Strawberries: planting and care in the open field and in the greenhouse

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 20:55

Strawberries are grown in their suburban areas by many summer residents. The popularity of this crop is explained primarily by the excellent taste of fruits and high yields. Planting and caring for strawberries, according to many gardeners, are relatively simple procedures.

When to start making beds

This plant is planted in open ground, usually in late summer or early autumn. The optimal period for transferring seedlings to a permanent place in central Russia is the period from about July 25 to September 5. But sometimes strawberries are planted in early spring. At this time, it is advisable to take the seedlings to the beds in the period from April 15 to May 5.

In the southern regions of Russia, in the spring, strawberries begin to be planted in open ground as early as early March. In autumn, this procedure is carried out, starting from September and ending at the end of October.

How to get quality seedlings from seeds

Strawberries can be grown in suburban areas:

• from seeds;
• using rosettes obtained from the mother plant.

Alsosometimes this culture is propagated by dividing one adult plant into several parts.

Those summer residents who want to grow on their site, for example, some new, not too common variety, use strawberry seeds to obtain seedlings. Planting and caring for growing plants in this case should be carried out in compliance with the following technology:

• planting material is laid out on a cotton pad and moistened with melt or rain water;
• cover the seeds with a second moistened cotton pad;
• put discs with planting material in plastic containers with lids perforated using a thick sewing needle;
• put the container in a warm place (+22…+25°C) for a couple of days;
• plant seeds in boxes filled with ordinary garden soil mixed with peat.

Before planting seeds germinated in cotton pads, the soil in the box is well compacted. Further, shallow grooves are made on the surface of the earth at a distance of 5-6 cm and the seeds are laid out in them in increments of 2 cm. It is not necessary to cover the strawberry planting material with soil. The seeds of this crop germinate well in the light.

Water small strawberries at such intervals that the ground under it is always slightly damp. The lid from the containers is removed from time to time to air the plants.

How to get good sockets

It is possible to grow strawberries from seeds, but it is quite difficult due to the lowgermination of this planting material. Therefore, most often strawberries in suburban areas are still propagated using sockets. In order to grow such planting material yourself, you need:

• in autumn, select the he althiest and best-bearing bushes and mark them with strings or sticks;
• dig up selected bushes in spring and plant them in a separate bed;
• as they appear, remove flowers appearing on them from mother plants.

Deprived of the opportunity to bear fruit, the bushes selected for breeding will throw all their strength into the formation of mustaches. Rosettes around such plants usually begin to appear in the spring. Of these, the strongest and he althiest are selected for use as seedlings.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

Using this technology, you can also grow he althy and well-bearing strawberries. However, this method of reproduction is usually used only when there is a shortage of outlets as planting material. Also, this technique is often used when growing strawberries that do not give a mustache.

Propagate this culture by dividing the bush as follows:

• select the strongest plants with two or three rosette tops;
• selected bushes are carefully dug up, trying not to damage the roots;
• separate strawberries by the number of rosettes;
• plant the separated parts in the beds in a permanent place, without deepening the growing point.

How to properly plant in a permanent place

An hour before transferring to the garden, seedlings, sockets or parts of a divided bush are soaked in a growth biostimulant or simply in water. It is believed that good strawberry seedlings should have 3-4 he althy leaves. Everything else from the bushes will need to be removed.

Planting strawberries is recommended in a sunny, well-ventilated place. The beds for this crop are prepared as follows:

• clear the planting area;
• dig up the soil on a shovel bayonet;
• mix rotted manure (preferably chicken) and some ash to the ground in the garden bed;
• equip the sides;
• level the bed.

Many summer residents are interested in how to properly place the bushes in such a way as to subsequently facilitate both their cultivation and care. Planting strawberries in a suburban area can be done in several ways:

1. Free-standing bushes. When using this technology, the plants are placed on the bed in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 40-65 cm from each other. This planting technique allows you to grow very large berries.
2. Into the ranks. In this case, the plants are planted in the garden in even rows with a step of 15-20 cm. The distance between the rows is left at 35-40 cm. This method of planting not only facilitates the future care of strawberries, but also ensures a bountiful harvest.
3. Nests. It's another way, landingin the open field of strawberries and subsequent care for them is somewhat facilitating. According to this technique, first one bush is planted in the garden. Then 6 more plants are placed around it in a hexagon at a distance of 5-8 cm from each other. Thus, several nests are formed with a step in a row of 25-30 cm.

How to care for young plants

Plants that have just been transferred to the garden will, of course, require the most careful care. Planting strawberries in spring or autumn - in fact, the procedure itself is simple. However, mistakes in growing plants later can lead to a significant decrease in yield.

