With proper care of strawberries during this period (at the same time as others), performing several simple steps, you can get a crop 20-30% more than usual and protect the berries from disease damage even in the rainy and cool season.

Restoring strawberry beds after winter

Processing of strawberries in early spring begins after the thawing of the bushes.

ON THE PICTURE:Mulched strawberries after winter hibernation.

Recovery after winter consists of several stages:

1. Removal of dead leaves and other plant debris. Otherwise, they can become a source of disease and a breeding ground for pests.
2. Removing the upper three-centimeter layer of autumn mulch soil. Together with this layer, you will remove most wintering pests, and the root system of plants will become better warmed up under the spring sun.
3. If you prefer to leave the mulch soil - then plow the row-spacing to a depth of 7 cm.
4. Mandatory loosening of beds 6 cm deep.
5. Weeding, which is worth talking about separately. Not all strawberry varieties are afraid of weeds - if the mustache is not removed in a timely manner, the strawberry bushes themselves can turn into weeds. But spring care for garden strawberries of “tender varieties” (say, “Vima Rina”) should include weeding, which will not allow weeds to inhibit planting.

In spring, you can not add large layers of soil under the bushes. This will slow down the development of the roots and delay the ripening of the berry crop.

Strawberry treatment for diseases and pests in the spring

Disease prevention

The main goal of strawberry care in early spring is to maximize crop retention. We recommend that you carry out preventive treatment of plants against the most common diseases:

•   , or mold. With a severe defeat of the bushes with the fungus botritis, it is almost impossible to save strawberries - therefore, it is worth taking care of the prevention of damage. Very effective treatment of bushes Derozalom Euro, Copfugo Super or;
• . So that the white coating does not hit your strawberries, it is recommended to treat it with Bayleton, Sulfaride or;
• white and brown. The disease is very dangerous in that it reduces the immunity of strawberry bushes and jeopardizes their viability. Strawberry treatment can be prevented by systemic and contact fungicides: Horus, Gamair,.

With proper processing of strawberries in the spring, the risk of crop loss due to plant diseases will be minimal.

Pest protection

During the spring processing of strawberry bushes, it is important to protect them from all kinds of pests. First of all, ticks - strawberry and. To prevent these insects from spoiling your strawberries, use Neoron, Karate, and other insecticaricides for preventive purposes.

ON THE PICTURE:T what is the procedure for processing covered strawberries from pests.

Also for strawberry seedlings are very dangerous:

•   . Diazinone insecticides, for example, Antichrush, Zemlin and will help to repel this pest from your strawberries;
•   - Meta and Thunderstorm are effective against them;
•   . The best prevention of their appearance is the preliminary introduction of ash into the soil, about 0.5 l per 1 m 2. To prevent strawberry bushes from being attacked by nematodes, do not plant them in highly nutritious and heavy soils with a high content of organic matter, especially not overripe;
• ants. In the future, they can destroy not only ripe fruits, but also leaves, and even the root system of the bushes. Therefore, it is better to protect yourself from these insects in advance with the help of other agents based on diazinon;
•   causing especially great harm to young bushes planted in the spring. So that they do not appear on your strawberry, you can spray the bushes for prevention or Kinmiks;
•   . The use of Boverin, Medvetox and Grizzly will protect the roots of the bushes from eating by local cicadas.

The list of strawberry pests is quite extensive. The only way to protect your strawberry ridge for sure is to arm yourself with knowledge about what pests are common in your area and to prevent their reproduction on the site as early as possible.

How to spray strawberries

Previously, the beds are weeded and loosened well. After this, they begin to spray. Carefully read the instructions for the selected drug. It is important to correctly calculate the dosage. In some cases, re-processing of strawberries in the spring is carried out after a certain period of time (if the manufacturer recommends it).

An alternative to the “chemical” care of strawberries in spring may be the choice of varieties of garden strawberries that are resistant to major diseases. Pay attention to Marmolada, Moscow Delicacy, Alice, Arapaho, and Miracle of Likhonosov.

When planting, carefully inspect the seedlings. Shrubs with damage characteristic of diseases or simply weakened immediately discard and burn. Plant only uniquely healthy and strong plants.

Caring for strawberries in the spring is not only much easier if the bushes are not planted too close to each other. Follow the recommended planting pattern for the particular variety. When thickened, pests and diseases spread much faster. In addition, close proximity depresses plants, and productivity is significantly reduced.

Strawberry dressing in spring

Caring for strawberries in the spring includes fertilizing.

They are necessary so that the roots develop well, and the ground part of the bush grows rapidly. Wait until the soil dries after the snow melts and carry out the restoration measures described above. After loosening, top-dress.

