Strawberries are a very labor intensive crop. With proper care, you can get good yields.
Strawberries can be cultivated both in separate plots and in the aisles of a young garden.
But in the aisles, its cultivation is possible only during the first 8 years, and then the trees, growing, will shade it. Yields in this case are reduced, the berries ripen later than in open areas, and are more affected by fungal diseases, in particular gray mold. Gardeners need to take this circumstance into account even when laying a garden. And those who wish to have strawberries for a longer time should leave a free open area for them. The plot for strawberries should be flat, without depressions and "saucers", in which water can stagnate in spring and autumn. Plants in such places get wet, and sometimes die under the ice crust.
It is good if the site has a slight slope - up to 5 °. The slope can be in different directions. The south is considered warmer, but also drier. On it, strawberries begin to grow earlier, berries ripen earlier here. There is an opinion that the inclination of the area by 1 ° to the south, as it were, transfers it (this area) 33 km to the south. On the northern slopes, the processes of growth and development begin somewhat later. Berries, therefore, also ripen later. They are often even larger than on the southern slope, but more sour. Steep slopes are undesirable for strawberries, as snow is blown off on them, the soil is washed off, and during heavy rains, young plants are covered - “tightened” - with earth and die. Working on steep slopes is difficult.
In damp, low places, strawberry growth is delayed in autumn, which reduces its winter hardiness. In such areas, leaves develop very strongly, sometimes to the detriment of fruiting, and the berries suffer greatly from fungal diseases.
When choosing a site for strawberries, one must take into account the fact that its root system is located shallow (up to 25 cm). Therefore, plants often need to be watered not only when planting, but also during subsequent periods of growth and development, especially during fruiting. In this regard, areas for strawberries should be chosen such that there are nearby water supply or reservoirs, wells.
Of great importance for strawberries is the security of the site. Protection slows down wind speed, increases snow cover, reduces moisture evaporation, improves conditions for the flight of bees and other insects, with the help of which plants are pollinated. Snow, especially loose, reliably protects strawberries from frost. In one study, the temperature on the soil surface without snow was 22 °C, and under a 15 cm snow cover it was only 5 °C. At an air temperature of 37 °C, with a snow cover of 25 cm, the soil temperature at a depth of 6 cm was 8.2 °C. In spring, in protected areas, snow melts more slowly, which contributes to greater accumulation of moisture in the soil.
But protection can also have a negative impact if the strawberry plantation is in a low place. In protected lowlands, spring frosts are stronger than in open areas, since cold air, being denser, flows down the relief. Encountering an obstacle on his way, he lingers. Morning frosts in low places often kill flowers.
In protected areas, berries are more susceptible to gray mold. But in most cases, protection is a decisive condition for obtaining high yields of strawberries.
Strawberries can be cultivated on various soils. All that is needed is proper preparation. If the soil is not sufficiently cultivated, it is prepared over a number of previous years. Lands with an arable layer of less than 20 cm deepen, acidic - lime 3 years before planting strawberries. Poor soils are enriched with organic matter and mineral nutrients.
Areas that are heavily overgrown with wheatgrass, thistle, etc., as well as those infected with wireworm, larvae of the May beetle and root weevil, are unsuitable for strawberries. Strawberries should not be cultivated on them until these pests and weeds are completely destroyed.
Unsuitable for strawberries and sands, and low damp places, especially with stagnant waters, and slightly swampy areas. On sandy soils without abundant and systematic irrigation in dry weather, plants burn out.
The best for strawberries are loose, but rather moisture-intensive soils with a large amount of humus, in terms of mechanical composition - loam. Sandy loam soils filled with organic fertilizers are also good, but they require more watering in hot weather.
The subsoil must be permeable. The occurrence of groundwater is allowed no higher than one meter from the soil surface.
In life, of course, there are cases, and often, when strawberries have to be developed in areas that do not fully meet the specified requirements.
When developing land that is not entirely suitable, gardeners apply a variety of organic and mineral fertilizers, including ash and lime.
It is more difficult to master pure sands for strawberries when they lie in a thick layer up to 9 meters. In order to be able to cultivate strawberries on them, it is necessary to apply a large amount of organic fertilizers and river silt or clay, mixing sand with a layer of at least 40 cm with them. Such soil can be created only for several years, but it is possible to cultivate strawberries on it only with systematic and abundant watering. Otherwise, it will burn out in hot weather.
Soil preparation
Strawberry is a perennial plant. Therefore, soil preparation before planting has a very large impact on the yield of strawberries throughout the entire period of its life, especially since the application of organic fertilizers after planting does not give the desired effect due to imperfect incorporation.
During the preparatory period, the soil is enriched with organic matter (humus), due to which it becomes more structural and rich in nutrients; acidic soils lime; the site is cleared of weeds and pests; deepen the arable layer where it is less than 20 cm.
Enrichment of the soil with humus is carried out either by the systematic application of manure or the introduction of perennial cereal-legume and annual legume grasses into the crop rotation with plowing them into green manure.
To enrich the soil with nutrients, mineral fertilizers are applied in addition to organic fertilizers, both when growing previous crops and before planting strawberries.
Strawberry plants develop better and bear fruit on slightly acidic soils. Therefore, acidic soils (pH below 5.5) are limed. Lime, in addition to reducing acidity, improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil (makes it more structural) and has a positive effect on the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds available to the plant. It is valid for a number of years, so liming is carried out once per crop cycle (8 years). On freshly limed soils, strawberries do not develop well, and their root system is depressed. Therefore, lime must be applied 3 years before planting strawberries - it is best before sowing perennial grasses.
The increased acidity of the soil can be judged by the growth of horsetail, sorrel, sedge, moss in the areas, as well as by the appearance of rainbow and brown plaque in the nearest streams and pits.
For liming, river tuff, dolomite flour, marl, ground limestone, quicklime and fluff are used. Pure river tuff, dolomite flour and ground limestone contribute in equal doses to more acidic regions (pH from 3.5 to 5), therefore, the doses of lime are greater here. If the soils are acidic, then marl contributes somewhat more than limestone, and quicklime, on the contrary, is half as much as limestone.
Strawberries are very demanding on soil fertility. According to the Moscow Fruit and Berry Experimental Station, it takes from the soil per year for the formation of leaves, flowers, mustaches and berries per hectare: 156 kg of nitrogen, 34.6 kg of phosphorus, 181 kg of potassium, or 15.6 g of nitrogen, 3, 5 g of phosphorus and 18.1 g of potassium per square meter. However, one cannot conclude from this that it is necessary to apply large doses of manure and mineral fertilizers in only one step - before planting strawberries. With excessive fertilization, the leaves grow strongly to the detriment of fruiting. Therefore, the soil must be fertilized before planting strawberries, and after planting, top dressing is applied.
Before planting strawberries, the plot is cultivated, and then rolled with a roller to destroy lumps and bumps. On rolled soil, it is easier to plant plants at a prescribed depth, which is of great importance for their survival.
It is necessary to plant strawberries on a flat surface - without beds, since in this case the yield is higher. When planted in the beds, plants often suffer from a lack of moisture, especially during the fruiting period. Beds are needed only in low and damp places where water stagnates in spring and autumn.
In individual gardens, the soil for strawberries is prepared no later than a year in advance or, in extreme cases, for autumn planting - in the spring. The site is dug up to a depth of 20 cm, wheatgrass and other weeds are selected with a pitchfork and a rake and they are applied (per 1 sq. Meter): manure - 6 kg, superphosphate - 50 g, potassium chloride - 15 g, ammonium sulfate - 25 g ( mineral fertilizers can be replaced with a vegetable mixture). Then the soil is again dug up to a depth of 18 cm, embedding fertilizer, and early cabbage, vernalized potatoes or other early vegetable crops are planted. During the autumn planting of strawberries, vegetables are harvested before August 1, during spring - at the end of September.
During the summer, vegetable crops are carefully looked after - the soil is systematically loosened and weeds are pulled out.
After harvesting vegetables, manure is applied - 5 kg per 1 sq. m, superphosphate - 50 g and potassium chloride - 15 g and close them up by digging the soil to a depth of 20 cm. After digging, 20 g of ammonium sulfate and 15 g of hexachloran dust are added, the area is harrowed with a rake, leveling the surface, and strawberries are planted. When planting in the spring of next year, ammonium sulfate and hexachloran dust are applied before spring tillage. Light soils in the spring only loosen, and heavy soils are dug up to a depth of 12 cm.
Often, inexperienced gardeners begin to prepare the soil for strawberries just 2 weeks before planting. It is unacceptable. And if for some reason this still happens, large doses of organic and mineral fertilizers are needed. In such cases, 10 kg of manure, 60 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium chloride, 20 g of ammonium sulfate are added per square meter.
