Sometimes, even with the most reverent and careful care, strawberries cease to please the gardener immediately after planting: they wither, turn yellow, do not grow, and they don’t even think about fruiting. A familiar agronomist advises to normalize the acidity of the soil. Find out from the article and the table attached to it what kind of indicator it is, how to quickly determine which acidity is suitable for strawberries and strawberries, than to fill the soil so that it becomes suitable for your crops.

What is meant by acidity

Soil is not just lumps of fertile land, it is a complex complex of chemical compounds. They enter into various reactions, and also help or, conversely, prevent the roots of plants from absorbing water and nutrition. Being in groundwater, some of these compounds detach hydrogen ions from themselves, and the more they are, the higher the acidity.

Soil Acidity Table

To indicate the acidity use the icon "pH". The acidity scale provides numbers from 1 to 7, while the seven indicate a neutral environment, and all that is higher is already an indicator of alkaline soils. For strawberries, strawberries, and most garden crops, with the exception of heather, the soil is ideal with a slightly acid reaction, in other words, with a pH of about 5.5-6.0.

On soils with an acidity index below 5 (strongly acidic) in the fertile horizon, aluminum ions are released, which, in fact, inhibits the root system of strawberries and strawberries.

Is it possible to determine the acidity of the soil "by eye"

To accurately measure the acidity, use a small device - a pH meter. It has any agrolaboratory or even a clinic where the acidity of biological fluids is determined. But you can do it yourself, paying attention to indirect signs of the state of the soil.

Soil acidity can be measured with a special instrument

1. The species composition of weeds. Not only cultivated, but also wild plants prefer soil of a certain acidity. If the garden is filled with horsetails, sedges, sorrel, creeping buttercups, star lice, and moss grows in lows and shadows, the environment for strawberries and strawberries is too acidic.

2. Shades of color. Excessive acidity is indicated by a red-brown coating on wet stones, garden paths, and the shores of nearby water bodies. It is no coincidence that one of the most acidic soils in the world is subtropical red soil.

Tip. Pour a handful of earth with water (preferably distilled), mix, and after half an hour, dip the litmus test into the liquid. Compare with the scale on the package and get a fairly accurate result.

If the soil is too acidic, liming can be done by liming.

How and how to make soil

Liming is the only way to correct acidic soil. Its meaning is that alkaline ions of liming substances neutralize hydrogen ions, reducing their total amount. In agricultural practice, apply:

• slaked lime;
• ground limestone;
• dolomite flour;
• marl.

These are all rocks with a high carbonate content, often yellowish. They are relatively soft, easily milled into powder and dosed. The powder is evenly scattered over the excavated soil and mixed well with a rake.

Preparing the soil for strawberries should be a priority for the gardener, because it depends on how he harvests. The soil for strawberries should be light and have enough moisture. Also, it is necessary to make fertilizers containing all the necessary elements. Fertilizers are organic and inorganic, their task is to nourish the plant so that it gives large juicy berries, so this issue needs to be studied in detail.

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  Soil for garden strawberries: preparation, composition

Garden strawberries - one of the most popular cultures among summer residents. This plant is unpretentious, for which any soil is suitable. But if the gardener wants to get the maximum result, then he needs to pay close attention to the composition of the soil and its preparation for planting.

The soil for planting strawberries should be light, perfectly breathable. It should not condense water. The content of sand and clay is minimal. The optimal soil for growing strawberries can be black soil, which is rich in potassium. Loamy and sandy loamy soils are suitable.

Such types of soils are not suitable for strawberries:

• sandy;
• peat;
• clay;
• light gray;
• sod-podzolic.

In sandy soil, the roots of strawberry plants will dry out and overheat. In heavy clay soils, seedlings of strawberry seedlings also do not take root. Peat soils contain organic compounds that provoke late blight disease.

Ideal soil contains three percent humus. This ensures that the optimum amount of water is available. To improve the taste of berries, the earth will be mulched with spruce and pine needles.

The plot intended for planting strawberries is preliminarily cleared of weeds. In order to grow strawberries, a bed is suitable, on which legumes, celery, onions or carrots were grown before.

The site should be in a place that is well lit by the sun, and which is not affected by strong winds. It is advisable not to choose areas where underwater comes too quickly to the ground.



