after rooting themselves begin to give whiskers, which must be removed, as they weaken the plant and interfere with its preparation for winter.

Preparing strawberry beds for winter

European varieties require special care when preparing the plot for winter, since they are less winter-hardy. In autumn, if the weather is dry, water-charging irrigation is carried out. Water well protects the rhizomes from freezing, conducting heat from below to the roots of plants.

It is better to warm strawberries for the winter.

For better wintering Strawberries are insulated by laying fallen leaves and needles under the bushes and between the rows. They cover only bare ground, the plants themselves do not need to be covered, since they leave before winter with leaves, which in themselves are a heater.

The main thing in winter is to prevent freezing of the roots. If there is no insulation, then in the aisles and under the bushes they pour the earth with a layer of 3-4 cm.

Spring strawberry care

In the spring, after the snow melts, dry leaves are cut off from the bushes, the heater is removed from the bed (if it was used), weeded from the first weeds and loosened. Old bushes, which have a small lignified stem with adventitious roots, are additionally spud so that they are more powerful. In large plants better flowering and higher productivity.

Loosening is carried out to a depth of 2-3 cm, since the roots of strawberries are shallow. With this treatment, the earth warms up faster and the plants start to grow.

The main task in spring is to ensure that the soil warms up quickly so that the plants quickly grow foliage and begin flowering. At early start during the growing season, flowering will occur with more moist soil. For the fastest warming up of the earth, you can put a black film between the rows.

Some gardeners, on the contrary, do not remove the insulation for a long time, fearing frost damage to strawberries. But, firstly, she is not afraid of frosts in the spring, and secondly, strawberries bear fruit from mid-June to mid-July (depending on the variety), and in May she needs time to prepare for flowering. The better it is prepared, the larger the berries will be.

Dry leaves should be removed in the spring so that the earth warms up faster.

Old dry leaves, along with last year's mustache, are removed, but young foliage does not need to be cut. Pruning green leaves in spring delays flowering by 2 weeks (until new ones grow), the plant spends a lot of energy on growing foliage, because of this, the berries become smaller.

In a dry warm spring, when the earth dries up quickly, watering is carried out. After the growth of young leaves, do spring top dressing.
If the plants are weakened after winter, grow poorly, they are sprayed with the Zircon or Epin growth stimulator.

What should be the care of strawberries after harvest

After fruiting, the spring leaves look yellow and spotty and are removed along with regrown mustaches and weeds. It is impossible to mow all the foliage, because the roots growing at this time require starch, which comes just from the leaves, if they are removed, this will slow down the preparation of strawberries for winter.

After harvesting, a second top dressing is necessarily carried out to replenish the batteries taken out with the berries.

In the second half of summer, mustaches begin to grow more actively in strawberries. In no case should they be allowed to take root. They compact plantings and weaken the bushes, which leads to a decrease in yield and taste of berries.

If the bushes are intended for fruiting, then all emerging mustaches are cut off from them. The plot is inspected every 4-5 days, since the whiskers appear until October, and the spears of the shoots that have just appeared are removed.

Strawberries have a balance between mustache formation and fruiting: if the plants are not allowed to form mustaches, then it enhances fruiting and vice versa, if they are not cut off, the yield is greatly reduced.

The plantation should always be clean of weeds, fertilized, the bushes should be trimmed with mustaches.

In the autumn, water-charging irrigation is carried out, if necessary, a heater is laid out between the rows.

Plantation care in the last year of cultivation

At spring top dressing you can give a little more nitrogen, the bushes will not have time to get fat, and the yield will not decrease from this. With dry soil, watering is carried out. Immediately after fruiting, the bed is dug up. This year you can plant on it early cabbage, which will have time to mature before the onset of cold weather (for this, increased doses of nitrogen were given).

Mulching strawberries

When caring for a plantation, mulching materials are used to protect berries from dirt and decay, to warm bushes in winter period and protection of the soil from premature heating in the thaw. and prevents the formation of soil crust after rains or watering.

The use of mulch when growing strawberries is The best way keeping the plot clean, which greatly facilitates its care. To prevent unwanted effects when using it, mulch is applied subject to certain conditions.

