Secrets of the correct planting of strawberry seedlings in spring

Everyone loves delicious fragrant strawberries: in the summer, they eat plenty of juicy berries at the dacha, for the winter they prepare jams, jams and compotes. The owners of the remontant berries are especially pleased: you can eat fresh fruits all summer long. Only not everyone will be able to enjoy a rich harvest, because plants will bear fruit perfectly only with proper planting and good care. Without your care, several stunted berries will grow on the bushes, you can only dream of jam jars. One of the important stages of growing strawberries is planting seedlings in the spring in open ground.

Preparing housing for the relocation of seedlings

Strawberries are demanding for comfortable living conditions. She will not like steep slopes, especially those facing south. In spring, the sun will quickly melt the snow, and the plants will find themselves without shelter in cold winds and night frosts. In summer, the scorching rays will dry out the soil, and the bushes will suffer from a lack of moisture. Choose a flat area or a gentle southwestern slope, there is enough light and conditions are not so extreme. A high place, open to all winds, is also not suitable: snow does not linger there well. In order for the root system and buds to winter well, they must be covered with a snowdrift with a depth of at least 25 cm.

Pay attention to the groundwater. Strawberry roots do not tolerate overdrying or excess moisture. If at a shallow depth the soil is wet all the time, planting on high beds will help, in wetlands they can be raised up to 35 cm.The drier the soil, the lower the embankment, in arid areas make a plantation at ground level. Designate the best places for remontant strawberries: she needs a lot of strength to bear fruit all summer.

Fertile soils are rarely given for summer cottages, so in the fall, start preparing the site. Dig the ground to a depth of 0.3 m, adding the missing components. Add sand to clay and peat, add organic fertilizers to loams, add peat, black earth to sand, sawdust... If the soil has an acidic reaction, add 200 g of lime per 1 m²... In addition, add 1 m² 15-20 g of potash and phosphorus fertilizers and 300 g of ash.

Bushes of both remontant and simple strawberries grow well in one place for 4 years, then they will lack nutrients in the soil. Every year, move a fourth of the plantation to another bed, then in any warm season you will be with the harvest. The area after tomatoes, potatoes or cabbage is not suitable for seedlings. But the land after legumes, onions, garlic, carrots will be to their taste.

In the spring, sprinkle the bed with ash, loosen and level, cover with a layer of sand on top to protect it from excessive moisture. Prepare a solution of copper sulfate: dissolve 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. spoon of the drug - this portion should be enough for 10 m²... The area must be watered abundantly, the prepared composition can be added to water or processed separately. Water will moisten and slightly compact the soil before planting strawberries.

When to plant strawberries?

Spring planting has its advantages: young bushes will get stronger, prepare for wintering. If your area has frosty winters, and the snow cover is small, only plants planted in spring take root well. Autumn seedlings will not survive even if the site is located on an open hill, where snow melts quickly and there is no protection from cold winds.

You need to choose the right time when it is already warm enough, but the soil has not yet dried up. Start work too early in the spring - the roots will be cold, they will not recover soon after transplanting.The aerial part will receive little nutrition and will not be able to withstand the cold at night. If planting is late, it will be very hot during the day, the leaves will release a lot of moisture into the air, and the fragile roots will not be able to provide them with a sufficient amount of liquid.

The timing depends on the climate in your area and the long-term weather forecast: when it gets warm this spring. In the middle lane, this time is usually from early to mid-May. Choose a warm cloudy day, if the sun is not expected today, you can plant strawberry seedlings at any time of the day. If for the next week the forecast promises only clear sunny weather, landing is possible only in the evening.

Planting young plants in the garden

There are 3 layouts of ordinary and remontant strawberry bushes.

1. Square-nested. The entire plot is divided into squares with a side of 0.3 m, in each corner 2 plants are planted at a short distance from each other.
2. Rows. Seedlings are placed in a line, the bushes are located 25 cm from each other, the distance between the rows is 0.5 m.
3. Carpet. The entire area of ​​the site is planted with seedlings, the distance between seedlings is 20-25 cm.

