In our gardens or vegetable gardens, we grow strawberries, the size of which often reaches the “dimensions” of good apricots, and the juiciness and sweetness will give odds to any purchased candy. Nevertheless, many of us are happy to get out for wild strawberries - small and cunning. For the sake of each berry, you have to bow well to the bushes and “pay tribute” to the vicious mosquitoes ... And still it's worth it! Someone earns a lot of money selling this gift of the forest, and someone just likes to pamper themselves and their families with this miracle of nature with amazing taste and aroma ... But when exactly does the meadow or forest strawberry ripen?
The beginning of berry ripening in the middle lane falls in mid-June. You can also collect it in July ... And then that's it! So do not put off a visit to the forest for a long time, because you can not try these juicy berries, especially useful for hearts and people of nervous professions.
But of course, these months are indicated for the Kiev region, the Moscow region and other regions of the "middle" climate. In warmer areas (say, in the South of Russia), this berry can be sold as early as the end of May, and in the northern regions, its collection traditionally continues until August.
Experienced pickers say that the first “wave” of berries is considered the most sour, even with a slight bitterness. But the farther, the sweeter the berries appear on the bushes.
Of course, the weather also affects the taste of this gift of forests or fields.
- If it rains all the time, strawberries stretch out of the ground of water and quickly rot, it can hardly be called sweet, it is watery and soft, sticking together in a box in a solid lump ... people simply say: “drislya”.
- If, on the contrary, the weather is too dry, berry growers bitterly notice that the berries are all small, dryish, and some have completely dried up on the branches.
- If the weather keeps the golden mean between sun and rain, on the ground you can see a scattering of juicy, scarlet, very fragrant berries, ready to explode with a real “shock wave” of a truly summer taste.
If we compare forest and meadow berries, then meadow berries are the first to please with a harvest. The thing is that it grows in open areas and it gets more sun. True, it often turns out to be smaller than the forest one (especially if it has not rained for a long time), while the red grains collected in the forest clearings delight with juiciness and cheerful color.
Where can you suddenly see a "colony" of this plant? On clearing, in planting, on the field, even often - along the road (but it's up to you to pick berries near the road or not).
It is better to collect this yummy in the morning (after the dew has gone) or in the evening. It is advisable not to get out into the forest during the rain - the berries must be dry, and in this case they will not be wrinkled and crushed in a basket.
Growing strawberries on the site: is there a difference in ripening time?
As the experience of many gardeners shows, yes! Moreover, we are not talking about “cultivated” varieties (such as remontant strawberries, less sweet, but larger than their forest relatives, ripening from June to autumn), but about a simple “wild game” transplanted from a forest clearing to a garden bed. Even if you do not create “super technological” conditions for the berry, you will still water it, weed it, and your garden will not be as shaded by trees as the areas where this berry grows in the forest are shaded. Therefore, gardeners say: homemade strawberries ripen a week or even two earlier than forest ones. Even if the forest is located at the end of the street where your dacha is located.
Important: if you are tired of feeding mosquitoes and you decide to plant a couple of bushes found in the forest in your garden, this is a good solution. The “guys” will quickly stretch over the entire garden, the taste of the berries will be the same as from the forest, they do not require frequent weeding (on the contrary, in the heat such a plant feels very comfortable surrounded by tall weeds). However, remember: you can transplant this plant at almost any time, except for the periods of fruit set and the end of fruiting.
By planting meadow or forest strawberries at home, you can not only be the first in the village to taste fresh seasonal berries, but also outdo collectors of "wild" strawberries who sell them in the markets. To do this, you just need to tighten the bed with bushes with a translucent film - in this case, the berries will ripen earlier for a whole week.
By the way, it is not forbidden to plant strawberries near its cultural counterpart - strawberries. Over time, the pollen from these plants will begin to mix and you will get very interesting tasting results. Let's say you can serve your guests ordinary-looking strawberries, but with a bright strawberry flavor.
And if you go to the forest a little earlier?
In this case, you will be able to collect flowers, as well as leaves and roots of this plant (they are considered especially useful during the flowering period). In dried form, they are a good component of an anti-cold herbal collection.
By the way, in the strawberry season, many berry growers like to pick up strawberries in bunches, along with twigs, and dry them in this form. From such a blank, a good winter warming drink is also obtained, adding a hundred points to immunity.