Mineral fertilizers or organics - what to choose

Gardeners often wonder how to feed strawberries in the spring. You can choose organic or mineral fertilizers. Along with the pros, each fertilizer has its drawbacks. With organic dressing alone, it will not be possible to achieve a rapid increase in the size of berries, and an excess of minerals is dangerous for the human body. We advise you to choose a middle ground and apply different fertilizers alternately.

When using mineral mixtures, carefully read the instructions, avoiding overdose. The introduction of minerals stops two weeks before the first berries ripen.

An overdose of organics is, in principle, impossible. The main thing is to follow the rules of breeding. Chicken droppings and manure are used rotted or as part of the infusion. Wood ash is bred for root dressing, and in the form of an extract is used to power the leaves.

When fertilizing strawberries in the spring, it is important to consider the life cycle of the plant. The feeding of young bushes after autumn planting or old bushes growing in one place for more than three years has its own characteristics.

How to feed young seedlings

If new beds were laid in the fall, strawberry fertilizer in the spring is not necessary. On poor soils, you can limit yourself to the introduction of cow manure or bird droppings.

The preparation scheme for feeding is very simple: you need to dilute half a liter of organics in a bucket of water, add a large spoon of sodium sulfate there. The consumption rate for each bush is 1 liter.

ON THE PICTURE:Many gardeners prefer organic dressing for garden strawberries.

Top dressing of old landings

After a few years, the soil on the beds is depleted. To get a rich harvest, fertilizers for strawberries in the spring are applied three times:

• after pruning leaves in early spring;
• during the formation of buds;
• after fruiting and pruning of old leaves.

Repairing varieties require one more - fourth - top dressing before the second flowering wave.

The first time make infusion of mullein in the proportion of 1 liter of manure per 10 liters of water. Manure can be replaced with chicken manure, but dilute it in 15 liters of water. Under each bush pour 0.5 liters. Also add 0.5 l of nitroammophoski - a tablespoon is diluted in 10 l of water.

Fertilizing strawberries in spring during budding should contain a lot of potassium. As a fertilizer, wood ash and chicken infusion are suitable.

For the third top dressing, we recommend diluting in 10 liters of water one glass of wood ash and two tablespoons of nitroammophoska. Bookmark flower buds for next year stimulates the urea solution (30 g diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water). From organic matter, in addition to litter and mullein, sawdust, fine straw, ordinary humus and peat crushed into crumbs are added. Many articles describing how to care for strawberries in spring recommend nitrogen supplementation.

Foliar top dressing

To enhance the growth of plants produce foliar top dressing with organic or mineral complexes. The bushes are sprayed in the evening in dry and, preferably, calm weather.

To feed strawberry seedlings in a foliar way, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and nitrogen fertilizers are used. Copper, boron, iron and manganese are well suited for the same purpose.

Good results are given by feeding with urea and potassium nitrate at the rate of 1 tsp. for 10 liters Urea, moreover, is an effective natural fungicide. And potassium nitrate contains a lot of potassium, which is necessary for the formation of strong and juicy berries.

How to process strawberries in the spring to stimulate the growth of ovaries? We recommend spraying the beds with a solution of boric acid. For 10 liters of water, one teaspoon of powder is enough.

Watering strawberries in spring

In the spring months, strawberries are watered as needed. In dry weather - more often and more abundant. If the spring was cold and rainy, you can do without watering.

ON THE PICTURE:Regular and timely spring watering is one of the conditions for obtaining a rich harvest.

There is no water consumption rate, since the soil characteristics are different for everyone. We recommend that you continue to water until the water begins to linger on the surface.

To prevent rotting of strawberries, watering in the spring should be correct. Pour water under a bush, avoiding contact with flowers, leaves, berries, and a growth point. After watering or rain, a crust forms on the ground, which must be broken by loosening.

Application of covering material

To facilitate further care of the strawberries, in spring it is covered with a film of weeds. Thanks to this, time and effort are not spent on loosening and weeding, and the berries remain clean. In general, using cover materials, the crop is richer and of better quality. For covering, agrofilm, lutrasil, various non-woven materials can be used.

When choosing a material, its density is very important. It should be at least 40-50 microns. The width of the canvas depends on the layout of the rows. Usually planted in two rows on the same canvas.

The color of the covering material is also important, whether it is agrofilm or lutrasil. Abroad on sale there is a material of different colors or even two-tone. In Russia, black and white are more often sold. It is noticed that a dark canvas contributes to the rapid heating of the soil.

ON THE PICTURE:Garden strawberries feel great on covering dark material.

As a result of this, the first crop is received much earlier. A white film (or other light material), on the contrary, reduces soil heating, which makes its use preferable in hot climates.

How to use cover material

1. Carefully level the soil on the bed.
2. Spread the shelter on the ground and mark the places for planting seedlings in accordance with the planting scheme recommended for a particular variety.
3. In the center of each mark, cut a hole to the size of a small saucer. You can simplify the process by making cross-shaped incisions. Then the corners just bend inward under the film.
4. Lay along the edge of the rail, at the ends press it down with bricks or pin it with a hairpin.
5. Plant the seedlings in the holes made.

