Proper care and pruning of strawberries in the fall in the Moscow region

Strawberry

Strawberries are a tasty and healthy berry that's easy to care for and resistant to fungus and insect pests. This berry crop allows even novice gardeners to reap a bountiful harvest. Caring for strawberries in autumn It is not difficult, and if such work is carried out correctly, gardeners will be able to significantly simplify the cultivation of this crop in the future.

Proper care of plantings

Gardeners mistakenly believe that strawberry bushes won't require any care after fruiting, and that all they need to do is cover the plants with plastic for the winter. In reality, properly preparing them for winter in the garden is essential, ensuring an excellent harvest.

Preparing strawberries for winter in the fall involves the following work:

Fertilization.
Loosening and weeding the soil.
Correct pruning.
Timely watering.
Treatment against diseases and pests.
Mulching beds and covering plants for the winter.

Such work must be completed not only in full but also in a timely manner, allowing the bushes to be properly prepared for winter. Subsequently, the plants will quickly begin to grow and produce fruit well, rewarding the gardener with a magnificent harvest. The timeframe for preparing strawberries for winter in the garden will vary depending on the variety and the regional climate.

Autumn feeding of strawberries

Gardeners often neglect the need plant feeding, citing the fact that it's impossible to grow delicious and completely safe berries in this case. However, if fertilizer application rates are followed, such organic and mineral fertilizers are completely harmless, and gardeners can significantly improve yields, producing tasty, juicy, and large strawberries in their garden.

In total, during the growing season the plant it is necessary to feed three timesFertilizers are applied for the first time before flowering, and again after the end of the growing season and in September when preparing the bushes for winter. To ensure proper growth and subsequent abundant fruiting, a combination of mineral and organic fertilizers is necessary.

Excellent results are achieved by applying a 10% mullein solution mixed with ash to the soil in the fall. Bird droppings can also be infused and then applied in liquid form under each plant, providing the plants with all the micronutrients they need.

A properly selected fertilizer should contain the following microelements:

Nitrogen.
Potassium.
Phosphorus.
Molybdenum.
Manganese.
Iron.

Mineral fertilizers can be applied either as a complete packaged fertilizer or with homemade mixtures containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Beginner gardeners are advised to use specialized commercial fertilizers with optimal dosages for properly preparing plants for winter. This allows for easy planting and ensures 100% survival even in the harsh winters of central and northern Russia.

Mandatory watering

After fruiting, strawberries require proper care and timely watering. Irrigate the bushes once every two weeks, up to before the cold weather sets in and the beds are covered mulch or film. Watering frequency should be adjusted to the regional climate. In rainy autumn, it is not necessary to water the plants.If the weather is dry in September-October, then it is recommended to carry out such irrigation once every seven days.

Water the beds manually using a bucket and watering can. Using hoses or direct irrigation from a well is prohibited. The plants' root systems are located close to the surface and can be damaged by such careless handling. Water the beds with warm, settled water. Using cold water from a well will weaken the plants and encourage the development of various infectious diseases.

Treatment against diseases and pests

In the fall, in September and October, strawberry plants may show signs of various infectious and fungal diseases. Regardless of these symptoms, gardeners should spray and treat their strawberries with appropriate pest and disease control products using garden compressors. Weeding should also be done to remove any weeds that rob the plants of nutrients and carry various infectious diseases.

Various insecticides and herbicides can be used to treat strawberries. In late summer, a complex herbicide called Lenacil can be used. This treatment is applied to strawberries in the fall using a spray bottle, and the product is prepared according to the instructions. Depending on the herbicides and insecticides used, one or two treatments can be applied to the beds.

Advice!

Chemicals such as Skor, Roundup, and others have shown excellent results. Copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture-based solutions can also be used. Fuzzing strawberry plants and treating them with wood ash are effective against insect pests.

Pruning plants

Gardeners still debate whether pruning strawberries in the fall is necessary or whether this procedure only weakens the plants, which are then damaged by winter frosts and subsequently die or bear fruit poorly. Proponents of pruning argue that fungal spores and harmful insects settle on flower stalks, unwanted tendrils, and old leaves, making this procedure necessary. However, even after proper pruning, the bush expends energy on developing foliage and may go into winter weakened, which subsequently negatively impacts its fruiting performance.

Strawberry pruning, if done at all, is only sanitary, removing damaged and old leaves. Unnecessary tendrils are trimmed off, as they significantly weaken the parent plants. However, completely cutting off all the foliage from the bush, leaving only the rhizome, is not recommended, as strawberries will subsequently survive the winter poorly and in the spring will devote all their energy to growing foliage, making it impossible to achieve good fruiting.

Pruning must be done with sharp scissors or pruning shears, which must be disinfected beforehand to prevent the strawberries from being susceptible to various infectious diseases. After pruning, all trimmed foliage is removed from the bed and burned away from the garden. After this procedure, the gardener only needs to water the soil and feed the plants with a light solution of chicken manure or compost.

Mulching the beds

Various organic materials can be used as mulch for strawberry beds. The soil is covered with sawdust, a layer of straw, humus, or green pine needles. The mulch then rots in the beds, providing the plants with essential organic matter. This insulation will prevent the strawberries from freezing in the spring, when late frosts are still possible. The mulch layer should be no more than 10 centimeters thick, which will protect the beds from freezing during snowless winters.

Important!

Covering beds with agrofibre or film is only necessary in northern regions, where without such insulation, strawberries will die or be seriously damaged by frost. In temperate climates, mulching the soil and additionally covering the bushes with spruce branches or a 20-30 centimeter layer of snow will suffice.

Transplanting seedlings

To obtain an excellent harvest of this berry, it is necessary to replant the strawberries in the garden every three to four years, simultaneously replanting them in a new location. This will prevent the occurrence of various infectious diseases, and the plants will be able to obtain the necessary micronutrients from the soil.

Transplanting strawberries Strawberry and strawberry harvesting can be done in late August or early September. This work should be done at least a month and a half before the onset of cold weather. Otherwise, the plants will not take root in the new location., the gardener will subsequently need to purchase expensive seedlings again, and it will no longer be possible to get a good harvest the following year.

Advice!

Transplanting strawberry plants isn't particularly difficult. A small amount of organic matter and nitrogen-mineral fertilizers are added to the soil at the new location. The soil will need to be thoroughly dug, leveled, and holes made 30 x 30 centimeters in size.

The seedlings are carefully transplanted to their new location. After planting, the soil is lightly compacted, ensuring the root collar is level with the ground. The soil is watered and, if possible, mulched. Subsequent strawberry care in the fall is straightforward; the gardener simply needs to fertilize the plants, water them regularly, and treat the bushes for insect pests and infectious diseases.

Modern technologies for growing berries

Today, the technology of growing Victoria strawberries using spunbond or other similar covering materials is very popular. The advantages of this type of cultivation technology include the following:

Maximum possible yield.
There is no need to mulch the beds or weed them.
High-quality insulation of bushes and their protection from late frosts.

The covering material is laid over the garden bed, which completely suppresses the growth of unwanted vegetation, warms the soil perfectly, and creates optimal conditions for the growth and fruiting of berry crops. Strawberry bushes are planted in the openings in the spunbond, where they grow well and produce fruit abundantly. The gardener needs feed the berries regularly and perform careful spot watering through the existing planting holes.