You love strawberries, but you just can’t find time to travel to the forest - or maybe there are no forests near your dacha (city, village)? Strawberries are easy to grow in your own yard. It will obediently bear fruit from the end of May until the end of summer, and even until the very frost. The main thing is to plant! How to do this, the blogger will tell in this video. And he will not only tell, but also show his beds, with well-groomed and abundant plants. We look, and do not envy, but remember to repeat in practice!
Strawberries are perhaps the favorite among other berry crops. It has a very high taste and therefore appeals to both children and adults.
Growing strawberries in a garden or garden plot is sometimes quite problematic - the berry requires special care. Those who nevertheless decided to take this step should study the features of this culture in advance. In this article we will talk about the timing of ripening berries. They, as a rule, depend on the chosen variety, as well as on the territory in which they grow.
Ripening dates for strawberries of remontant varieties
I must say that there are two types of strawberries: single fruiting (short daylight hours - KDS) and multiple (remontant). The latter variety, for obvious reasons, is gaining popularity every year. This is quite understandable, because the harvest is an order of magnitude larger. So, let's talk about the main features of this type.
The remontant strawberry differs from the ordinary one in that it has practically no antennae. In addition, it bears fruit and, accordingly, it ripens much earlier. The main feature is repeated fruiting. It happens in waves. For example, the first crop can be harvested in June, the second in early July, and the third, if possible, in mid-August.
As for the varieties of this variety, there are a lot of them today. Among the most popular are the following varieties: Albion, Bordurello, Vima Rina, Geneva, Temptation, Queen II, Lyubava, Maara Des Bois, Inexhaustible, Ostara ”,“ Primadonna ”,“ Referent ”,“ Superfection ”,“ Tristar ”,“ Flora ”,“ Hummi Gento ”,“ Charlotte ”,“ Evie ”, etc.
Let's add one more - large-fruited. The size of one berry can reach 50-75 g.
When strawberries ripen ordinary varieties
Strawberry KSD yields only once a year. It differs from remontant by a smaller mass of fruits (25-30 g), the presence of more developed mustaches.
Strawberries of single fruiting are divided into four groups: early, mid-early, medium, and also. Each group certainly has its favorites.
early varieties of strawberries
Mid-early varieties of strawberries
Medium varieties of strawberries
Late varieties of strawberries
There are not so many late varieties of strawberries. Here is the main list:
How to speed up the ripening of strawberries
It is noteworthy that the ripening period of strawberries can be accelerated. There are two easy ways to do this. The essence of the first is to use or covering material. This method allows you to harvest a week earlier.
There is another way - planting this crop in a greenhouse. Both the first and second methods are equally effective. Which one to use is up to the gardener to decide. In any case, in order to get a good harvest, you must not forget about the proper care of this crop.
Video about Florence strawberries
To answer the question of when strawberries ripen, you should know the region of its growth, the name of the variety and whether this variety belongs to disposable or remontant varieties. The ripening time is also affected by whether the plants were grown in the open field, in a greenhouse or under a film.
Which ripens first: strawberries or strawberries
Strawberries and wild strawberries are related plants, but confusion has occurred with their names. That berry, which is used to be called a strawberry, is actually correctly called a garden strawberry. There is also a forest berry, which is called strawberries.
In terms of ripening, wild strawberries are slightly behind strawberries. This is due to the fact that it grows in the shade of trees, which delays ripening by half a month. If the strawberry grew up in a sunny meadow, then it can ripen even earlier than its garden relative.
About the strawberry season: in Russia, in its middle latitudes, the strawberry season falls in mid-June and lasts from two weeks to a month. In the southern regions, the beginning of the collection may move to the end of May, and in the northern regions - to the beginning of July.
When the meadow strawberry ripens
When do wild field strawberries ripen? Meadow and field strawberries ripen earlier than forest strawberries, due to the fact that they receive more sunlight, but are inferior to forest strawberries in size and juiciness of berries.
Forest uncultivated strawberries are quite suitable for transplanting and growing in a garden plot, do not require any special care. At the same time, it will ripen half a month earlier than the one that grows in the neighboring forest, from where it was transplanted.
