Rules for planting garden strawberries and berry care

Perhaps there is no person who does not like fresh berries. Planting garden strawberries and caring for a berry in the country will provide the family with both fresh fruits and various tasty preparations. There are many cultivation methods: both in the open field, and in a greenhouse, and in boxes on a windowsill or balcony. Bushes are propagated vegetatively or grown from seeds. Both southerners and residents of the northern regions know this berry, it is not too demanding on the climate. The plant is often called strawberry, but this is not entirely true. Strawberries are commonly found in the wild, on lawns, and are of many different types.

Which varieties to choose

One cultivar can be cultivated in the garden, but the fruiting period for the main species is usually very short. You will enjoy fresh berries for about 2 weeks, and then you will only eat jams and mashed strawberries with sugar. Experienced summer residents harvest all summer, and sometimes from early spring to late autumn and even winter, growing bushes in a greenhouse.

To keep the berries on the table all season, choose about 5 different types of seeds with different ripening times. At the same time, keep in mind that garden strawberries are not very capricious, but when grown in an unsuitable climate or soil composition, they may not give a large yield. Assess the weather and soil conditions of your site - and you can purchase planting material. Read the instructions on the bags, ask the seller, but it is better to give preference to zoned varieties.

The selection criteria should be:

• resistance to climatic features: frost, heat, drought;
• requirements for soil properties;
• good resistance to diseases and pests;
• timing and duration of fruiting;
• yield;
• the taste of berries.

In some cases, the gardener makes additional requirements for the variety. If you want to grow berries not only for yourself, but also for sale, the presentation and the ability to tolerate transportation well are important. Large fruits are not always suitable for jam, small strawberries boil better and retain their shape. Some summer residents do not like to change the plantation every 3-4 years and prefer long-lived varieties. For cultivation in a greenhouse, special requirements are imposed on the qualities of strawberries.

Early varieties of garden strawberries:

• Marshmallow;
• Kama;
• Enchantress;
• Dawn.

Strawberries, medium ripening:

• Festivalnaya;
• Cinderella;
• Marmalade;
• Fairy.

Bushes with a late harvest:

• Zenga-Zengana;
• Black Prince;
• Pandora.

If it is difficult to find varieties with late ripening periods, purchase remontant species. They have a long fruiting period, the crop can be harvested before frost. Breeders have developed garden strawberries that can bear fruit twice a season. The first collection takes place in early summer, then the berries will appear in the fall. If you want to purchase such plants, make sure that the weather conditions in your summer cottage are suitable for them. Long-bearing varieties are also suitable for growing in a greenhouse.

Site selection and preparation

Much of the quality of the crop depends on the seeds, but no less important is the place where the strawberries will be grown. First read the instructions on the seed bag. Most varieties require a lot of sun, but there may be exceptions. Choose a high area that is not shaded by any buildings or vegetation. You can plant shrubs on the south side of fences, buildings, or trees.This option is convenient because the landings will be protected from cold northerly winds.

The berry does not like steep slopes, although on a surface inclined at a slight angle to the south, it will feel great. Drafts are contraindicated for plants. Near ground waters are also undesirable, they can cause fungal diseases or adversely affect the quantity and quality of the crop. If your garden is located in a damp lowland, make good drainage or create raised beds.

Strawberries will like light sandy or loamy soils. She will not like either too acidic or alkaline soil, the reaction should be close to neutral. It is good if, before that, legumes, celery, onions or carrots grew in the beds. It is better to dig up uncultivated land in autumn, select all the roots and sow siderates.

The beds need to be prepared half a month before planting the bushes. For each square meter, apply 50 g of complex mineral fertilizers and 10 kg of last year's manure. Strawberries do not like fresh manure, and they also do not like fertilizers with chlorine. Dig well and loosen the soil, and then leave it for 2 weeks to compact the soil.

Reproduction of garden strawberries

There are several ways to obtain planting material for garden strawberries. If you need pure varieties that have all the qualities described in the catalog, buy seedlings in a specialized center. You can take them from neighbors or friends, but then you cannot be sure that the plant has all the qualities of its variety.

There are 3 ways to breed strawberries:

• dividing the bush;
• planting shoots;
• growing seedlings from seeds.

The most reliable way is to take the antennae from the bush. In this way, in abandoned summer cottages, garden strawberries spread throughout the territory. Choose strong plants with good yields and large, tasty berries. The best shoots are harvested from bushes at the age of 2-3 years. Wait until fruiting ends and cut the rosettes closest to the main plant.

Choose a sturdy shrub 2 to 4 years old for dividing. The work can be done in the spring before flowering or in the fall after harvest. Dig up the plant and cut off a piece with a good root system and at least one rosette of leaves. After dividing, all parts must be immediately planted in the ground.

Growing strawberries from seeds does not guarantee that the bush will retain varietal qualities. An exception is the seed sold in sachets. You can pick large ripe berries, cut off the peel with grains, grind these pieces into gruel and dry. Collect the seeds, keep them in a damp cloth for 2-3 days, and then sow them in pots for seedlings. The sprouts will be very weak, they should spend the winter at home or in a greenhouse with heating.

