Experts explained in detail how to grow the beloved berry
The best thing about strawberries, besides their sweet taste and aroma, is that they can be grown in almost any climate. The only difference is that harvesting, as well as planting plants, will have to be done at different times in different regions.
We asked experts what varieties of strawberries exist, how to prepare for transplanting seedlings into the ground, and when you can expect a harvest if you plant strawberries only at the end of May.
Which variety of strawberries to choose
Strawberries are grown from hot regions to the cool middle zone
Strawberries are a perennial plant that bears juicy red fruits. The shape of the berries varies from spherical, elongated, to cone. Depending on the variety, the taste will be intensely sweet or slightly sour. There are several hundred varieties of strawberries, which are divided into two large groups:
Neutral daylight hours (NDD) . Another name is “remontant varieties.” This is one of the most popular types of strawberries for growing, including in private garden plots. Such plants produce crops in waves and, depending on the region, can bear fruit until late autumn.
Short daylight hours (SDD) , or traditional fruiting. They produce one large harvest in mid-summer or earlier depending on the region.
When choosing a specific variety, on the advice of an expert, you should consider the following:
productivity and a high percentage of first-class berries – regular shape, uniform color and average weight of 20–30 g;
frost resistance (for the middle zone);
How to choose strawberry seedlings
Strawberries can be grown from seedlings or seeds
Ready-made starters for transplanting into open ground are the most affordable and popular option. This is an already formed bush, which is in a dormant state at the time of planting. It has a developed root system, there are green leaves, but the buds have not yet blossomed and are only swelling. There are two main types of seedlings that can be used in your garden:
Cassette seedlings are small bushes grown in modular pallets or small pots; such seedlings are already in the ground and ready for a quick start.
Frigo – strawberry bushes with an open root system, most often they are used in large farms, they are also suitable for greenhouses.
“Frigo are seedlings frozen in the fall and stored in refrigerators at temperatures from 0 to –2 °C. They can lie like this for about a year and are ready to be planted when you need them. There are different categories, which depend on the thickness of the horn – the place where the leaves grow from. The larger it is, the higher the yield potential of this particular type of seedling.
There are several categories of frigo seedlings: A, A+, B, B–. For example, B– are the smallest and cheapest plants. Most often they are taken for breeding.
Cassette seedlings are seedlings grown in a small volume of peat or soil. It is suitable for summer-autumn planting and propagation. If you plant it in the spring, then you will see some berries already this summer, but it will begin to bear fruit fully in a year.”
When to plant strawberries
Strawberries are transplanted into open ground with the onset of consistently warm weather (spring planting) or some time before frost (autumn planting). For amateur gardeners who want to enjoy their berries as quickly as possible, the first option is preferable.
The exact start time of work depends on the specific region. For example, seedlings are transferred to the ground at the end of February or beginning of March, and the first harvest is harvested on the May holidays. The further north you go, the further the spring planting time is pushed back due to age-related frosts.
Gardeners who are late and open the summer season at the end of May also have a chance to harvest strawberries this season. According to Victoria Lesnichenko, remontant varieties are suitable for this. It doesn't matter what kind of seedlings they will be – bushes with bare roots or cassette seedlings.
“This is a feature of remontant varieties, even if the seedling is small, then over the summer it can be “boosted” to good yield in the current season in the summer-autumn. The main thing is not to let it bear fruit the first time. To do this, if the plant does not have a large flower bud, you need to break off the first spring flower stalks. As a rule, there are few of them – two or three. After that, the bush will begin to grow new flower buds, bloom and bear fruit in about a month.”
How to plant strawberries in open ground
In large farms, the work of growing and caring for berries is in full swing all year round.
Sandy and loamy soil is the priority choice for strawberries. She also likes 70-80% humidity and slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5. “Before planting, if we are talking about a small area, on depleted soils it is advisable to apply long-acting complex granular fertilizers (GMF) at the rate of 20–30 g per square meter,”.
Step-by-step instructions for transplanting strawberries into open ground
Water it. Fill the hole with soil and compact it with your hands. Then pour water. When planting early, when frosts are still possible, cover the seedlings with special material.
Make a garden bed. Choose a flat piece of land that is not shaded by trees or other buildings – strawberries love the sun. Mark the boundaries. Choose a size that makes it convenient to cultivate the land and easy to harvest. Use raised beds: they provide less weed growth and allow you to control soil quality.
Select a planting pattern . This can be a one-line or two-line diagram. In the first case, the bushes are planted in increments of 25–40 cm, depending on the variety. In the second case, maintain a step of 30 cm between rows and 30 cm between plants.
Inspect the seedlings. Before planting in the ground, inspect the roots and foliage. They should be free of rot, mold and damage. There is no need to trim or straighten the roots of cassette seedlings. The seedlings are placed in the ground along with the existing soil.
Prepare the wells. Dig holes in which to immerse your seedlings in accordance with the planting diagram. On average, a depth of 7 to 10 cm is sufficient.
Place the seedlings in the soil. Carefully place one strawberry bush in each hole. Make sure that the place where the roots turn into leaves is strictly at ground level.
“To control weeds in the beds, use mulching perforated film or agrofabric with 8–9 cm cell openings in accordance with the chosen planting pattern. If necessary, the row spacing is mowed and covered with straw after planting is completed.”
Strawberry care
In order for strawberries to bear fruit year after year, it is important to properly care for them in summer and winter.
A strawberry bed can last up to four years. To avoid unnecessary plant diseases, replace them every three years or create a new bed in a different location. In addition, maintain routine care throughout the season and remember to prepare for cold weather.
Watering and feeding strawberries
Before planting, it is necessary to water the soil well and allow moisture to be absorbed. During the season, water the plants every three days or as the soil dries out. “In cold weather, watering is undesirable, so as not to provoke root rot; at this time, foliar fertilizers are applied,”. Keep your strawberry beds free of weeds. To do this, you can regularly weed the ground or use a special covering material (geotextile) that prevents the growth of weeds.
Strawberry mustache trimming
Strawberry tendrils are shoots that the plant uses to reproduce. They look like thin threads spreading along the ground. Strawberry tendrils, as a rule, grow twice per season – before fruiting and at the end of summer. It is important to have time to cut them at the right time.
The first time this can be done is at the very beginning of the season, before the active growing season begins. If you miss the moment, they will take over some of the nutrients and the harvest will be more meager. It is advisable to do the second pruning in the fall. Such mustaches can be used to grow new seedlings. You cannot pull out these shoots with your hands: there is a high risk of pulling the entire bush out of the ground. Use only special pruning shears for this.
Caring for strawberries in the cold
Any strawberries must be protected from frost. In winter, plants are covered with spunbond, preferably with a density of 60 g per 1 square meter. m in one layer. In regions with very cold winters or if there is a risk of a winter with little snow, the number of layers is increased to two.
“The main thing is that the covering material has some kind of support. You can turn the plastic boxes over and lay a cloth over them, pressing them down with bricks or sandbags,”.
When planting early in spring, watch out for age-related frosts that can destroy the crop. “When you see that the flowers have opened, but the center inside is not yellow, but black, this means that a return frost has destroyed the berry”.
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