How to care for strawberries in the spring after winter: tips and rules for spring care. Proper care of strawberries in spring is the secret to a good harvest. What are the best ways to process strawberries in early spring

Foreword

Strawberries are loved by adults and children, as well as numerous bugs, spiders, mites and fungal diseases. And if you do not want to share your harvest with them, then processing strawberries in the spring from pests and diseases should be one of the main spring tasks!

How to process strawberries in spring - vulnerable points

Strawberries are much more prone to diseases and pests than other plants. From the soil, larvae of May beetles and other insects threaten her; ticks take root instantly on leaves and stems different kind, nematodes (tiny worms), weevils and sawflies arrive from the air to "help" all the listed pests. A whole plantation of delicious and fragrant berries can die once and for all, because only a few larvae of the same May beetle can destroy square meter landings!

How to process strawberries in the spring so that they face fewer dangers? Alas, they have not yet come up with a single remedy for all misfortunes, so you will have to navigate the situation. From gray rot, which appears as grayish spots on the berries themselves, copper oxychloride or a weak solution of Bordeaux mixture, with which strawberries are treated before flowering, will help. Having noticed the manifestations of the disease, remove the infected berries, trying not to touch the healthy ones with your hands.

To remove excess moisture during rains, pour sawdust into the aisle. The same measures can protect the crop from black rot, spotting.

A fungal disease known as strawberry powdery mildew is prevented by spraying with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or sulfaride paste, as well as colloidal sulfur.

Processing strawberries in the spring - folk remedies

You can prepare a decoction of tomato tops since the fall. The recipe is simple: green tops (1 kg) should be poured with a ten-liter bucket warm water. It should be insisted for 4 hours, then it needs to be boiled for two hours. After it has cooled, it must be filtered and diluted with water twice. In order for the product to adhere well to the leaves, you need to add a little laundry soap. Another option that can be prepared in the spring is dandelion infusion. 800 grams of fresh leaves of this plant need to be crushed and pour ten liters hot water, not boiling water. After four hours of infusion, the infusion should be shaken, strained through gauze and immediately applied for spraying.

To combat the spider mite, which is easy to detect on the site along the characteristic web weaving around the stems and leaves, an infusion of wormwood or tobacco is effective. The infusion will be quite concentrated - for 4-5 liters of water you will need a kilogram of wormwood, boil for ten minutes.

Then the filtered liquid is diluted with the same amount of water. Before spraying, add a little laundry soap. This remedy is also effective in the fight against weevil. By the way, these same tools will be useful to you with!

Crawling pests - how to drive them away from strawberries?

Snails, wood lice, centipedes and ants go hunting for your strawberries at night and hide in different shelters during the day. You can use this fact to your advantage - lay out in the aisle various boards, plywood, and in the morning or afternoon, catch all the living creatures that have gathered under them. Plantings can also be protected with the help of coniferous branches or needles, which at the same time will serve as mulch. From ants, a composition prepared from a glass of sunflower oil and half a liter of vinegar per 10 liters of water will help. By watering them with places of accumulation of insects, you will drive them away from the site.

Probably, you cannot find such a gardener who would not grow strawberries in his garden. After all, both children and adults love it. Fragrant juicy berries are not only tasty, but also very healthy, as they are rich in vitamins and minerals.

That is why everyone who grows it wants to get a rich harvest. But in order to achieve this, strawberries need to be looked after not only when they bloom and bear fruit. Care of strawberries after harvest is of great importance. This is directly related to the laying of future berries, therefore experienced gardeners pay special attention to strawberries during this period.

The berries are harvested - why do we need care now?

Some people think that regular autumn harvesting is enough for strawberries. But the thing is that strawberries cease to bear fruit very early, and there is still a lot of time until autumn. Over the summer, the beds can become so overgrown with weeds that autumn harvesting will be very difficult, which is why strawberry care after harvest is required.

In addition, the bushes that have finished fruiting must again replenish their strength, accumulating them for the next season, which will be almost impossible to do in the vicinity of weeds.

Among other things, it is at this time that strawberries begin to form young leaves and lay flower buds again. Numerous mustaches appear, which also weaken the mother bush if they are not cut in time. Against the background of this process, the old foliage slowly dies off, preventing the new one from developing normally.

