We grow strawberries on the site using Finnish technology
Strawberry is a berry especially loved by everyone and delighting us with fragrant fruits starting from May-June. You can get sweet berries a week or two earlier by practicing strawberry cultivation using Finnish technology.
Finnish technology: the essence of the method
The main idea behind this growing method is to use a black mulch film to plant strawberry seedlings on it. It is the black film that plays the key role here: under it the soil warms up faster, creating the conditions for the roots for plant growth. You can use this technique both indoors and in open ground.
The implementation of this method is carried out in several stages.
- Choosing a place for strawberry beds and preparing the soil.
- Leveling the surface of the site and forming ridges.
- Laying drip tape, covering the ridges with mulch film.
- Planting strawberry seedlings.
- Care.
All about preparation
To grow strawberries using Finnish technology, you must choose an area open to sunlight. This area should not be shaded on the south side by buildings or trees. The primer should show a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
Soil preparation consists in saturating it with organic and mineral fertilizers and subsequent loosening. You can fertilize the soil on the site with humus, chicken droppings or nitrogen-containing mineral compounds.
Important!
Excessive concentration of chicken manure in the soil can cause burns and completely destroy plants.
After the soil is enriched, it must be loosened to saturate the soil with oxygen and evenly distribute fertilizers throughout the volume. Slightly level the surface for ease of use.
After that, you can start forming ridges. It is advisable to place them in the direction from south to north - to create conditions for maximum heating by the sun's rays. The length of the ridges depends on the size of the plot, and the width is determined by the number of rows of strawberries. It can be a one-, two- or three-row planting. Wider rows are not recommended due to the inconvenience of caring for the berry and the difficult access of oxygen to the soil under the film. The most common two-row landing method. In this case, the width of the ridge is approximately 80 cm. The optimum row spacing is 60 cm.
Ridges for planting strawberries using Finnish technology need to be raised by about 10 cm.This is required for better heating of the entire volume of the soil.
Rules for planting seedlings on film
A drip tape should be placed on the formed bed with a height of about 10 cm and a width of 80 cm, preferably with a distance of 10 cm between the injectors.Then cover the bed together with the drip tape with mulching black film with a width of 110 cm and fix it well on all sides.
In the center of the film along the entire length, draw a line - this is the middle of the bed, it is needed as an auxiliary one. From it, at a distance of 25 cm on both sides, draw two more lines - these are the rows for planting seedlings. Along each line, make cross-shaped cuts approximately 7-8 cm long using a sharp knife, you can use a knife with retractable tear-off blades. The distance between the cuts depends on the type of strawberry, usually 25-30 cm. It is better to make the cuts in a checkerboard pattern. Open the incisions made by bending the pieces of the canvas inward.
Advice
Some strawberry varieties form very powerful bushes, then the distance between them needs to be increased. Check the growth characteristics of the variety when buying it!
You need to plant strawberry seedlings in the holes made. This is a laborious job and is done primarily by hand. The planting depth of the root system is not regulated. The main thing is that all the roots are well hidden and distributed as evenly as possible under the ground, and the center of the rosette (growth point) remains on the surface of the earth.
Important!
When grounding the growing point of a strawberry bush, the plant may die due to decay and the development of diseases.
After planting, the strawberry garden needs to be shed very well using drip irrigation. It is good to plant strawberries the day before the rain, then the bed will spill well and evenly. After saturated moistening of the soil, you need to look at each bush and, if the roots are exposed, sprinkle them with earth. If in some bush the growth point has gone underground, it also needs to be corrected by freeing it from the soil.
Care
For strawberries planted using Finnish technology to please with a bountiful harvest, you need to take good care of their plantings. The care is as follows:
- regular watering with cold water, but excessive waterlogging should not be allowed;
- correct fertilizing with fertilizers;
- preventive treatment of plantations from diseases and pests;
- regular mustache removal;
For the systematic care of strawberries, you should keep a journal in which you need to make notes about the work done. It is very important to regularly feed strawberries and process them on time from diseases and pests.
Treatment against diseases and pests
This work is carried out taking into account the time limit between the processing of the bushes with a special composition and the harvest. Such treatment is done in the spring before flowering, some preparations are allowed to be used during flowering. Spring treatment against diseases and pests especially important, since after the appearance of the ovaries, it can no longer be carried out.
It is equally important to treat strawberries with insecticides and fungicides after the end of fruiting, since at this time a reserve is laid for the harvest for the next year. If the bushes get sick or insects begin to eat them, then there is no need to talk about the next year's harvest.
Important!
In spring before flowering and in summer or autumn after harvest, strawberries must be treated with insecticides and fungicides.
Feeding strawberries
Held in spring, summer and autumn. Each season requires a specific type of fertilizer.
- Spring feeding
It is performed in early spring with the appearance of the first green leaves on the rosettes. At this time, the plants need to be fertilized with compounds containing potassium and nitrogen. You can use a complex fertilizer.
The second spring feeding is carried out when the first ovaries appear. A complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and other components is used.
- Top dressing in summer
The first summer feeding is carried out in June with a mixture of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate. It is very important to stick to the correct concentration, otherwise the plants may burn. In order not to risk it, it is better to take ready-made universal preparations with a high potassium content and strictly adhere to the instructions for use.
When growing remontant varieties, potash top dressing should be repeated periodically until the strawberries form ovaries.
- Autumn feeding
It is carried out in early September and at the end of October with special preparations containing sodium, phosphorus and potassium, often with the presence of beneficial trace elements. When applying fertilizers, follow the instructions on the package.
Proper care of strawberry beds will certainly delight you with an abundant harvest of these fragrant, sweet berries.
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