Miniature green bushes with beautiful red berries are welcome residents of every garden plot. Without red fragrant strawberries, summer probably will not take place. In order to feast on delicious berries every year and have the opportunity to make supplies in the form of compotes and preserves for the winter, you need to take care of this pretty picky beauty.
In particular, strawberries need to be transplanted regularly. This should not be done annually, but once every three years it is necessary to change her place of residence. And today we’ll talk about when you can transplant strawberries and, of course, touch on the basic rules for transplanting, preparing the soil and other important nuances, and at the same time we will deal with the question of whether it is possible to transplant strawberries in October.
When is the best time to transplant strawberries
If you really set out to get a stable harvest every season, then transplanting should be carried out without fail. A feature of the plant is the impossibility of high-quality yield of the crop, if in one place it has been growing for more than four years.
Why is it best to transplant in the fall season?
You can plant the berry at any time. It can be spring, summer, and autumn. But is it possible to transplant strawberries in October? Pretty tricky question.
Experienced gardeners recommend using the autumn period to update strawberry beds. The earth at this time is perfectly moistened and still quite well warmed up. Sunlight is no longer so intense as to burn the newly transplanted fragile bushes.
The best time for planting berries is the end of August and the beginning of October. But this statement will be true for the area where winter comes quite early or corresponds to the calendar schedule. For the southern regions, the answer to the question whether strawberries can be transplanted in October will be positive.
And now about the transplant itself.
Choose a place to land
A strawberry transplant in October is good because you have the opportunity to choose the most suitable place for planting. Strawberries, of course, the plant is not too finicky, but grows best after the following predecessors:
- bean families ;
- greens - lettuce, parsley, dill or onions;
- radishes;
- carrots;
- beets.
After harvesting these crops, the soil contains the maximum amount of substances needed by strawberries. But after plants of the nightshade family, cucumbers and any gourds, as well as cabbage, it is not worth planting bushes of berries.
Soil preparation
Planting strawberries in October suggests classic soil preparation. The best soil for the plant will be chernozem with a sufficient content of ash and forest soils.
Before planting, it is recommended to carry out the following agricultural activities:
- Be sure to pick all insect larvae during digging. The Colorado and May beetle, the wireworm is a terrible danger to a young fragile bush. If manual selection is not possible, then it is necessary to cultivate the soil. To do this, prepare an ammonia solution and water the area. Or at first it is seeded with lupine or beans, which for larvae become real poison.
- The land must be completely cleared of weeds. If there is an excessive amount of weeds, it is necessary to spray the earth with a special solution, for example, “Roundal”.
- The earth must be carefully dug up or plowed. It all depends on the size of the plot.
- Mandatory application of fertilizers. The composition of the fertilizer will depend on the chemical composition of the earth. The most recommended additives are manure, humus or humus. For one meter of beds should be at least 6 kilograms of fertilizing.
- Strawberries do not like the high salt content, and therefore the application of chemical fertilizers should be made two weeks before planting. Of the recommended fertilizers: 40 grams of superphosphate and 20 grams of potash compounds per square meter of beds.
- If the earth has an increased acidity, then a decrease in the indicator must be taken care of in advance. For this, dolomite flour is dispersed annually on the site . Helps to enrich the soil with nitrogen will help plants from the category of siderates.
How to plant strawberries: options
Strawberry transplant in the fall, in October, is no different from the usual. Therefore, all known methods can be applied:
- In one line. In this case, at least 70 centimeters must be left between the rows, and the plants should be located about 20 centimeters from each other.
- In two or more lines. Here, the bushes are arranged in the form of classic beds forming belt plantings. The distance between them is about 70 centimeters, and the lines of bushes should be separated from each other by 30 centimeters.
The berry planted in one of these ways will grow under the most optimal conditions for it. At the same time, the probability of a strawberry disease will be reduced. Tilling the soil will also not cause much trouble. Planting strawberries in October using a single line method can be done under the trees.
Strawberry transplant in autumn, in October
If you decide to harvest the next season, then as a seedling you need to choose two-year-old copies. Please note: there should be at least three leaves on the bush if you take young outlets. The root lobe should also be well developed. Dig out bushes just before planting. When this is not possible, be sure to keep the root system of the seedlings moist. To do this, you can simply wrap it in a wet cloth. We remind you once again that strawberries can be planted in October, but only in the southern regions.
It is best to transplant the berry in cloudy weather. Wells should not be too large. Focus on the root system. The roots should be completely straightened. Also, it is impossible to deepen the bushes deeply - the "heart" from where the leaves grow and peduncles should remain on the surface of the beds.
How to plant correctly
The hole must be filled with water almost completely. Then we take a bush and place directly in the water, not forgetting to carefully straighten the roots. After completely absorbing water, the hole is covered with earth. Be sure to squeeze it, so the soil will grasp the roots more tightly and the plant will take root more quickly.
Landing care
Since the garden bed is prepared in advance, after-planting care for strawberries in October will consist in sheltering the plantings. Of course, before the onset of stable frosts, plants will have time to take root, but helping them in this will not hurt. Therefore, it is worth covering the beds with any covering material.
We hope that you received the answer to your question whether it is possible to transplant strawberries in October and how to care for it. Have a nice harvest!