Now care for garden strawberries in spring and summer will be much easier! Watering and fertilizing is carried out through the holes in the film, and loosening the earth and weeding is not needed.

We hope that our tips on how to care for strawberries in spring will help you get a wonderful harvest of fragrant and healthy berries!

In this article we will tell you in great detail how to care for strawberries in the spring to have a good harvest. We will also share with you information on how to care for this berry in other periods.

It is worth remembering that among many gardeners, strawberries are considered a very capricious berry. She requires special attention and care. So, for example, strawberries should be regularly removed mustaches, old leaves and small berries. In addition, it is also required to remove watery berries in time, which simply deprive the bush of the right amount of nutrients. Now we will try to consider the main rules, which include strawberry care in spring and summer.

Naturally, many gardeners with the onset of heat are concerned about the question of how to care for strawberries in spring outdoor plot.   In the spring, caring for this crop is very laborious. This time should not be missed, for the opportunity to get an excellent harvest.

The beds where strawberries grow after the winter should be put in order. The soil must be clean and moist. All weeds and debris must be removed. And after harvesting in the fall, all strawberry bushes must be prepared for the winter period. It is probably clear to you that any of these stages requires the necessary skills and knowledge. When with the onset of spring the strawberry bushes thaw, it is necessary to clean them of dry grass and leaves. In the event that the bush is frozen, then it should be removed.

The topmost soil layer that you mulched in the autumn period must be removed by 3 cm. This must be done in order to reduce the number of harmful insects that could easily winter in this soil layer. In addition, this procedure will help the sun's rays reach the roots and quickly warm them.

Recommendation! Often, beginning gardeners make a very serious mistake - they pour a thick layer of soil under each strawberry bush. As a result of this, the roots take a very long time to warm up. Then the berries begin to ripen very late and they are usually very small and not sweet.

You do not know when to start caring for strawberries in spring, then it is worth saying that you need to do this immediately after the onset of heat. Now it is important to touch upon such points as top dressing and mulching berries.

• When the soil becomes loose, it is necessary to sprinkle strawberry beds with sawdust. In addition to sawdust, you can use peat crumbs, humus, fine straw. You should also fertilize each strawberry bush with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
• After the first new leaves appear on the bushes, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with a solution of mullein with the addition of ammonium sulfate.
• Complex mineral fertilizers can be introduced into the soil for feeding strawberries in early May.

On a note!   In order to reduce the possibility of manifestation of various diseases, the bushes should be sprayed around, using a solution of copper sulfate. Only this procedure needs to be carried out before the buds open.

As for watering, you need to irrigate strawberries once a week. Only in this case, the bushes need to be watered in the morning to keep the water warm. Before strawberries bloom, they can be irrigated with rainwater. And after the appearance of flowers and the first berries, you need to ensure that water does not get on the plant itself. In the beds where strawberries grow there should be no weed grass.

Care for strawberries in the spring at the cottage should definitely be done correctly. In this case, you can get a tasty and rich harvest of berries. Processing bushes in the spring is, first of all, top dressing. It will help give strawberry bushes active growth after a cold winter.

If you are well versed in the basics of proper strawberry fertilizer in the spring, then you can get a good harvest and very tasty berries. It is only necessary to take into account the fact that strawberries in the first year of their life do not fertilize. As for the repairing varieties, they need regular seasonal top dressing. The very first feeding of this plant should be carried out in the last decade of April, when a constant temperature is established. During this period of time, fertilizing is carried out with complex fertilizers. If you just started to grow strawberries, then in the spring you can use ready-made mineral fertilizers as top dressing. Top dressing is introduced in early spring. And one more time, after harvesting. You should take no more than 25-30 grams of fertilizer per 1 sq.m. landing.

In order for a strawberry to yield a good harvest, it is important to follow appropriate spring care. And the tips that are published above will help you do this correctly. Now it’s worth talking about the rules for the care of strawberries in the summer. After you carry out all the necessary procedures in the spring, summer care for strawberries will be minimal. Regularly it will be necessary to weed the beds, and once a week to irrigate strawberries. In addition, you need to inspect the bushes for the manifestation of various diseases and the action of pests.

It's important to know!   If during inspection of strawberries you see damaged parts, they should be urgently removed.

After the first ovary of berries begins to appear with the onset of summer, we recommend that straw or sawdust be placed under the bush. This procedure will help to avoid contamination of the plant berries themselves with soil and ensure an even distribution of the surface on which they will grow.

Advice! Fully ripened berries from strawberry bushes should be regularly collected. Remove the berry must be with the stalk. If the summer was rainy, then the bushes of the plant will need to be covered under a film. This is required so that excess moisture does not become harmful to the bushes. Otherwise, various diseases can quickly develop, and the berries will become fresh and watery.

