How to grow strawberries in the open field for a novice summer resident
Strawberries contain a huge amount of useful substances, they are tasty and aromatic, therefore they are deservedly called the queen of berries. Every summer resident dreams of growing a large harvest on his site, but some are afraid of difficulties and are afraid that they will not succeed. In fact, you just need to follow the planting technology, provide the necessary care, and strawberries will give abundant fruiting in return.
Variety selection
Before starting cultivation in the open field, you need to decide on the choice of variety. In their variety, you need to choose seedlings that are suitable for the climatic conditions of your region. Take into account the difference in ripening times and other nuances of cultivation. This is the only way to achieve a large harvest.
Can be planted early, late, mid-season or repairing plant varieties and hybrids. The best, according to many summer residents, are:
- "Early Kokinskaya". It is resistant to winter cold and ripens early. It has cone-shaped fleshy fruits;
- "Kent". The winter-hardy variety ripens early and re-harvests in the fall;
- "Lord". A mid-ripening self-pollinating strawberry bears excellent fruit and rarely suffers from fungal diseases;
- "Vicoda". Good late variety with very large berries;
- "Vima Ksima". Late strawberries, bred by Dutch breeders, have a sweet flesh. Summer residents love her because she lets out a little mustache in the garden, and this greatly facilitates caring for her;
- "Crimean". Begins to bear fruit in the spring, at the end of May, and continues until the onset of cold weather. Delicious fruits do not grow shallow throughout the summer.
When preparing seedlings for a strawberry plantation, it is advisable to plant several varieties with different ripening periods. This will help you harvest from the garden without interruption.
Landing dates
Planting strawberries in open ground is successfully carried out at different times of the year. If planted at the end of summer, it will form a good root system during the winter and give its first small harvest in spring.
When the cold season is accompanied by severe frosts and snow drifts, it is better not to risk it. A young plant can freeze and die. In such cases, planting is recommended in the spring, when the soil warms up enough.
How to choose the right landing site
In order for strawberry cultivation to be successful, you need to choose the right place for planting in the open field. The bed should be located in a well-lit area and have a flat surface.
- The hills are not suitable. In winter, the wind will blow off the snow, and the root system of the berries may freeze.
- Depressions in the bed contribute to stagnation of water in the soil, which is fatal for strawberries.
Important. When choosing a place, consider what crops have grown on it before. Garlic, parsley, carrots, radishes are considered favorable for strawberries. Planting is not recommended after potatoes and beets, cucumbers, tomatoes. They can provoke infection of the berry with various diseases.
Soil preparation
Growing strawberries does not put forward special requirements for the soil, the main thing is to provide it with full care. The bed can be placed anywhere, except for swampy and dry sandy soil. It is desirable that it be slightly acidic and friable, and the groundwater should be one meter above ground level.
For planting in the spring, the garden must be prepared in the fall. Dig it up on the bayonet of a shovel, carefully breaking up clods of earth and picking out small and large roots of grass from them. Apply organic fertilizers such as compost or rotted manure at the rate of 5 kg per square meter.
In the spring, dig up the ground again and fertilize. Per sq. M. soil will be required:
- 40 g double superphosphate;
- 20 g of potassium sulfate;
- 5 kg of wood ash.
The day before planting, the garden bed is thoroughly watered.
We plant seedlings in spring
Seedlings are planted in holes with a diameter of 20 cm, which are dug to a depth of 25 cm.The bushes are placed at a 35 cm distance from each other, the width between the rows is 60 cm.
The strawberry should have a well-formed root 5 cm long and three healthy leaves.
You need to alternately pour a liter of water into the holes, put a bush of seedlings there and immediately cover it with earth along the root collar, leaving its heart on the surface. If you deepen the strawberries deeper, the roots will begin to undercut and the plant will die. Insufficiently deep planting is also destructive, it leads to drying out of the roots.
After planting, carefully loosen the aisles in the area and wait for the seedlings to take root. During this period, water the plants in the holes with a little water every evening. Withered bushes need to be removed in a timely manner and new ones should be planted in their place. In a few weeks, the strawberries will release young leaves. Then you can start your regular care.
