Most owners of suburban areas seek to allocate at least a small place for planting strawberries. At the same time, care for this berry is not the easiest, weeding it is not very convenient because of the long antennae, and the berries often lie on the ground and rot. Beginning gardeners should be aware that you need to carry out a number of preparatory measures for processing the place for this crop, after which you can plant strawberries.
Features of growing in the garden
For planting, you should choose land that has a flat surface or has a slight slope facing south-west. If you plant strawberries in a lowland, the plants will be susceptible to disease, and they will bear fruit poorly due to the cool air. Planting on the southern slope is also not the best option, since it is precisely on these sites that snow melts early and strawberry bushes remain defenseless before spring frosts. It is important to choose the right place for the garden: it must be protected from the wind, while it is important that in the winter the bushes are under a layer of snow at least 25 cm thick. An important rule for gardeners is not to plant strawberries in the same place after two - four years, since various fungi and viruses will accumulate in the soil.
Rules of landing in the ground
Planting strawberries in the ground is a responsible process that must be completed on time. In this case, a number of rules should be taken into account. Strawberries grow well and bear fruit in the bright sun, and in the shade the berries are sour, and there will be few of them. Caring for plants suggests that the soil should not be waterlogged, but there should be no lack of moisture. Another important rule is not to plant strawberry bushes too close to each other, since a dense planting will affect the harvest - small berries will dominate in it.
How to prepare the ground
The soil for planting strawberries should not be any special, since the bushes take root on any type of soil. However, black soil, in which wood ash is added, is considered an ideal option. If the groundwater on the site comes too close to the surface, beds should be made up to 40 cm high, and if the site is dry, 10 cm high is enough. Any can be wide. To prepare a place for it, you need to remove all weeds, pest larvae, dig the ground to a depth of 25 cm, add compost or humus to the soil, loosen it, after which you can plant strawberries.
When to plant and how to care
The optimal period for transplanting seedlings into the ground is considered to be the beginning of May and the end of August-beginning of September (in areas with a warm climate - the second decade of July). For such an event, cloudy weather or evening should be chosen, because the plants acclimatize well during the night. It is best to plant large and prolific bushes that have a developed root system and three to four leaves. The outlet is separated from the mother liquor, after which, together with a wet lump of earth, it is planted in the ground. Do not place the seedlings too deep - this is fraught with rotting of the roots, and too close to the soil surface - in this case, the roots will dry out. After all the seedlings are planted, water should be abundantly watered.
When the first ovary appears, dry straw or sawdust can be sprinkled under the shoots - this will protect future berries from decay on the ground. In order for the strawberry harvest to be plentiful, the mustache of the bushes should be cut off during flowering and fruiting. Strawberry is a capricious berry, therefore care for it needs careful, namely regular watering (especially in hot weather), top dressing with special mineral fertilizers at the beginning of growth.
A strawberry plantation should be constantly monitored, and weed accumulation should be avoided. Berries lying on the ground need to be lifted, for example, using wire supports. If the strawberry began to attack aphids, then you need to fight it with the following solution: several heads of garlic are poured with three liters of water, then left to infuse. After a week, the solution is ready - they can process the bushes through a spray. To save strawberries from wasps, you can place cans with a sweet compote next to the ridges. And the beds can be saved from birds with the help of glass red balls, which are used in interior design.
Preparing for the winter
Growing strawberries, as already mentioned, is a laborious process, and therefore it is necessary to comply with all the requirements for caring for it. So, it is important to prepare plants for winter. This is done simply: after harvesting around the bushes, all weeds should be removed and the bed should be covered with different litter of plant origin - it can be sawdust, branches, wood chips. This approach will allow the bushes to grow stronger during the winter "hibernation", as well as gain strength in the winter cold.
Choosing neighbors
Many experts advise preparing the soil for planting for another year, so that it is "infused", after which you can plant strawberries. So, in the garden, which will be diverted under the bushes, you should first grow radish, dill, garlic, salad or peas. These plants are considered the best strawberry precursors. After harvesting, the site should be seeded with mustard, oats or beans. Favorably affects the growth of berries and planting between the rows of strawberries parsley - it repels slugs. In addition, berries can be planted next to cabbage, onions, radishes and beets. As for herbs, the planting of cucumber grass and sage has a positive effect on the growth of bushes. If you mulch the soil with spruce and pine needles, you can significantly improve the taste of strawberries. Knowing these simple rules, it will be easy for you to figure out on your site, next to what to plant strawberries.
How to plant?
