Fertilizing strawberries after fruiting and pruning

It is important to know what feed the strawberries after fruiting and pruning, because even at this time the plants are gaining strength to survive the cold season and begin fruiting next year.

How to properly care for strawberry plants?

With the arrival of August, strawberry bushes no longer bear fruit. At this time, the leaves begin to take on a red tint, indicating that the plant is gradually preparing for winter. It is during this period that gardeners can begin treating the bushes and also look for the best methods for feeding strawberries after fruiting and pruning.

The first step is to prepare the soil, as even applying fertilizer requires removing all weeds from the planting. First, remove large weeds from the beds, then begin weeding with a hoe, which will further loosen the soil. While loosening, it's important to add more fresh soil to the plant roots, as by August the roots move closer to the top of the soil. Hilling is also important because without it, the roots begin to grow appendages, which significantly reduces the yield of the bushes.

Many gardeners believe that they can begin preparing their strawberry bushes as early as the end of July. This way, they won't have to spend much time on their strawberry fields in the fall. It'll be enough to find the best way to feed the strawberries after fruiting and pruning, and cover the bushes with dry grass for the winter.

Is pruning necessary?

Gardeners' opinions on this matter often differ, but as practice shows, pruning is indeed very important for growing strawberriesThis helps remove all diseased and old leaves, which will encourage the bushes to grow new, dense foliage that will be healthy and strong. To prune, use scissors and snip off every leaf from the bush. The plant's tendrils are also removed. It's important not to remove the leaves at the root, otherwise this will destroy the plant.

Trimming the foliage helps the bushes rest, and in a couple of weeks, green leaves will appear again, helping the plants survive the cold winter. If this procedure is performed in the fall, you shouldn't completely remove the leaves; you'll have to limit yourself to removing diseased and old leaves.

The process of loosening

Don't rush into fertilizing strawberries immediately after fruiting and pruning. It's best to prepare the beds by loosening the soil. This process is done very carefully to avoid damaging the tender roots of the plants. Weeding should be done very carefully; it's best to do all the work by hand, and chop up any small weeds with a hoe.

What kind of fertilizer should be used for strawberry bushes?

Complementary feeding after strawberry pickingThis is very important, which is why the bushes are fertilized both in the spring and in the fall before wintering. However, gardeners say that it's ideal to feed strawberry bushes immediately after fruiting, as this will help them absorb more nutrients. As a last resort, feeding can be done in the fall, but in this case, the necessary nutrients are slightly less readily absorbed.

Strawberry bushes require only organic feeding, as this is the period when they accumulate nutrients for the next harvest. For those gardeners looking for how to feed strawberries after fruiting and pruning, consider fertilizing with chicken manure or cow dung.

Regular wood ash is also an excellent fertilizer; its properties have been valued for many years. If the gardener prefers mineral supplements, superphosphate and potassium salt can be used. Mineral supplements are only suitable as a supplement if organic matter is unavailable.

To feed strawberry plants with mullein or chicken manure, take a large bucket of water, add fresh chicken manure, and mix everything together. Afterward, let the mixture sit for five hours, then use it to water the plants; one cup per plant is sufficient.

Mineral fertilizers are diluted differently, for this they take a spoon of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer, pour everything into a bucket of water and water the strawberry bushes with the resulting solution after harvestThis supplement will help preserve plants during winter and also nourish them with nutrients for future fruiting.

Fertilizing strawberry bushes after pruning leaves

After pruning the leaves, it's important to immediately feed the bushes. This will give the plants time to gain strength and resume foliage growth, as well as produce a more substantial harvest. In this case, it's worth learning how to feed strawberries after fruiting and pruning. Below are several recipes that are ideal for feeding immediately after pruning.

To make a healthy fertilizer, take ten liters of clean water, add a couple of tablespoons of nitrophoska, and then dilute a small spoonful of potassium sulfate. Water the plants with this solution in the evening. Potassium nitrate has also proven effective; about two tablespoons per bucket of water are sufficient. Folk remedies are also worth considering. In this case, wood ash is used, finely crushed and added to a bucket of water. The resulting solution is left to stand for about six hours, and then used to water the strawberry beds.

How to prepare bushes for winter?

If strawberry bushes aren't properly prepared for winter, the small plants won't survive the cold winter days. Preparation should begin in late autumn, when it should already be quite cold outside at night, with temperatures potentially dropping below freezing.

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Many gardeners begin looking for ways to cover their plants, but the safest shelter is snow. If winters in your region are often warm and snowy, simply covering the bushes with grass is sufficient, so mulching is a good idea. However, if winters are cold and often snowless, special care should be taken to protect your plants.

For the first shelter option, it's best to use spruce branches, commonly known as "spruce branches." Young plants are covered entirely, while mature plants can simply be surrounded with spruce branches to insulate the soil. Some prefer to use vegetable tops or straw, but each material has significant drawbacks. As the weather warms, mice begin to crawl into the straw to survive the cold days in a warmer environment. Vegetable leaves can also become compacted, which restricts oxygen supply to the plants, something you want to avoid.