Does mustard help against rotting strawberries? Gray rot on strawberries - causes and symptoms, folk methods of control and prevention of infection! Fighting gray mold

Strawberry on summer cottage often affected by diseases: leaves turn yellow, mustaches grow, shoots change, strawberries rot. Why do strawberries rot on the bush and what to do to prevent it?

The reasons for rotting strawberries may be improper care, fungal diseases, or the appearance of bacterial ones. How to distinguish between them and determine exactly the reason that influenced the rotting of strawberries?

Reasons why strawberries rot:

• Gray rot;
• Black rot;
• Excess moisture;

Gray rot on a strawberry bush

Unripe strawberries on the bush can be affected by gray rot. You can find black fluff on already ripe berries. The gardener should not ignore such manifestations, even if they were only on a few berries.

Causes of gray rot : gray rot, like black rot, overwinters in the ground. It activates in conditions favorable to itself. In addition, gray rot also persists on the affected residues, so all strawberries removed from the site must be burned away from their planting site. The soil mixture is processed, but it is advisable not to plant anything at the previous planting site for several years.

Where does gray mold appear? : The disease spreads to young and ripe berries. It appears in the form of a gray coating, exactly reminiscent of mold. The top berries on a strawberry bush are not affected as extensively as those that are in contact with the ground or located nearby.

Prevention of gray rot : in order to prevent the appearance of the disease, it is necessary not to thicken when planting vegetable beds. Moderate dryness is also maintained. Strawberry bushes should be well lit and ventilated. In the spring, a moderate amount of fertilizer is applied, as it acts in the opposite direction, reducing the immunity of already weak strawberries.

How to care for strawberries : beds with strawberries are mulched to prevent gray rot from appearing. The procedure simultaneously preserves moisture and protects against bacteria, mold and fungi that love its excess. You can use: straw, pine needles, sawdust, peat.

How to process strawberries : in the spring and after harvest, strawberries are treated with copper oxychloride.

Black rot on a strawberry bush

Black rot manifests itself in almost the same way as gray rot: a grayish-white coating forms on strawberries on the bush, after which it acquires a characteristic gray. What is the difference between gray rot and black rot? The difference is that black rot appears on harvested strawberries, and gray rot on still growing ones.

Causes of black rot : causes are similar to gray mold disease. It is also worth noting that black rot is detected mainly during transportation of berries - in closed rooms or boxes there is a risk of damaging the entire crop, and in a fairly short time.

Prevention of gray rot: Strawberries, as it has already turned out, are sown in lighted, open places. Regular ventilation, moderate fertilizing in the spring and watering the rest of the time prevent the appearance of black rot.

How to care for strawberries : beds with strawberries are sprinkled with wood ash. It is also used to treat row spacing and inhibits the spread of black rot. In the fall, be sure to remove old foliage and do not forget about weeding, since spores remain in the residue.

How to process strawberries : in spring and autumn, water with manganese solution for disinfection.

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If gray rot appears on strawberries, you need to save the crop and know what control methods are available.

The aromatic, sweet, fleshy pulp of this berry will not leave anyone indifferent. Everyone who has even a small piece of land always occupies part of it with a bed of strawberries. At the end of spring - beginning of summer they receive their first harvests. Every year it pleases summer residents with ripe beauties - berries.

But it often happens that the bushes bloom wildly in the month of May, causing one to expect big harvest, does not live up to expectations and instead of large ripe berries, large rotten fruits, unpleasant to look and feel, covered with a gray coating, hang on the bushes. Oh, what disappointment and regret the summer resident receives during his daily berry picking! This is a very common and quite common behavior. dangerous disease strawberries - gray rot. In some years it can destroy up to 2/3 of the crop.

The insidiousness of the disease also lies in the fact that it manifests itself when the time comes to harvest the first harvest or during the ripening of the berries. During this period, you should not use any chemicals against its pathogen. What to do then? How to overcome this disease?

Reasons for appearance

The causative agent of gray rot of strawberries is the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Measures to combat the disease will be effective only when the biology of its development ceases to be a mystery to the gardener.

Therefore, let’s begin our study of ways to combat the disease with exactly what conditions the rot pathogen prefers for its development, where and how it overwinters, and what is the reason for its appearance.

The fungus overwinters on plant debris and in the spring, at optimal temperatures and air humidity, affects all regenerative organs and tissues of the bush. But the disease is practically not noticeable before the berries appear. If you carefully examine the very green berries that are just beginning to ripen, you will notice small dark spots on some of them.