Planting bushes

There is no common opinion among summer residents about which is preferable: planting strawberries in spring or autumn. If young bushes are planted in May, they will get stronger by the fall and winter well. You can do this work at the end of August, then next summer you will taste fresh berries. Just take into account the climate of your area: the plants will take root for about 3 weeks, at which time they need warm soil. If you received planting material in a cold season, dig it in the greenhouse, and move it to the garden when it gets warm.

In the spring for planting seedlings, dig holes and spill them well with water. Throw some humus and ash on the bottom. Dip the roots of the plants in a clay mash, and straighten them well when planting. The pits should not be deep, there is no need to bury the root collar. Bury the plants, water them with water to compact the soil. Dry soil will have a bad effect on the survival rate of strawberries, pour compost or loose humus around the plantings. In the same way, bushes grown from seeds are planted in the spring.

Advice

Purchase open-root seedlings only from trusted retailers.Plants can be without soil for no more than 2 days, then they do not take root well. In the market, you may be sold a stale product.

Do not plant the bushes too densely, they need space for good development. You can plant in one row with a distance of 0.5 m between the plants. If you want to arrange a large plantation, keep the distance between the rows at least half a meter. It is better to have fewer bushes, but with large fruits, than many microscopic berries.

Strawberry care

When planting strawberries is finished, provide the young bushes with good care so that they get stronger and winter without problems. Water it with warm water at least once a week. If the heat is intense, add additional moisture to the soil after 3-4 days. You can install a drip irrigation system, then the soil will not dry out, and the water will flow to the roots evenly.

Advice

If a grow remontant varietiesthat require a lot of moisture to form fruit constantly, water the garden every day in dry weather.

Plants need nutrition. In the spring, feed the bushes with nitrogen; when buds appear and strawberries bloom, phosphorus is needed. When the berries ripen, apply a complex mineral fertilizer, and before wintering, pour with potassium preparations. Spud the bushes periodically, so you will stimulate the growth of additional roots. Strawberries are a very neat berry, it does not tolerate the neighborhood of weeds. Weed the beds constantly.

In the spring, immediately determine which plants are needed for harvesting, and from which you will take a mustache for planting on a site or in a greenhouse. In the first case, cut off all the emerging shoots, in the second, remove the buds. When the crop is harvested, you can not leave the bushes unattended. At this time, buds are formed for the next harvest. Don't forget about feeding and watering.

In order for young bushes to gain strength before a long winter, they need to be fed with phosphorus and potassium before frost. Before frost, cover the bed with compost, dry grass, or fallen leaves. Cover the bushes with spruce branches or corn stalks for the winter. The vegetation will keep the ground warm and prevent the wind from blowing snow off the ground. The sprouts that emerged from the seeds this summer cannot be planted under the snow, keep them at home until spring.

Protection against diseases and pests

Mostly strawberries are affected by fungal diseases, such a problem also exists when growing a berry in a greenhouse. Fluffy plaque on all aerial parts of the plant will help to recognize the problem. Fighting infection is difficult. Heavily damaged bushes need to be removed, from the rest, cut off the diseased parts and treat the rest with antifungal drugs.

To prevent disease, you should:

• remove weeds;
• do not allow too dense planting;
• do not apply fresh manure;
• remove all dead and dried leaves.

Other problems sometimes arise. The bushes can be attacked by ticks and nematodes. If you see shriveled yellowed leaves, treat the plantation with colloidal sulfur. Blisters and growths on the leaves indicate the appearance of nematodes. Affected specimens must be burned, and the area must be sprayed with insecticides.

Birds love to feast on berries. It is not necessary to completely expel the birds from the dacha, but it is necessary to drive them away from the berries. There are many options: scarecrow, ultrasound, shiny pendants. These methods do not always help. Try a more reliable option: put a cat on the site for the summer. The best bird guard is hard to imagine.

Fresh berries all year round

If you want to feast on berries all year round, grow strawberries in a greenhouse. The building material must have good thermal insulation; a heating system is required inside. The room should be equipped with lighting fixtures. Plants need moist air. You can spray the plantings yourself from sprayers or purchase an automatic system.

When buying planting material, be sure to check if this species can be grown indoors. To make it easier to care for the plantation, choose hardy, not too demanding on lighting, self-pollinated varieties. You can grow seedlings at home from seeds and then transfer them to grow in a greenhouse.

How to plant strawberries indoors? There are different options. If space permits, you can arrange boxes, containers or plastic sleeves with earth on the shelves. To save space, place bags or pipes vertically and make holes in the sides for planting shrubs. The rest of the care is almost the same as in the open field: feeding, watering. If necessary, the flowers should be pollinated with a brush. Provide at least 10 hours of daylight for the strawberries, and soon you will taste the winter berries.

Output

Strawberries can be grown outdoors, in a greenhouse, and at home in flower pots. Basically, planting material is obtained by dividing a bush or harvesting shoots, but you can also grow seedlings from seeds. Varieties should be chosen depending on the climate and soil in your area.

Choose a sunny location for planting. Plants should be spacious. If the plantings are too dense, small berries grow, and the strawberries themselves begin to hurt. Care consists in timely watering, feeding, loosening and weeding.

After harvesting the berries, continue to water and feed the plants, at this time the next year's harvest is laid. To obtain seeds, cut off the top layer of pitted pulp from ripe fruit. Varietal qualities may not be preserved, but it is possible that you will develop a new interesting species. Do your best to take care of your pets, the taste and aroma of strawberries are worth the cost.