In order for strawberries to please a good harvest in the summer, carry out competent spring care. Pest control should also be implemented. It is still important to provide some details about the preparation of strawberry bushes for winter.

• After you collect the latest berries from the bushes, you must cut the antennae and leaves: in this way the plant will be able to tolerate winter well.
• Leaves need to be cut at a distance of 10 cm from the soil surface. Only one stem should remain from the strawberry bush. But you should not be upset because of this, since the plant will be able to more easily tolerate wintering.
• Cropped bushes should be immediately treated with special means from diseases and pests, and also apply mineral fertilizers to the soil.

Instead of a conclusion

We hope that you were able to learn how to care for strawberries in early spring. Our article has provided you with many interesting tips that you can easily apply in real life.

Video on the topic: strawberry care in the spring at the cottage in the open area video

Spring is coming, garden work will begin soon, and you need to prepare for it if you want to get a lot of useful goodies from the garden. Let's find out how to care for strawberries in the spring so that there is a good harvest, simple advice from specialists will help us with this.

Strawberry is a very popular and beloved by many. It attracts with its taste, magnificent smell and attracts with its appearance. Every gardener wants to grow an abundant crop of large, healthy berries. The key to success begins with the care of the plantation with the onset of spring.

To get a good strawberry crop, you need to take care of it since the fall.

Siderata

From the end of August, green manure must be planted at the planned site: mustard, rapeseed, buckwheat and others. After a month, the seeds will sprout, the plants should be mowed and left in the garden, no need to be dug up, some of them can be removed for compost if there are too many of them. Left mowed siderats will serve as food for earthworms. This will make the soil structure more loose, increase fertility, and weeds will not be able to develop in spring. Mustard and canola help fight some diseases and pests.

Compost

The benefits of compost are invaluable for strawberries. There are many elements necessary for the development of a plant. Compost makes the soil fertile, as the substances are quickly absorbed by the culture. In early spring, before planting, you need to put a two-centimeter layer of compost and do not dig.

Chicken droppings

After planting strawberry bushes, you need to water the aisles with chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.

Where to start caring for the beds so that the crop pleases with the volume and quality of berries?

As soon as the snow melts, the earth dries up, the winter shelter is removed from the plantation: straw, tops, spruce branches, which were used in autumn to protect strawberries from freezing.

They clean the beds from mustaches, dried leaves and carefully loosen the soil around the bushes, give the roots a stream of air.

Tip 2 - Review Overwintered Plants

They carefully examine each plant, not all of them successfully survived the winter, damaged, patients urgently dig and plant young, preferably with a lump of earth, which took root from the first mustache.

An early transplant allows the outlet to take root well and not fade, until the earth is dry and the hot days have arrived.

Dig the aisle, try not to damage the roots and give them an additional flow of air. And all the roots of weeds that have taken root are removed, which will further reduce their number and facilitate summer care.

The level of the growth point is revealed, if the "heart" of strawberries is above the ground, then the soil is dug under it, if the excess is removed below.

In the spring, not only plants come to life, but all kinds of pests and diseases. Processing strawberry plantations is carried out in the early stages, until their reproduction and distribution has begun.

Consider that later, during flowering and harvesting, it is forbidden to pollinate plants with pesticides so as not to destroy the bees and poison the berries.

For spring top dressing, organic and complex mineral fertilizers are used. Humus, compost, peat are laid when digging the ground during the formation of beds, before spring planting, their action is enough for the entire period of active fruiting of strawberries. After four years of growth in one place, it falls, the berries grow smaller, and yield decreases.

Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in early spring to accelerate growth, and potash before flowering. There is a danger of overfeeding the strawberries, and then its forces will go into the foliage.

Strawberries are very sensitive to watering, in the spring they moisturize as they dry.

There are several ways. From a hose under pressure, it is the fastest, but there is a risk to wash and bare the roots, from a watering can it is very expensive according to work, sprinkling is useful for roots and leaves, but you can wash off pollen.

Effectively drip irrigation, water gradually flows under each plant. They prefer evening watering, during the night moisture is well absorbed into the ground, which affects the rapid growth of the plant with the onset of daylight and heat.

4 secrets to getting a good harvest

Strawberries - one of the most popular plants among gardeners and gardeners. From childhood, everyone knows the attractive aroma and sweet and sour taste of this juicy berry. Everyone wants a good harvest, but often improper care or weather vagaries adversely affect this crop. You can get a good strawberry crop using some tricks obtained experimentally. In addition to regular watering, strawberries need some care.

1. Mulching

Mulching has several advantages. It allows you to retain moisture for a longer period, slows down or stops the growth of weeds, protects the ripened berries from touching the ground.