These spots tend to grow and in just a few days will become a source of continuous reproduction of spores, which can easily and quickly be carried by the wind throughout the strawberry bed. Most often, dense, poorly ventilated, low-lying or shaded strawberry plantations are affected, in which, due to poor air circulation, a microclimate favorable for the development of the pathogen is created (optimal is not too high temperatures and high humidity, especially with frequent watering or humid summers).

So, from year to year its population grows, which over time leads to the total destruction of the entire berry crop.

Strawberries themselves love open sun and abundant watering, as well as space and sufficient feeding area. The lack of light makes the bushes weak and more susceptible to the pathogen.

Gray rot takes advantage of this. Among other things, aging strawberry bushes are also more susceptible to infection by the pathogen than young ones.

Prevention

Prevention of the disease will probably be the most in an efficient way fight against gray rot. To receive positive result the following measures must be taken:

• Before planting a berry garden bed, it is important not to make a mistake with the location. It should be sunny, located in an open, well-ventilated, not low-lying area.
• In early spring, after the snow has melted, the bed must be thoroughly cleaned of last year's leaves.
• During the ripening period, a good way to improve the ventilation of the berry garden is to mulch the rows with sawdust or straw. At the same time, it will be good if you place it, including under the brushes with berries themselves. It is important that they do not touch the ground. The same function is performed by supports for berries.
• Another way to improve the ventilation of the berry garden is to regularly loosen the rows, especially if the strawberries grow on heavy, poorly structured soils.
• Mulch can be replaced with agrofibre. Very good way protecting the crop not only from the development of weeds, but also from the growth of the strawberries themselves (which leads to stitching of rows and, as a result, disruption of the microclimate on the site).
• Wood ash - always has been and remains good remedy for the prevention of various diseases. Gray rot did not stand aside either.
• Make mixed plantings of strawberries and garlic. Phytoncides and esters of the latter do not allow the pathogen to live and develop in peace in its vicinity. Which is very beneficial for strawberries.
• Every three years you need to completely renew the berry garden. Transfer it to another place, after adding the necessary fertilizers. Treat the mustaches from the same plants or a new variety purchased for the plant with a fungicide a couple of weeks after planting.
• Each time when picking berries, do not throw out infected berries nearby on the ground as unnecessary. They must be collected and destroyed somewhere on the land. It is better to burn with any plant residues.
• Remove strawberry tendrils, weak young plants, old bushes, and leaves from them in a timely manner.

It is worth knowing that breeders have not yet developed strawberry varieties that are absolutely resistant to the disease. But there is still a group of varieties that are more resistant to the pathogen than others. These are Friendship, Zenith, Pocahontas, Ruby Pendant, Muto, Saxon, Coralka, Pavlovskaya Beauty, and others. The disease causes less harm to strawberry varieties with short term maturation. This is due to the fact that their berries, having fruited, do not have time to become infected.

Treatment of strawberries from gray rot

The chemical method of combating this disease is not as effective as the preventive method.

But still it cannot be ruled out. If a disease is detected on the berries, spraying is not safe for the person himself - it is toxic. In addition, it is absolutely useless, the berry is already spoiled. But spraying the berry plant with a solution of Bordeaux liquid (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) immediately after the fruiting period, as well as again in early spring after harvesting the old foliage, gives good results. The following drugs are also effective: Chorus, Strobi, Boxwood, Falcon, etc.

Early spring feeding of the berry garden with mullein infusion (1 part mullein to 10 parts water), solution consumption - 3 liters per linear meter. This feeding has a double effect: nutrition and the fight against gray rot. Additional fertilizing with nitrophoska will also strengthen the plants' immunity. A strong plant is less susceptible to infection. Feeding the berry garden with mullein can be repeated in September.

Before flowering, it is better to treat the berry with the biofungicide Fitosporin.

There are also equally effective traditional methods combating the rot pathogen. For example, a remedy for gray rot prepared on the basis of iodine (5 ml per 5 liters of water) can destroy the causative agent of the disease.

The use of dry pollination of the berry plant with dry mustard is also very effective against the causative agent of the disease. Start doing such treatments in early spring and repeat them once a week until the start of flowering.

The main thing in this difficult task is not to be lazy. The causative agent of gray rot is just waiting for this!

Gray rot - fungal disease. Typically, outbreaks occur in years with cool, damp weather. Severe damage to berries occurs in old, thickened areas. Softened brown spots appear on the berries, then they enlarge, and the berries are almost completely covered with a thick gray velvety coating and rot. Diseased berries should not be left in the garden, as the disease spreads through tiny spores throughout the entire area by wind and rain.

Wilt- a fungal disease also known as Verticellosis wilt of strawberries. The fungus damages the roots. As a result, plant growth stops and they die. Affected plants are noticeable even during the budding period. At the end of summer and autumn they stand as if ruffled and withered. Growing varieties resistant to wilt helps. If diseased plants are discovered, they are dug up and burned. Plantations are planted only for healthy people planting material, purchased from nurseries.

