Do I need to water strawberries? Judge for yourself: its roots are in the upper soil layer, at a shallow depth. This means that it is not able to “get” moisture from the layers of deeper strawberries. When flowering and ripening berries on soils (light sandy loam), it is necessary to adhere to an optimal moisture content of 70%, later (after the harvest is harvested), soil moisture is reduced by 20%. On heavier soils, the indicator can grow up to 80%. Of course, you need to take into account the climate with its nuances: heavy rains, drought, winds, temperature changes, etc. The proper watering of strawberries and the definition of watering norms affect the quality and quantity of the crop.
On the day of planting seedlings for better survival should be carried out daily three times watering (at least 0.5 liters per plant) for 15 days. Then the earth is moistened less often (once, every other day).
Watering strawberries is also required during the fruiting period, and in dry weather it should be daily. It is important not to overdo it here - the “flooded” strawberries will be sour, unaromatic, rotting of berries (even unripe ones) may begin right on the bush, and with insufficient watering berries and leaves exposed to the sun will get real burns. In both cases, the yield drops significantly.
Watering strawberries can be done in various ways.
1. Watering can, manually. The method is suitable for small beds and in the case when a certain dosage is required.
2. Watering can, from a hose. The most common method, familiar to almost all gardeners. The watering device (watering can) is attached directly to the hose. You can hold such a watering can in your hands, you can install it on props (usually iron pins). The disadvantage of this type of irrigation is in the uneven wetting of the earth, not to mention the economy. In addition, strong pressure can cause erosion of the soil and exposure of the root system, cold water provokes multiple diseases.
3. Sprinkling. Strawberry sprinkling is carried out by mobile units (must be moved), part of the equipment can be installed underground. Suitable for large areas. The optimal order of placement of sprinklers is a triangular-chess, with a distance of 12-14 m (with a wind of not more than 16 km / h and an outlet pressure of 9 kg / sq. Cm in the spray). By sprinkling, you can not only increase humidity, but also lower the temperature.
4. System watering using sprinklers - drip and microdrop systems (internal and end). The former are suitable for a bag (container) cultivation method, the latter are suitable for conventional (land) beds. Among such systems, those that allow you to control the flow of water are most in demand . The main plus is in the direct supply of life-giving moisture directly to the roots.
Drip irrigation is the most promising and convenient irrigation of strawberries, supporting the soil where the roots of the plant are in a wet state. At the same time, the aisles remain dry, which means that the number of weeds decreases. Such irrigation of strawberries eliminates evaporation losses. Among its undoubted advantages - the absence of soil crusts.