Watering and weeding of plants
If the cultivation of strawberries takes place in the open field, regular weeding and watering of the beds is required. If a sufficient amount of fertilizer has been applied before planting, then feeding is not carried out in the first year. Tied buds and whiskers must be removed so that the bushes do not waste energy on fruiting and reproduction, but rather take root. It is recommended to grow a berry in one place for no more than 5 years, and then transplant it to a new place.
Strawberries bloom actively next summer. To get a good harvest, the first watering must be done in the spring, before flowering.
- To do this, make 12 cm grooves between the rows, fill in the water with a hose and, when it is absorbed, fill the grooves with earth and loosen the soil.
- If you are watering plants with a watering can, remove the nozzle and gently moisten the soil under the bushes, being careful not to get moisture on the leaves.
Watering should be carried out weekly, and when the berries begin to pour in, it is advisable to shorten the time and moisten the garden every 5 days. Strawberries are a moisture-loving plant. To understand if it needs watering, make a 20 centimeter depression in the ground and collect some soil from there. If it is dry, then the bushes need to be watered urgently.
After harvesting, watering can be reduced. Moisten the garden bed as it dries. On average, this should be done every 2 weeks.
In order for the care of strawberries in the open field to be of high quality, they need to be weeded and get rid of weeds. Be sure to do this the next day after watering, loosening the soil in the aisles by 10 cm.Under the bushes, proceed carefully, going 3-4 cm deep into the soil and being careful not to damage the plant roots. After weeding, mulch the bed with a thick layer of sawdust. This will prevent the soil from drying out, reduce the appearance of weeds on the site, and facilitate cultivation.
After picking the berries, mustaches begin to grow in many strawberry varieties. If you need planting material, let them take root. Planting in a new place is carried out in the fall or next spring. When there is no need for a transplant, remove the mustache in a timely manner, because their growth depletes the plant and contributes to the excessive density of the garden.
Top dressing
Outdoor cultivation and care will not be successful without top dressing. For the first time, plants are fertilized in the spring, immediately after the last snow melts. To do this, use bird droppings, humus or mineral fertilizing.
- Bird droppings are soaked for 7 days in a small amount of liquid. After it is diluted with water 1:10 and 2 liters of fertilizer are applied under each bush.
- You can use ammonium nitrate. To do this, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the product in a bucket of water and water the bushes.
Flowering plants need to be fertilized again.Prepare bird droppings, dilute it with water 1:20 and add 150 g of wood ash for every 10 liters of solution. Place two liter cans of liquid under the root system of the plants. Such care leads to the fact that the set berries become larger and sweeter.
After harvesting the fruits, feeding should be continued, since at this time the strawberries form flower buds for the next summer. Fertilize with superphosphate in August. Dissolve 50 g of the product in 10 liters of water, stir 150 g of ash in it and water the bushes. During this period, nitrogen-containing fertilizing should not be used, so as not to stimulate the growth of green mass.
The day before applying top dressing, the garden needs to be watered well so that the fertilizer gets into the moist soil.
Pruning and autumn care
In August, you must completely cut off the leaves of adult strawberry bushes. Such care prevents diseases and pests from settling on the plant and prepares it for future fruiting. Remove the tops and mustaches from the garden. They can be sent to a compost pit or burned.
Advice
Do not over tighten with the trimming procedure. If it is done late, the strawberries will not have time to acquire new foliage by the onset of cold weather and may die.
Growing strawberries after pruning the leaves requires abundant watering, weeding and feeding so that the plants are quickly covered with young foliage. To prevent the appearance of pests, treat the garden with fungicides and insecticides.
Before the onset of frost, strawberries require special care. Cover the beds with a thick layer of fallen leaves or sawdust to keep the root system from freezing in winter. In the spring, as soon as the sun warms up, the insulation must be removed, otherwise the strawberries will start to rot and disappear.
When well looked after, strawberries are rarely affected by diseases, and they regularly yield large, aromatic berries.
and will be published shortly.