Due to the fact that manure is often not enough, it must be replaced with peat or peat compost.
If the soils are acidic, they are composted with phosphate rock or alkaline fertilizers - ash, lime. Lowland peat is less acidic and richer in ash elements. It can be used for fertilizer after preliminary weathering, without composting.
Composts with phosphate rock, ash and lime, as well as lowland peat, are applied in higher doses - twice as much as manure.
Peat composts with organic fertilizers - manure, slurry, feces, a solution of bird droppings - are a more valuable fertilizer, and they are applied in the same amount as manure.
When composting, manure is added - 1/5 part to peat. With liquid organic fertilizers (diluted one and a half times stronger than for liquid dressings), peat is moistened in layers. Peat is composted in heaps up to 2 m high. Compost is ready in 4 months.
When planting plants, humus or compost is placed in the holes, in extreme cases, well-weathered peat, a handful per bush. After planting, rows with strawberries are mulched with peat or straw manure.
Planting material preparation
Strawberry whiskers can be obtained from ordinary commercial plantings. But here it is very difficult to maintain one hundred percent purity, and the mustache is of poorer quality. Therefore, it is recommended to lay special - uterine - plots, where all conditions are created for obtaining a large number of high-quality mustaches. Planting material for these plots is taken as a pure variety and only those varieties that are included in the standard for the region or are new, which must be checked under these conditions.
Strawberries on mother plantations are planted in one line. The distance between rows is 100 cm, in a row - 30 cm. Mustaches with such a fit are of better quality. In order not to confuse varieties, one unplanted row is left between them. Varietal cleaning on a plantation is absolutely necessary. What is it? The fact that strawberries of a certain variety are cleaned from plants of all other cultivars, as well as from weeds - Pendants and Bakhmutka. In addition, bushes of the same variety, but low-yielding, are also removed, since they usually give more whiskers than reduce the yield.
Rice. 2. Seedlings of strawberries:1 - underdeveloped, 2 - good, 3 - weak, stretched
The general care of plants in the uterine plots is the same as in commercial plantings. Only additionally strawberries are fed with slurry, bird droppings, ammonium nitrate. Slurry is diluted with water 3 times, bird droppings - 10 times; ammonium nitrate put 30 g per bucket. This solution is applied at 0.5 liters per plant. Strawberries are fed in early June, introducing a solution into the grooves made by the furrower on both sides of the row, at a distance of 10 cm from the base of the bushes. After top dressing, the grooves are leveled and loosen the soil in rows and between rows.
In the case when there is no rain for a long time, the strawberries on the mother plantation are watered (3 liters of water per bush). With prolonged dry weather, watering is repeated. During the period of rooting rosettes, the area must be watered completely. After each watering, the soil is loosened if the sockets have not yet taken root.
Seedlings are grown in two ways. The first way - sockets are rooted at the place where the mustache is formed and are selected from the plantation during the harvesting of planting material. The second way - mustaches with rosettes at the beginning of their rooting are separated from mother plants and planted on picking ridges. When they take root, they are selected and planted.
When grown according to the first method, the seedlings are watered (if there is no rain), usually at the moment when the first mustache rosettes are just beginning to take root. Then they loosen the soil, lay out a mustache with rosettes in the aisles, deepening them a little and sprinkling them with earth. You need to make sure that the mustache is not stretched: they should lie freely. Rosettes laid in this way quickly form their own root system and feed on both mother plants and their own roots. To get good quality seedlings, 3 sockets are left on one mustache, while cutting off the rest of it.
Seedlings rooted on the mother plantation are often harvested manually. Plants are dug up with a bayonet, sorted and tied into bunches.
A good seedling is one that has at least three well-developed leaves on short petioles and a healthy apical bud that is not damaged by the mite.
For spring planting, seedlings are grown using a pick. The picking site should have loose fertile soil. The ridges are made on a flat surface; from above they are covered with a mixture of sand with humus or peat with a layer of 3 cm, so that the soil does not compact during irrigation.
Harvesting seedlings for picking start after fruiting. Mustaches with developed rosettes in the initial stage of their rooting are cut off and swooped down on the ridges. Distance between rows - 5 cm, in a row - 4 cm. Planted plants are watered and covered with mats. In the evening, the mats are removed, the seedlings are watered again and left open overnight. In the morning they water it again, cover it with mats for a day, and continue this way for up to 7 days, until the sockets are well rooted. The plants are then kept uncovered and watered as needed. After 4 weeks, the seedlings are ready for planting.
With this method of cultivation, the uterine plots can be normally processed throughout the second half of the summer. The quality of planting material is greatly improved. But more labor is spent on preparing seedlings.
In autumn, with the onset of persistent frosts up to 8 ° C, in the absence of snow cover, the beds are covered with straw or woody leaves, laying out poisoned baits for mice. In the spring, the seedlings are dug up and tied into bunches of 50 pieces.
Harvested seedlings are immediately added dropwise - both in autumn and in spring. To do this, grooves are made 10 cm deep and bundles of plants are laid on the slope of their side walls. The roots are covered with loose earth and pressed tightly, then watered and covered with matting on top. Dip in a shady place. Here, seedlings can be stored for 4 days. In hot weather, it is watered daily.
Seedlings intended for long-distance transportation are packed in wooden slatted boxes, laying them horizontally. The roots are covered with moss, and the leaves are covered with fine, dry straw to prevent self-heating. An inscription is made on the box with seedlings, indicating the variety and number of plants.
Growing planting material with seeds
Varieties of strawberries that do not give a mustache are propagated in different ways. It can be propagated by dividing the bush, which is usually carried out in August, and it can also be done in spring, in May.
Propagated by strawberries and seeds.
First way. Sow in winter, in January or February. The boxes are filled with well-fertilized earth (2 buckets of humus, 2 buckets of earth and 1 bucket of sand), the earth is leveled and lightly tamped. Then the seeds are sown according to the scheme 2 by 2 cm and covered with sand with a layer of 1.5 cm, watered well. Then the box is placed in a plastic bag and placed in a warm but dark place. Seedlings appear after 10 days. After that, a box with seedlings is placed on the window. Seedlings do not need any additional illumination and heating at this time, except for watering and adding soil to the leaves, if the seedlings are stretched. In late March or early April, when 2 leaves appear, the seedlings dive into small containers (peat pots or paper cups).
The second way. Take any small tray, place several Petri dishes on it. From the filter paper, cut out circles that would completely coincide with the bottom of the cup. Then moisten the paper with water and sow the seeds on it. Then also put the tray in a plastic bag or cover it with glass and put it in a dark place where the air temperature should be 25 ° C. From time to time the paper should be moistened with water. After a week, the seeds will germinate, and after a week and a half, the length of the root and the aerial part will be 1 cm. After that, the plants are transplanted into a wooden box filled with soddy soil and covered with thoroughly washed sand. With a blunt needle, take the “seedlings” from the Petri dishes and lay them in the grooves 3 cm from one another, and sprinkle with light earth mixed with sand.
For two or three months, strawberries grow in a wooden box until they have 5 leaves and a heart separates. Then the plant is planted in a permanent place.
Moisture-loving
Humidity not only soil, but also air is necessary for the plant throughout its life.
First of all, water and heat awaken the plant to life. The resulting roots absorb it from the soil along with dissolved mineral salts.
Water (by volume) is the main constituent of plants. It participates in the creation of organic substances and, in a dissolved form, carries them throughout the plant. Thanks to water, carbon dioxide dissolves, oxygen is released, metabolism occurs, and the desired temperature is provided to the plant.
That is why, when caring for strawberry crops, uniform and stable watering should be ensured (the water temperature should not be lower than 15 ° C).
Irrigation with cold water is one of the causes of mass disease of plants and a sharp decrease in yield. Warm water for irrigation can be obtained by using pre-filled containers and solar energy.
With a sufficient supply of moisture in the soil, growth, development and fruiting proceed normally; lack of moisture sharply reduces the yield and product quality. The moisture content in the tissues of the strawberry leaf for the normal operation of the plant must be at least 90%. With a decrease in it even by 10%, the leaves wither, their work is disrupted. The exactingness of plants to moisture in terms of growth and development is not the same. Therefore, the main periods of watering should be carried out in the following periods: after flowering, during the ripening of berries, and also during the harvesting of berries, since they do not ripen at the same time, after harvesting, in late August or early September and late autumn for next year's harvest. The best method of watering is in furrows or overflow. In very hot periods, watering can be done by sprinkling.