The decisive factor in the beginning of the term, when the strawberries ripen, is the air temperature. If at the initial stage of growth a sufficient temperature can be +2 ... +5 degrees Celsius, then during the ripening period, daytime temperatures should reach from +20 to +24 degrees, and nighttime temperatures from +14 to +17 degrees.
meadow strawberry
When the strawberries are ripe
According to the type of fruiting, strawberries are divided into varieties: bearing fruit once a year, and remontant (multiple fruiting).
Varieties that give birth once per season are divided into four types:
- early ones, starting to yield from the second decade of May;
- medium-early, lagging behind the early ones by a week;
- medium, the ripening period of which is shifted by a week from mid-early;
- late, their maturation occurs at the end of June.
The first harvest of remontant varieties roughly coincides with the first harvest of disposable strawberries, the average time when strawberries ripen may come in the first week of July, the last - in mid-August. Such varieties are many times more productive than disposable ones, but require more fertilizer and are less durable.
The strawberry season in Russia is very long due to the vastness of the country, so it is worth talking about the timing of its collection in accordance with the region where it grows.
Remontant strawberry
In the Moscow region (Moscow region)
Strawberry picking in Moscow begins in mid-June, but only if the weather is sunny and warm. If the rainy season fell on this period, then the time when strawberries ripen in the Moscow region is pushed back to the end of the month. Of course, adjustments should be made for the difference in terms depending on the variety.
Attention! In order to extend the season of ripe strawberries, it is recommended to grow varieties of different ripening dates.
In central Russia
There are a huge number of varieties suitable for cultivation in central Russia. The time when strawberries ripen in these areas depends on the variety and method of cultivation. The average terms in the Bryansk, Samara regions approximately coincide with those near Moscow. Using early varieties and certain agricultural practices, you can learn how to get ripe berries from the end of May.
- plant early varieties;
- to plant in the middle of summer, in extreme cases, no later than the beginning of September, so that the bushes have time to take root;
- cover the landing with a film or non-woven covering material.
In the conditions of the middle lane, strawberry plantings are usually reliably covered with snow, so there are no problems with overwintering. And yet you should know that in the absence of snow, temperatures below -10 degrees are dangerous - you need to take care of sheltering the beds.
In the Krasnodar Territory
In the Kuban, the harvest has been going on since the first days of May. The weather can make adjustments: if it rains during the ripening period, the berries can rot and lose their presentation, so it will be useful to know the weather forecast.
Attention buyers! If they offer strawberries in late June or early July and claim that they are from the Krasnodar Territory, do not believe it. Now, knowing when strawberries ripen in Krasnodar, it is easy to understand that the end of June is the time when strawberries depart.
The climate of Rostov is slightly different from that of Krasnodar, although it cannot be called cool either. And yet, the timing of harvesting garden strawberries is ten days behind its southern neighbor. In the farms of the Rostov region, strawberry varieties imported from the Crimea are grown.
Other regions
- in the Voronezh region - on the fertile chernozems of the Voronezh region, strawberries ripen by the tenth of June;
- in the Lipetsk region - the Lipetsk and Volgograd regions do not differ much from the Voronezh region in terms of climatic conditions, therefore, the dates when strawberries ripen here are the same;
- in the Nizhny Novgorod region - in his reviews, a gardener from the Nizhny Novgorod region writes that he picked the first two berries on June 14, so the season is open (it should last until the end of July).
In 2018, all temperature records were broken, so in all regions, the harvesting of strawberries came a little earlier than usual. If similar weather conditions occur in 2019, then the timing of the harvest will also have to be adjusted.
How to pick strawberries correctly and quickly
It seems that the answer to the question of when strawberries are harvested is clear - as soon as they are ripe. But not everything is so simple, because each variety has its own ripening time. That is why the approach to harvesting must be individual for each variety. The harvest time has come if the berry has turned red on all sides and if it is elastic enough, but not hard.
As already mentioned, garden strawberries do not ripen at the same time, so it is recommended to collect them constantly every other day until they run out. If the weather is hot, then the collection of ripe berries is carried out daily.
What time of day to clean? It is preferable to pick berries in the morning or in the evening, this is the most comfortable time for a person, and the berries themselves, not overheated by the sun, will be better preserved.
How to pick strawberries from a bush? Here are some tips:
- strawberries will not be preserved if they are picked without a stalk (if it is difficult to pick manually, it is worth using scissors);
- berries should be placed in flat containers in layers, but the number of layers should not be more than three;
- so that sticky debris does not remain on the strawberries, they must immediately be cleaned with a brush.
