Growing strawberries in the open field

Since strawberries are rightfully the most popular berries that are cultivated in the dacha plots and plantations, setting themselves the goal of getting a good and regular crop, you should first examine all the details of its cultivation. Cultivation in the open field will require time and effort from the gardener, however, a detailed study of the process will allow you to avoid possible mistakes, guaranteeing a positive result.

The placement options for strawberry plantations are directly dependent on the climate in which the cultivation of the berries is planned. Excessive moisture or heat will not allow the plant to grow, because the root system of the shrubs is located quite close to the ground surface. It is this specificity of the structure of culture that will be the determining factor when choosing a place for arranging strawberry plantation.

There are a number of recommendations that will help you choose the most favorable site.

• For the southern regions there is the possibility of growing strawberries in slightly shaded areas of the garden near the spreading tree crown. In addition, the plant in this climate will be able to productively develop in the west or east of residential or farm buildings.
• As for the northern latitudes, there can be planted a culture only in the south, since the necessary amount of light and heat strawberries can be obtained in this climate only from this side.
• Lowlands, if the plot in the country is uneven, will not be the best choice for breeding berries. This is due to regular stagnation in this part of the groundwater, which will be replenished by natural precipitation. As a result of this placement, the root system of strawberries will start to rot, in addition, an excess of moisture will cause fungal diseases. In the absence of an alternative, in a valley, before rooting the plants, a good drainage system should be built that can drain the accumulated moisture.
• It is worth avoiding the formation of strawberry plantings on the southern slopes, because in these places in the spring the snow comes down first, as a result of which the plants will remain without reliable protection against temperature fluctuations in the first months of spring.
• Strawberry ridges should be reliably protected from the winds, it is best that the snow cover on the beds reaches 20-25 centimeters.
• Before you buy planting material, it is worth considering that in one place the berry can bear fruit no more than 4 years, after which strawberries will have to be grown in a different place in the garden to avoid depletion of the soil and the development of various ailments.
• Too frequent planting of bushes can provoke the grinding of berries, so the place for a strawberry plantation should not be too constrained by the area.
• A good crop can give a culture, if it is right to choose for it “predecessors”. As the long-term experience of cultivating a plant shows, berries bear fruits better after greens, radish or lettuce. Planting after solanaceous crops should be abandoned, since plants have common diseases.
• An important factor is the type of soil on the site, because the crop needs light soils with a neutral level of acidity. In order for the land in the garden to meet these requirements to the maximum, there are special technologies to bring the composition closer to the required characteristics. Sand and peat are introduced into the clay soil; as for the sandy land, it is mixed with compost and humus. The best option for strawberry will be black soil.

The selection of the period for planting strawberries in open ground is carried out on the basis of a number of important points, the main of which is the weather in certain latitudes, since the air temperature in the Urals or in the south can differ significantly at the same time.

For rooting of a mustache, spring months are selected, when the air warms to at least +10 C, the appearance of the first roots on the processes can be expected in a week and a half. In the warm southern climate, these works fall on the first weeks of April as for the central regions, rooting the whiskers here should be done a little later - closer to May, to eliminate the risk of frostbite of immature plants by night frosts.

Also strawberries are planted in the summer, usually August is reserved for planting; under good weather conditions, the berry can be planted in the autumn, however, it is worthwhile to make sure in advance that the air temperature will not fall below + 10-12 C in the next few weeks. and plant at the site.

In the case of strawberry planting in the spring, work on preparatory activities at the site should be scheduled for autumn. With regard to the rooting of strawberry whiskers in August - September, the place for the beds are put in order 14 days before the planned date of disembarkation.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing the soil are presented below.

1. The primary task of the gardener is to clean the weed area.
2. After removing unnecessary vegetation, it is worth taking care of the composition of the soil. To improve the nutritional qualities of the soil, manure and humus should be distributed over future beds, given that about 1 kilogram of fertilizer will be needed per 1 m2. In addition to humus, you can also use chicken droppings or vegetable compost, which will be an excellent breeding ground for strawberries.
3. Having performed work with organic compounds, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with furnace ash, phosphorus and other mineral components that will positively affect the development of berry culture. Ash will provide the required level of acidity of the soil, as well as help get rid of pests that are often placed for the winter in garden soil. The final component will be superphosphate, which will need up to 50 grams per 1 m2 of strawberry plantings.
4. An important point is the preventive cultivation of land from the wireworms and larvae of the cockchafer. For their destruction, additional soil disinfection with insecticides is performed, the use of ammonium nitrate demonstrates good results. In addition, alkaloid lupine can be temporarily landed on ridges, eating which insects are guaranteed to die.

If planting material is not supposed to be obtained from its own berry crops, it is worth taking care of its acquisition in advance. As advised by many experienced gardeners, it is best to purchase several different varieties of berries that will vary in terms of fruit ripening. Such features will allow to harvest regularly from the first summer months until the arrival of autumn, and some varieties can bear fruit before the arrival of frost and produce crops several times during the season.

If it is planned to grow seedling material from seeds independently, then preparation and work are carried out in February. For this, planting material is seeded in shallow containers with light soil. The soil should consist of soil and sand, in a 1: 1 ratio with the addition of perlite or coniferous bark, which will provide the necessary level of moisture in the soil.