In the event that strawberries were planted in the beds in the spring, all tendrils and flowers that appear on young bushes in the first year will need to be ruthlessly removed. The main task during this period is not getting a crop, but good rooting of plants.

When planting strawberries in the fall, care should begin with mulching. In the spring, this operation can be postponed until the bushes take root. But even at this time, it is desirable to cover the beds with strawberries with mulch immediately. It is best to cover the soil under this crop with fallen needles. But if you wish, you can also use straw, dried grass, sawdust or foliage.

Two weeks after planting, young plants will also need to be fed. At the same time, an infusion of chicken manure or herbs can be used as a fertilizer.

Care for strawberries in the spring, starting from the second year

Next seasonafter planting from a new strawberry bed, it will already be possible to get the first harvest. In the spring, a gardener growing this crop will need:

• remove mulch that has rotted over the winter from the garden;
• fix the sides;
• feed strawberries;
• treat plants from diseases;
• mulch the bed again.

Strawberries are usually fed in the spring with this mixture:

• ammonium sulfate - 1 tbsp. l.;
• mullein - 2 tbsp.;
• water - 10 l.

Also can be used to fertilize strawberries at this time and simply infusion of mullein or chicken manure.

Summer work: how to water

In the warm season, this culture, of course, also requires the most careful care. Planting garden strawberries in the open field, since the plant is unpretentious, allows you to get good yields. But of course, it will be possible to collect a lot of berries from the bushes in the future only if they are watered in a timely manner.

It is recommended to start moistening the beds under strawberries as early as mid-April. Finish watering this crop in late summer or early autumn. Until the end of July, beds with this plant are usually moistened three times a month. From the beginning of August, watering is reduced to 2 times in 30 days. It is believed that it is best to moisten the soil under strawberries in the early morning. It is also allowed to perform this procedure in the evening.

At every watering per 1 m22 areaplanting strawberries should account for approximately 25 liters of water. It is supposed to complete the procedure for moistening the beds with this crop when the soil is saturated with moisture to a depth of about 25 cm.

What to fertilize

Planting and caring for strawberries are relatively simple operations. But without timely top dressing, as well as without watering, it will, of course, be impossible to get a good harvest from this crop. During the season, strawberries are usually fertilized three times. The first feeding, as already mentioned, is carried out in the spring. For the second time, fertilizers are applied to the garden at the end of June, after the end of the fruiting of the plants. This time using this mixture:

• nitrophoska - 2 tbsp. l.;
• potassium sulfate - 1 tsp;
• water - 10 l.

Approximately 0.5 liters of such a solution are poured under each plant in the summer. In autumn, strawberries are fed around mid-September. In this case, the following mixture is used:

• mullein - 1 part;
• water - 10 parts;
• ash - about 0.5 st.

Preparing for winter

Today summer residents grow mainly frost-resistant varieties of strawberries. Therefore, in central Russia, this plant is most often not covered for the winter. In order for the strawberries to survive the cold well, the bed is usually simply covered with plenty of mulch. Also, in winter, snow can be thrown at the planting site of this crop from time to time.

Planting and caring for strawberries in a greenhouse

Cultivate strawberriesdomestic summer residents most often in open ground. But if you want to get early harvests, of course, you can plant seedlings of this crop in a greenhouse. In this case, the summer resident will need to be as careful as possible when choosing a strawberry variety. Planting and caring for this crop in closed ground are carried out using approximately the same technology as in open ground.

The most suitable strawberry varieties for greenhouse cultivation in Russia are:

1. "Queen Elizabeth 2". This remontant variety is considered by domestic summer residents to be the best in terms of productivity in the territory of the former CIS today.
2. "Albion". This variety was bred in America and has earned its popularity among Russian gardeners primarily for the excellent taste of the fruit.

Many domestic gardeners grow on their plots in greenhouses and "brighton" - also remontant strawberries. Planting and caring for this variety can be carried out according to standard technology. Harvest from this variety, summer residents usually get very large. In addition, the berries of such strawberries themselves grow large and have excellent taste.

You can choose to grow in the greenhouse, of course, and other good varieties. Planting and caring for strawberries indoors will give good results, for example, when growing hybrids "Charlotte", "prima donna F1", "diamond", etc.

Most often, strawberries in a greenhouse are cultivated with ordinaryway - on a pre-prepared bed. But sometimes other methods are used to grow this crop in closed ground. For example, very good results in a greenhouse are obtained by the technology of cultivating this plant in pots installed in several tiers. Using this method of planting and caring for strawberries allows you to save space and at the same time get very high yields.