Proper and quick picking of strawberries
Do-it-yourself strawberry picker
A simple device will help to facilitate the process of picking berries - a “glass” combine harvester, which you can make yourself.
It is assembled from 27 wooden knitting needles with a diameter of 3 mm and a length of 24 cm, a circle made of plywood or plastic with a diameter of 77 cm, and a ring made of the same material with an outer diameter of 77 cm and an inner diameter of 57 cm. The circle is the bottom of the future "glass".
Stepping back from the edge of the bottom 5 mm around the circumference, you need to drill 27 holes with a diameter of 2.5 mm, distributing them evenly around the circumference. 27 holes are also made along the ring at the same distance, only their diameter should be 3 mm.
Now assembly:
- It is necessary to thread the knitting needles into the holes of the ring so that the ring is approximately in the middle of the knitting needles.
- Then connect the structure to the bottom, inserting the pointed ends of the knitting needles into the holes of the circle. In these holes, you must first place a drop of glue.
- The ring should also be fixed on the knitting needles with glue. A glass of knitting needles is ready.
When picking strawberries, a ripe berry, threading the petiole between the knitting needles, will come off along with the stalk, and roll down to the bottom of the cup.
From answers to common questions: do strawberries ripen after picking? In fact, a strawberry is not a tomato, and it is not capable of ripening. But gardeners have learned to eliminate this shortcoming. In order for the berries to ripen when assembled, they are covered with foil, but only so that it does not touch the berries (make a kind of tent), and leave for 6-8 hours. Then the berries are turned over and the procedure is repeated.
And yet it is much better to let the strawberries ripen in the garden, then it will surely please the gardener with excellent taste and the brightest strawberry aroma.
In general, I conduct various experiments on strawberries. Here is another know-how of mine. I noticed that there are no mouse nests next to daffodils. I planted strawberries in the fall of 2012, and there are daffodils along the edge, they don’t interfere with strawberries in the spring, the strawberries have not even started to grow, and they are already in bloom. I fed the daffodils and got the strawberries. The daffodils will move away, and I will water and feed the strawberries and the flowers will get and they will be pretty next spring. It's not a secret to get large flowers on bulbs and after flowering, you need to drink and feed them. And I really didn’t have mouse nests on strawberries, but they ate Turkish cloves and tulips from me. Yes, strawberries and daffodils will sit together for 3 years. Then I remove the strawberries, and the daffodils will follow to a new bed.
And tasty, and beautiful, and stop the mice.
There were no nests on the strawberries and they did not eat them, the lilies were also planted with daffodils and were also intact. Tulips and strawberries are a controversial thing, tulips need to be planted every year. Therefore, I refused to plant garlic on strawberries, both along the edge and in the center. No doubt, the garlic grows large and the strawberries are protected from it, but when digging, the strawberries suffered, because we plant the garlic deep. But daffodils and strawberries have a three-year cycle of living together in one place.
The usual and remontant ones do not cross-pollinate, but you do not breed them with seeds (sexual method), but with mustaches (vegetative method). Yes, and plant seeds if you wish (although this is a waste of time), they bloom at different times in autumn and even in spring.
Remember only one thing: the remontant gives a mustache, which will give a berry in the fall, so do not rush to cut off the new mustache of the remontant. But the old bush, having given out two crops per season, practically "dies"; it grows old quickly (this is where they say about the remontant, which degenerates). and also remontant varieties, so that the berry should be both watered and fed very regularly, not much, namely regularly (1 time in 10 days (every week) or at least 1 time in two weeks), she thinks that spring is all the time and she needs to bloom and give a berry, well, you don’t dissuade her.
There is no perfect order and distance between the bushes. I plant a new bed with bushes not in two rows as usual, but in one row in the middle of the bed. Now she is gaining color and the mustachioed one will begin to give antennae. I leave 1-3 mustaches (I cut off the rest), they grow where they want (I try to direct from the middle to the edge of the garden), by autumn they will bloom and bear fruit. The "old" bush will also re-bloom and bear fruit. I feed, I sing special. fertilizer for strawberries (sudarushka, ryazanochka, etc.) These fertilizers have a balanced composition. This is the best option, because it blooms, bears fruit, and rests at the same time. The bed overgrows inaccurately (but it can be corrected). At the same time, the "old" bush "dies" in almost one season (two crops or continuous harvesting - this bush depletes and ages). In the spring of next year, I remove the "dead" bushes, and the healthy and strong ones begin to work again. As soon as the bed takes on an unpresentable appearance, I lay a new one, dig up the old one.