As already mentioned, ideally, strawberries should be planted in early spring or autumn. You need to choose a method depending on what climatic conditions you live in. The methods for planting strawberries can be summarized as follows:
- Growing a lowercase method. For this method, you should choose any time except winter. If the planting will be carried out in the spring, then this should be done in early April - this will ensure rapid growth of seedlings. Landing in July-August will allow you to collect the first crop in the next season. It is better to plant in cloudy and damp weather, and the process can be performed with a single-line or two-line method. The second method is more appropriate, since the distance between the bushes will be about 20 cm, and between the rows - 60-70 cm. The single-line method involves the distance between the bushes 15-20 cm, and between the lines - about 70 cm. First, note the future rows with a cord, then you can plant strawberries. In order to protect the berries from pests, as well as dirt and decay, it is necessary to put ruberoid or lutrasil on the ground in which holes are made.
- Growing strawberries under film tunnels. Thanks to the shelter, the plants will grow much faster and mature faster than seedlings planted in the ground. Since planting strawberries in the spring in this way is the most convenient option, you should think about planting in early April. To begin with, it is worth installing arcs of wire that will be placed at a distance of one meter from each other. Their height should be about half a meter. After fixing the arcs, a film is stretched on them, and so that it does not sag, the arcs should be connected together using twine. The film tunnels need periodic ventilation, and the culture needs watering, mulching and harvesting, so one side of the original greenhouse should remain in the public domain. In good weather, the beds should be opened and let them breathe.
- Growing in vertical rows. For this, multi-tier containers can be used, and they are used on any type of soil. This method allows you to get a fairly large yield with a small planting area. As containers, you can use any design in the form of a cone or a pyramid, while they should be located at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Many gardeners know what soil strawberries love, but we will remind you: containers should be filled with peat, humus and turf in equal proportions. Seedlings are planted from the lower tier, and watering should be carried out with warm water several times a week.
- Growing strawberries under agrofiber. This method is good in that the crop can be obtained about a week earlier than usual. Shelter with agrofibre ensures the creation of a good temperature for the growth and development of bushes, while they are protected from frost and wind.
We grow strawberries from seeds
Planting strawberry seeds is another interesting way to get a harvest of juicy berries. True, this method is not suitable for every variety. So, first you need to prepare a box with a depth of about 10 cm, which should be filled with special soil for seedlings. We spill the ground well, after which we lay out the strawberry seeds and cover the box with glass. It is not necessary to fill the seeds with soil. The box should be in a warm place, while you need to monitor the moisture of the earth. When the first shoots appear, you should rearrange the box in a bright place and remove the glass from it. As soon as the first leaves appear, you can make a pick in pots - the soil in them must be fertilized every two weeks with a special mineral for strawberries. After growing seedlings, it can be transplanted into the ground. By the way, in order to collect strawberry seeds for the future harvest, you should choose only large berries ripened in July-August. To do this, a thin layer is removed from the berry with a blade, after which it is rubbed onto the fabric. Seeds should be dried, collected in a bag and stored at room temperature.
Planting a Removable Strawberry
Removable strawberries have their own distinctive features. She immediately after the first fruits begins to lay new buds, after which berries are tied, which can give a full re-harvest. Bushes bear fruit twice, while they need to be watered twice as often, and the soil should be prepared more carefully. If you plan to plant this type of berries, you should well find out how to plant strawberries in the spring. The distinctive features of this garden culture include:
- Weakly expressed foliage.
- Small berries.
- The fragility of fruiting, due to too high productivity.
- A more plentiful crop is the second.
- After the first harvest, not all bushes survive.
How to plant seeds?
To begin with, it should be noted that strawberries of any kind can be planted with seeds. For planting, it is optimal to use the land in which vegetable crops were previously planted . Soil moisture should be at least 80%, land - without lumps. To plant seedlings, you will need a box or container that is filled with prepared soil. Strawberry seeds, which are lightly sprinkled with dry earth, are covered with seeds. Then you need to slightly irrigate the surface with a spray gun. The main thing is that the seeds should not be closed from the rays of the sun - in this case, the number of sprouts will be large. The container where the seeds are planted should be covered with a film and put in heat. Three weeks later, you can observe the appearance of the first seedlings, which will periodically need to be watered.
Seedling - Seedling
Seedlings reach their optimal size around May - this time is just right for planting them in the beds. You need to plant the bushes carefully, together with the earth from the pot. In order for the root system to have enough air, it is important to regularly cultivate the soil near the bushes. And so that the roots do not open up to the sun, the earth should be constantly added. You can water a strawberry from a watering can and a bucket. During flowering, bushes should be fed with mineral fertilizers, which are specially created, taking into account the characteristics of strawberries.