Sawdust, straw, dry moss, fallen leaves, needles are used as mulching materials. Their disadvantage is the binding of soil nitrogen, which causes nitrogen starvation of plants. Therefore, the mulch is applied in autumn as a heater between the rows, by spring the process of decay of fiber (of which it consists) will be completed and nitrogen binding will not occur.

In the spring, the insulation is removed to better warm the soil, then it is returned as a mulch, and a fresh portion of the material is added to it. When making mulching materials in the spring, they must be impregnated with a solution of humates, mullein or bird droppings.

To do this, either soak them in a barrel with a solution of fertilizer (sawdust), or water them very abundantly with these fertilizers so that the mulch is completely saturated with the solution. Then the binding of soil nitrogen will not occur, and the plants will not experience nitrogen starvation.

Mulching strawberries with sawdust. Sawdust strongly acidifies the soil, watering them with urea as a nitrogen fertilizer increases acidification. This effect gives excellent results on leached chernozems. On the acidic soils this cannot be allowed. To prevent acidification of the soil, sawdust is first soaked in a barrel with humates or chicken manure, after which they become an excellent mulching material. Scattered on the beds with a layer of 6-10 cm. Sawdust is stronger than hay and straw inhibits the growth of weeds.

Straw as mulch.

Mulching with grass and straw. Hay and straw consist of almost the same fiber and bind soil nitrogen very strongly. They are brought in in the fall. When used as hay or straw as a mulch, manure crumbs are added with them in the spring or watering with nitrogen fertilizers (humates, mullein, herbal infusion) is carried out over the freshly laid mulch. In this case, nitrogen fixation does not occur and the yield does not fall. They are laid out in row-spacing with a layer of 5-7 cm.

Leaf mulch. The foliage of deciduous trees is desirable to be introduced in the fall, laying out a layer of 15-20 cm between the rows. In winter, it will be a heater. During spring use, freshly spread leaves are irrigated with humates, mullein, or herbal infusion.

Mulching strawberries with needles. Pine and spruce bark and needles protect plants well from diseases, as they contain phytoncides. The material is taken only under healthy trees, scattered between rows and under bushes with a layer of 7-10 cm. Since this material strongly acidifies the soil, it is applied with manure crumbs.

Peat as mulch they do not use it on strawberries, since it has a number of significant drawbacks:

strongly acidifies the soil;
has a very high moisture capacity, which is why it is almost impossible to soak it with a nitrogen solution;
in wet weather, it gets wet and interferes with the normal breathing of the roots;
in winter it can become covered with an ice crust, which leads to the damping of plants.

Proper use of mulch not only makes it easier to care for the plantation, but it itself is a good fertilizer.

Protecting berries from dirt

The berries lying on the ground are polluted by the ground, moreover, they are more affected by gray rot. So that the berries do not come into contact with the soil, you can make various supports for the bushes: from wire, plastic bottles, planks, films, special rings on legs are sold in stores. But all this is suitable for a small plot.

On a large plantation, plucked lower peripheral leaves are placed under green berries. If the bush is healthy, red berries may lie on the ground for some time without being damaged.

When growing strawberries, it is not necessary to maintain a plantation with a more productive fruiting period. The berry picker should move around the site in frequent rotation.

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The universally recognized queen of berries is strawberries. Every gardener looks forward to the first harvest of strawberries. It is necessary to follow all the rules for care in order to obtain successful results. It is necessary to choose a suitable soil, a variety of seedlings, regularly carry out pest prevention and water the plant.

Remontant strawberry

Strawberries are represented by multiple varieties and varieties. So that she gives a harvest several times a season, purchase remontant variety. Such species can be grown almost throughout Russia.

Elizabeth II

This variety is large-fruited. Possesses high transportability. Can produce 3 crops per season. Some gardeners get their fourth crop in the fall. The pulp is dense, sweet. Fruiting begins early - at the end of May.

Gigantela

This variety bears fruit all season, but does not tolerate heat and drought. You can cultivate the plant in greenhouses. This will make it easier to create suitable conditions for the variety. The berries are really gigantic - up to 100 g. Harvest - from May to October.

Albion

This variety is ideal for growing in closed ground. Ripening begins in May. Fruits until the end of October. The shape is conical. Distinctive feature is more disease resistant.