All these factors already indicate that post-harvest care for strawberries is necessary. But that's not all.

Various pests and pathogens that have accumulated over the season on old leaves try to move to new young leaves. And they may be quite enough. After all, everyone knows that during fruiting, strawberries are not recommended to be weeded, and even more so treated with chemicals.

So, in addition to the accumulated dying old leaves, it is also necessary to loosen the aisles. Since the roots of strawberries are already shallow, the resulting adventitious roots may even end up on the surface of dense soil. And this is just at the moment when strawberries need enhanced nutrition so much.

In fact, it turns out that it is still far from feeding in the fall, nutrients in the soil is not enough, and the strawberries remain on a starvation diet. But as already mentioned, the better it gets stronger and lays more flower buds, topics more berries can be collected in next year. Here are some more reasons why you need to process strawberries after harvest.

What activities should be carried out with strawberries after harvesting?

Based on the foregoing, it becomes necessary to carry out complex measures, of which the correct care of plants will consist.

It is as follows:

pruning old leaves and removing mustaches;
destruction of weeds and loosening of the soil;
timely watering;
treatment for pests and diseases;
top dressing.

Pruning old leaves or mowing?

Many people ask if strawberries are mowed after harvest. In most cases, yes. Since, thanks to this, strawberries can be freed from old leaves and open the way for new ones, which grow just during this period. Just do it very carefully.

This procedure should be started when at least a week has passed after picking strawberries. The leaves are mowed at a height of 7-8 cm, so as not to damage the growing points, after which they are removed with a rake.

In a few days, the strawberry bushes will begin to be covered with young leaves, and soon the bed will take on its original appearance.

If you are not a fan of mowing and are wondering when to trim strawberries after harvest, then you can also do this after 7-10 days.

Old leaves are cut to the same height, without affecting the growth points. This is how each bush is treated. This method is suitable when you need to cut strawberries after harvesting in a small area.

In addition to young leaves in summer, strawberries begin to throw out mustaches. If you want to propagate it, then some mustaches can be dug in. The rest should be disposed of, because they take a lot of strength from plants.

How to tidy up the beds?

Once you've upgraded your strawberries after harvest, what's next? Of course, to put in order the beds.

Destroy all the weeds that managed to occupy it during ripening, once again walk with a rake, removing the remains of the leaves, and you can start hilling each plant with a chopper. During this period, some bushes begin to bulge the roots, which leads to their drying out, and the plants cannot grow normally. That's why hilling is necessary. Just be careful not to sprinkle the heart with earth.

After that, it remains only to loosen the aisles well.

Watering strawberries

Caring for strawberries after harvesting involves mandatory watering. Since the soil in the beds should be well moistened. It should be watered abundantly, but infrequently, given weather. To preserve moisture, the soil must be mulched, for which peat is suitable. Do not allow the formation of a crust after watering. Therefore, you need to loosen the soil around each bush and between rows.

Spraying strawberries

The summer period, when the berries are harvested, is the most best time to take care of plant health. Treatment of strawberries after harvesting from diseases is carried out with various preparations.

Which of them to use depends on various plant diseases, determined by their appearance:

if damage to young leaves appears, then the earth mite is to blame. Spraying with colloidal sulfur diluted with water or such preparations as Fitoverm, Actellik and Titovit Jet help to get rid of it;
presence on the leaves brown spots talking about viral diseases. In this case, they are treated with Bordeaux mixture;
if rotting of berries was observed, then the plants were struck by a fungus - gray rot. To eliminate it, you need to spray the bushes with a solution of a popular fungicide - copper oxychloride.

Processing strawberries after harvesting is also a preventive measure.

First, the affected leaves must be removed immediately, carefully examining the bushes.

And secondly, manganese is a reliable assistant in this case. Dilute a weak solution and not only spray the bushes with it, but also water the soil in the garden.

Top dressing strawberries

Do not know how to feed strawberries after harvest, and why do it? First of all, so that next year it bears fruit well. Indeed, as mentioned above, it is at this time that flower buds are formed that determine the next harvest.

For summer top dressing complex fertilizers produced specifically for strawberries, such as Rubin, Ryazanochka or Agricola, are perfect. They must be applied according to the instructions, combining this procedure with watering and loosening the soil.

If you are wondering what else to feed strawberries after harvesting, then you can also use humus, wood ash or ammophoska for this purpose.