For strawberries, mulching with straw, hay, needles, and rotted sawdust is very important. There is a lot of benefit from this: you do not need to fight weeds, the berries do not touch the ground and do not cover with mold, in hot, dry weather, moisture remains in the soil, the earth remains loose and does not become crusted, there will be no slugs on the bed. The mulch should not be spread out in a very thick layer when flowers appear on the bushes.

2. Useful neighborhood

Do not forget about the useful neighborhood. Garlic and onions will be excellent neighbors of strawberries, the essential oils secreted by them protect against pests and diseases.

3. Protection from wind and sun

Strawberries can suffer from strong winds and the scorching sun. On the north side of the bed you can plant tall plants like corn to protect against the cold wind. Between the bushes you can plant a kosmey. This is not only beautiful, but also helps protect strawberries from the scorching rays of the sun. You can plant other plants to create a light shadow.

4. Yeast top dressing

Yeast-based top dressing will be very helpful. The recipe is as follows: dilute 100 g of yeast in one second bucket of water, in a day, dilute 0.5 l in a bucket of water. Water 0.5 liters under a bush. This will give plants a lot of beneficial substances for growth and protect against rot.

In order for the strawberries to grow healthy and the harvest to be good, it’s enough to know a few secrets of experienced summer residents. A little effort and strawberries will please an abundance of juicy and fragrant berries to the envy of neighbors in the country.

Proper strawberry planting: 4 best ways, pros and cons

In order to collect a rich good harvest from strawberries, it must be planted correctly. Professional gardeners recommend four proven methods.

The first way - in separate bushes

This is when the bushes are distant from each other. The distance between the outlets is from 45 cm to 60 cm. The growing mustache is constantly cut to avoid interweaving of plants and to allow the bushes to develop and give a large crop.
  The disadvantages of this method are laborious, since you need to loosen the soil regularly, constantly remove weeds, mulch and prevent the mustache from growing.

The advantages of the method are that the berries grow large, there are few bushes for planting, the possibility of diseases in plants is much less, thanks to free ventilation.

The second way - in rows

He offers planting in rows. With this option, the distance between the bushes is from 15 cm to 20 cm. There are row spacings in the form of a strip of about 40 cm wide. The paths between the rows provide easy access to berries and a convenient opportunity for cultivating the soil, removing weeds and overgrown mustaches. Cons are the same as in the first method. And the pluses can be considered the fact that strawberries grow well and give a large crop for more than one year, and even 5 or 6 years without transplanting.

The third way - nests

With this method, it is recommended to plant strawberries in the form of nests. That is, six more are planted around one bush, as in a hexagon. Nests are located in rows at a distance of 25 to 30 cm, and tracks between rows of widths of 35 to 40 cm.

The disadvantage of this method is that a large number of bushes is required for planting. Pros - a richer crop.

The fourth way - planting strawberries on a carpet

In this case, the work is easier and faster, because no one cuts the mustache, and over time, the strawberry itself grows over the entire area intended for it. The overgrown bushes create a natural special layer - mulch, inhibit the growth of weeds, retain moisture.

This method is more suitable for those gardeners who grow strawberries in the country and do not have enough time to care for it. Bushes during carpet planting do not need frequent watering or fertilizing.
  Cons: Berries in heavily overgrown strawberries become smaller over time.

Propagation of strawberries with the help of a mustache

To get more planting material from the strawberries that are already growing, you need to propagate the plant. To get a full-fledged and future seedling seedlings, you need to act correctly.

1. Firstly, you can not run strawberries so that the mustache grows as they please, and then choose the largest of them and transplant them. In this case, it is likely to lose half the crop next year.
2. Secondly, the mustache from the bushes, which are already bearing fruit, is also not suitable for seedlings, since they have a reduced content of nutrients. Such seedlings will be sick for a long time, have weak immunity from putrefactive diseases, and reduce productivity. The plant must either bear fruit or release a mustache. Then the planting material will be good, and the harvest will be rich.

Propagation of strawberries with the help of uterine bushes

It is best to propagate strawberries with uterine bushes. The essence of this method is that in the first year there is a selection of the best plants. This is when a mustache is cut off from all the bushes and then there is an observation which of them have best yielded the crop and transferred all the surrounding conditions.

Such strawberries are marked or transplanted to a separate site. The next year, a mustache grows from these bushes, cutting off all the buds and preventing it from bearing fruit. The very first and largest sockets are left for reproduction, and the rest are removed.

Given all these tips for caring for beds, bushes, proper planting, you will have a wonderful big and good harvest of tasty and large strawberries.

It is time to take care of the future harvest and begin to care for strawberry beds. Here is a seasonal pattern of growing strawberries in the country to help all lovers of this berry!

Before you process and feed strawberries (strawberries) in the spring, you need to clear the beds from litter, thin out, trim, and if necessary transplant the plants. They clean the bushes from last year's foliage and from the one that froze in the winter.