Selva

This variety is popular for industrial cultivation. Abundant yields, excellent drought tolerance. High disease resistance. Can be cultivated both in a greenhouse and in open space. The weight of the berries is up to 50 g. The only drawback is that the taste of the berries is inferior to other varieties.

Planting material update

When choosing a variety for growing strawberries in your area, you need to remember the cyclical nature of fruiting. In the first year of planting, the plants will not bear fruit - this is a new plant. The following year, strawberries are just beginning to gain strength and there is no need to expect a high yield from it. Only in the third and fourth years can one be proud of the results obtained. This is the most productive period and strawberries bear fruit to the maximum.

In the fifth year, as a rule, the plant begins to shrink and gradually die out. It happens that a certain variety lives longer, but the average age of strawberries is 5 years. Timely replacement with new planting material will reduce the likelihood of infection of plants, as well as significantly improve fruiting rates.

Tip: for a uniform harvest, you can divide the strawberry bed into three zones and plant the plant according to the time of its fruiting. Thus, every year you will receive a new crop.

Choose a variety

Experienced gardeners advise changing strawberry varieties systematically. This is connected not only with the acquisition of experience, but also with the fact that pests adapt to special means fight them. In addition, breeders regularly develop new varieties.

Over time, new and improved types appear on the market. Right choice varieties for planting is half the success. After all, each variety has certain characteristics, more or less suitable for a site in an area with climatic conditions, soil type.

The best way out is to buy several varieties, grow them trially and draw the appropriate conclusions. The variety you like can be propagated in your area.

How not to fall for weedy strawberries

Sometimes an inexperienced gardener can accidentally acquire weed strawberry varieties. It can be Suspension, Bakhmutka, Zhmurka, Dubnyak. By the nature of growth, such strawberries are distinguished by aggressive reproduction and a powerful vegetative system. Such plants as do not take care of them, they will not be able to give a harvest.

Some representatives of weedy strawberries do not bloom at all, others bloom, but do not tie. If berries appear, they are small, tasteless. hallmark this kind of plant is a powerful root system and active growth of bushes. The plant gives a lot of whiskers, takes root well, but one cannot expect a harvest from such a strawberry. Moreover, multiplying, weed strawberries stifle cultivated species, gradually displacing it from the site. These aggressive specimens must be uprooted immediately.

Correct breeding

As a rule, when planting strawberries for the first time on the site, they use the plant purchased on the side planting material. Sometimes they use their own seedlings.

In order to properly prepare the seedlings yourself, you need to do this during the harvest period. In order for planting material to have great potential for fruiting, you need to carefully look at the mother bushes. The best specimens can be used to obtain seedlings.

The bush must be powerful, and fruiting is not just abundant. Multiple pea-sized berries won't produce good result. It would be better if these are some of the largest berries on the bush. Noticing the best bushes, they are marked with pegs. The most productive plants are healthy bushes With large quantity uniform in size, large and healthy berries. Such plants will be the best planting material for bookmarking. Subsequently, the selected seedlings give a good harvest. What genetic potential is inherent in the plant for fruiting, such will be the harvest.

Once sockets appear on the marked bushes, there is no time to waste. The quality of planting material may deteriorate. The most productive mustache will be from the first row. Subsequent sockets for seedlings are not suitable, they will be weaker.

Choosing the right place

For planting seedlings you need to choose the right place. It should be well lit and drafts should not walk on it. Otherwise, in winter, the culture is likely to freeze out.

It is desirable that the soil be loamy, black earth or sandy loam on the southwestern slopes. Strawberries are not very fond of heavy and sour, although fertile soils. The selected area must be cleared of weeds and carefully inspected for the presence of pests in the soil. There may be strawberry nematode, wireworm, Colorado beetle. To disinfect pests, you can use a solution of ammonia water (20 kg per 1 weave). Good for weeds chemical drug Roundup. In autumn, it is necessary to dig the site as deep as possible so that the larvae of insect pests freeze out.