  Fertilizers

Fertilizers must be added to the ground before planting. Otherwise, according to experts, it is impossible to get a large amount of healthy strawberries.

Fertilizers are different.   Organic fertilizers are often used, such as:

• Manure. It is a litter of pets. To be used as fertilizer, it must be used when it is at least slightly spreaded, because fresh manure contains many suitable weed seeds for germination.
• Humus - this substance is a completely decomposed manure. Many people like to put humus near the beds, as this fertilizer contains a lot of nutrients. They contribute to the rapid growth of plants.
• Chicken droppings. It contains nitrogen, which is very beneficial for strawberry growth. If you mix one part of chicken manure with twenty parts of water, you get an excellent fertilizer.
• Ash. This natural product can be used in many ways. The first way is to simply put the ashes in the soil between the beds. The second way is to make a solution. Ten liters of water are mixed with one hundred grams of ash, and the soil is watered with the resulting solution around strawberry bushes. In order to fertilize one square meter, you will need to use one hundred grams of ash.

Mineral fertilizers produce a quick effect, and can be purchased at a store for gardeners and gardeners.



  How to feed the soil for strawberries?

Here is the most common strawberry feeding scheme:

• The first time the plant is fed in early spring.
• The second time it is fed when the plant has formed an ovary.
• The third time in the summer, when the crop is already harvested.
• The fourth time in the fall, after picking berries.

Feeding the soil for strawberries with mineral fertilizers is necessary in order to make up for the lack of nitrogen. The second top dressing can significantly improve the taste of strawberries.



In the summer, you also need to make fertilizers, because the plants form flower buds, and this will largely determine what the harvest will be next year. In autumn, top dressing is needed so that strawberry bushes get the strength they need to grow.



  Essential fertilizer components

Fertilizers for strawberries should contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen is responsible for the formation of leaves and their development. But if you need to prepare fertilizers, then you can not get too carried away by the addition of nitrogen. Its excess can lead to the absence of fruits on strawberry bushes.

Phosphorus is needed for young strawberries. He is responsible for the formation of the root system. The addition of potassium leads to the formation of resistance in plants to frost and heat, to fungal diseases.

  Microfertilizers

These are fertilizers that contain all the substances necessary for the normal growth and development of strawberries. Usually strawberries are processed by them using the spraying method.

The composition of micronutrients includes such elements:

• Boron is of great importance for the formation of ovaries. Its presence or absence plays a huge role in the formation of the roots and shape of the fruit. If this element does not exist at all, then the berries are deformed, and the development of the roots stops.
• Calcium. It directly affects the formation of fiber. If the acidity in the soil is increased, then this means that calcium is not enough. As a result, strawberry fruits become watery and their shelf life is shortened.
• Manganese and iodine. These elements are important for strawberries in any period of its development. They successfully protect plants from fungi and strawberry rot, increase their immunity. Thanks to manganese, the berries are tastier. Deficiency of this element is a problem that can be eliminated by spraying plants with a solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of iodine. The soil for garden strawberries in this case is suitable.

In the world there are very few people who do not like strawberries.

After all, this aromatic and tasty berry, in addition to excellent organoleptic properties, also has great health benefits. She is eaten fresh, she is frozen, compotes and jam are cooked from her ...

Here, buying it is quite a costly pleasure, even in the south it does not cost so much, especially when it comes to blanks. Therefore, if there is a site, it is better to grow it yourself. So what does strawberry like?

Firstly, of course, the sun. Therefore, for a bed with strawberries, it is better to choose a sunny place where there is no shadow.

Fertilizers Without the use of this unpleasant substance, it is better not to dream of a good strawberry crop. Therefore, before planting seedlings, you need to fertilize the soil with humus from manure and integrate it well into the ground.

Magnesium and superphosphate fertilizers are also good for this.

The optimal time for planting strawberries are September and August. The plant will be able to take root well and calmly winter.

If you planted it in the winter, then it will be necessary to trim the flower stalks, and the crop will be only in a year. If this is not done, then the young plant will be exhausted and die.

The landing process itself also has its own nuances. Firstly, the bed should be about 15 centimeters above the soil, and secondly, the hole where the plant will take root must be filled with water.

It is worth recalling that if you plant the sprout too deep, it will rot, and if too high, the root system will die.

The distance between the bushes is also very important. If we plant strawberries in one row, then the distance should be 70 centimeters between rows and 40 between the shoots themselves. If in two rows, then the distance between seedlings should be equal to 20 centimeters.

After the planting is over, you need to pour on each sprout a liter of water and do this constantly when watering. It is believed that it is better if the water is settled and not icy.

If it so happened that there was no rain for more than two weeks, then it is better to carry out the so-called sprinkling by ourselves, using a hose or an irrigation system, at the same time it is absolutely impossible to do this during the flowering period.

Everyone who knows that he loves strawberries in the garden always takes measures to disinfect the plants with copper sulfate or copper chloroxide, even before the strawberries begin to bloom.

Also a good helper in this matter is colloidal sulfur.

If you follow these rules, then for many years you will enjoy a rich harvest of delicious berries. The main thing is to do everything with soul and love, because strawberries are a rather capricious berry.

And also you can see video secrets of growing strawberries # 1

  " Strawberry

The size of the summer cottage is limited. Over the summer, I want to grow all the vegetables necessary for the family. To pamper yourself with strawberries all summer, you do not need a lot of space. To get a good berry crop, you need to understand what kind of soil strawberries love.. In the autumn, make several beds, in the spring they plant them with different varieties of berries.

In one place, strawberries grow for more than one year, the period depends on the variety. Some 2 years, other varieties bear fruit in one place for up to 10 years. The composition of the land is important for planting berry bushes.

You can definitely say what kind of soil strawberries do not like. The first criterion by which to evaluate is the mechanical composition. Soil types for this feature are shown in the table.

Strawberries do not like sandy and clay soils. The roots dry, overheat on sandy soils. In clay - growth slows down due to a lack of oxygen and moisture. According to the mechanical composition, soils are suitable for growth and root development: loamy, sandy loam.

An important soil characteristic for plants is acidity. Soils are not suitable for plants: acidic, alkaline. Neutral ideals are ideal, in which the acidity is normal or slightly acidic - PH is not lower than 5.5.

How to prepare the land for planting strawberries?

First of all, we examine our site, determine what land is on it. We take a small lump of earth and check it for plasticity, correlating the result with the above table.

We begin to prepare the soil for garden strawberries in the fall. Good predecessors of garden strawberries are considered:

1. Beetroot.
2. Garlic.
3. Parsley.
4. Salad.
5. Carrot.
6. Cereal crops.

After the autumn harvest of vegetables, it is necessary to prepare the ridge for the spring planting of strawberries. First we remove the weeds. If the soil is acidic - lime. We add about 20 kg of sand, lime and organic fertilizers to peat per square meter of area.

Organic and fertilizer (humus, manure, compost) and peat must be added to the sandy and sandy loam. The difference in volume - a larger amount of nutritional supplements should be added to the sandy soil.

In autumn, fertilizers are applied to the soil of any composition. Well restore the nutritional value of the earth:

1. Ammophos (nitrogen 11%, phosphorus 50%).
2. Diammophos (nitrogen 20%, phosphorus 50%).
3. Nitrophos (nitrogen 23%, phosphorus 17%).
4. Nitroammophoska (nitrogen 17%, phosphorus and potassium).

Diammofoska

Organic matter and mineral fertilizers are scattered throughout the ridge. Digging the soil on a bayonet shovel.

Ways to increase soil fertility

To increase soil fertility, organics are regularly needed. During the summer, you can cook the required amount of compost. The advice of an experienced gardener will come in handy.

Fast composting in bags

Start composting with the advent of spring. Purchase 120 l black garbage bags. For fast compost, weeds, nettles, chamomile, clover are suitable. The exception is wheat grass.

Compost can be made under digging to improve soil composition or mulch the soil around the bushes.

Grind grass, cover it with layers in a bag. Sprinkle layers with wood ash. Bags put in the sun. By August, all grass will mop and the pack will have compost ready to eat. It can be used for the autumn digging of land for strawberries.

Do-it-yourself flowerbeds and beds for strawberries

When planting strawberries in the garden, a single-line or multi-line planting scheme is used. Tall bushes are planted from each other at a distance of 35-40 cm, undersized varieties - 20 cm. Aisles leave wide - 70 cm.

You can plant strawberries on beautifully decorated ridges. Due to space saving practice. Consider the device of some of them.

Stone tier beds

Stone beds can be made of any shape.:

• round;
• square;
• triangular;
• rectangular.

On long-level beds, it is good to grow ampelous varieties of strawberries. First of all, during the construction of the ridges, the site is leveled. Harvesting natural stone:

• limestone;
• sandstone;
• diabase.

In masonry, hewn stones look better, with a shape resembling a brick.

On the ground, they mark the future ridge. A trench 30-40 cm deep is dug around the perimeter. Fill it at 2/3 of the height with crushed stone, 1/3 - with sand, ram. Spread a wall of natural stone. Use cement mortar for the binder or apply dry masonry technology.

Mark the contours of 2 and 3 tiers. Each subsequent should be already previous. Spread the walls for 2 and 3 tiers. The height of each subsequent tier should be higher than the previous one.

The ridge is filled with fertile soil after the cement has dried. You can plant strawberries. Advantage of this ridge:

• decorative look   ridges, can serve as a decoration of the garden;
• good drainage;
• the ridge is filled with clean, fertile soil, which reduces the likelihood of disease;
• for strawberries easy to care.

It will take time to build the ridge. Its manufacture is rather laborious.

Multi-tier beds from wooden boards

A simple solution is a square, multi-tiered bed of wooden boards. To produce it, you need planed, edged pine boards with a section of 30 × 140 mm. To connect the corners - bars 50 × 50 mm or 40 × 40 mm.

Mark the size of the first tier. Collect the bottom box. Boards in the corners are fixed to the bars with screws. The entire area of \u200b\u200bthe first tier is filled with fertile soil, rammed. The following boxes are made similarly, but smaller. The width for landing should be at least 35 cm.

For durability of the ridge and to improve the decorative appearance of the construction of the board, impregnate with a protective primer, paint.

Design advantages of the flowerbed:

• saving   places
• receipt per unit area larger crop;
• strawberries suffer less from infections and pests;
• a multi-tiered ridge of boards - garden decorative element.

Disadvantages of a multi-tiered landing method:

• in cold climates requires shelter for the winter;
• in the heat you need frequent watering, the earth dries up quickly.

Tire beds

Is it possible on an area of \u200b\u200b1.2 square meters. m of his garden to plant 120 strawberry bushes? It turns out you can. For the construction of such a vertical ridge you need old tires 8 pcs and a plastic pipe   with irrigation holes made in it (5.5 mm diameter).

The diameter of the pipe must match the diameter of the irrigation hose or adapter. Harvest fertile land. Choose a sunny place.

In each tire, cut from 12 to 16 holes of 6 × 10 cm in circumference. Tires are stacked alternately on top of each other..

Strawberry bushes planted in the holes of the tires. Sprinkle the roots with earth. Pour through the slots. Install a pipe in the center. Its height should be slightly higher than the height of the ridge. Put the irrigation hose on the pipe.

Advantages of such a ridge:

• saving   places
• lack of weed;
• convenient to water   and look after;
• clean berriesDo not get sick.

Cons too.   So that the strawberries do not freeze in winter, it is necessary to pack the ridge in several layers (straw, reeds, insulation).

Slate beds

The slate remaining after construction can be used to build strawberry ridges. If there is a polycarbonate greenhouse - to solve two problems at once:

• insulate   greenhouse around the perimeter;
• to build   convenient ridge.

Dig a trench in the ground. Its depth is 25-35 cm. Cut slate 70 cm high. At the bottom of the trench, throw cut branches, sprinkle plant debris. You can add wood ash there. To fill the ridge with fertile soil, consisting of garden soil, humus, peat, sand.

The advantages of such a ridge:

• convenient to water   and look after strawberries;
• moisture is well preserved   in the soil;
• spring land warms up quickly.

Slate fencing is referred to as low-ecological structures. Its appearance is not aesthetic.

Conclusion

The strawberry harvest is almost 50% dependent on soil quality. Watering and top dressing, carried out according to the scheme, serve as additional food. The time and money spent on soil preparation will return in the form of a useful berry.