Strawberry is a berry beloved by many, and a rather unpretentious plant that can please a crop on its own plot.
If you take into account all the features of the time and place of planting, soil, care for strawberries, you can get sweet, tasty berries.
And it is logical that beginners in planting a garden culture have a lot of questions about how best to plant strawberries in open ground.
We will consider the answers to them.
Where is it best to plant strawberries in the spring in the open ground - tips for choosing a place on the site
One of the reasons why strawberries will be scarce or not at all can be the wrong choice of place to plant. You should not choose sites located on the southern slopes - here it will snow earlier and this will harm the strawberry bushes. It is important to take into account the cross-country ability - strawberries can hardly tolerate constant drafts, and in winter the winds will entail blowing of snow, while snow cover will be important for bushes. Surprisingly, this fragile plant requires a snow cover of at least 20 cm!
You can also not choose places located in the lowlands - cold air will stagnate here, the earth will warm up longer and the harvest will be late. Strawberries have high light requirements - in the shady area you can not wait for the harvest. Therefore, you need to choose a site for planting strawberries away from any buildings, trees, shrubs - they can give a shadow that is completely unnecessary to strawberries.
If the region where the strawberries are planted is often thawed and then frozen, the strawberries may well die. To avoid this, just cover it with spruce branches - it will maintain the temperature regime.
When choosing a landing site, the level of groundwater is important. If they flood the roots of the strawberry, it will inevitably die. It is important that groundwater passes no closer than 80-100 cm from the surface. If the groundwater is closer, you can use raised beds.
The former "residents" of the beds are also important, where strawberries will be planted. It is unacceptable to plant strawberries where cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, raspberry, pepper or fruit trees previously grew.
Preparing the soil before planting strawberries in open ground
Ideal for growth and an abundant strawberry crop is considered chernozem, sandy loam and loamy or forest dark gray soil. If the soil is clay, add river sand to it in the proportion of 4 kg of sand per 1 m² of land. You can also add compost, peat and dig well. Acidic soil is "deoxidized" with lime.
Before planting, you should check the soil for the presence of beetles or their larvae, and if any are found, treatment should be carried out - 2 liters of ammonia solution per 1 hectare of land. Another way to disinfect the soil from potential fungal diseases is to process the soil with a solution of lime, copper sulphate and water in a ratio of 500g / 50g / 10l. The resulting mixture is heated to 70 degrees and sprayed on the site.
The soil where strawberries will be planted must be cleared of weeds and their rhizomes. To do this, the ground is weeded, and then the remains of the weeds are removed by hand. Then you can proceed to the procedure of fertilizing the soil. It will require peat, mineral fertilizers without chlorine or humus. You can start preparing the soil for planting strawberries in the spring from the fall.
Schemes and methods of planting strawberries in spring in open ground
Before planting, seedlings should be carefully selected. Ideally, if their roots do not exceed 8 cm (if they are longer - they should be cut), and the top should have 5 whole, healthy leaves. The more small hairs on the rhizome, the better.
Novice gardeners can choose for themselves various methods of planting, but the ordinary, in rows, will be more accessible. However, all options should be considered.
So, the main ways to plant strawberries are:
• Bush method;
• A way of landing by nests;
• Landing in rows;
• Carpet.
Using bush method seedlings are planted in the form of rectangles, between which adhere to a distance of 0.5 m horizontally and about 70 cm vertically. Strawberries planted in this way will receive a lot of air and room for development, but it will also require more careful care - removing mustaches, weeds, loosening the soil and mulching.
Nesting more popular than bush method. In this type of planting, 1 bush is planted, and at a distance of 10 cm from it another 6-7 bushes are planted at an equal distance from each other. There must be a distance of at least 30 cm between each nest.
Ordinary landing, or planting in rows - the easiest way to plant strawberries, in which you can get an impressive crop. Each bush is planted at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, in a row. A distance of at least 40 cm is maintained between the rows. Care is provided for the same as in other cases - loosening, removing weeds, breaking off the mustache.
Carpet way - This is the best way out if the beginning gardener cannot regularly take care of the plants. With this method of planting, it is not necessary to break off the antennae from the strawberries, seedlings quickly cover the ground with a “carpet”, where their microclimate is formed. To plant strawberries in this way you need to rows, observing the distance between the bushes - 6-7 cm, and between rows - 25-30 cm. Harvesting strawberries with this planting method will not bring large berries, but leaving will be less troublesome.
Before planting strawberries in the soil, seedlings must be prepared. Experienced gardeners advise the hardening procedure - for this, the bushes are kept for several days in a cool place where the temperature does not exceed 15 degrees.
After choosing a suitable planting pattern, holes are dug, the depth of which should be at least 7 cm. As recommended above, the length of the rhizome should not exceed 8 cm, because it will be located vertically in the ground. Before planting strawberries in the holes, it is advised to treat the roots with a solution of water, which contains 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate and 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt. This will help the roots resist pests.
When filling holes with strawberries in the ground, it is very important not to sprinkle the outlets with soil, because they contain fruitful kidneys. If the earth gets into the "heart", the plant may die.
Planting strawberries in the open ground in spring - care, watering and pest control
Strawberry care is not a difficult process. Immediately after planting and as it dries, the soil should be watered. To prevent decay, especially during the fruitful period, mulching is required - sprinkling of beds with sawdust, cut cardboard, sand, paper, straw or plastic. This method will help maintain moisture, prevent weeds, protect strawberries from overheating and reduce the frequency of watering. Laying the mulch will be effective with the right timing - it should be laid on moist soil, but in dry weather. You should not carry out the procedure under the hot sun - it is better to wait for cloudy weather or evening.
Further care for strawberries consists in sheltering the beds for the winter period, breaking off buds and mustaches during the growing season, and when the new spring comes, fertilizing the soil, removing dried leaves, treating plants from pests. In one place, strawberries can produce crops for 3-4 years, and then it is better to look for a new place for planting strawberries in open ground.