A break in watering makes the roots, in search of water, rush to the lower part of the loosened layer, which improves the supply of the plant not only with water, but also with food.
With a lack of moisture, the plant ages prematurely, the leaves turn pale, coarsen.
Excessive soil moisture is also undesirable, since excess moisture displaces oxygen from the soil, which disrupts the respiration of the roots.
From the air, plants receive the carbon dioxide they need, which is the only source of carbon nutrition.
The relative humidity of the air has a great influence on the development of plants. Therefore, strawberries should be provided with uniform and stable watering.
For more efficient use and prevention of water runoff, it is necessary to irrigate in several steps. Their frequency can be determined by the degree of soil moisture at a depth of up to 30 cm. If the soil in the hands crumbles and is dry, watering is necessary, if it is slightly moist, then the water is normal.
Damp soil speaks of waterlogging - very harmful to strawberries. During the growth of the bushes, the interval between waterings is on average 10 days, during the beginning of the filling of berries, the interval should be reduced to 5 days. If the weather is rainy, therefore, the interval between waterings is also adjusted.
The lack of moisture after fruiting (end of July) delays the normal development of new horns, leaves, the formation of new adventitious roots, which in turn leads to poor laying of axillary and flower buds, and consequently, to a decrease in the next year's harvest.
Varieties such as Aelita, Pozdnyaya iz Zagorye, Novinka, Leningradskaya Pozdnaya react especially negatively to the lack of moisture in the soil during the summer-autumn growth phase. Therefore, in those areas of the middle belt, where unstable soil moisture is usually observed (southeastern regions of the central non-chernozem zone), strawberry irrigation is an obligatory agricultural method.
During the spring growth period (April and May), this need for strawberries is abundantly covered by the natural reserves of moisture in the soil, so there is no need to carry out additional watering.
Light-loving
Strawberries are light-loving plants and should be planted in well-lit areas. When shading, strawberries grow well, give many lashes and rosettes, but bear fruit poorly. This happens because when shading, the flower buds of strawberries are laid late and less intensively than in good light. Therefore, it is better to allocate separate areas for strawberries, and not plant them in gardens, parks and semi-shaded places. In the aisles, strawberries can only be kept in young gardens, until the trees have grown strongly and do not shade the aisles.
Flowering and pollination
Unlike other fruit and berry crops, strawberries do not finish growing in autumn. It stops with the onset of stable low temperatures. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts and a positive temperature (8 ° C) is established, the growth of the plant immediately resumes. Thus, the spring growth of strawberries is, as it were, a direct continuation of the growth of the plant, interrupted by low temperatures in autumn. This explains the very slight difference between the individual varieties in the timing of the beginning of the growing season.
Separation of buds occurs 16 days after the start of growth, and after 20 days, depending on the variety and weather conditions, flowering begins. The entire period from the beginning of the isolation of buds to the end of flowering lasts 50 days, and the flowering period is up to 20 days. There are large fluctuations in the timing of flowering between individual varieties (in some years - up to 23 days), which is explained by the unequal requirements of varieties to a set of external conditions (primarily to temperature and humidity) necessary for the transition of plants from one phase of development to another.
The timing of strawberry flowering depends not only on the average daily temperature and the sum of effective temperatures, but also on a complex of other external conditions: air humidity, lighting period and its intensity, plant nutrition, etc.
The flowering period of strawberries is very long and for each variety averages 25 days. This largely depends on the non-simultaneous isolation of inflorescences on the plant and the blooming of flowers on the inflorescence. Flowers bloom sequentially, according to the order of their arrangement in the inflorescence. The flowering period of each flower under favorable pollination conditions lasts 2 days, under unfavorable conditions - 4 days. From the beginning of the blooming of the flower of the first order to the end of the flowering of the last flowers in the inflorescence, it takes from 6 to 17 days, depending on the degree of dissection of the inflorescence and weather conditions.
The inflorescence is an irregular semi-umbrella or shield. All varieties of strawberries differ sharply both in the number of peduncles on one plant and in the number of flowers in the inflorescence. For example, the Komsomolka variety has an average of 17 flower stalks per plant, while the Sharpless variety has only 3. The Saxonka variety has an average of 16 flowers per inflorescence, while the Mysovka variety has 6. An even greater difference is observed in the number of flowers per plant.
A longer flowering period is characterized by varieties that have a large number of peduncles on the plant and the most multi-flowered inflorescences (Abile, Komsomolka, Pavlovskaya beauty, Saxonka). Varieties Mysovka, Winner, Koralka give the smallest number of peduncles and flowers on one plant and their flowering period is shorter.
Strawberry flowers are bisexual and unisexual (male or female). Most varieties of large-fruited strawberries have bisexual flowers with normally developed stamens and pistils. Significantly fewer varieties with same-sex female flower; in such varieties, pistils are normally developed and stamens are underdeveloped.
Varieties of large-fruited strawberries with a single-sex male flower (well-developed stamens, but underdeveloped pistils) are found only among weed varieties. Of the most common varieties, the varieties Komsomolskaya Pravda, Abundant, Late from Leopoldsgall, Miracle of Keten have a same-sex female flower. Other varieties have bisexual flowers.
Ripening terms
The ripening period and fruiting period of strawberries depend on the biological characteristics of the variety and the meteorological conditions of the year. In the more southern regions of the non-chernozem belt, strawberry ripening usually begins 10 days earlier than in the northwestern. Early varieties begin to ripen from June 25, late - July 4. In the northern regions, early varieties begin to ripen on average July 5, late - July 15. By years, the difference in the initial ripening time of the same variety can sometimes reach 20 days.
Despite changes in ripening terms depending on the conditions of the year, the sequence of ripening varieties is always preserved. Therefore, all varieties are divided into 3 main groups according to the ripening time: early, medium ripening and late.
The group of early varieties includes Roshchinskaya, Mysovka, Beauty Zagorya, Abundant, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Druzhba, Zarya, Biryulevskaya early, Minsk. In the northern regions, ripening begins in late June or early July.
The varieties Druzhba, Zarya and Biryulevskaya early ripen especially early.
The group of mid-ripening varieties includes Aelita, Novinka, Pavlovskaya beauty, Severnaya Urozhnaya, Festivalnaya, Saxonka, Large-fruited, Louise, etc. This group of varieties is the most numerous and the most heterogeneous. The beginning of ripening falls on average on July 10. In the limit of this group, there are large deviations from the average terms depending on the year of observation, and the sequence of distribution of varieties by ripening terms is often violated. Closer to the early varieties from this group are Festivalnaya, Novinka, Pionerka, Aelita. In some years, in the Festivalnaya variety, the fruits begin to ripen simultaneously with early varieties (Komsomolskaya), but more often - simultaneously with varieties of medium ripening.
The group of late varieties includes Late Leningradskaya, Late from Zagorye, Late from Pavlovsk, Velikan, Harvest. Of these four varieties, the late Leningradskaya is somewhat closer to the middle varieties in terms of ripening, the beginning of fruit ripening in it falls on July 13, while in other varieties it begins on July 17.
Strawberry varieties are distinguished by an extended period of fruiting, which is associated with the non-simultaneous isolation of inflorescences on the plant, as well as the sequence of flowering, setting and ripening of fruits on the inflorescence.
The fruiting period of most varieties, depending on the variety and weather conditions, is up to 30 days. The shortest period of fruiting (22 days) is in the Mysovka, Novinka, Zarya, Marshall varieties, the longest (32 days) is in the varieties Abile, Beauty Zagorya, Pavlovskaya beauty, Leningradskaya late and Pozdnaya from Pavlovsk.
A large difference in the ripening period and the length of the fruiting period of strawberry varieties makes it possible to ensure a uniform supply of fresh fruits within 60 days.
Strawberries are rightfully considered one of the most delicious and fragrant treats among many garden and forest berries. But this southern heat-loving plant requires special care and knowledge of growing technology. Therefore, when planning to start a strawberry plantation, you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of agricultural technology in advance.
Ripening terms
In the process of studying the features of this culture, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in different sources strawberries can be called garden strawberries. In fact, this is her real botanical name. However, in common usage, we call a large garden berry a strawberry, and one that grows in the forest, a strawberry. It is much smaller than the garden one, has a different taste and is especially fragrant.
The fruiting period of strawberry culture falls on the first half of summer. Ripening times vary depending on several factors.
- region of growth. For this heat-loving plant, climate, abundance of sun, warm and dry weather are very important. Therefore, in different regions of a vast country, the ripening time for strawberries will vary.
- Variety. Strawberries are divided into two types: regular (with one fruiting period per season) and remontant (multiple fruiting).