Preparing for winter

This is not a complicated matter, but it is obligatory, since the next year's harvest will also depend on this stage.

You have already figured out how much attention strawberries require after harvest, what to do with them throughout the summer. It remains to figure out how to prepare it for the winter.

Do not be surprised, but you have already done part of this preparation. After all best protection from winter colds - these are healthy, overgrown leaves and the absence of pests. So it was not in vain that you tried all summer, putting the bushes in order, feeding and treating them with remedies for diseases, and also removing weeds and loosening the beds.

Now it remains for you to mulch the plantings with sawdust or peat in October, making a layer of no more than 5 cm, and in November cover them with spruce branches or raspberry branches so that snow lingers on them later. This will be the best hiding place for strawberries.

The snow melted and bushes of berries appeared on the bed with plantings of strawberries, which look completely unattractive and dull. But the warm sun does its job, and the plants begin to come to life.

So what should you pay attention to in the first place, so that in the summer you can enjoy the fragrant berry yourself, treat your friends and leave it for jam?

After the snow melts and the first opportunity to walk along garden paths, a gardener with predilection examines his possessions. One of the first to require attention and processing is a bed with strawberries.

Remove last year's dried leaves and flower stalks. (If this work was not done in the fall.) Pruning must be done very carefully so as not to damage the heart of the plant and young sprouts that are starting to make their way to the light.

Old mulch should also be removed. This is where most pests overwinter. In addition, its absence in the early spring period will provide better air penetration into the root area. And as you know, at low positive temperatures, they develop more actively. This will provide further full nutrition of the leaf apparatus. A strong plant, with a strong root system and a healthy above-ground part, has a much higher yield.

But sanitization will not provide complete protection of strawberries from pests and diseases. It's more of a preventive measure.

Processing strawberries after wintering: video

The strawberry berry is very tender and unfavorable conditions (excessive humidity, dense plantings) often lead to gray rot disease.

It looks like a grayish coating that appears on the surface of the berry, after which it rots.

Strawberry leaf spot is of two types. This is brown spotting and white. The disease is fungal and manifests itself mainly by the end of summer.

Brown spotting is red-brown spots on the leaves, with dry edges.

White spotting is characterized by red spots and white spots.

Of the pests for strawberries, nematodes are the most dangerous.. The first one is stem. A colorless small worm that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It settles on peduncles, affects leaves and petioles. It feeds on the juice of these parts of the plant, as a result of which they are deformed.

The second species is the strawberry nematode, which is dangerous for buds, flowers and berries. The plant affected by the pest blooms with dirty green flowers, and the berry is formed deformed and tasteless.

strawberry weevil winters in the soil, next to the favorite strawberry bush. After the soil warms up to 8-10 ° C, it comes to the surface and begins to destroy the very first buds.

slobber penny finds himself "spitting" on a strawberry bush. Usually she chooses the heart of a plant, from where she sucks the juice.

spider mite- This is another enemy of strawberries. It is impossible to detect it due to its microscopic size. Moreover, he settles back side sheet.

The most unpleasant disease for strawberries is gray rot. Everyone knows the picture when a gray coating appears on the berries, and they rot in this place. And this happens because the spores of the fungus live in plant waste and on the surface of the soil.

By the time the strawberries form and begin to ripen, the spores will also be ripe and begin to disperse. When settling on strawberries, they become infected.

Therefore, in order to destroy the possible accumulation of spores on strawberry beds, early spring processing. For this can be used biological preparations"Fitoplus" or "Fitosporin". detailed instructions indicated on the package.

The cause of gray rot can be:

excess nitrogen in the soil
wet and cold weather
planting density
over watering

To prevent the disease of garden strawberries with brown or white spotting, it is first necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the site. Because the spores of these fungi overwinter on old strawberry leaves or on the soil surface.

The disease begins to manifest itself at the end of summer, therefore, at the beginning of autumn, it is necessary to water the plantings of strawberries with Fitosporin. Repeat this process early in the spring.

Also, twice a season, the beds are treated with Bordeaux liquid, adding one teaspoon to half a liter of water. The same composition is suitable for processing against gray rot in autumn and spring.

You can use Zircon. The action of this drug is aimed at restoring and strengthening the immune system of the plant, which helps to resist fungal and viral diseases.