For maximum big harvest strawberries need to be planted seedlings in the spring. If strawberries are planted in the southern region of Russia, then better seedlings plant in late summer or early fall. In the south of Russia it is so hot that planting strawberries in July will not give positive results. Sometimes the air temperature in the middle of summer reaches 40 degrees. Naturally, under such conditions, even if you create a shadow and water, the seedlings will not survive. Pre strawberry patch must rest before landing. It is desirable that this be the vacant land on which peas, beans, onions, garlic, and greens used to grow.

planting seedlings

Before planting seedlings, the place must be properly fertilized. This can be done with manure humus and peat. Must be mulched to retain moisture organic material, straw, sawdust, needles.

When choosing seedlings for planting, you need to rely on the following principles:

The root neck must have a diameter of at least 6 mm.
The root must be fibrous, white color, its processes should be about 5 cm long.
On a bush of seedlings there should be at least 5 leaves.
It is undesirable to store seedlings for a long time before planting.

If the seedlings were purchased from a nursery in special pots, it is advisable to keep a clod of earth on the roots, as far as possible not to disturb it. If the planting material is not in the ground, you can use a clay mash. Before planting, you need to dip it in a mixture of clay and water so that the seedlings take root as best and as quickly as possible.

Tip: to make clay talker, you need half a bucket of red or orange clay. It is necessary to fill the clay with water and let it soak. Stir the solution, it should be like gruel.

After planting seedlings, daily watering is required for a week. Then the land is irrigated as needed. We must not forget about the subsequent loosening. The earth must be properly enriched with oxygen. If the weather is dry and hot, mulching will help. It prevents the plants from dying and drying out.

plant inspection

In order for the culture to regularly bear fruit, it is necessary to be very attentive to its condition. In case of alarming symptoms, action should be taken as soon as possible. One of the signs of the onset of the disease may be drying and shrinking of the leaves. Leaves become characteristic yellow color. These are signs of a strawberry mite. You need to start fighting with him immediately, until healthy bushes are infected from him.

To do this, it is necessary to remove all diseased bushes and take them out of the site or burn them. In other plants, you need to cut off all the leaves, leaving only the core. Plants can be treated with a solution of karbofos (1/2 spoon per bucket of water). It will be good to spray strawberries with a solution of garlic for prevention (crush 2 heads of garlic and add to a bucket of water).

Empty flowers and lack of fruit

Sometimes gardeners are faced with an incomprehensible situation. All strawberries bloom, but the fruits are not tied. There are several reasons for this:

Plant damaged by frost. A darkened strawberry may indicate this.
Weedy strawberries could get on the site. It needs to be removed urgently.
Weevil infestation. This can be signaled by fallen stems and ovaries of the plant.
Lack of pollinators.

Important care points

Self-pollinating strawberry varieties are convenient for growing in the garden. But you can increase fruiting by self-pollination. To do this, you can use a paint brush or a cotton swab. It is best to carry out the procedure at noon, in calm weather. If there are plenty of insects on the site, and the bees actively fly over the strawberries, then additional pollination is not required. These fruits will have excellent taste and the same size. The harvest will be bountiful.

Advice: experienced gardeners took note of the use of yeast for feeding. The solution is prepared from 1 kg of natural pressed yeast and 5 liters of water. Insist for several hours and water each bush under the root. The proportion is 0.5 liters per plant.

Some gardeners use bee bait. To do this, dissolve honey in water and pollinate strawberry flowers with the resulting solution. The solution is prepared at the rate of 1 liter of water per teaspoon of honey. The mixture is well stirred and sprayed with a plant from a spray bottle.

It is necessary to monitor the irrigation of the soil very carefully. Usually, garden strawberry loves water. But excessive irrigation is also detrimental to her health. Berries are affected by gray rot. It often happens that the rains do not stop. This also negatively affects the taste of the berries. They become watery and sour in taste. Additional cover on top with a film can slightly correct the situation.

Watering methods depend on the age of the strawberry and its growing season. Freshly planted seedlings are best irrigated by sprinkling. During the period of berry ripening and fruiting, it is recommended to water under the root or use a drip irrigation system. Potassium is needed during the period of active flowering. To do this, it is recommended to feed strawberries with a solution of bird droppings. You can use mullein, potassium nitrate.

If the grower knows when the strawberry is in production, he can correctly follow all the procedures for preparing and caring for the plant.