Collect old mulch, cut off all the dry tendrils, shoots, peduncles and leaves, and root leaves (which spread along the ground) - remove everything, leaving only a bush with several green leaves. Collected litter is removed from the beds and burned or composted, which helps to prevent plant diseases and destroy pests that survived during the winter. Beds must periodically loosen.

Organic Strawberry Fertilizer: when to apply

Strawberry care in the spring includes 2 mandatory top dressing after the winter and 3rd in the second half of the growing season after harvest:

- first feeding   - organic fertilizers (litter, mullein - 30 g / 10 l of water) or mineral (nitroammophoska, potassium or ammonium nitrate - 25-30 g / 10 l of water) is carried out immediately after cleaning the plants;

- second top dressing   - simple superphosphate is used - 10-20 g / 10 l of water, boric acid - 1-2 g / 10 l of water, potassium sulfate, potassium magnesia or complex fertilizers for berry and fruit crops in chelated form, while the dosage according to the attached to fertilizer instructions. This top dressing is carried out during the flowering period;

- third feeding   held in late summer for a better crop next year, plants are fertilized with urea or ammonium nitrate (30 g / 10 l of water).

With the advent of the first ovary, straw or sawdust is spread under the shoots, then the berries will not lie on the ground and rot. To obtain a plentiful harvest and large berries, the mustache is cut off during flowering and fruiting. After harvesting, one mustache is left, growing directly at the mother plant, from which a young bush will form over the summer.

In order not to add excess fertilizer to the soil under the strawberries, one should be guided by the external signs of mineral starvation or excess nutrients on the strawberries.

How to determine mineral starvation in strawberry plants

Nitrogen starvation   on strawberries it manifests itself in the form of general yellowing and reddening of the leaves, except for leaf veins that remain green, and in the form of a weak mustache formation. Plant growth and development is suppressed, and their productivity decreases. The whole cycle of vegetation and ripening is accelerated.

Excess nitrogen   manifests itself on the lower leaves: with a brown-green color, the edges of the plates turn brown, are bent to the lower side with “burnt” edges. The collapse of the sheet tissue from the edges spreads throughout the plastic, the sheet dies.

First signs phosphorus deficiency   manifested during fruiting: the old leaves of the plant, acquire a reddish color in the form of a "Christmas tree", the fruits are soft and tasteless. The formation and development of reproductive organs is sharply reduced.

With a lack of potassium   red border appears on the leaves of strawberries, berries are poorly colored, poorly stored.

Excess potassium   (with a lack of magnesium) causes the formation of bitter rot on the fruits.

With a lack of sulfur   a brown-black border appears on the old leaves after fruiting, and on the young leaves such a border is yellowish in color, the leaf blade is deformed. The roots are yellow in color, and their development is suppressed. The growth point is fleshy, slightly branching.

Boron deficiency   It appears on the upper parts of plants during severe drought and on carbonate re-known soils. It causes drying and deformation of the leaf blade. The stems of such plants are shorter, with cortical spots, a large number of small, weak leaves develop. The flowers are small, severely deformed. Fruits are ugly in shape, small with poorly developed seeds, the skin in cracks, in the pulp and on the skin is corked fabric. The development of the root system is suppressed, although the root system is strongly branched and thickened during boron starvation.

Magnesium is part of chlorophyll in the green tissues of the plant, and when it is lacking, chlorophyll breaks down, starting from the lower leaves. Very thin lower leaves of a pale green color are formed on wild strawberries, inter-vein spotting begins at the edges of the leaves. Early leaf fall begins, starting from the bottom of the shoot.

Zinc deficiency   found mainly on carbonate, highly calcareous soils, can be enhanced by the introduction of large doses of phosphorus. Strongly manifested in the spring. Leaves with wavy edges, greatly delayed the growth and development of daughter shoots of plants.

Iron deficiency   It appears more often on alkaline soils, where it is in a bound, non-digestible state, as well as when large doses of phosphorus, manganese, lime, copper and zinc are added. Due to the low mobility of iron inside the plant, the old leaves remain green, and the young and newly formed leaves become small, becoming chlorotic in color - light green, whitish, yellowish. The roots turn yellow, and their size decreases. By applying organic fertilizers, you can acidify the soil and thereby increase the solubility of iron and its availability to plants.

How to water strawberries

To obtain an abundant and high-quality crop, strawberry (strawberry) plants need proper watering of beds, they need constant, but not excessive moisture.

A sprayer is best suited for irrigation, so that water falls on the soil like normal rainfall, in the form of a shower, but at the same time puddles do not form on the soil, causing root decay, since the roots of plants are close to the surface.

In dry weather, watered up to 4-5 times a week. If it rains periodically, the amount of watering is reduced. Before flowering, bushes are recommended to be watered on foliage, and when flowers appear, under the root or in the aisles.