- Growing method. There are differences in maturation time between outdoor plantings, greenhouse cultivation and wild growth.
To understand the abundance of factors, it is necessary to consider each of them in more detail.
For regular varieties
Strawberry varieties classified as a common variety bear fruit once per season, are characterized by abundant mustache formation and weigh an average of 25-50 g. A strawberry bush can grow and actively bear fruit in one place for 3-5 years, after which it requires transplantation and renewal. mother bushes.
In terms of ripening, common varieties are:
- early - 2-3 decade of May;
- mid-early - early June;
- medium - mid-June;
- late - the beginning of July.
On strawberry seed bags, the type of ripening must be indicated. In this case, you can purchase different varieties and provide yourself with a harvest from mid-May to July inclusive.
It is more difficult to guess with seedlings, so if you plan to plant each type of berry, then you should take mustaches or bushes only from familiar gardeners.
For repair look
Remontant strawberries, bred by breeders, that is, capable of flowering and fruiting several times a season, quickly gained popularity among gardeners.
Its main advantages include:
- undulating maturation during the summer;
- high yield, 2-3 times higher than the yield of conventional varieties;
- the absence of a mustache, which facilitates weeding and does not allow the bushes to block the aisles between the rows.
The disadvantages of remontant strawberries include a shorter period of plant productivity - they need to be updated every two years. And also this type of berry requires more fertilizers for high-quality filling of fruits.
The fruiting time of remontant strawberries covers all three summer months. The first wave begins in June, the second - in July, and in the third wave the strawberries will ripen in August. With favorable weather and the absence of heavy rains, remontant varieties can bear fruit until frost.
For meadow
Wild strawberries have their own fruiting periods - they bear fruit once a season for a month. This is useful to know so as not to miss a trip to the forest for fragrant berries. It is even better if the summer cottage is located near strawberry lawns or a forest known for its berry lands.
The fruiting of meadow (or field) strawberries in central Russia begins in mid-June and ends in July. Wild strawberries ripen about a week later than meadow strawberries due to the trees' limited amount of sunlight.
A wild berry bears fruit once per season, and the ripening time varies depending on the climatic zones.
When will the berry ripen in various regions of Russia?
As noted above, the ripening time of strawberries is affected by the climate of the area in which it grows. On the vast territory of our country, climatic zones can vary dramatically, so the strawberry crop ripens in different periods with a difference of up to a month or more. The southern regions begin to harvest strawberries at the end of May, while the northern regions wait for the harvest only by July.
Consider three points of a conditional triangle on the map of Russia in order to better navigate the approximate dates of strawberry ripening at the place of its growth.
In the Urals
Strawberries are successfully grown even in the northern regions of the country, including the Urals. However, the climatic features of the area require compliance with certain rules.
For example, for cold zones, it is recommended to plant strawberries in the fall, more precisely, in late August - early September. The bushes will have time to take root in the warmed earth, take root and calmly overwinter. But planting in the spring has certain risks - sudden frosts can destroy an unrooted plant.
For the conditions of the Urals, you can choose early ripe cold-resistant varieties of ordinary garden strawberries. They ripen in June, and with sunny weather and moderate rains, you can get a quality crop.
Remontant varieties are also great for the Urals. In this case, the berry can be harvested from the end of spring, when it gives about a third of the total seasonal harvest, until the very end of August.
In the Krasnodar Territory
The southern regions are, for obvious reasons, the most favorable for growing strawberries. Early spring, fertile soils, hot sun allow you to get an excellent harvest on an industrial scale.
If the weather does not fail, then Krasnodar strawberries appear on store shelves in the first decade of May. These are early maturing varieties. Toward the end of May, the mid-season ripens, followed by the middle and late. The fruiting period lasts until early July, if we are talking about ordinary varieties of garden strawberries. A remontant berry in a southern sunny climate can be harvested from early spring until frost.
In outskirts of Moscow
The central strip of Russia is famous for its unstable summer and frequent rains in its first half. In this regard, the ripening time of strawberries is several weeks behind the usual ones. The harvest ripens by mid-June, and if the weather is cool and cloudy, then towards the end of the month. In the Moscow region, strawberry fruiting lasts 3-4 weeks, capturing the whole of July, which, as a rule, is warm and sunny.
Heavy rains can significantly damage young berries - the fruits begin to rot. Therefore, if strawberries grow on open ground, it is advisable to lay a layer of mulch or covering material under the bushes a few days after flowering.
Thus, the growing fruits will not be on the ground during the rain and will not rot, because it is difficult to keep track of each berry, and it is especially a pity to lose a crop when there is so little of it.
How to speed up the process in your area?
Some gardeners grow strawberries in greenhouses in order to shift the ripening time to an earlier period. However, towards the end of summer in a greenhouse, strawberries are at risk of overheating - the atmosphere under polycarbonate may be too stuffy and humid for it. This, in turn, will not make you wait for various fungal diseases.
The best option for ripening at an earlier date would be planting strawberries in greenhouses under lutrasil. With the onset of heat, arcs are installed on the bed allotted for strawberries and covered with non-woven material.
If strawberries are already growing in the garden, then you can install a greenhouse as soon as the thermometer stops dropping below -5 degrees.
The space covered with lutrasil will warm up faster under the spring sun and allow the soil to thaw, so that the growing season will begin earlier in the plants.
Covering material can remain over the bed all season - it will protect plantings from heavy rains, reduce the risk of rotting berries and protect against sudden frosts. Under it, strawberries feel good and ripen well, but during flowering for a day, it is imperative to fold back the covering canopy. This is done so that beneficial insects can pollinate strawberry buds.
Another effective way to speed up fruiting is covering the row spacing with a black opaque cloth. The dark surface will attract the sun's rays - the soil will warm up quickly. Shoots of young weeds under the material will simply burn out, which is an additional plus.
To speed up the start of flowering, the bushes are watered with water heated to 60 degrees. This procedure is also a prevention, as it kills the larvae of the spider mite.
After the top layer of the earth thaws, it is necessary to cut off the dry leaves, and remove the mulch laid in the fall from the roots - the damp old mulch will delay the warming of the soil and delay the fruiting period.
The list of methods for obtaining an early harvest also includes timely planned watering, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, loosening row spacing to ensure oxygen access to the roots. Do not forget about preventive means of combating fungal diseases and insect pests.
You can watch a video about the timing of strawberry flowering below.
Wild strawberry
Name: Wild strawberry.
Other names: Sunitsa, drifting snow, berry.
Latin name: Fragaria vesca L.
Family: Rosaceae (Rosaceae)
Lifespan: Perennial.
plant type: Herbaceous plant.
Roots: Horizontal or oblique rhizome.
Trunk (stem): The stems are erect or ascending, slightly exceeding the basal leaves, covered below with protruding, adpressed hairs above.
Height: 5-20 cm tall.
Leaves: Leaves trifoliate, basal - on long protruding hairy petioles; leaflets sessile, almost oval-rhombic, dark green above, sparsely appressed, light green below, densely covered with adpressed silky hairs, with large triangular or rounded teeth along the edge, ending in short reddish points.
tendrils: Long creeping tendrils rooting at the nodes.
Flowers, inflorescences: Flowers regular, on thin long appressed hairy pedicels, in few-flowered corymbose inflorescence; petals (there are 5 of them) are white, ovate or rounded, with a short claw.
flowering time: Blooms in May-June.
Fruit: Fruits are berry-shaped, drooping, conical, ovoid or round, bright red, covered with achenes to the base.
ripening time: Ripens in late June-early July.
Smells and tastes: Strawberries are the most delicious and fragrant of all wild berries. Its wonderful smell. Nothing compares to it. It combines the aromas of roses and honey, and apples, and even pineapples.
collection time: Berries are harvested early in the morning, when the dew has come down, or at the end for those without calyxes and stalks, since, collected during the dew, they quickly deteriorate and wither in the heat. The leaves are harvested during flowering with a petiole up to 1 cm long.
Features of collection, drying and storage: The leaves are cut off or cut with scissors, holding the petiole with the other hand (otherwise the plant will be uprooted with a rhizome). From each plant, you need to take only a part of the leaves to enable fruiting. The collected leaves are spread in a thin layer on a tarpaulin or burlap in the shade on the street or in a well-ventilated area and dried, stirring from time to time. The yield of dry leaves is 20%. Raw materials are stored in dry, dark, cool rooms.
Ripe fruits are sorted (cleaned, overripe or damaged are thrown away), laid out in a thin layer on sieves, sieves or gauze-covered frames, dried for one day in the sun, and then dried in fruit and vegetable dryers at a temperature of 45-65 ° C. Drying is considered complete when the fruits clenched in a fist do not stick together and do not stain the palm. The yield of dry fruits is 12.5%. Dried fruits are stored in bags in dry ventilated areas.
Leaves can be stored for no more than 1 year, berries - 3 years.
plant history: Wild strawberry is a very ancient plant, the culture of which was known to people of the Stone Age, it is mentioned by ancient poets Virgil and Ovid. But in Europe it began to spread widely only from the beginning of the 18th century, in Russia and Ukraine - from the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Pastor Kneipp, a physician who lived and worked at the beginning of the 20th century, wrote that people who eat a lot of strawberries never get sick. These words are often said about other fruits and berries, but it is no coincidence that Kneipp, who created a system for the complex treatment of various serious ailments, named strawberries.
In the ancient treatises of Tibetan medicine, strawberries are called the "queen" of the plant world, because it has the richest chemical composition. It is believed that this berry contains many yet unexplored substances, which, perhaps, make it so healing.
Traditional healers have long noticed the healing properties of strawberries. In an old herbalist it is written that it cures "from the suffering of the heart, caused to the heart by unrest, and makes the heart cheerful." Interestingly, the strawberry berry is shaped like a heart.
Spreading: In Russia, wild strawberry is found throughout the European part (except for the Black Sea and Lower Volga regions), in the Caucasus, in Western and Eastern Siberia; in Ukraine - in forest areas, as well as in the northern and middle parts of the Forest-Steppe.
habitats: Grows in coniferous and mixed forests, forest clearings, forest edges, among bushes, dry meadows and grassy slopes.
Culinary use: Strawberries are eaten fresh, canned, jams, compotes are made, mousses are made and much more. “Tea from strawberry leaves is not enough to say useful - it is unusually tasty! Try it for sure! Like it!” (Makhotin S.A. Walks in the forest. M, White City, 2008, p. 126)
Use in cosmetics: In dermatology and cosmetics, fresh juice or infusion of dried fruits remove freckles, spots on the face, treat acne, lichen and eczema. For facial skin care, fresh juice, crushed fruits (lotions and nourishing masks before bedtime) and an infusion of fresh fruits on vodka (as a lotion) are used. With such care, the skin becomes fresh, clean and elastic, fine wrinkles disappear.
Interesting Facts: “Strawberry is one of the best medicinal berries of our flora. She has no equal! In terms of its importance, the effect of strawberries on the human body can not be overestimated.
The ripening period of berries is short - about 3-4 weeks, but even with this restriction, you need to consume at least one glass of berries per day every day. It should be eaten raw, with milk, cream, sour cream, sugar or wine. Give it to the children, let's have a lot. Do not spare money for the purchase of strawberries. Do not consider it pampering or luxury, but consider it necessary, like bread, cereals, potatoes.
Strawberries originated from wild strawberries, and they have a lot in common in their effect on the body. Therefore, the aerial part and strawberries can be used with the same success. (V. Orekhov. Green Pharmacy. Simferopol, 2003, p. 111)
Signs, proverbs: “The spool is small, but expensive” - this proverb can be fully attributed to strawberries.
medicinal parts: Medicinal raw materials are ripe fruits, flowers and leaves.
Useful content: The berries contain up to 15% sugar, up to 80% water, as well as organic acids, fiber, alkaloids, salts of iron, phosphorus, calcium, cobalt, manganese, B vitamins, carotene, ascorbic and folic acids, essential oil, phytoncides. Vitamin C, tannins, essential oil, alkaloids are found in the leaves; in the roots - tannins. In terms of the presence of vitamin C among berry crops, strawberries are second only to black currants.
Actions: The popularity of strawberries as a dietary and therapeutic agent is explained by their taste qualities with a wide range of therapeutic effects.
Strawberry fruits quench thirst, stimulate appetite, improve digestion, have a diuretic and choleretic effect, have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic properties, act as a hypoglycemic and antithyroid agent.
It is especially useful to use fresh fruits . A positive therapeutic effect is observed in hypertension, atherosclerosis, gastritis, colitis, atonic constipation, cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, spleen diseases, gout, diabetes mellitus and hypochromic anemia.
Strawberry fruits widely used externally. Fresh Juice or dried fruit infusion used as an anti-inflammatory and deodorant for rinsing the mouth and throat, as an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of minor wounds and cuts.
leaf infusion taken for hypertension, atherosclerosis, to improve heart function, in the treatment of hepatitis, edema, neurasthenia, insomnia and bronchial asthma, as well as stones in the liver and kidneys, skin rashes, diabetes mellitus, gout and others salt metabolism disorders. The infusion helps in case of colds that occur at high temperatures and coughs, with gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, atonic constipation, diarrhea, spleen diseases, beriberi, anemia and profuse night sweats. An infusion of the leaves is also used for local treatment (compresses for weeping and bleeding wounds, gargles for purulent inflammation of the mouth and throat, and for deodorization of the oral cavity).
Use restrictions: REMEMBER, SOME PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, CAN BE ALLERGIC TO STRAWBERRY. THERE APPEAR ITCHING, Swelling of the EYELIDS AND THE WHOLE FACE, PEELING OF THE SKIN, ITCHING RASHES OF THE TYPE OF URTIVACY OR DIATHESIS. IN THIS CASE THE ACCEPTANCE OF BERRIES AND PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE STOP IMMEDIATELY.
Dosage forms:
Infusion of fruits . 2 tablespoons of dried fruits per 200 ml of boiling water. Drink 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day.
leaf infusion . 20 grams of leaves per 200 ml of boiling water. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.
leaf infusion . Pour 1 tablespoon of leaves with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 45 minutes, strain. Drink 1 glass 2 times a day (morning and evening).
Tea from berries and leaves . 1 tablespoon of a mixture of leaves and dried fruits of strawberries, taken equally, brew in 1 cup of boiling water. Drink as tea 1 glass 3 times a day.
Tincture external . 1 glass of fresh strawberries to insist 30 days on 300 ml of strong vodka. Strain. Use to treat the skin of the face (before use, dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 1).
Healing recipes:
Recover!
The decisive role in the ripening of strawberries belongs to the conditions of the climatic 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 ripening periods. 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 speed up the ripening of berries in the 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. In the middle lane, this is 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 the berries and warming up the soil will be accelerated by the method of mulching the row-spacing with lutrasil or a 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 mites, spill the middle of the bushes with hot water at a temperature of 60-65 degrees. Sprinkle the beds with ash and loosen to a depth of about 3 cm. Mulch with manure. Then close the landings again with a light non-woven material stretched over the 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.
Additional stimulation is needed to get an early harvest fruiting in the form of dressings and protective treatments against 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 the labor expended will be a good harvest!
Related Articles
Is it possible to mow all strawberry leaves
We all love this berry. In the spring, a lot of time and effort is spent on care before flowering, during it, during the formation, ripening of berries. We want more strawberries, they were larger, juicier, tastier. So, just after the harvest, you need to make every effort to improve, increase it next year. Strawberries need special care just after harvesting. This is the most crucial time for her and for us.
The first nitrogen fertilization (preferably from organic matter) is the spring fertilization of the mother plants themselves, in early May. It is impossible to allow busting with it so as not to disrupt fruiting, however, it must take place, since it will not only provide an increase in yield, but also “charge” the emerging mustache embryos in the right way.
This is a whole science! Firstly, you should have the most "berry" bushes marked, this should be done at the time of fruiting. For this I have a bunch of steel knitting needles with one bent end, I stick them next to the most productive bushes (in general, I estimate the size of the berries, the number of berries and flower stalks on the bush). The fact is that strawberries have a clear pattern: the most berry plants give fewer mustaches, but more “wild” individuals are stronger with greenery - foliage and mustaches.
Pavel Trannua is a soil scientist-ecologist, a gardener with more than 25 years of experience, known as the author of amazing books on how to cultivate your garden and vegetable garden so that the work does not seem hard labor, and the results always please. crops of large, juicy strawberries in your garden? Those who believe that the harvest of strawberries depends on the weather are mistaken. Experienced gardeners know: it depends on what kind of mustache you planted, when you planted it, where and how.
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Little Secrets of High Strawberry Yields
A bit of history
For strawberries to bear fruit, do not forget to water them after the snow has melted and the earth has dried. You need to do this a couple of times a week. Enough light should fall on the bushes, acidic soil is unacceptable. Fertilize the berry in the first decade of May. For these purposes, liquid make-up from water, humus and ammonium sulfate is suitable.
For greenhouse-grown strawberries, day length and light intensity are very important. The thing is that in order to lay fruit buds, she needs a short daylight hours, which is why it is recommended to plant strawberries in the fall. And already during flowering, the length of the day should be 15-18 hours.
