How to water the strawberries?

Strawberry is one of the most popular berries growing in vegetable gardens and country houses of our country.It pleases not only the sweetness of taste, but also beautiful bright red berries that will decorate any dish. But if you look closely, you may find that in one area strawberry is juicy and large, and on the other it is small and pale. It is all about competent culture care, as the desired berries are very capricious and require special treatment. One of the most important components of such care is watering.

Not every land owner knows that strawberries need frequent watering more than other berries growing in the garden beds. This is due to the fact that the root system of the plant is close enough to the surface of the earth and cannot be fed moisture, which is located deep in the soil. In addition, the leaves of the plant during the period of growth quickly evaporate moisture, especially during the period of growth. For these reasons, watering should be regular and abundant, and the specific amount of water depends on many factors.

• From the composition of the soil. For example, loamy and clayey soils require more rare (several times a week) irrigation and additional loosening. Sandy soil needs to be watered much more often, daily or even several times a day.
• From the variety of plants. Different types of strawberries require more or less water.
• From the weather. When dry hot air moisture evaporates faster, so you need to more often make a liquid in the soil. At cold temperatures and in the absence of sun, irrigation, on the contrary, should be reduced. So, in hot weather, a berry needs 7-10 liters of water daily, whereas at low temperatures 5-7 liters of water are enough 2-3 times in seven days. In addition, with frequent rains, you can not engage in manual watering, it will be enough just ordinary raindrops.
• From the landing site. Strawberrygrowing in the shade requires less soil moisture than open, well-lit and ventilated ridges. If water is poured in excess, the risk of plant infection with fungal diseases increases.
• From the period of growth. Seedlings appear less frequently than fruit-bearing plants, since they have fewer leaves and no berries. If the composition of the soil, the weather and the place of planting can vary greatly, then the correct watering by periods of growth of strawberries has a number of rules that are the same for all.

In addition to the amount of water poured on strawberry roots, the special role is played by the time of day at which this watering takes place. Opinions experienced gardeners diverge here: some prefer to do it in the early morning, while others - in the late evening. However, both of these groups agree on the fact that day watering, especially in sunny weather, will not be beneficial for the plant. Moreover, round drops of water lingering on the green stalks and leaves of the plant turn into small loupes that increase the sunlight several times. Such magnifying glasses can harm strawberries, causing a burn of its green part.

If the weather is dry and hot, then watering the garden is better in the evening, after sunset or at sunset. This will allow moisture to linger longer around the roots of strawberries and not evaporate under the scorching rays. However, during the flowering of berries, the regime should be changed exclusively to morning watering. This is due to the fact that slugs appear in a large amount on damp cold soil, spoiling the color of the plant, therefore at night the soil under the foliage must remain dry.

Many gardeners, trying to make it easier for themselves to water the garden, stretch a long hose to the site, connected to a water supply system or a pump in the well. However, experts do not recommend doing this, as cold water is not good for the plant. In addition to increasing the risk of infection with rot, the system of strawberry roots deteriorates from low temperatures, which negatively affects the quality and quantity of its fruits. The optimum temperature is considered to be moisture not lower than 18 degrees, and it is better if the water is as warm as the heated air.

To achieve this, without making great efforts, it is possible as follows: on the site several large tanks are installed in which rainwater accumulates. They can be connected to storm sewers or even connected to water mains. The water that accumulates in them is heated in the sun to the desired temperature, and then used for evening or morning watering.

Despite the prohibition of watering well or tap water, sometimes this method can be useful. If splinkers are installed on ridges or in a greenhouse (special sprinklers that turn an ordinary stream into a multitude of microscopic drops), then in regions with abnormal heat such a method of watering may become the only salvation of plants from drying out. Spray coming out of the sprinkler will not only effectively moisten the entire surface of the soil, but also reduce the ambient air temperature to acceptable values.

Another method of watering, which is used not so much for moistening as for pest control, is watering strawberries with boiling water. It is used when the last snow melts on the open ridges. A heater is placed next to the garden bed so that when moving from the house to the site, the water does not have time to cool down. Boiling water is poured into a watering can and sprayed over the overwintering strawberries at a height of about 1 m.

Watering not only the place of germination, but also inter-row space. Drops, falling from such a height, have time to cool slightly and do not harm the plant, but the eggs and insect larvae can not survive with such a sharp temperature drop.

Since periods of growth in any variety of strawberries do not differ from each other, there are certain irrigation rules that are only slightly adjusted depending on weather conditions or the composition of the soil. In addition, even caring for a berry, covered with a spunbond (non-woven polymeric material, which most often has black color for better heating), is no different from caring for ordinary strawberry beds. Such withdrawal begins with the appearance of the first seedlings of seeds and lasts continuously until the plants are removed from the soil along with the roots, and the ridge is not planted with something else.

