Strawberry care after harvest - how to prepare bushes for the off-season and winter

Strawberries are one of the most delicious berries grown in gardens and cottages. However, not all novice summer residents know that after fruiting, caring for strawberries does not stop. Moreover, not only the harvest that will be obtained next year, but also the very survival of the plant depends on its correctness. Therefore, you should not be lazy here.

Removing old leaves

Strawberry care begins after harvesting with pruning. All old and dried leaves must be removed. What for:

1. To prevent old foliage from drawing out moisture and nutrients - otherwise, they may not be enough for other, young shoots.
2. To avoid infections. Quite often, spores of harmful fungal diseases, as well as pest eggs, remain on the leaves. Therefore, experienced summer residents try to cut off the greens in a timely manner and immediately burn them, so as not to give parasites and diseases the slightest chance.

The procedure itself is quite simple - just examine the strawberry bush, find old, half-dried leaves and carefully cut them off. In this case, it is advisable to use a good pruner or sharp scissors. You should not tear off the leaves with your bare hands - there is a high probability of harming the plant. After all, the root system of strawberries is not very powerful.

Advice
If early and late varieties are planted together, it is quite difficult to determine which bushes need to be cut off as soon as possible, and which ones should be given a few more weeks. Therefore, experienced gardeners try not to mix them, planting early varieties on one bed, and later ones on another. It is not only a matter of comfort, but also of safety. With this approach, you can be sure that pests have not migrated from old leaves to young ones, keeping pruning efficiency to a minimum.

Remember about watering

Most of all, strawberries consume moisture during the fruiting period, however, the plant needs water after harvest. If you do not water the fertile bushes, they are highly likely to die, especially in the dry summer-autumn.

The optimal amount of water is 20 liters per square meter of the garden. In this case, you cannot use ice water just extracted from a well or well. This leads to a decrease in plant immunity and, as a result, to the development of dangerous diseases. It is advisable to collect water in a barrel or other suitable container, let it warm up in the sun and only then use it for watering.

It is categorically impossible to flood strawberries: the roots will rot. If it rains heavily at least once a week, it is better to do without artificial irrigation. On clay soils, one rain every ten days is more than enough - moisture here leaves extremely slowly, often stagnates.

In dry weather, water should be done at least once a week. If mulch is used, then you need to moisten the soil every ten to fifteen days. The main thing is to make sure that the earth is moist, not covered with a dried crust, but also not damp, wet.

Advice
Dry manure, chopped grass or greens, sawdust, needles are suitable as mulch for garden strawberries.

Mulching allows you to achieve excellent results:

• evaporation of moisture from the ground is reduced;
• the number and rate of growth of weeds are reduced;
• gradually rotting from moisture, mulch serves as a high-quality organic fertilizer.

Loosen the soil

If you are wondering how to care for strawberries, then you should remember about loosening the soil. The operation on heavy soils - clayey, as well as chernozems with an admixture of clay is especially important.After heavy rain or abundant watering, the earth is compacted and rammed. As a result, the water almost does not go deep, threatening the appearance of rot. In addition, air does not penetrate into the soil. This harms not only the roots of the bushes, but also the microorganisms that live in the ground, ensuring fertility. Timely and high-quality loosening of the soil can solve the problem.

True, you need to do the work wisely. Remember that strawberries are not deeply rooted - be careful not to damage them. In the aisles, a depth of 10-12 cm is permissible. In the vicinity of the roots, 4-6 cm should be limited.

After such processing, it will not be superfluous to spud the strawberries a little. Shovel the ground, forming a mound around each bush. Then the adventitious roots that appear will definitely be underground and will receive enough nutrients. In addition, without hilling, the shoots will simply fall apart in different directions, they will touch the soil, which will lead to rot.

How to feed strawberries?

Now we turn to feeding the plants. It would seem that the strawberries have brought a crop and no longer need a lot of nutrients. However, it is not. Yes, the need for nitrogen and potassium is significantly reduced until next year. But now the bushes need a lot of phosphorus. Only if there is enough of it will plants be able to develop a root system and store enough nutrients in it to survive the winter. In addition, the more there are, the easier and faster the strawberries will grow in the new season.

The benefits of organic

Summer residents who prefer organic farming use only compost or rotted manure as top dressing. This is a good solution: on the one hand, all the nutrients are easily absorbed by the plant. On the other hand, organic matter simply improves the structure of the earth. This is especially noticeable on clay soil. The main thing is not to forget, after applying fertilizers, to slightly dig up the garden bed, mixing the soil with compost so that it is better processed.

Pros of mineral dressings

It is quite possible to use mineral fertilizers. A good result is given by feeding with ammophos. It contains not only the most important nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus), but also a number of others, almost the same useful (sulfur, magnesium, calcium).

Important
Read the composition of mineral fertilizers. Chlorine is unacceptable in them. Strawberries practically cannot stand it, there is always a risk of illness, even the death of a plant due to improper feeding.

Mineral fertilizers can be dissolved in water and immediately watered strawberries, or use granules. The first option gives a faster effect. The second is longer. Special granules decompose gradually (under the influence of rain and watering), providing the bushes with useful substances for a longer period of time. The main thing is not to forget to lightly dig in the granules.

Taking proper care of strawberries after harvest allows the bushes to develop a root system and accumulate maximum nutrients. This means that the plants will easily overwinter without loss, so that in the spring, as soon as the soil warms up enough, they will actively grow.