At late blight berries are mainly affected. At the same time, brown spots appear on them, which increase in size and eventually cover the entire berry. Spots also appear at the base of the leaf petioles, enveloping them in a ring, causing the leaves to die. The roots also die. Control measures are similar to wilt. In addition, predecessors that are affected by the same disease (potatoes, tomatoes, etc.) should be avoided.

Slugs, snails, centipedes severely damage strawberries, especially in damp, shaded areas with humus soils.

Strawberry nematode- a small worm that settles in strawberry inflorescences between the stamens or in the tissues of the stem or leaves. Plants affected by the nematode are usually underdeveloped and have dwarf growth. The strawberry stems are thickened and twisted, the leaves are wrinkled at the edges and covered with brown spots. The fruits are always underdeveloped. The disease manifests itself most clearly in June-July. The strawberry nematode spreads with seedlings. The area where nematode-affected strawberries grew should not be returned to the area for several years. When planting a new plot of strawberries, you need to take seedlings that are known to be free from the pest and plant them in the new plot.

Strawberry-raspberry weevil damages the buds. The female lays eggs in them, gnawing on the pedicels. One female can damage 50 buds. Control measures: mulching between strawberry rows in the spring, spraying plants with soap or ash solutions.

If there is ants, water these places with a solution boric acid. You can also mix boric acid into large thin-necked bottles filled with sour milk or syrup and bury them level with the soil so that the ants fall into the bottle and cannot escape.

General treatment of strawberries against pests and diseases in the fall is carried out around the second ten days of September. Process as follows: per 10 l warm water(30 °C) add 2 tbsp. l. liquid soap, 3 tbsp. l. burnt vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. l. wood ash and 2 tbsp. l. vinegar, stir everything well, strain and immediately sprinkle not only the strawberry bushes, but also the soil.

We are looking forward to the first one. And, naturally, we get upset if, instead of a berry meadow, we find moldy fruits in indecently small quantities. And the culprit is gray rot, which, in favorable days for its development, it can destroy up to 90% of the crop! The disease gets its name from the fluffy gray-brown mycelium growing on the surface of infected tissues.

The fungus overwinters in plant debris and in the spring attacks the peduncle, petals, sepals and strawberries. The disease is considered most dangerous during prolonged cloudy weather and prolonged rains, especially during the flowering period of the plant and harvesting berries.

Thickened strawberry plantings, which are placed in poorly ventilated, low places, are most susceptible to disease. The pulp of the fruit quickly turns brown and rots, the berry becomes “rubbery” and inedible. On completely rotten strawberries, microscopic spores and conidia form, which are carried by the wind to long distances, settle on healthy plants, causing massive development of the disease.

To prevent gray rot from developing on strawberry plantations, a number of steps should be taken preventive measures during growing and harvesting:

1. Choose an area for strawberries that is well ventilated and lit. In the spring, when the ground thaws, thoroughly clean the bed of plant debris, remove dry leaves and weeds.

2. During the formation of berries, mulch the rows with a continuous layer of clean cut straw, fresh sawdust or pine needles so that the strawberries do not come into contact with the ground.

H. You can put wire supports under the bushes or put agrofibre under the flower stalks.

4. Pollination of damp bushes and soil with sifted wood ash inhibits the spread of gray rot on strawberries. At 15 sq. m area you will need 1 kg of ash.

5. Plant garlic in the strawberry rows - it contains phytoncides and essential oils that will help get rid of the gray scourge.

6. When harvesting, be sure to collect berries affected by gray rot in a separate container and destroy them.

Healing tinctures

It works very well with gray mold in strawberry beds. Mix 100 grams of powder with 10 liters of hot water and leave for 2 days. Then dilute the resulting mass with water in a 1:1 ratio. Spray with the solution until flower stalks appear, once a week. Also, the resistance of strawberries to a “velvety coating” is increased by phosphorus-potassium fertilizing and treatment of plantings with a solution of microfertilizers. Another remedy effectively fights “harmful grayness”: dissolve 2 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of hot water, add 5 grams copper sulfate and 1 teaspoon of 5% iodine. Repeat treatments after 10-15 days.

Important

Select the strawberry varieties most resistant to gray rot for cultivation - Druzhba, Zenit, Desnyanka, Tentra, Kokinskaya rannyaya, Ruby pendant, Pocahontas, Muto.

Before the beginning of the growing season of garden strawberries, use a 3-4% solution of Bordeaux mixture, and immediately after harvesting, use a fungicide, for example azocen (20 g per 10 liters of water).

Inna Semirod, Chernigov