Seeds are distributed on the ground and powdered with a small layer of earth, after which the container is covered with polyethylene to create a greenhouse. In this position, the seeds should be within a month, until the first shoots appear in the pots. After pecking, small cuts are made in the film, after a short adaptation period it is completely removed. After 3-4 weeks the bushes can be seated in different containers.

In the case of arranging the ridges of seedlings from your garden, in the fall, the selected material must be dug out from the plantation and placed in the basement or cellar, and a week before planting it must be lifted to the surface of the crop container and left in the shade.

The distance between the bushes during planting and the rooting of strawberries on the site are selected taking into account the area of ​​the seat in the garden.

With a large plot size, the berry can be planted using a single-line method. The essence of the method consists in placing the plants in one row in increments of 20-30 centimeters. The gap between rows should be about one meter, such placement will facilitate access to the gardeners to the ridges from all sides in the process of caring for the berries. In addition, this scheme makes it possible to root a mustache right on the garden beds.

If the size of the plot is modest, then it is better to plant the crop in two lines. Plants are placed at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other, the distance between rows will be similar in size. The step between the beds is maintained about 80 centimeters. However, this arrangement makes it impossible to simultaneously propagate the culture on the ridges of the whiskers. Cultivating and harvesting will not be as easy as in the first case, but competent agricultural technology and timely feeding will allow you to get a high yield of strawberries in time.

Shrubs rooted in pre-prepared holes, during the landing should monitor the state of the root system at the time of planting; It is important that the roots are located in the ground freely, and the point of growth of strawberries was above the ground level after plant seeding.

If the seedling size of the roots exceeds 10 centimeters, they are shortened. After planting, the wells must be watered, and the ground must be tightly tamped down to avoid the presence of air layers in the ground, which will adversely affect the adaptation of plants in a new place. Top beds are fertilized with a layer of humus and sprinkled with a small amount of dry soil in order to provide moisture at the roots of the crop for as long as possible.

The process of caring for strawberry plantings involves the performance of standard work on the cultivation of horticultural crops.

Special techniques and secrets of the implementation of this event does not exist, since it is important for the culture to get moisture on time and in the right quantities. But the gardener is obliged to control the process in order to avoid overwetting and drying out the soil. As practice shows, strawberries should be watered immediately after planting in the garden, during the flowering period of the bushes, during the harvest and before preparing the crop for the winter. Watering should be carried out in the evening after sunset or in the morning to avoid instantaneous evaporation of moisture. The liquid should be warm, it is best to water the plants with settled water. On one strawberry bush usually consumes about one liter of fluid. After the introduction of moisture, the beds should be covered with a layer of mulch, which will keep the soil moist and eliminate the development of weeds near the crop.

During the cultivation of strawberries in the open ground formed The most effective scheme of feeding plants.

• The first introduction of fertilizers into the soil is carried out in the spring, work should be carried out during the formation of leaves on plants. Nitrogen-containing nutrient formulations are used during this period.
• Before the flowering phase of strawberries, she will need to introduce liquid fertilizer, as an effective option can be used humus, manure or ash.
• At the end of the summer, after the berries are harvested, the culture is fertilized with phosphate and potash preparations.

With regard to restrictions in the use of fertilizers, the use of compounds, including chlorine, is strictly prohibited.

Another obligatory agrotechnical event that promotes good crop yields is the formation of a nutrient and protective layer of organic or synthetic materials on the beds. When the first ovaries appear on the bushes, the ground around the plants is covered with dry straw or sawdust. Such a nuance will help keep the berries clean, will become a barrier to the growth of weeds near the strawberries, as well as maintain the optimum level of soil moisture. In addition, some natural ingredients used as mulch can act as a good fertilizer for plants.

Some gardeners grow strawberries under the agrofiber; this option helps to fight weeds, but at the same time the material perfectly passes moisture and air.

In regions with a harsh climate, strawberry bushes need to be protected from frost for the winter. Preparation consists in watering and mulching the beds. And with the arrival of the first cold weather, the plantations are covered with a special film, spruce or cardboard. With winters with minimal snow cover, on strawberry beds additionally form snow shelters for plants.

Berry culture needs to be transplanted to a new place after a certain time. Some experts are of the opinion that transplantation should be done every 2-4 years, in many respects the frequency depends on the variety of strawberries and soil composition. Due to the need for transplant accumulation in the soil of various viruses.

Preventive treatment of bushes from pests and diseases is a mandatory measure, which concerns the care of culture. In order to avoid many ailments, in the absence of mulch, the beds must be loosened and weeded.

During flowering and after picking berries, preventive strawberry treatments include the use of the following drugs:

• against gray mold, Fitosporin and iodine solution demonstrate good results;
• various types of spotting will help to overcome copper oxychloride;
• from powdery mildew eliminates spraying potassium permanganate.

Specialized stores for gardeners sell a large number of highly effective formulations for the treatment and control of various ailments affecting the berry crop.

To control the main pests of strawberries, such as slugs or snails, use granular superphosphates, tobacco dust or ash. From mite and strawberry beetle will help get rid of the treatment of bushes "Karbofos." The development of many diseases and pest attacks will help avoid timely transplanting strawberries on the site.

To learn how to grow strawberries in the open field, see the next video.