Why do strawberries harden and what to do?
An attractive and powerful crop can be harvested on strawberry plantations - no one really argues with this. However, there are a number of problems that need to be addressed.One of them is the situation when strawberries harden.
Causes of difficulty
Strawberry bushes really need water. Therefore, hard berries often appear due to the lack of moisture, especially when the summer months are hot and there is no precipitation. A common mistake is to avoid systematic watering when the first berries appear. In this case, there is a risk that the subsequent harvest will become worse. Recognizing this cause is not difficult - it is accompanied by the appearance of dry, cracked surface areas.
Important: watering is required to comply with a reasonable measure. Excess fluid leads to fungal infections and even rotting. Even worse, if the root suffers, then you have to part with all hopes for the harvest. In addition, hard hard strawberries appear if there is not enough heat or the area is poorly chosen. This plant is in need of normal heating and lighting, and the slightest rush of cold air can harm it.
Risk associated with the occurrence of thermal burns. To not have them it is required to pour water on strawberry beds in the morning. If this is not possible for some reason, it must be done in the late evening hours, so that sunlight does not scorch the bushes.
Regardless of the exact time of watering, the water must be completely absorbed before the plant warms up. Categorically it is impossible to water foliage and fruits!
Other sources of violations
If the ripened berries become brown, strongly tough, the reason may lie not only in watering. It is necessary to pay attention to such moments:
- location accuracy;
- observance of the norms of crop rotation;
- pest invasion;
- fungal infection.
Mummified berries: what to do
First of all, if there is confidence in the correct watering, it is necessary to check whether there is a shortage of useful substances. First of all, it is necessary to check what the intake of potassium and phosphorus is, whether it corresponds to biological needs. The best way to feed is to add ash to the ground. If there is an exact certainty that the cause is precisely phosphorus deficiency, it is required to use phosphate flour or superphosphate.
The fight against powdery mildew is impossible as long as the reasons for its occurrence persist. Spores of the fungus develop readily in the warm, humid air - but they do not like systematic airing of the greenhouse or rational watering and drainage of the beds. To eliminate an already developed disease, it is required to process strawberry plantings with serum. Sometimes milk is taken instead, but in the same proportion - 3 parts of water to 1 part of the reagent. If a strawberry bush is affected by verticillus, it is too late to save it all those drugs that can kill the fungus, will irreversibly poison the crop; therefore, it is imperative to destroy infected bushes.
The fight against slugs is effectively carried out with the help of mulch. As this tool usually take needles or sawdust. An alternative is to use a 30% mustard solution in water. This composition is suitable for spraying the affected bushes, as well as for watering preparing plants for planting. Mulching can prevent strawberries from drying out or infection by pests, but mulch must be changed from time to time.
You will learn more about the proper care of strawberries in the following video.