There are other signs that point to strawberry problems. There is a wilting of the bush, a mosaic of leaves or flowering of garden strawberries is accompanied by an uncharacteristic yellow-green color.

Affected plants undergo severe deformation, become dwarfed, leaves change size and shape, petioles shorten.

Insects contribute to the spread of these insidious diseases, against which there are no drugs yet. Such strawberry bushes are subject to mandatory destruction. They must not fall into compost heap. And in this place, garden strawberries should not grow for 3-4 years.

In order for the plants in the garden with garden strawberries to be healthy, their safety should be taken care of already at the time of purchasing planting material. Even if the sockets look undamaged on the outside, they must be heat treated.

The entire strawberry bush is immersed in water with a temperature of 45 ° C and incubated for 15 minutes. This procedure will protect against the appearance of mites and nematodes.

If nematodes still appeared on garden strawberries, then it should be processed hot water(up to 65°C) with the addition of potassium permanganate. The solution should be light pink in color.

Against mites, strawberries are treated in early spring, when the leaves are just starting to grow. Apply either "Karbofos" or "Metaphos". A second procedure (if necessary) is allowed to be carried out before flowering begins.

A water-manganese hot solution is also detrimental to ticks, as is the case with nematodes.
To combat the weevil use "Aktellik", "Corsair", "Metaphos" or "Karbofos".

The rules of application and dosage of the drug should be strictly observed, and the period of work cannot be later than 7-10 days before flowering.

Slugs cause a lot of trouble to the gardener. If measures are not taken in time, this can lead to the destruction of all strawberry plantings.

In order not to let gastropods into the area with a berry, it is framed with a shallow groove. It can be filled with tobacco dust or lime. Ground hot pepper or wood ash is suitable. Naked slugs will not be able to cross such a barrier if they want to penetrate from the outside.

And to the insects that appeared in the garden, you can apply superphosphate by sprinkling row spacings on them. Processing is best done in the evening, as slugs become active at night.

In extreme cases, you can use the chemical granules "Meta" or "Thunderstorm".
May beetle larvae damage strawberries by eating up its root system.

Of the biological means of protection, attention should be paid to the drug "Nemobact". It is very effective because it contains living organisms. When buying a product, you should pay attention to the expiration date and storage conditions.

For the destruction of pests and the treatment of diseases, there are many folk methods, which gardeners with great desire use for their favorite garden strawberries.

Strawberry pest and disease control: video

When planning to plant garden strawberries at the end of summer, it is worth taking care of the quality of the soil in the spring. Therefore, the allotted area is sown with marigolds, and in August the plants are crushed and the earth is dug up with them. This will help prevent the appearance of nematodes on strawberries. In addition, marigolds are recommended to be planted among strawberries annually.

It is believed that garlic also repels pests from plants.

With strawberry mite help to cope:

infusions based on onion peel
garlic extract

Soak 200 grams of husk in 10 liters of water. Insist 3-4 days. Filter and use for spraying.
Chop 200 g of garlic and pour water (10 l). Strain the solution.

But these measures are more deterrent than destructive.

To prevent the appearance of strawberry weevil, you can use the following infusions and decoctions.

Decoction of wormwood:

Wormwood, dried and crushed (1 kg), is poured with water so that the liquid completely covers it. Boil 10 minutes. Then it is filtered, soap is added (in all recipes it is taken in the amount of 40 g), and the amount of liquid is increased to 10 liters.

Infusion based wood ash:

The infusion is prepared from 10 liters of boiling water and 3 kg of ash. 40 g of laundry soap is added to this volume. It should either be rubbed or chipped.
After 12 hours, the infusion can be used. Processing is carried out in the evening or morning hours.

Decoction of common tansy:

1 kg of green mass of tansy insist in 5 liters of water for about 2 days. Then the infusion should be boiled for half an hour, filtered and crushed soap (40 g) added. Add water to make 10 liters.

These solutions are used for spraying garden strawberries, which should be carried out in dry weather, early in the morning or at sunset.

Mustard infusion will protect against the invasion of slugs.

It is necessary to dissolve 100 g of dry powder in a bucket of water, and pour the resulting mixture over a bed of strawberries.

None of these drugs will harm strawberries and will allow you to grow a rich harvest of everyone's favorite berries.