You also need to know that there are two types of remontant (if in a simple way, without bothering with scientific terms):
1. Fruits 2 times (end of June, beginning of July and the second time, end of August-beginning of September. This berry is large as usual.
2. It bears fruit constantly, that is, it continuously blooms, bears fruit and grows back. It is naturally smaller than the first and these are not traces of degeneration, but a specific feature.
I have both of these species, but they sit on different beds, sometimes the first one has to be covered with a covering in the fall so that it does not fall under frost, but gives out a second crop. But the second one will give out as much as that is enough.
Strawberries began to ripen and, as always, two painful questions, so that they were clean and that the thrushes did not peck. Here's how I do it. I photographed my daughter two weeks ago, it was still in bloom, but the preparatory work was already underway.
I have a part of strawberries under a black covering, under it a layer of mulch 3-5 cm.
I put pine litter on the mulch of their sawdust. It will not acidify the soil, after three years I will produce it, and now I water it with infusion of ash.
I lay straws, I’m not afraid of mice, the beds are planted with daffodils, and in the summer my cat works full-time when he doesn’t sleep.
Moss is also a very good thing, and as a mulch, and the berries are clean, and the prevention of fungal diseases.
From thrushes I put sticks (I have bamboo ones, then they go to gladioli), bottles on sticks, preferably with a wide neck, better from beer. The most important thing is that the poles-sticks-rods stagger in the wind, the banks knock, and now I also tied a signal polyethylene tape (which is fenced off by all kinds of dangerous places by housing and communal services workers) between the poles, and imposed a cut tape on the poles, it moves from the slightest breath, like robbers fly.
Strawberries and raspberries are treated from weevil, when only buds form on the bushes and the air temperature is +10, they wake up at this time, begin to have an active sex life and lay offspring in buds, this offspring eats the stuffing of buds and we are left without berries, now cannot be processed and will not work. We wind our mistakes on our mustaches and next spring we declare war on the weevil.
The remontant always has spring in her head, she needs to be fed and watered constantly, if you are not a supporter of chemistry, then on Saturday of an even week we will infuse mullein, bird droppings, grass, and on Saturday of an odd week we will soak ash. I feed chemo on Mondays, but in 1/2 doses. By the way, I don’t like the taste of Elizabeth, but the size is good.
I grew strawberries on a covering. The first year I squealed with delight, this year I clean the last beds with covering. I will not repeat with all the pros and cons, but if you decide to grow on a covering (agrofabric), try it, but select a small bed 1-2m long, evaluate the result yourself. I’ll say right away that there are no ants on them, there are no slugs. I began to clean the beds with a covering, I take it off, under it is clean land, the mulch is all overgrown, only the creepers are indestructible, but pale. But I won’t grow more on covering (the main reason is that the harvest drops significantly in the second year - the berry gave out all the power in the first year), although I’m satisfied with the experiment (I ripened early, the yield was much higher in the first year of fruiting)
This is what my garden bed looked like.
Pruning or not pruning the leaves is a longstanding debate. There are thousands for and thousands against.
If you haven’t cut it yet, then it’s not worth it, it’s already too late, the bushes will not have time to grow green mass. All pruning should be done immediately after harvest. The main FOR is the removal of old diseased leaves and immediately the preventive treatment of "bare" bushes and earth with antifungal drugs (phytosporin, Bordeaux). I cut, feed, sing, process, in the cold I cover with spruce branches and always with a full basket.
In general, the whole berry is prepared for winter immediately after harvesting, and the faster the fruit-bearing "twigs" are cut and bent down, the better it will prepare for the winter and gooseberries and currants love autumn care, the latter can wait until the leaves fall.
Well, here I am almost ready for winter with my strawberries.
The first attempt to cover up nakedness was mulched with sawdust.
