How to plant strawberries

Strawberries are one of the most favorite berries of summer residents, because they are not only tasty, but also very healthy. This amazing berry combines delight of taste and pleasure to the eye.

Content:

• Choosing a site for growing strawberries
• High-quality seedlings are the key to harvest
• Rules for planting strawberry seedlings
• Well-groomed bed – high yield

Choosing a site for growing strawberries

The path to a strawberry harvest begins with the right garden bed. It should be flooded with sun and protected from the winds. It is undesirable to use places with a steep slope, as well as areas of land that are often flooded. Despite the fact that strawberries love moisture, an excess of water slows down the growth of bushes and reduces the yield of berries.

If groundwater rises close to the surface of the earth, for planting strawberries they form beds with a height of 10 to 40 cm. For ease of caring for planted seedlings, the width of such beds should be within 1 meter.

It’s good if the predecessors were grains or corn. It’s a good idea to place strawberries on a resting field. Cucumbers, garlic and carrots have a positive effect on berries. Strawberries are not friends with potatoes, eggplants and peppers, as they have common diseases and enemies.

You should also take into account that strawberries in one place give a good harvest for no more than three years. Therefore, after 3 years it is worth changing its place of cultivation. And in that area you can plant onions or garlic.

This will protect the strawberry plantings from diseases and damage by pests.

High-quality seedlings are the key to harvest

For seedlings, you can use rooted strawberry tendrils or divide an adult bush. Self-grown seedlings guarantee the propagation of the selected strawberry variety. Big choice seedlings of different varieties also offered by trading organizations.

You can grow strawberry seedlings using seeds. This is especially convenient when breeding a variety that is not yet widespread. The increased effort spent will be rewarded with a generous harvest.

Rules for planting strawberry seedlings

The results of planting seedlings directly depend on the exact fulfillment of all necessary requirements. Rules for planting strawberries not that complicated. Despite the fact that strawberry seedlings can be planted in spring, summer or autumn, the best time is the end of April. Soil preparation includes the following parameters:

• Fluff up the soil, removing weeds and roots.
• Be sure to fertilize the bed. It is best to use humus or a special strawberry fertilizer called “Giant”; phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are also used.
• Add sand to the soil, it improves the passage of air to the roots of the plant.
• Dig holes up to 35 cm apart in a row and up to 70 cm between rows and fill them with water.
• Plant strawberry seedlings in the holes, first cutting off the long roots so that they do not curl up.
• Compact the soil around the bush to improve root contact with the ground.

It is very important to ensure that the rosette of the plant, created by the leaves growing from the trunk, is at ground level. These are the best conditions for rapid strengthening and active growth of the bush. Deep planting slows down the growth of seedlings, and high planting helps the soil dry out quickly.

To avoid rapid drying of the soil after planting strawberry seedlings and to prevent the formation of a hard crust, you can soil the garden bed mulch. For these purposes, straw, dry soil, and humus are used. If you mulch strawberry beds with pine needles, you can get a double result: preserving moisture and fertilizing the soil.

To successfully grow this useful berry, it is not enough to know how to plant strawberries, you need to take proper care of it. Newly planted strawberries require regular watering. In dry weather, at least every other day during the week. Then depending on soil moisture.

Well-groomed bed – high yield

Watering and weeding are not the only ways to care for this plant. Other factors also influence the yield and quality of berries.

1. Pollination. In cold and rainy weather, insects do not pollinate plants sufficiently. As a result, the yield is reduced and many berries are deformed. Considering that current strawberry varieties are self-pollinating, you can use a paint brush to brush over the flowers in dry, warm weather. It is also a good idea to spray the strawberry bed with a honey solution to attract bees.
2. Diseases. Prevention of strawberry diseases includes loosening the soil, collecting dry and diseased leaves, and blue spraying (3-4% Bordeaux mixture). For treatment, special complex chemical solutions are used, as well as drugs to combat certain diseases.
3. Pests. Various methods are used to combat a huge number of strawberry pests. This includes the physical removal of slugs, snails and centipedes, the use of chemicals, and the use of herbal infusions and decoctions.

A correctly chosen place for planting strawberries, exact fulfillment of planting requirements, the purchase of high-quality planting material and diligent care of the beds will compensate for financial and labor costs with beautiful, tasty, sunny strawberries.