The first watering is done in wooden or plastic boxes with soil, placed in a warm and bright room of the house or apartment. The first fragile shoots can not be watered from a regular mug or bottle, even with warm water, since a strong flow of water can break the fragile stem. This should be done using a conventional medical syringe, the water from which is injected into the soil near the roots of each sprout. This is done as the soil dries out in the box. As soon as the first dry cracks appear in it, watering can be repeated.

The seedling is planted in a greenhouse or open ridges in the period of mid-April or early May, depending on the average daily temperature. Before planting, the soil should be abundantly moistened and loosened, after which it is possible to start planting in a couple of hours. Subsequent watering is carried out daily 1-2 times a day, depending on the soil. So, 70% moisture is enough for peaty-sandy soil, but loam should be brought up to 80%. Every 3-4 days watering should be slightly reduced and by the time the first flowers appear, it should be reduced to 1-2 waterings per week.

After the appearance of the first color, drip irrigation of strawberries is prohibited, since water will wash away the pollen from flower cups, and the fruits will be sown only on plants that have been pollinated. For proper care, you will need a watering can with a long thin spout without a spray bottle, with which water will be poured under the root of each bush. Liquid consumption should be about 20 liters per 1 square. m of soil.

After the appearance of the first fruits, watering should be increased to 25 liters per 1 square meter. m. It is carried out in the same way as during flowering - in the basal way and only in the morning hours. Watering the berries during the day means burning it, and evening watering will attract slugs and rot.

After harvesting the plants also need constant care. Watering should be rare, but abundant. It is enough to moisten the soil 1-2 times a week, pouring out into 1 square meter. m not less than 30 liters of warm water. This watering is best done early in the morning or late in the evening. To lay the prerequisites for a bountiful harvest of the next year, this should be done by the root method, and not by irrigation from above.

Watering on open ground differs from watering sheltered strawberries or greenhouse watering with a large amount of water and the obligatory subsequent loosening. Watering should be abundant, but more rare, so as not to blur the soil and not to fill the roots of plants. The differences between the care of the berries in the greenhouse and in the open field are minimal and consist in the fact that in the greenhouse there is a more pleasant temperature for the growth of the fruit, and in the garden it all depends on weather conditions.

In order to charge the thawed soil after winter with a sufficient amount of moisture, after removing the shelter from the strawberry plants, you need to moisten the ridges abundantly. This is done by sprinkling a little warm water in the morning. The first week of watering is done daily in small quantities (1-2 watering cans on a large ridge), and as the weather sets in, it becomes more abundant and less frequent. By the time the first flowers appear, it should be produced no more than 1-2 times in 7 days.

The first strawberries appear in early June, if the weather has become quite sunny since May. Watering it should be the same as usual during the fruiting period, that is, near the roots with plenty of water 1-2 times a week. By July, in many regions, the air temperature increases so much that such rare watering becomes insufficient, therefore, the frequency of soil moistening is increased up to 3-5 times a week.

Each gardener chooses for himself the method of watering that suits him. In addition, very often for the proper care of strawberries need to alternate or combine several different methods. They may vary in cost of organization, in severity of physical work, or in terms of the amount of preliminary work. To date, there are three main methods of irrigation, which are used to care for strawberries.

This method is a regular watering of watering can, buckets or even cans. To do this, you need to take water into the container from any container or tap, bring it to the greenhouse or ridge and pour it out. It is possible to water strawberries both from above, and near the roots, using a watering can with a nozzle or without it. If you pour water on top, then watering is also called superficial, and if closer to the root, then root.

For this method of irrigation will have to install a rather complicated system of pipes laid over the bed with berries, which is not so easy to do with your own hands. It is the most expensive in terms of cost and complexity of installation, but it allows you to optimally moisten the plants in dry and hot regions. Various liquid fertilizers can be added to the water and the two processes can be combined into one automatic one. It will not be necessary to go around the greenhouse with a heavy watering can every morning or evening, it will be enough to turn on the water supply.

This method of watering can often be seen on beautiful large lawns and flower beds. To do this, a special sprinkler is installed on the bed, to which a hose with water is supplied.Water from such a sprinkler rises into the air and falls on the leaves and stalks of strawberries in the form of a small rain.

Together with irrigation, you can add additional fertilizer for strawberries to the soil:

• in the first watering it will be useful to fertilize the soil with nitrogen, diluting ammonium nitrate in water;
• the second feeding is carried out using potassium sulfate just before the flowering of the plant;
• fertilizing with iodine or potassium permanganate can be carried out as the appearance of diseases or pests, but no more than 1-2 times a month;
• complex fertilizers in liquid form can be added to the basal watering during the flowering of strawberries.

If you do not let the soil dry on the hottest summer days, fertilize it in a timely manner, weed and loosen it, then the harvest of juicy and large berries can be removed not one but two or three times per season. You can try different methods and frequency of watering, add various fertilizers and additives.

How often to water strawberries, see the next video.