For watering, it is advisable not to use cold water from wells or a well, but to pour warm water in the late evening and in the morning (preferably before sunrise). After watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil in order to improve aeration of the roots.

Strawberry disease

In our conditions, strawberries (strawberries) can be affected by gray rot, leaf spots, fusarium wilting.

Of the pests in some years, aphids, thrips, slugs, spider mites, strawberry and raspberry weevils can harm.

Protective measures against diseases and pests on strawberries using pesticides can be carried out twice - at the very beginning of budding and after harvest, so that the residual amounts of their active substances do not accumulate in the berries.

It is preferable to use biological products: against diseases - Fitosporin-M, Alirin-B, Bactofit, Sporobacterin, Rizoplan, Gliokladin, against leaf-eating insect pests - Lepidocide, against sucking pests - aphids, thrips and ticks - Fitoverm.

With a significant spread of diseases, it is possible to use chemical fungicides of preventive (Bordeaux mixture) and therapeutic effect (Topaz, Agrolekar, Propi Plus, Chistoflor), with the threat of severe damage by insects - Taran, Fury, Fufanon-Nova, Alatar, against slugs during their mass reproduction of aisles treated with Thunderstorm, Sludge, Axela.

Pesticidal treatment of strawberries (strawberries) must be carried out with strict observance of the regulations for use indicated in the packaging instructions.

Stage-by-stage nursing work for strawberry beds during the season is the necessary measures that must be performed consistently, then the berry harvest will delight you with its abundance and quality.

(The material was prepared by specialists from the Department of Protection, Agrochemistry, Quality and Safety of Crop Production of FSBI Rostov Reference Center of the Rosselkhoznadzor).

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Have a good season and lots of sweet berries!

Strawberries, like other garden crops, need care. It needs to be watered, fertilized, fed, processed from pests and diseases. Let us consider in more detail how exactly it is necessary to care for strawberries in the spring, so that in the current season it will delight the hosts with a rich harvest.

The beginning of garden work to care for strawberry beds in the spring falls on the period when the snow will melt, it will become warmer, and the earth will dry out a bit. In the south, for example, in the Kuban, this can happen already in mid-March, in the Middle lane and in the Moscow Region in April, in Siberia and the Urals by the beginning of May.

The need for proper care of strawberries in early spring is explained by the fact that only after certain agrotechnical measures can one hope that the plants will develop as they need during the entire growing season. Without leaving, they will not be able to show their full potential, they will develop worse, give a much smaller yield.

How to care for strawberries in spring: main events

The complex for strawberry care in the spring at the cottage includes: cleaning of insulating material and old leaves, as well as watering, top dressing, preventive and therapeutic treatment of plants with folk remedies.

Opening bushes after winter

The time when it is already possible to open strawberry bushes after winter comes after the melting of snow and warming. Shelters are removed from all plants - mulch, which protected them from freezing in winter, as well as other garbage. The easiest way to do this is with a small rake. You must act carefully so as not to catch the sockets and pull them out.

Removing the shelter allows the sun's rays to freely penetrate plants and the earth, heating it, and the destruction of old material in which pests and pathogens can remain reduces the likelihood of developing diseases and propagating pests.

Pruning

At the same time, the bushes are inspected: some of the leaves can be damaged by frost, diseases, fade, turn yellow. All such leaves are cut with a pruner, knife or scissors along with petioles and burned. You can’t pick them off, if you pull them hard, you can tear out the socket, such a plant, buried again, will hurt and will bear fruit later.

During strawberry pruning, all last year's mustaches, which will not be used this year, are also removed in the spring. Plants will grow new ones this season.

Loosening and weeding

The next stage in the maintenance of the maintenance and regular strawberries is the loosening of the soil and simultaneous weeding. The purpose of loosening is to improve soil aeration (as a result of which air will better penetrate to the roots of plants) and soil water permeability, to retain winter moisture in the soil. Loosening should be carried out extremely carefully so as not to touch the roots, which, incidentally, are very close to the surface of the earth.

If in some places the strawberry roots are bare, then they are sprinkled with earth, slightly hilling the plants. Those specimens in which the midpoints were found in the soil during the winter, on the contrary, are raked. In the process of loosening, seedlings of weeds are also removed, so that they do not have time to grow, loosening is carried out as often as possible.

Watering

If it turns out that after harvesting the mulch, the soil has already managed to dry, then it is necessary to water the strawberries. This is especially important for those plants that have reached 2-3 years: their midpoints can rise above the ground and quickly dry out.

Then strawberry bushes are watered in the spring approximately 1 time per week, in the morning or in the evening. Use warm water. Before the plants throw the first flowers, it is convenient to water them by sprinkling. After that, during the mass flowering and setting of strawberries, it is better to apply watering under the root to avoid moisture getting inside the flowers and berries, which can lead to a decrease in the setting and rotting of strawberries. For watering the culture, you can use the drip irrigation system: put the hoses in the beds and turn on the watering.