And this is how the bed looks like after the first year of fruiting, the beginning of August 2013, the earth is not visible, everything is under the mulch, I put the mustache in glasses, velvet from pests and nematodes, now they are frozen, they will go into the winter in the garden with strawberries, I don’t pull out, they have roots earthworms settle.
By the way, I also leave the stems of sunflowers until spring: they work on snow retention and roots-houses for worms, in the spring I shake out the earth before burning the stems (they burn beautifully), the worms pour out of the roots right in "heaps" along with the earth.
Here we sometimes argue: to cover strawberries for the winter or not to cover.
Everyone has their own approach. I am a REINSURER and always cover for an event like today. At night -10 -14 degrees, but there is no snow. Under a meter layer of snow and at -40 it will be -15 near the ground. Give us, God, that the snow is good until frost lay down.
Here is step by step what I do on strawberries: "naked" planting, mulched with sawdust, covered with needles.
And one more thing: the type of mulch matters a lot. I mulch tomatoes with mowed grass - there is no phytoflora, but needles and moss are good for strawberries. In the spring, I rake the shelter from the needles and it turns out mulch, the berry is clean and believe it or not, but there is practically no white-gray rot on the needles and moss. Previously, when we picked a berry, we specially took a bucket for a rotten one, but in this damp summer there were almost no rotten ones.
With needles, I also mulch gladiolus and blueberries, heather pine bark and blueberries.
The top photos are autumn plantings of this year, and the bottom photos are mulched fruit-bearing plantings, you can really see the mulch layer and it usually becomes larger in three years.
We mulch the ground for several purposes. Various useful earth inhabitants work on the border "garden land-mulch", for this you do not need a thick layer of mulch, remember how leafy, coniferous litter in the forest, grass gradually cover the ground with a thin layer. Therefore, on my strawberries in the first year of planting, the layer of mulch is small: for the benefit of the earth and so that the berry does not get dirty. Weeds are climbing, but not too actively. Part of the mulch will be overgrown in the first year, but I’ll cover it again for the winter and add more mulch to the bald spots (I have bags of straw in the bath that I picked up in the fields, I’ll add as needed). It must also be remembered that mulch is also thermal insulation, in autumn it’s good, but not very much in early spring (the earth warms up longer, that’s why I rake the needles), that’s why I put mulch when the earth warms up (just a berry blooms), and before that, I still pull out the weeds. Well, in the third year, the mulch layer increases and there are almost no weeds, but it’s time to remove the berry and lay a new plantation, but at the same time the land is not depleted, but on the contrary, it becomes fatter from the organic matter that I introduced.
In general, you need to mulch the land wisely. In the greenhouse with tomatoes, I have a very large layer of grass, and no weeds through it, I mulch gladioli with needles, after the first feeding and loosening, there is a layer of 6-8 cm and weeds do not climb.
But if weeds got you, you can grow strawberries under a layer of black covering material, I grew it, but under the covering I still mulched the earth and this method has its own + and -. Go to the Berry Fairy Temko. She has everything covered.
Here I mulched strawberries with straw, the same is a very good mulch.
I grow First Grader, Darenka and Sunshine (under this name I bought it from Victoria, perhaps this is the trade name of Solnechnaya Polyanka). All varieties differ in the shape of the berries and in taste and in terms of fruiting. If you have little space, definitely - Darenka. It is really good: both fruiting, and size, and taste, and density. In general, I am a supporter of domestic varieties, although I now have Corona and Salsa on the "test". The crown is inferior to the First Grader, although they are very similar. I haven’t decided on Salsay yet, but the density of the berry matters to me so that it stays in the refrigerator for young people until they arrive at the dacha for the next portion, today only Darenka, Stolichnaya and Tsaritsa meet this requirement. Maxim sent the vaunted gigantella to compost: tasteless, the berry is large, but small, as a result, it is inferior to less large-fruited ones in terms of yield.
"Old gardeners" know what strawberries look like after winter, so I'll scare the "young ones" a little. In fact, it’s even worse, I’ve already removed the dry foliage, the beds will look hummocky and littered, but I like it, it’s mulch, you don’t need to loosen the beds with mulch, the earth is loose, “puffy”. In the first photo of the beds of the 2nd year, in the second photo they overwintered the first winter.
