How to plant strawberries in fall and spring

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Strawberries are a delicious berry that many summer residents grow on their plots. To get a rich harvest, you need to know how to plant strawberries, all the rules and methods are discussed in the article.

When to plant strawberries

Previously, this berry could be planted in open ground only with the onset of spring or autumn, since it was by this period that rooted seedlings were available. Today, due to the fact that nursery technology does not stand still, planting can be done during the entire growing season.

The timing largely depends on the characteristics of the area. So, in the south, the berry is planted in the fall, and in regions with a temperate continental climate - in late summer or spring (under the film).

As practice shows, summer planting gives the best result - in July and August. Strawberries planted during this period have a lot of time before winter in order for their root system to get stronger.

Also, in the summer, expenses associated with watering, fertilizing, protection from diseases and pests are reduced. Planting berries in the spring is permissible. The soil during this period is moist, the seedlings are well accepted. True, in the first year, strawberries will give only a few berries from one bush, with the exception of multi-root varieties of class A +.

You can plant strawberries in the fall, but it is advisable to do this until mid-September, so that the root system develops and strengthens it before winter, and the bush has time to send many flower buds. If you plant in late September - early October, then there is a risk that the seedling will not have time to get stronger before the onset of frost.

Bushes in pots with an already formed root system experience less stress during transplanting.

Soil preparation

Experienced gardeners know that before planting strawberries in the garden, it is important to prepare the site:

1. Completely remove weeds, especially perennials in the form of horsetail, wheatgrass, thistle. Otherwise, in the future, crops will “fight” with weeds for water and nutrients, which will have a bad effect on their development and productivity.
2. The soil must be fed, made more fertile, fertilized. It can be manure, but always old, or compost. Mineral fertilizers, which do not contain chlorine, will not be superfluous.
3. If during the digging process many larvae were found in the soil, then it is better to postpone the planting of the berries for several days and treat the area with special preparations. For the larvae, its roots are a real delicacy, the plant will simply die.

Calcium cannot be added with manure, it reacts with nitrogen compounds. This leads to the release of ammonia and loss of nitrogen.

When choosing a site, you should avoid lowlands, but basically this crop has no special soil requirements. Although it will grow best in light, well-groomed and drained soil. Also, garden strawberries should not be planted in too dry or very wet soil - in it the roots will not be able to "breathe" freely.

Seedling preparation

The key to good survival is in the correct preparation of seedlings. Preparatory measures are very necessary, because they awaken all the biological forces of the plant and help it to more easily endure stress from a sharp change in growing conditions.

To begin with, the seedlings need to be hardened, so in a week they are transferred to a cooler and darker place. After the seedlings need to be treated with growth stimulants: Kornevin, Heteroauxin. There is nothing difficult in this, just follow the instructions.

If the roots of the seedlings are very long, then they need to be cut to 6-7 cm. Immediately before planting, it is advisable to lower them into a clay solution that will protect them from drying out.

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It is much easier to prepare seedlings with a closed root system - just a few hours before planting, the seedlings need to be watered.

Before planting, only healthy and strong leaves should be left on strawberries, the rest should be cut off.

Landing scheme

It is better to plant strawberries in autumn in cloudy and cool weather, but if it is sunny, then the plant will need to be watered immediately after planting and mulched for a week. Experienced gardeners know how to plant a berry correctly, but beginners should follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. First, prepare holes 10 cm deep for the seedlings - the root system should fit completely in them.
2. If the soil is not fed with anything, then handfuls of humus and ash should be poured into the holes.
3. Water each hole well.
4. We put a seedling in the hole and carefully straighten the roots, if it is a seedling with an open root system. The roots should not be bent up, but “look” in different directions.
5. When planting, pay special attention to the central bud - the "heart" of the plant. It shouldn't be completely underground, but you shouldn't raise it too much. Improper planting will cause the plant to take root, develop and bear fruit poorly.
6. Cover the hole with earth, tamp a little, water and mulch.
7. Take a leaf, pull gently - if the seedling does not give in, then it sits well in the soil.
8. Novice gardeners who are interested in how to plant strawberries correctly also ask the question: what distance to leave between the bushes? The answer can be found in the following table.

Many people plant strawberries in separate bushes. The distance between them should be within 45-60 cm. This will allow the bushes not to "compete" with each other, each plant will receive all the necessary resources for development, so the berries will grow large.

Also, this method of planting will avoid the spread of diseases. If one bush is infected, you can simply remove it, preventing the loss of neighboring plants.

If strawberries are grown for the purpose of obtaining a large harvest, then it is better to plant the bushes in rows. This will allow you not to change the bed for 6 years.

With this method of planting, the distance between the bushes should be 15 cm for low-growing varieties and 30 cm for tall ones. The distance between the rows is 70 cm, the length of the rows depends on the area of the site itself.

It is possible to plant seedlings in rows along the stretched threads - this is much more convenient, and the rows themselves are even.

What is agrofibre

Black covering material (or agrofibre) is very popular with many gardeners, and novice summer residents are also interested in how to plant strawberries with it.

For the manufacture of agrofibre, polypropylene is used. The material is environmentally friendly, it freely passes moisture, sunlight and air, while being inexpensive. In addition, it prevents the growth of weeds, protects the beds from diseases, pests, and weathering.

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Thanks to agrofibre, there is no need to waste time mulching the beds with sawdust, peat or straw. The only thing is that you should not walk on this material, as it is not strong enough. Therefore, it is better to make paths between the bushes, lay boards, linoleum or straw.

You can plant strawberries under the covering material in summer, autumn or spring. The scheme described below will allow for the correct planting of seedlings using agrofibre:

1. We level the beds with a rake. Before laying the material, the area can be watered - this will make it easier to make planting holes.
2. We spread the material according to the size of the prepared beds. If there are several segments, then they should overlap by about 15-20 cm.
3. The material should be well stretched, so we fix the edges with any heavy object - it is most convenient to use metal staples-pegs for such purposes.
4. On the garden bed (right on the material), draw marks for holes and paths with chalk.
5. Using a clerical knife, we make holes in the covering material - you can cut a circle or make a cross-shaped cut with dimensions of 10x10 cm.
6. We wrap the sharp edges of the cut, dig a hole and plant seedlings according to the standard scheme.

Agrofibre can be white or black. Plants and trees are sheltered first before the onset of winter cold weather. But black is suitable for planting berries, the density of which should be at least 50 g / m².

What are PVC pipes for?

Many summer residents may be surprised, but you can plant strawberries in PVC pipes. This method is original, has a number of advantages and is ideal for small areas when you need to save space for planting other crops.

The design is mobile, it is easy to disassemble and transfer. Also, with this method, you do not need to weed anything, the plants are easy to water, feed, and after harvesting there is no garbage left.

Vertical and horizontal structures can be made of PVC pipes. To do this, you need to prepare two pipes - a narrow and a wide one, as well as plugs or plugs, tools.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing pipes for vertical and horizontal structures:

1. Based on the ease of use of the structure, we determine its height. Basically, many summer residents stop at 1.5-2 m.
2. Cut a wide pipe along the marked length, and make a narrow one 10-15 cm shorter - it will be needed for watering.
3. We drill frequent holes in the irrigation pipe, do not touch the lower part by 20 cm in order to prevent overflow in the lower layers of the soil.
4. We wrap a narrow pipe with any non-woven material and fix it securely along its entire length. Close the bottom layer with a cork or plug.
5. In a wide pipe, in a checkerboard pattern, we drill holes for seedlings with a diameter of 10-12 cm and at a distance of 15-20 cm. We also put a plug on the bottom.
6. We place an irrigation pipe inside the wide pipe, fix it in the center to ensure uniform irrigation.
7. Pour a drainage layer in the form of pebbles or expanded clay into the main pipe. This will make the structure more stable and prevent waterlogging of the soil.
8. We fill the soil in small portions, tamp, level and water abundantly. It is important that there are no voids in the pipes, otherwise it will badly affect the future harvest.

You can install the structure horizontally, for example, make several tiers, hang it in a greenhouse or directly on a fence. And also vertically, which will save space and provide illumination for all bushes.

You can plant seedlings while filling the pipe with soil or after the structure is completely assembled.

We sow seeds for seedlings

If you are tired of always looking for seedlings or you want to grow a new variety, then you need to know how to plant strawberry seeds at home. By the way, they are very small, delicate, so you cannot send them into the soil brought from the beds.

Also, the seedlings do not tolerate picking very well, so it is better to grow seedlings in separate cups. First you need to prepare the ground. To do this, we take 1 part of peat and sand, as well as 2 parts of sod land. You can go the easy way and buy a ready-made substrate for begonias and violets.

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Pour the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, let it dry and pour it into a container. On top, using tweezers, lay out the seeds, keeping a distance of 2 cm. Spray with warm water from a spray bottle, cover with foil.

In the first days after planting, the seedlings need to be watered once a day. After the shoots appear, watering is reduced to 1 time per week, and after the appearance of already real leaves - 1 time in 3 days.

We use unboiled water for irrigation, it is also necessary to defend it for at least a day, but the best option is rain or melt water.

Having your own strawberry plantation takes time, effort and a lot of work. But if you know how to plant a crop correctly, provide it with proper care and attention, then you can get a rich harvest of sweet, juicy and fragrant berries.

Outcomes

1. It is best to plant garden strawberries in the summer, so that the seedlings have time to get stronger and lay flower buds.
2. Before planting work, you need to prepare the soil, like the seedlings themselves, in order to awaken biological processes in them.
3. You can plant bushes in the traditional way, under agrofibre or using PVC pipes.