Mulching

This is one of the recommended strawberry care methods after winter. After cleaning the old covering material and loosening, the beds should be covered again with a new layer of mulch. Materials such as straw, hay, peat, compost, humus or agrofibre are suitable for this.

Advantages of mulching strawberries: moisture is retained under the cover layer, watering can be done less frequently, but air passes inside without obstacles. It will also allow you to almost do without weeding, because the mulch will stop the growth of weeds. Lying on straw or hay, berries do not touch the ground, do not get dirty and do not rot.

Top dressing

There is no need to rush to feed plants in the open field in early spring. The first fertilizer application is carried out only at an earth temperature of at least 8-10 ° C. If it is lower, then the roots of plants simply will not be able to draw nutrients from the soil. Feeding is recommended to combine with irrigation.

For early spring feeding take nitrogen fertilizers - saltpeter, urea, slurry. It is carried out when the plants begin to grow new leaves and peduncles. Fertilizer is prepared as follows: a third of the bucket is filled with chicken droppings, poured on top of water, left to infuse for 3 days. Before watering, dilute 0.5 l of slurry in a bucket of water. When using mineral fertilizers, strawberries are first watered with plain water, and then only with a fertilizer solution.

For the next (before flowering) feeding strawberries, phosphorus-potassium mixtures are used. It is convenient to use nitroammophoska, it has all 3 nutrients. Before flowering, it is also advisable to spray strawberry bushes with a solution of boric acid.

Disease and Pest Treatment

To treat strawberry diseases in the spring, it is enough to use folk remedies, and not potent chemistry. They are quite effective for preventive rather than therapeutic treatment, and do not harm plants.

Boric acid

This substance prevents infection with bacteriosis and root rot. Prepare the product by dissolving in a bucket of warm water only 1 g of acid and mixing it well. For 1 strawberry, spend 0.3 l of solution, then sprinkle the earth with ash. Processing time - 1 month, starting in mid-April.

Bordeaux liquid

This well-known antifungal agent is used immediately after harvesting the mulch and the 2nd time - just before flowering. When processing strawberries in early spring, it is necessary to spray not only the plants themselves, but also the soil between them, since it was the pests that wintered in it. Bordeaux strawberry liquid is prepared from 100 g of copper sulfate and quicklime in a bucket of water. Both components of the solution are prepared separately and only then mixed together.

inkstone

With a solution of this substance, soil is disinfected against the development of anthracnose, powdery mildew and gray rot. Recipe: 400 g vitriol per bucket of hot water. They watered the earth a week before the transplant of strawberry bushes on it, spending 4-5 liters per 1 hole. To cultivate the soil under an already growing strawberry, a weaker solution is prepared: 30 g per 10 liters. Processing is carried out until new green leaves appear on the bushes.

Ash

You can use wood ash: make a solution out of it, or just sprinkle bushes and soil near them. The ash will gradually dissolve during watering, and while it lies on the ground, it will save the strawberries from the attack of slugs.

Iodine

The substance is used for powdery mildew, the treatment of strawberries with iodine is also effective against May larvae. Treated bushes before flowering. Composition for spring processing of strawberries: 10 liters of water to take 1 liter of milk and iodine tincture 10 drops.

Boiling water

Hot water, according to gardeners, helps a lot from ticks, fungi and nematodes. Processing time with boiling water is early spring, before buds open. Method of application: pour boiling water into a cold watering can, put on a nozzle. Carefully pour bushes: for 1 strawberry, 0.5 liters is enough. You can not be afraid to burn plants: during the time you bring the watering can to the beds, the water will cool to an acceptable temperature.

Potassium permanganate

Strawberries are sprayed in the spring with a solution of potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate is used against pennies, a pest that is not averse to settling on bushes of culture. The solution suitable for processing should be bright pink.

Urea

Urea is not only fertilizer, but also a protective agent. Strawberries are sprayed with its solution in the spring from diseases: scab, spotting, as well as from weevils, aphids and tinnits. Composition of urea solution: 30-40 g of substance per bucket of water. Strawberry processing time - before the start of leaf growth.

Blue vitriol

With this tool, strawberries are sprayed from the main fungal diseases. Time - until the appearance of green young leaves. Composition: Dissolve 100 g of copper sulfate in 10 l of water, consumption - 20-25 plants. Repeated use, if necessary, is carried out after 2 or 3 weeks.

Ammonia

Strawberries are treated with ammonia from the ubiquitous ants, larvae of the May beetle. The tool not only protects plants, but also nourishes them with nitrogen. Composition: 10 l of water, 40 ml of ammonia and 1 household. soap in the chips. The entire solution is used immediately; it cannot be stored. To obtain a good harvest, this product is watered with the crop twice - before the start of growth and before flowering.