How to care for strawberries in spring: cleaning, watering, feeding and other necessary activities
Fragrant, sweet and juicy strawberries, and even in large quantities, are the dream of every gardener who has them on their site. It is very offensive when green foliage flaunts on the beds, but there is no harvest. After all, the main goal of growing strawberries is to get stable, from year to year, fruiting and an abundance of large, sweet berries. To achieve this, it is important to know how to care for your strawberries in the spring. It is this period that affects the further development and productivity of the plant. Timely feeding and watering will help provide the bushes with the necessary nutrition needed for the growth and formation of ovaries. However, let's go through all the procedures in order.
How to care for strawberries in spring: highlights
So, spring care for strawberry beds includes the following activities:
- removal of winter shelter and cleaning of organic debris (frozen bushes, dry leaves and weeds);
- loosening row spacings and hilling bushes (if necessary);
- watering;
- mulching;
- spring feeding;
- preventive treatment against pests and diseases;
- pruning.
Removing the shelter and cleaning the beds
Depending on the region of cultivation, the timing of when strawberries can be opened also vary. If in the south this is done already in early March, then in the northern strip it is better to wait until mid-April.
Loosening and hilling
When the strawberry beds are free of dry debris, the aisles must be loosened carefully. This ensures air access to the roots, and also prevents the soil from drying out quickly and the appearance of a crust.
Between the bushes for loosening, it is better to use a strong twig and not dig deep with it. This can damage the roots that grow in the topsoil. But between the beds you can walk with a hoe.
If during the winter some plants have become bare, they should be earthed up, covering the roots, otherwise the bushes may dry out. But those whose growth point has deepened, on the contrary, should be slightly broken.
Watering and mulching
At the beginning of spring, there is still enough moisture in the ground, but it quickly evaporates under warm sunlight and from the wind. It is important to water the strawberries in time to “charge” them with life-giving moisture. When the beds are dry, they are watered abundantly. It is enough to do this once a week, in the morning or in the evening.
Before flowering, you can use sprinkling, but with its onset it is better to switch to drip irrigation. Water should not come into contact with leaves, flowers and berries.
Mulching will help to preserve moisture in the beds and protect them from weeds. For these purposes, peat, straw, as well as a special material of white or black color are used.
Fertilizing strawberries in spring
To increase fruiting and improve the taste of the crop, it is advisable to feed strawberries 3 times during the spring season:
- when several young leaves grow on the bushes;
- before flowering;
- with the beginning of fruit setting.
For strawberry fertilizer use organic matter (infusion of bird droppings or manure), as well as mineral complexes.
Preventive measures and pruning
Another task of the gardener is to protect strawberries from diseases and insects that can ruin the harvest. The first time the bushes are treated for prophylaxis immediately after cleaning the beds, using Bordeaux liquid. The second treatment must be carried out before flowering, using folk infusions (wormwood, dandelion, tobacco). Biological products such as Fitosporin and Actellic are also suitable.
In order for the berries to grow large, it is important to cut off the mustache in time, which the bushes have grown since the fall. This is done before flowering, and later on the young mustache is also cut off. Of course, if you do not plan to propagate strawberries with them.