How to properly care for strawberries in spring to get a good harvest

Berries contain a huge number of nutrients beneficial for human health: carotene, manganese, and calcium. Every gardener enjoys growing and cultivating berries. However, it's important to learn more about how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest, as well as know When and how to sow strawberry seeds for seedlings.

Proper care for healthy berries

Strawberry care involves proper preparation of beds, planting, subsequent watering, and effective pest control.

Stage of preparing the beds

Before planting seedlings in the ground, gardeners must prepare the beds. In lowlands and areas with groundwater, beds are no more than 30 cm high. In higher elevations, beds are formed up to 10 cm. The width is typically no more than 1 m. For loamy soil, add one bucket of compost per square meter.

Sandy soil requires additional amendments such as turf, peat, and humus. For a more fertile harvest, you can add a little sawdust. If the soil contains a significant amount of peat, then approximately 6 kg of compost with a high clay content and 5 kg of dry sawdust should be added.

Immediately before planting, the soil must be thoroughly fertilized. Add about 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska per square meter. People are confused about how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest: a forum and recommendations from gardeners.

For those preparing strawberry beds in the fall, it's necessary to add about a cup of ash and 2 cups of dolomite flour. It's advisable to avoid chlorine-based fertilizers, as this micronutrient has a negative effect on strawberries. Caring for strawberries after harvesting must be carried out correctly.

Before planting the bushes, carefully dig the beds and clear away any excess root debris from other crops and plants. Insect larvae must also be removed. After digging, level the beds and lightly sprinkle with sand. This natural material is an effective pest control method. After digging, water and add a copper solution to the soil. To create this solution, add 2 tablespoons of copper sulfate to a bucket of water. Only then should you begin transplanting the strawberry seedlings.

Proper watering of delicious berries

Recommendations

Strawberries are watered early in the morning so that the bushes can dry out.
Before flowering, the plant is watered using a sprinkler. Immediately after flowering and fruit ripening, the plant should be watered around the bushes, but the fruit and leaves should not be touched. People are interested in how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest: reviews from people and gardeners.

Furthermore, the berries should not be watered too frequently, as this will lead to rotting and dangerous diseases. In hot weather, the plant should be watered once every 7 days. The recommended rate is approximately 10 liters per square meter, and once the fruit ripens, the watering rate should be reduced.

In this situation, the watering rate should not exceed 10 l/1 m², and during the fruit ripening period, up to 22 l/1 m². Strawberries do not prefer cool water, so warm water of at least 18-20ºC should be used.

Strawberry pests

A dangerous strawberry pest is gray mold. This disease occurs as a result of heavy rains and cold weather. Strawberries will develop brown spots, and when ripe, they will turn gray.

Furthermore, damaged berries should not be left behind, as the rot will quickly spread to healthy fruit, ruining the harvest. Proper care and subsequent prevention of rot involves constant spraying until flowering. A copper chlorate solution is used for this purpose. The solution is prepared by diluting a tablespoon of the solution in a bucket of water.

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Another pest is powdery mildew. This disease attacks leaves and fruits. Typically, they begin to turn bronze, while the fruits develop a yellowish tint and rot. To prevent this, use a sulfide solution or potassium permanganate before flowering.

Proper plant care in spring

Every gardener and horticulturist should know that when the snow first melts, strawberries become vulnerable to sudden temperature changes and cold winds. However, how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest: photos available online. Therefore, experienced gardeners try to cover the bushes with dry leaves in the fall or with small branches and straw.

In addition, in the spring, don't forget to properly cultivate the beds. First, remove the leaves, and only then begin cultivating the bushes. To begin, trim the leaves and remove the top layer of soil. This will help the berry roots warm up much faster, and significantly reduce the number of dangerous pests.

Gardeners, on the other hand, take a different approach. In early March, they tend to cover the roots, which slows down the plant's growth and gives them a longer warm-up period. Consequently, the fruits ripen much later. Therefore, for those who don't want to remove the topsoil, experts recommend loosening the soil around the bushes to a shallow depth of about 3-4 cm. Furthermore, avoid removing leaves; instead, wait a little while for young shoots to emerge.

Strawberry fertilizers

The main question is how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest: video instructions. To ensure a high yield throughout the season, plants should be fertilized on time, adhering to the prescribed schedule. Methods of fertilizing and treating strawberries in early spring The conditions may vary. If the seedlings are young and will only produce tasty berries in the future, they should be fertilized with cow manure. For this process, dilute several cups of cow manure per 10 liters of liquid. At least 1 liter of diluted fertilizer should be used for each bush.

Another effective fertilizer is nettle infusion. To do this, gather green, fresh nettles, cover them with water, and let them steep for three days. Initially, spray the plant before flowering and after strawberry harvest. During the flowering season, experienced gardeners recommend using a 0.02% zinc sulfide solution.

Strawberry fertilizers in spring

Before the leaves grow, the berries should be fertilized. To do this, use ammonium sulfate and 2 cups of mullein diluted in a bucket of water. Therefore, it's important to know how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest: pictures can be found online.

At least 1 liter of fertilizer should be applied per bush. Before the berries begin to bloom, they should also be fertilized. In this case, a solution is prepared: 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate and nitrophoska per bucket of water. Each bush should be watered with no more than 0.5 liters.

Before planting strawberries, add ammonium nitrate and herbicides per 1 m²/200 g. After final digging, the soil should be thoroughly loosened and leveled. This process prevents small insects and slugs from damaging the strawberries. Before planting, rinse the seedlings thoroughly and soak them for 15 minutes in the following solution: dilute 6 tablespoons of copper sulfate per 20 liters of water.

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For planting, select strawberry seedlings with at least three leaves per bush. The distance between bushes should be at least 30 cm. Ideally, space the seedlings 50 cm to 1 m apart.

After planting strawberries, they should be watered thoroughly. To ensure the young seedlings take root, they need to be watered several times with a watering can. Now everyone knows how to care for strawberries in the spring to ensure a good harvest.

During the first few days, the bushes should be protected from direct sunlight. If buds appear on the young seedlings, they should be removed. By following proper strawberry care guidelines, any gardener will reap a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit.