Spring treatment of strawberries against diseases and pests

What usually threatens berry crops?

With proper care, problems shouldn't arise. But sometimes, things get out of control, and the plant starts to get sick. The most common problems with strawberries are:

• gray rot;
• verticillium wilt;
• leaf spot;
• strawberry mite;
• weevil;
• garden slug;
• infestation with parasite larvae.

How to fight diseases?

Gray mold is a dangerous disease not only for strawberries but also for other garden crops growing in the same area as the infected plant. It progresses under high humidity and can cause significant yield losses. The main symptoms include the appearance of brown spots and a grayish, fuzzy coating on the berries. Within a short time after infection is detected, the strawberries rot. Caring for strawberries after harvesting must be carried out correctly.

Gray mold can be eliminated by treating strawberries in the spring for diseases and pests. At home, the best method is to use iodine, diluting 10 ml in a bucket of water. This treatment, performed twice—during the growing season and during budding—is more of a preventative measure.

If the plant is already affected by gray mold, prepare a decoction of garlic leaves at a ratio of 100 g of leaves per bucket of water, or use mustard powder, also diluted with warm water. 50 g per 10 liters of water is the ideal ratio for combating this type of disease.

If the damage is severe, chemical treatments can be used, but they should be used with extreme caution. Fundazol and Euparen are considered effective long-term treatments.

While strawberry plants can be cured of gray mold, there are few solutions for verticillium wilt. The most reliable way to eliminate the infection is to dig up the affected bushes and destroy them without leaving a trace. Furthermore, it's best to plant new plants away from the old, affected area. Signs of the disease typically appear in late May. Find out. How to plant strawberries under covering material.

Strawberry leaf spot can be controlled primarily with pesticides. Traditionally, folk remedies are not used as a preventative measure before treating strawberries for diseases and pests in the spring, as they are ineffective against the infection. Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride are considered the most popular treatments among gardeners whose strawberries have been suffering from leaf spot for a long time.

How to eliminate pests on strawberries?

If your strawberry bushes are attacked by harmful insects, there's no need to panic right away. The chances of your beloved crop recovering are still high. Strawberry mites are considered the most common pests. They feed on the plant's leaf sap, simply draining its life force. The leaves first become lighter in color, then die, falling off, and the bush's condition worsens. Gardening forums recommend the 100% preventative measure before deciding how to treat strawberries for diseases and pests in the spring. It involves pouring boiling water over the bed immediately after the snow melts. This method is also effective in removing larvae that insects have laid on the foliage.

If you discover a mite when berries have appeared on the bush, you must immediately spray it with Intavir or Agrovertin.

The strawberry weevil is just as common as the mite, and it also frequently attacks strawberries. The first signs of its negative impact can be seen as early as March or April. The condition of shoots, leaves, and buds deteriorates significantly, with early varieties considered particularly susceptible. Preventative methods using household items are quite effective. Gardeners praise garlic solution, cayenne pepper decoction, and tansy infusion. Intavir and Zeta are useful for treating already infected strawberries. Repeated spraying can be done after harvesting, preventing the pest from lingering in the garden over the winter.

Slugs may seem harmless, but they can actually cause a lot of trouble. They can damage almost every berry on a bush. You can combat these pests by spraying all parts of the plant with a mustard solution in the spring or summer. Red pepper infusions, commonly known as "fire pepper," are also often used. Many people pollinate strawberries with lime or sprinkle them with tobacco dust.

A few words about caring for the crop

Undoubtedly, how to treat strawberries in the spring against diseases and pests (videos often demonstrate all the intricacies and nuances of the procedure) is an important question. But it's equally important to follow all the care guidelines. To ensure a healthy and abundant strawberry harvest, it's necessary to feed the plant with nettle infusion. Watering regimens should also be carefully considered, as excess moisture often triggers disease. The same applies to overdrying the soil in which the strawberries grow.

The crop should be kept weed-free, but the presence of garlic nearby will only benefit it. Periodically rubbing its leaves will repel many pests with its pungent odor, which may eliminate the need for chemical treatments.