Last summer was damp, the leaves had brown spots. Now I need to treat the beds with copper sulfate, Bodos mixture, but I prefer a strong solution of potassium permanganate. It can be from a watering can, an old broom or a sprayer. In the first days of May I will feed, but I will mulch when it blooms (or when my hands reach), hay-straw harvested since autumn in a bag. You can grow mulch yourself, only now I was too lazy and sowed very little erysipelas. I haven’t removed the sunflower stalks yet - this is snow retention and the winter apartment of earthworms.
The most terrible beast for strawberries and raspberries is the weevil, at +10 it wakes up and goes hunting, you can find it on the flowers of strawberries and raspberries (but it's too late, so it's too late). But before the appearance of buds, he hides and fasts, so I would recommend starting processing with our favorite actellik, focusing not so much on temperature, but on the appearance of buds, they penetrate these buds and do their dirty work. Those. as soon as something similar to a twig with buds appears, everything is ready to fight, we sprinkle strawberries and then raspberries, because at that time another bad raspberry beetle appears. And when the berry blooms, that's it, no treatments, only the second top dressing.
If you do not take care of strawberries, leave unauthorized mustaches of 2-3 orders, then bushes are formed, seemingly even lush, but their leaves are not three-petal, but five-petal. Berries on such bushes will not be at all or will be small. Now the leaves are starting to grow, take a closer look, throw out the five-petal bushes without any pity, if you want to check my words, put a mark.
In general, labels and cups are the best approach for me. I pick a berry, I liked the bush, I stick a stick, I take a mustache of the first order from this bush into cups, and I cut off the extra ones.
I have an average of 40 bushes in my garden. these 40 bushes sit from the 1st to the third year, they are not added, sometimes I can only replace it if I overwintered badly. It turns out that there are always 3 beds: 1.2, and 3 years. Every August for 3 years I clean and lay a new one.
We grow a mustache. We take a glass, fill it with earth, put it or dig it into the earth, plant the growing mustache in a glass. The only negative you need to watch is that the earth in the cup does not dry out. Nutrition and from the mother and from their roots. you can then cut off the grown mustache and wait for the garden to appear, you can put it in the "kindergarten" until spring.
I'm not a big fan of remontant strawberries, but I have my own approach to it.
Remontant care is somewhat different from the usual one.
There is no perfect order and distance between the bushes. I plant a new bed with bushes not in two rows as usual, but in one row in the middle of the bed. Now she is gaining color and will immediately begin to give antennae. I leave 1-3 mustaches (I cut off the rest), they grow where they want (I try to direct from the middle to the edge of the garden), by autumn they will bloom and bear fruit. The "old" bush will also re-bloom and bear fruit. I feed, I sing special. fertilizer for strawberries (sudarushka, ryazanochka, etc.) These fertilizers have a balanced composition. This is the best option, because it blooms, bears fruit, and rests at the same time. The bed overgrows inaccurately (but it can be corrected). At the same time, the "old" bush "dies" in almost one season (two crops or continuous harvesting - this bush depletes and ages). In the spring of next year, I remove the "dead" bushes, and the healthy and strong ones begin to work again. As soon as the bed takes on an unpresentable appearance, I lay a new one, dig up the old one.
You also need to know that there are two types of remontant: (if you simply don’t bother with scientific terms) The first type bears fruit 2 times (end of June, beginning of July and the second time, end of August-beginning of September. This berry, as usual, is large
The second species bears constantly, i.e. it is continuously flowering, fruiting and growing. It is naturally smaller than the first and these are not traces of degeneration, but a specific feature.
I have both of these species, but they sit on different beds, sometimes the first one has to be covered with a covering in the fall so that it does not fall under frost, but gives out a second crop. But the second one will give out as much as that is enough.
For weevils only insecticides. Any weevil needles are on the drum. I use it as mulch so that the berries are cleaner and the roots are warmer in winter, of course it scares someone away. It seems that specialists say and write that a berry under the needles is sweeter. This is a photo of last year: and moss, and needles, and velvet. Actually, in three years, my needles turn into dust, I'm not afraid to bury it in the ground when digging, although the same specialists do not recommend embedding needles in the soil. But I believe that if someone processes it in the forest, then in my garden in the ground there will be those who want it. In addition, when digging, I add a deoxidizer (gumi lime), rotted manure and ash.