The first method is more suitable for large farms, where almost all processes are mechanized. For a summer cottage, it is more convenient to land according to the second method. The third method is best used if you prefer to grow berries in one place for no longer than 2 years. Perennial bushes grow strongly, the soil under them is not ventilated, and there is a danger of infection of plants with gray rot.

There are bisexual and unisexual strawberry varieties. If both stamens and pistils are present in the flowers, plant each variety in a separate area, so you will avoid cross-pollination. Among the seedlings without stamens, it is imperative to plant several bushes of a different variety so that the insects take pollen from them. Correct planting - when 1 pollinator surrounds 4-5 bushes without stamens.

The best age for transplanting regular and remontant strawberries in spring is about 2.5 months, when the third leaf appears on the seedlings. Examine your seedlings for the strongest and healthiest plants. Pay attention to the apical kidney, it must be developed and intact. Store the remaining copies for about 3 weeks, during this time it will become clear which bushes have not taken root in the garden - they need to be replaced.

Dig holes at least 20 cm deep, put compost on the bottom, pour 0.5 liters of water into each one, and until the liquid is absorbed into the soil, immerse the bottom of the seedling in the hole. The water will straighten the roots, pull them down. Bury the hole, compact the soil slightly and water the bushes under the root. Make sure that the planting is not too deep and that the heart from which the stems grow is not covered with earth. Walk around the entire plantation again, straighten the leaning bushes, pull out the plants that are very much sunk into the ground, and deepen the roots that are on the surface.

Advice

Seedlings will take root better if, before planting, you dip the roots in a growth stimulant or clay talker with the addition of this drug.

Help the seedlings take root in a new place

Not all gardeners mulch the soil, considering the work very laborious. Do not regret a few hours in the spring, and during the summer you will save much more time when caring for seedlings. Moisture will remain in the soil, the earth will remain loose, weeds will not grow on the garden bed. A layer of mulch will be a kind of thermos: during the day the soil will not overheat, but at night it will keep warm. The lower layer will gradually decompose and enrich the soil with nitrogen. You will taste fresh berries earlier, the harvest will be larger, and the fruits will remain clean and dry. All this will happen only if the mulch layer is not thinner than 5 cm.

To backfill the beds, you can use:

• sawdust;
• needles;
• straw;
• cut grass;
• peat.

Landing on a garden bed covered with roofing material, black film or dark covering material will make it easier for the gardener. Cut small holes in the cover for seedlings, and sprinkle the edges with earth. It is better to use a non-woven material that allows water to pass through, then in the spring, summer and autumn the plantings will be watered. Make holes in the ground with a narrow rod and immerse the roots so that they hang vertically, not bend. This option is especially good for remontant strawberries; in autumn bad weather the berries will not get dirty in the ground.

During the first days, do not disregard planting. Remove bushes that are starting to wither immediately: if they rot, they can infect the soil and other plants. Plant the remaining seedlings in the vacant hole. If the weather is hot after planting, young plants are shaded from the sun for 7 days and watered every day. Watch the soil, do not let it dry out and loosen it after each watering or rain. If the bed was well fertilized, feeding is not required at first. In the event that the strawberries develop poorly, wither, feed them with a solution of organic fertilizers or ammonium nitrate.

Output

When planting strawberry seedlings in spring, you need to correctly calculate the timing. If transplanted too early, the ground has not yet warmed up, the roots will not take root well. If you are late, the heat and dryness will prevent the seedlings from rooting. It is better to plant in cloudy weather, shade from the sun for the first week and do not let the soil dry out.

Do not thicken the planting, the ground under the plants should be ventilated. If you like a solid strawberry bush carpet, change the place every 2 years. Mulching will make it easier to care for the seedlings, the soil will not crust and retain moisture. In such a bed, plants are less sick and give a rich harvest. Wet fertilized soil is especially important for remontant strawberries that bear fruit all summer. A film or covering material on the garden bed will create comfortable conditions for the bushes in any weather.