Planting strawberries in a greenhouse is usually done more densely than in open ground.
To get a good harvest of strawberries in the spring, you need to start preparing planting material from the summer. It is necessary to start selecting uterine material for planting even when the first strawberries begin to ripen. In most regions, this is the end of May - the beginning of June.
Of course, during the "strawberry" season, it is not a problem to buy strawberries in a store or in a bazaar. But is it possible to be sure that the healing properties of the purchased berry correspond to its marketable appearance? A gross violation of agricultural cultivation, the use of chemical fertilizers and growth stimulants, and if we talk about the products of greenhouse plants, then the complete replacement of sunlight with artificial ones do their dirty work, turning a healing berry into a poisonous one.
Benefits of growing strawberries in a greenhouse
From the beginning of strawberry flowering, pollination of flowers, to the period of its ripening, it usually takes from four to five weeks. Everything will depend on the variety and the weather. The warmer it is, the less time it will take for the berries to ripen. It is during this period that it is necessary to take measures aimed at preserving the fruits.
The term "leaf mowing" refers to a number of activities in a fertile bed of strawberries of the first year. Some gardeners take the word "mowing" so literally that they go out into the garden with a scythe and even with a lawn mower, and not in July, but in August, and ignore all other methods. The results of such leaf mowing are always deplorable.
Why trim your mustache
Further, it is desirable to direct the growing mustache to the aisles. The strongest rosettes are those that crawl out into the aisle, you have seen this more than once. They are the juiciest and healthiest, because the soil between the rows is fresh, and inside the plot it is poisoned by root secretions. For the same reason, mustaches from old strawberry plantations generally turn out to be weak. The younger the plantation, the less the soil in it is poisoned by its own root secretions, the larger the mustache. The strongest mustache gives strawberries of the first year of fruiting. And the fact that the mustache, they say, interfere with fruiting is an overly strict rule. There are practically no losses for fruiting, on the contrary, sometimes, like this year, bushes burdened with a harvest do not have enough leaf surface to create sugars and total biomass, and mustache garlands create just that. Given the fact that we need to plant sockets no later than July, I allow the bushes to bear fruit and lay a mustache at the same time.
Selection of varieties and preparation of planting material
Therefore, if you just choose large mustaches from the plot, then over time your berries will be rare, but the tops are a feast for the eyes.
When to plant
Remove damaged or weak plants from beds. Do not forget about regular weeding so that weeds do not pull useful juices from the bushes. In August-September, apply potassium and phosphorus fertilizers to prepare fertile ground for the next harvest.
The planting scheme, according to agronomists, should be 25x30 cm, but in practice they often use an even denser planting of strawberries - 20-25 cm. Such a scheme allows you to place the maximum number of seedlings, and this guarantees a good harvest.
Before the first berries begin to ripen, it is necessary to clear the bed of weeds and loosen the aisles. If this work is done during the ripening of strawberries, then you can stain the berries. Weeds not only take nutrients from the soil, but also worsen the ventilation of the planting. They retain moisture for a long time, and this contributes to the defeat of berries with gray rot. In addition, weeds like to live insects - pests. Dandelion can cause strawberry disease (mycoplasma disease) when it has green petals, leading to a complete crop failure.
Soil preparation and planting seedlings
In fact, this most important stage in the care of strawberries includes not only removing leaves, but also loosening, treating pests and diseases, removing mustaches, replanting fallen plants and preparing seedlings for a new garden bed.
Surely, you already noticed during the harvest that strawberries (strawberries) give a lot of whiskers. Of course, it depends on the variety. Some cultivars have a lot of whiskers, some have little, and some may be completely hairless. We collected all the berries - carefully inspect the entire plantation. It is necessary to loosen the beds of garden strawberries, weed them from weeds, remove the mustache. Mustaches are required for strawberries to reproduce. If you do not want to get new rosettes, new plants for propagation, then you need to cut them off immediately after they appear. Usually there are several mustaches on one bush, we collect them in one bunch and cut them as close as possible to the base of the bush. By the way, this mustache trimming procedure will have to be repeated more than once per season. If we start, we don’t do it on time, then the plant will spend all its energy on growing mustaches, rosettes - the future crop will get less, there will be fewer flower buds, which means there will be fewer berries, they will be smaller. Everything superfluous for the future harvest must be cut off. In addition, this is necessary so that the strawberries do not thicken, since thickened plantings are more difficult to care for.
Why in July? Since we want to harvest a big crop next year, we must have large bushes (small bushes cannot produce numerous large flower stalks and, accordingly, berries). The bushes will be tall only if we collect the very first rosettes from the mustache, transplant them with a clod of earth and give them two warm months to grow.
Secondly, only large mustaches should be taken from productive bushes. The larger the bush, the larger the berries, which means that the harvest is twice - three times higher. Remove all small antennae. If a variety is so valuable that you need to keep as many whiskers as possible, you should distinguish genetically small whiskers from unripened small ones. You will recognize the first ones by their frail size with already formed roots and several real leaves - they will not be of any use, no matter how much you conjure over them. The latter usually do not yet have roots, but they can be “pulled out” in a greenhouse under a film, it is quite possible to get offspring from them.
The sooner you plant your mustache, the better. If the mustache has matured, it is just right to transplant them at the end of July. It is possible - in August, and in September - as a last resort.
Each type of soil requires the addition of additives to enhance the yield of strawberries. So, loamy areas require a mixture of peat and manure to be added to every square meter in the fall. If the soil is sandy, then you need to enrich it with soddy soil, peat, sawdust and humus.
The main disadvantage of growing strawberries indoors is that in small backyard greenhouses it is impossible to ensure its natural pollination. And since if strawberry flowers are not dusty, then there will be no berries, you have to do artificial pollination. This is done when the strawberries bloom. This process is simple, but rather time-consuming, requiring patience and care. For pollination, you need to tilt flowering plants towards each other and shake slightly a couple of times. The main thing for a good harvest is to pollinate all flowers in this way.
The technology of planting strawberries in a greenhouse using black agrofibre is not particularly difficult, although it is somewhat different from the usual one. Using sharp scissors, a cruciform incision is made in the agrofibre, so that 2-3 fingers can be inserted into it. A hole of the required depth is made with the fingers, the roots of a strawberry seedling are pushed into the incision, inserted into the hole and sprinkled with earth. The plants on which the berries ripened first are marked with pegs. When a strawberry bears fruit, it grows a so-called mustache, with rosettes of new plants at the end. On the bushes marked with marks, we leave the strongest rosettes, on one bush no more than 5, we remove all extra mustaches with rosettes without regret. From this moment until mid-August, the care of strawberry bushes consists in constant watering and maintaining the soil in a loosened state. As a result, from each marked bush by the beginning of September we get 5 young well-developed strawberry bushes. In such a simple, albeit rather laborious way, planting material is prepared for planting in the autumn in a greenhouse.
So where is the way out? The answer is obvious: you need to grow strawberries yourself, but at the same time have not only the desire to grow, but also the necessary knowledge of its agricultural technology.
Seven days before ripening, when the berries have not yet turned white, but have already formed to the desired size, they are fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers. It is usually done simultaneously with the introduction of a potassium solution. To do this, take 10 g of fertilizer per bucket of water. This solution can be sprayed on strawberry leaves. This will enhance the intensity of coloring of the fruit, give the skin shine, strength and resistance to decay. But in some varieties, after such feeding, the mass of berries even increases.
Not so long ago, walking along my dacha street, I saw that my friends were mowing strawberry leaves with a scythe. They have a large berry plot - several acres - they cannot do without a scythe, as they believe. At first I thought that they decided to get rid of the old strawberries in this way, they say, it's time to start a new plantation. But it turned out that everything is not so. The owner of the dacha said that they mow the leaves of strawberries every year, three or four weeks after the last harvest. And this year, some circumstances prevented them from doing it on time and they mowed in mid-August. The strawberry harvest, according to them, is good all the time, it gets sick less. If you have a large plantation and it is more than 3-4 years old, then you can follow the example of my friends. There is another reason for completely cutting strawberry leaves with a scythe or secateurs (scissors) - this is a strong defeat of plantings by diseases and pests. After complete cutting (mowing) of the leaves, the plantation should be treated with some fungicide or pesticide. Be sure to feed your strawberries - help her quickly build up leaf mass. It is not necessary to carry out mowing on young healthy plantings of strawberries, this depletes the bushes and you deprive yourself of the harvest. How to care for strawberry beds after pruning or mowing I will repeat a little, but this is very important.
Care of planted plants
When to feed, fertilize
So, in late June - early July, our mother plantation finishes fruiting and mustaches grow on it at the same time, they are not ready yet. This time is especially responsible, because now the flower buds will be laid. Therefore, it is important to ensure that large weeds do not cover young rosettes with their leaves during the fruiting of strawberries, otherwise the stimulation by the sun will stop. And immediately after harvesting, a second nitrogen top dressing is necessary. This, firstly, will help the mother bushes themselves recover and lay flower buds for the next harvest, and secondly, it will hasten the mustache to start laying flower buds: they still have about 2-3 weeks to grow here. It's funny that at such a crucial moment, some gardeners use "solid mowing of foliage." So they want to see clean leaves! And plants, instead of creating flower buds, switch to the growth of "tops". Of course, this should never be done. Another thing is to cut off the lower reddening leaves to lighten the planting. Believe me, nitrogen top dressing will do everything that is needed, young leaves will appear very quickly. It is probably unnecessary to say that in dry weather it is advisable to water strawberries every evening, walking along the rows with a hose. new plantation. By the way, do not assume that the rest of the sockets are unsuitable. You might think that they will not give berries! Even if they give you, therefore, if you have only a few varietal plants, and you need to lay a large plantation, you can take all the sockets, including the smallest ones with root germs - plant them together with everyone else, only under transparent caps. Mustache transplantation is performed with a large clod of earth to preserve the roots. The distance between the bushes is about 40 cm, although you can plant more often.
Care for strawberries
This summer, flower buds and roots are laid that will produce next year's harvest, so take out plants with a large amount of land so that they "do not notice" the transplant. Such a mustache will give a strong harvest next year. If you plant mustache seedlings in the spring, you will get only single berries in the summer.
Clay soil should be loosened with sand, compost and sawdust, and peat soil with manure humus and sand. This will all affect the crop.
However, there is another method of artificial pollination, less expensive, although less reliable: using a portable fan. The jet of air coming from the fan is directed to flowering plants and thus transfers the fervor to neighboring flowers.
Since with this planting technology water is not poured into the hole, after the planting of the entire garden is completed, the planted strawberries need to be watered. The laid spunbond perfectly passes moisture, so you can not worry and water as usual. You can water manually, although if possible, it is better to install a drip irrigation system, which will greatly facilitate the care of strawberries planted in the greenhouse. In addition, drip irrigation will provide plants with maximum comfort during fruiting and harvesting.
The soil for planting seedlings must be prepared in advance, from spring. Usually high beds are made for growing strawberries. The simplest option is a box knocked down from ordinary boards, you can even uncut them. At the bottom of such a box, you can put the chopped branches left after the spring pruning of fruit trees and bushes. Then a ball of humus is poured into the box, leaving 18-20 cm to the top of the box for a layer of fertile soil. It is possible to enrich the soil with microelements in the spring by sowing a pea-oat, lentil-oat or vetch-oat mixture in a box.
To avoid the negative impact of the natural factor, today an increasing number of people who want to grow a good crop of strawberries prefer to grow it in a greenhouse. This is all the more beneficial because growing strawberries in the open field will allow you to consume fresh berries one, two months at most, if the varieties are correctly selected. But when grown in a greenhouse, not even heated, this pleasure can be stretched for 4-5 months.
Watering is necessary during the ripening period of strawberries. But with a sufficient amount of precipitation, watering is reduced. If there is little moisture, then the berries will turn out small, their quality will decrease. Then it will be impossible to fix it. And, as a rule, the very first fruits are large and a larger amount of the crop depends on them. It was noticed that the rest of the berries, no matter how well the beds were watered, would not be as large as the first ones. But do not overdo it with watering, as excess soil moisture will reduce the density of berries and activate fungal diseases. Usually, watering is carried out immediately after the ripe fruits have been harvested. Unripe green berries have a higher resistance to all kinds of rot. An increase in the water content in the berries will give impetus to the beginning of a new ripening phase.
Loosen the ground around the bushes.
Some gardeners do the wrong thing by feeding strawberries heavily before harvesting. This leads to the fact that it is strongly affected by gray rot, this is, firstly. Secondly, although the berries become large, they are watery, less sweet, and have a shorter harvest period. Early in the spring before flowering, we fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers. But, remember, the main fertilization should be after harvest. This is top dressing with complete mineral fertilizer and organic matter. Many bring manure under strawberries. This, of course, is good - manure not only nourishes the plants, but also takes care of the strawberry root system.
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How to increase the yield of strawberries? - Plant Magic
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By the way, the weather also greatly affects: as you know, flower buds are better laid not in the heat, but in cool weather. I noticed that strawberries bear fruit very well, planted in one row behind, say, a row of raspberries or currants (from the north), so that the sun falls only on the strawberry leaves, and the soil in front of it would not warm. The general temperature around such bushes is several degrees lower than during open planting. What affects the yield of berries?It basically boils down to two things: watering and weeding. Without this, growing strawberries is unthinkable for me, although many argue that strawberries bear fruit best when they grow by themselves in the grass ... As for seeds (and seeds are propagated, as a rule, by remontant strawberries, which give little mustache), they are recommended to be sown at home in February-March, simultaneously with tomato seedlings, and taken to the site in May, then the bushes will give the first berries the same in summer. I refused this modest harvest in favor of the quality of the plants and switched to June sowing. In summer, we grow seedlings in conditions of abundance of land and full sunlight (we sow on an ordinary bed under a film with shading from a stuck piece of plywood, and as soon as the seedlings appear, we remove the film and shading), and we get a completely different planting material than at home on the windowsill . In August, young bushes can be planted in a permanent place, and the next summer - a full harvest. Seedlings are planted in late July - early August. If, out of inexperience, you decide to plant strawberries in the spring, then the crop will consist of several berries. By adhering to these simple rules, you can please your family and friends with a delicious and fragrant berry already in late April - early May. And remember: if you do something, it may not work out, if you do nothing, then it definitely won’t work out. Does the yield depend on the type of soil?http://youtu.be/NnhVSqVSfkY Strawberry seedlings are planted in a greenhouse depending on the climatic conditions of the region. Most gardeners consider the optimal time for planting to be from mid-September to mid-October. By this time, you need to cut and bury the grown bean-cereal mixture in the ground. Proper planting of strawberry bushes is the key to the harvestAfter all, even in simple film unheated greenhouses, strawberries of early varieties can yield a crop 1.5-2 months earlier than in open ground. And all because the greenhouse protects strawberry plants from dangerously low temperatures, and also allows you to create an optimal air-water regime and lighting intensity for growth and fruiting. And these are the main factors for a high yield of strawberries. Birds cause great damage to the strawberry crop. There are many different methods of dealing with these feathered berry eaters. You can stretch the old tape along the beds. Shining in the wind, the ribbons make sounds that scare away birds. If the strawberry bed is small, then it is covered with "lutrasil", it transmits light well, and in very hot weather it will retain some of the sun's rays and save moisture in the soil. Thus, you will avoid unwanted overheating of plants, and especially fruits. In addition, the berries will be protected from gnawing pests. A similar method reduces the temperature of the fruit, increases the humidity, but for some time increases the ripening time of strawberries. Although this gives its positive result - the mass of berries increases, the amount of sugar in the fruit pulp increases. The Finns came up with a very interesting method. They lay out small pebbles painted with red paint on strawberry beds, which imitate berries. Birds, trying to peck at such “berries”, break their beaks, which discourages them from eating strawberries. Remove weeds. Hilling strawberries Yield cycles |
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HOW TO GET A HIGH HARVEST OF STRAWBERRY...
There will be no good harvest of berries without watering. In summer, the strawberry plot dries up very quickly, you can’t water it, so be sure to dry it somewhere on the side of the hay and spread it between the plants. The mulch will keep the soil moist and prevent the berries from rotting. Weeds will not destroy our favorite, after all, strawberries are a forest plant that lives along the edges in the grass, but weeds are too voracious, with them you can not count on the ultimate juiciness and size of the berry. I usually go over even clean rows with a hoe, and then manually pick out the surviving weeds. Strawberry itself resists weeds well, suppresses them, and it only needs help: remove the grass that managed to get inside the bushes. Removing old reddening leaves from strawberries is not a separate one-time event. This is a gradual rejuvenation of the bushes, which must be performed constantly: during weeding: along with the weeds, we cut off the reddening lower leaves.