Well, I continue to show it. The first photo is the beginning of spring, the second photo shows the same garden bed, the bushes have cheered up, the bed is planted with daffodils, their mice are bypassed. Marigolds will be planted in the middle of the beds as soon as the threat of frost has passed, probably in July. I don’t pull velvet from the beds for the winter. The more "garbage" in the beds of strawberries, the better she feels.
From mid-May - early June, the first flower stalks appear at strawberries. Now the main task is to provide strawberry care during flowering. Not only the quality of future fruits, but also the quantity of the crop depends on it. When strawberries bloom, they need to be fed, protected from diseases and pests, mustaches and some leaves removed, soil loosened, watered properly and measures taken to pollinate plants, then the time for growing seedlings will not be wasted.
Fertilizing blooming strawberries
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Of great importance for the ripening of fruits is the correct feeding of strawberries during the flowering period, and during this time it can be fertilized only once and only with those minerals that are specially designed for flowering strawberries.
Common for flowering plants or vegetables of the mating period can not be used. Blooming strawberries require potassium supplementation, so it can be fertilized with potassium nitrate - a teaspoon per 10 l / water. With the advent of the first buds, and then inflorescences, the bushes are fed with chicken droppings, humus or ash.
These substances are very caustic, so you need to strictly dose their amount, otherwise you can damage the plant. To increase the number of inflorescences, strawberries at the time of ovary are poured with an aqueous solution of boric acid - a pinch per 10 l / water.
Removal of mustaches and first peduncles, loosening of the earth
It is important that the flowering bush gain strength for fruiting, so mustaches that take moisture from the soil and excess leaves, especially those that have dried up, should not interfere with it. Using a pruner, they are carefully removed.
It is considered correct to remove the first flower stalks from the bushes, since the next inflorescences will be much larger than the previous ones, which will affect the size of the berries. It is not necessary to remove them all, you can do it selectively by sorting the smallest flowers from those that are larger.
Strawberries will bloom well if you dig up weeds and regularly loosen the ground with a small rake, preventing the formation of a crust on its surface and improving air exchange.
Watering strawberries during flowering
Wild strawberries do not know care, so their berries are small and dry. The same can be the fruits grown on the site, if you ignore the rules of watering, disease prevention and pest control.
It is important to provide the plants with sufficient moisture, including during flowering, since the strawberry root system located close to the soil surface is not able to extract water from the depths. A lack of moisture will cause the root to dry out, and an overabundance will cause it to deteriorate due to the appearance of gray rot, so watering should be moderate.
The type of soil also matters. Loose earth passes moisture well, and for 1 sq. m plantation enough 10-12 liters of water. If there is a lot of clay in the soil, then the norm will require 2 liters more water, that is, 12-14 liters per 1 sq. m. Blooming strawberries are watered in the morning, using non-cold water, once every 10-12 days, unless weather conditions require otherwise.
During the heat, the frequency of watering can be increased up to 3-4 times a week, and during heavy rains, watering the bushes is generally not recommended. In this case, the flowers should be protected by covering the plant with a film before the onset of sunny days. It is also important to know exactly how to water flowering strawberries. If, before the appearance of flower stalks, bushes with only leaves were irrigated by the rain method, then a flowering plant should be watered in a slightly different way. Now it is most correct to use drip irrigation.
To irrigate flowering bushes, you can use a watering can, trying not to get water on the inflorescences, and then pour the base of the plant with a bucket. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil at the roots, which should not be open after watering. They must be covered with earth.
Pollination of flowering bushes
When, instead of whole and bright berries, deformed faded fruits appeared, besides, small ones, it means that the strawberries did not have enough pollination. There may be natural reasons for this, for example, frequent rains, fog, heat, cold, death of bees, and so on, because the temperature suitable for flowering is air heated to 20 ° C.
Although strawberries self-pollinate, the main task is to help the plants. It can be pollinated additionally by running a soft brush over the flowers in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its zenith. Ally of pollination - bees.
If you dissolve a spoonful of honey in a liter of water and sprinkle the bushes with the solution, these insects will definitely gather on the plantation. By planting different varieties of strawberries side by side, you can create another condition for pollination, when the bushes will exchange pollen carried by the wind. High-quality pollination is the key to an excellent harvest.
The flowering period of strawberries is a prerequisite for obtaining a large number of fruits, which can be provided with proper care of the plantation.