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How to plant 
pruning strawberries and caring for them after harvest
The laying of fruit buds in strawberries (strawberries) occurs in June (Krasnodar Territory) - July (middle lane) after harvest. By this time, it is necessary to coincide with the first trimming of the mustache, leaves. The fact is that a strawberry leaf lives only 60-70 days - 2-2.5 months. And after that, various spots appear on the leaves - whitish, rusty, red. These are signs of leaf aging, the development of various diseases on them. That is, cutting the leaves of strawberries (strawberries) is necessary in order to protect the future crop from diseases. Trim leaves or whiskers with secateurs or scissors. Tools must be sharp. Do not tear them off with your hands - this way you can damage the root system. The plant, instead of building up leaf mass, will recover its strength for a long time. The process of chlorophyll production stops 2-2.5 months after picking the berries - even in healthy plants, the leaves may turn red. Tip: the reddened leaves should be removed to prevent the pests remaining on them from wintering quietly. Treat the plantation with pesticides. There is a danger that young leaves will not have time to grow after pruning - bare bushes may not survive the frosty winter. So, a month and a half after picking the last berries, we inspect the plantation of strawberries (garden strawberries) and remove all the leaves with specks, holes, while not forgetting to remove the flower stalks. We leave only young leaves. When to do it? In the middle lane - the first half of August. I will not say the exact date - it is not so important. Most importantly, calculate the timing so that your strawberries leave in the winter with young leaves already grown. How to prune strawberries if the plants are affected by diseases, pests
When to prune strawberries or how to care for them after harvest As for agricultural technology, in addition to nutritious soil, watering and the absence of weeds, the preparation of the whiskers from which you lay your strawberry plots is important. After all, while the rosettes on the mustache are gaining growth, flower buds are simultaneously laid in them for fruiting the next year. If you create strong and active flower buds at the rosettes, then they will allow you to get a fairly high yield next summer. 
By the end of summer, you will have a “family” of young mustaches from each bush. In September, it can be discharged: remove the thickening mustache and transplant it to another place (with a corresponding entry in the garden diary), maintain the required 30-40 cm between the remaining plants. Our goal is to wait for fruiting and compare the “families”, and then from the best start breeding to create large areas. Moreover, plants will show their true capabilities the more noticeable the greater the distance between the bushes: densely planted mustaches even in large-fruited varieties produce small berries. Scientists have proven that strawberries are a very healthy fruit, because they are a pantry not only for a huge amount of vitamin C but also antioxidants. Take care of the harvest so that this healthy berry is always on the table in the summer season! 
The main role is played by the choice of a strawberry variety that will bear fruit well. Here you need to rely not on advertising, but on specific climatic conditions. It should take into account the endurance of the variety in drought and the ability to resist fungal diseases. The size of strawberries does not always match its taste. A large berry is convenient for transportation, but does not have a special taste. Straw is harvested depending on climatic conditions at the beginning, middle or end of March, when the threat of severe night frosts passes. Protective material is best left for another week. And do not forget to monitor the temperature regime and soil moisture in the greenhouse. It is better to cover the loosened soil after adding organic residues with spunbond (black agrofibre). This is not a prerequisite, but when growing strawberries, spunbond performs a number of important functions. And if you don’t use it, then you will have to look for an alternative to fulfill them. When choosing, you should not be limited to 1-2 varieties of strawberries, but it is better to purchase 4-5, and of different ripening periods: from early to late. Firstly, this will allow you to stretch the pleasure of picking strawberries for 1.5-2 months instead of one, and if you also plant a variety of remontant strawberries, you will additionally take a second harvest from it for a week or two in September. And secondly, this way you can be completely sure that you will get a good harvest of strawberries planted in a greenhouse. 
According to legend, one day a French traveler found amazing red berries high in the Chilean Andes. He liked their taste so much that, among other curiosities, he brought home a whole bag of fragrant sweet berries and several plants. So strawberries under the name of garden strawberries came to the table of the French kings, who valued them almost on a par with gold. According to another legend, at the beginning of the 18th century, a Russian merchant bought several strawberry bushes, paying a chest of gold for them. It is very important that the earth in the garden is wet all the time - this is very important for the growth of young foliage. In the event that a strawberry bush or bushes are affected by a strawberry mite, there is severe spotting on the leaves, it is necessary to remove all leaves, even young ones. Leaves with signs of disease should be cut as close to the base of the bush as possible, since disease spores can also persist on petioles. Try not to touch the heart of the bush when pruning - the plant will be able to recover faster. By doing such pruning, you will not harm the bush, as strawberries grow green mass very quickly. By cutting off the old leaves, you will immediately see where you can loosen the ground, where you need to remove the weeds. Of course, by removing all the leaves from strawberries, you will not remove all pests and diseases. They will remain on the stumps of leaves, the ground. Simply, such a bed is easier to treat with drugs for diseases and pests. This processing is more efficient. 
The term "leaf mowing" refers to a number of activities on a fertile bed of strawberries of the first year. 
To do this, the sockets must be well stimulated, remaining in touch with the mother bush. If they grow somewhere in the thick of the garden on their own, and then in August or September the owner deigns to take care of them, then with such “agrotechnics” you will get a weak landing, it will gain strength for a year. Why can’t you just plant the purchased mustaches, see how they bear fruit, and after that get mustaches from the best? The fact is that in strawberries only young plants give a good mustache, from them you can get several dozen mustaches from one plant over the summer. That is, in this case, you are the master of the situation and can quickly create a plantation from any plant. If you remove all the whiskers in the first years, hoping to multiply them later, then you will not get much. So let the whiskers crawl and take root freely. An observant gardener knows that strawberries are like plantains: they take root beautifully on hard-packed soil. It is best when a strawberry plot forms a new row of mustaches around itself every year. I grow this crop in long rows among garden plants so that the strawberries have the opportunity to move to the place of, say, garlic (preferably not tomatoes and not potatoes because of their common diseases). It is very important not to transplant the mustache, but to allow the chosen ones to take root immediately in a permanent place - this is how the strongest plants are obtained. Thus, you will create new plantings of strawberries on the site instead of outdated ones. 
HOW TO GET LARGE, JUICY STRAWBERRY YEAR IN YOUR GARDEN? The right choice of beds for planting also affects the yield. Plant strawberries after beets, beans, carrots, onions or garlic. If tomatoes, potatoes or eggplants used to grow on your chosen site, then it will be possible to plant a berry on such a bed no earlier than three years have passed. 
For safety, you can put an electric heater in the greenhouse. Firstly, when the air is warm, the plants will start growing earlier, respectively, they will begin to bear fruit earlier. And secondly, then you will not be afraid of weather surprises in the form of night frosts, which often occur not only in April, but also in the first half of May. Firstly, he mulches the soil, thus protecting it from the appearance of weeds . Secondly, it helps maintain a comfortable soil temperature for strawberry plants, protecting them from freezing in winter and early spring. Thirdly, when using spunbond, strawberries will be protected from gray rot and diseases, since with this method of growing strawberries will not come into contact with the ground. But since this pleasure is not cheap, you have to use the berry that is already growing on your area. If you take care of her properly, she will also thank you with a good harvest. And although strawberries, as befits a queen, are quite picky, nevertheless, every self-respecting summer resident, not to mention rural residents, considers it his duty to plant at least a small garden bed. But, dreaming of a good harvest, he rarely gets it: either spring frosts will damage the color, then dry May will prevent the berries from growing large and juicy, then during ripening, flood rains lead to the fact that most of the crop will be lost. That's all the simple rules . Now you know how and when to prune strawberries (garden strawberries). A good harvest next year is guaranteed! Pruning strawberries here video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZCH1noq0NA Now you can feed the "rejuvenated" bed. At this time, as I said, fruit buds are laid - the basis of the future harvest, so do not forget to periodically water your strawberries. And if it doesn't rain, keep the soil moist. Top dressing, watering at this time are required. It is at this time that strawberries will increase their leaf mass, which in winter, covered with snow, will protect the root system from freezing. That is, the more foliage your bushes go into the winter, the better they will winter, the more harvest you will get. If during the harvest period you notice berries affected by gray rot - after harvesting the last berries, treat the entire plantation with some fungicide - it can be Bordeaux liquid, Topaz or Horus. http://ogorod23.ru/kogda-obrezat-klubniku / There is no definite answer to the questions - why and when to cut strawberries. Opinions of gardeners on this matter are different. Someone - for, someone - categorically against. Why do this if it seems to be known that the foliage feeds the root, they say, the more foliage, the stronger the bush? Yes, this is certainly correct. But ... Harvested - prepare for the next! Sounds like a slogan for a gardener. So, caring for strawberries after harvesting is preparing the plantation for next year's harvest. And pruning strawberry leaves is one of the stages of this care. What stimulates rosettes to form active flower buds? Two nitrogen supplements, fresh earth, plenty of sun. In a word, young bushes should feel the good conditions that they want to use.
Which mustache to give preference to?