How to treat strawberries before winter. Caring for strawberries in the fall, preparing for winter

The strawberry harvest has been harvested, but there is still plenty of work to do on the plot. A caring owner will properly prepare the bushes for wintering and carry out the necessary agrotechnical measures.

Treating strawberries in the fall against diseases and pests is the key to the good condition of the plants in the spring and a rich harvest. Experienced gardeners give useful tips for caring for a strawberry plantation.

Preparing the plantation for winter

Mandatory operations:

• removing old, dried leaves. Be sure to pick up greens that are affected by spotting, powdery mildew. Take the picked strawberry leaves away from the beds and burn them so that the infection does not spread. It is important to remove the tendrils so that the plant can safely overwinter;
• pruning after harvest. Many gardeners agree with the statement that removing some of the leaves is a necessary manipulation. Improving the health of the plant by destroying damaged, dry leaves will benefit the strawberry bushes. During the fruiting period, the amount of nutrients has decreased, the plant needs rest. For this reason, you should not give up on autumn pruning of strawberries. Fewer hosts disagree with this statement;
• transplanting bushes. The optimal timing for an important operation is once every 3–7 years. If the time has come, it’s time to start replanting the plantation. The first rosette (closest to the mother bush) must be planted: on next year fragrant berries will delight the owners;
• feeding Soil fertilization is carried out not only in spring and summer, but also in autumn. You will need granules with valuable components from chicken manure or mullein, diluted slightly warm water in a ratio of 1:10. Pure organic matter should not be used for fertilizing: it can burn the leaves;
• pest control. To destroy pests and prevent the appearance of strawberry mites, whiteflies, and weevils, folk remedies and effective preparations are recommended. Prepare the product according to the instructions, treat all plants and soil. It is important to monitor the concentration of the composition: for strawberries, insecticide consumption rates are often lower than when treating apple trees or grapes;
• sheltering bushes for the winter. Mandatory operation for regions with any climate. Suitable materials: dry raspberry branches, spruce branches, straw (mice sometimes breed in it), pine and spruce needles. Hay and straw can be used provided that an electromagnetic or is installed on the site. Needles or spruce branches are the best option. During frosty winters with little snow, cover the row spacing with a thick layer of mulch. You can build a shelter over the bushes from agrofibre. Positive Feedback deserved materials spunbond, agrotex.

Important! Weed control is a must for excellent condition strawberry plantation. If the owners paid insufficient attention to this operation in the summer, they will have to make up for lost time in the fall. It cannot be allowed to weeds calmly overwintered together with strawberry bushes: in the spring it will be difficult to grow cereal crops. For autumn treatment, herbicides with Lenatsil are effective.

Disease Control

Most often, strawberries are affected by fungal infections:

• gray and black rot;
• powdery mildew;
• brown and white spots.

Timely spraying with effective drugs will prevent infection dangerous diseases, will allow you to preserve the plants until spring. Before purchasing the product, you should consult with experienced gardeners, listen to the opinion of the sellers of a specialized store. Many drugs and folk remedies have received positive reviews.

Against powdery mildew

Effective compositions:

• drug Sulfaride. The optimal ratio of components: water - 10 liters, fungicide - 2 tablespoons. Stir the mixture for five minutes, pour into a spray bottle, and carefully walk through the beds with strawberries. Treating the leaves with an effective acarofungicide will prevent the development of a dangerous disease;
• colloidal sulfur. To prepare a solution with a concentration of 1%, you need to take 100 g of the active substance per 10 liters of lukewarm water;
• potassium permanganate. An excellent option with a milder effect is a solution of potassium permanganate of medium strength (deep pink);
• zinc sulfate solution effective for foliar feeding strawberries For 10 liters of water, 20 g of substance is required;
• drug Topaz– one more thing effective remedy. A systemic fungicide based on penconazole is a concentrated emulsion for preparing a working solution. To treat a strawberry plantation, it is enough to prepare a solution of medium concentration: for 10 liters of water (temperature 30 degrees) you will need 1 ampoule of Topaz. The effect after spraying lasts up to two weeks. Calm, dry weather is suitable for spraying the product;
• copper-soap emulsion. Pour 3 liters of water into a bucket, add 200 g of grated laundry soap and 5 g copper sulfate, stir, pour in another 7 liters of liquid. Mix the prepared emulsion thoroughly (4–5 minutes) and spray the plants after harvesting.

Against gray and black rot, white and brown spotting

Effective means:

• copper oxychloride. For 10 liters of warm water, 1 tablespoon of the active substance is enough. The greatest effect is noticeable when spraying the composition in the spring, after flowering and in the fall, when the harvest has already been harvested;
• drug Nitrofen. Treatment is carried out in late autumn. The dark brown paste dissolves well in warm water. The product is effective not only against rot and scab, but also for destroying pests: aphids, mites. To prepare the working solution, take 10 liters of liquid plus 150 g of product. Treat not only the bushes, but also the soil around them. Gray rot, dangerous leaf spotting after spraying with Nitrofen appears extremely rarely;
• universal remedy. You will need 3 tbsp. l. warm sunflower oil, a couple of tablespoons of ordinary vinegar and wood ash, 500 ml of liquid soap plus 10 liters of heated water. Prepare an emulsion from active ingredients, mix with water according to the standard scheme, spray the plants, the soil around the bushes.

Pest treatment

Effective methods and compositions:

• against transparent mites. Summer residents positively evaluate the effect of the drug, Kleschevit and wood ash;
• from and snails. Metaldehyde is recommended. On square meter 5 g of effective drug is sufficient for soil;
• from weevils, strawberry beetles, . Actellik, Intavir, Aktar show high effectiveness;
• universal formulations are suitable for combating various types pests, including the dangerous strawberry nematode. Popular products: Urea, Heterophos, Fundazol, Skor, Vitaros;
• from . Effective method– a thorough check of leaves and twigs, destruction of pests, collection of rotten parts of the plant when preparing strawberry beds for winter;
• against . The danger of damage lies in the active infection of neighboring bushes. If pests appear, remove diseased shoots and burn them. After killing the insects, you will have to remove the top layer of soil (larvae accumulate in this area), water with a decoction of yarrow, red pepper or garlic, and add new soil.

Processing times

When preparing strawberries for winter, it is important to consider the variety of the berry crop. Experienced summer residents It is recommended to follow the timing of spraying depending on how many times the plant bears fruit.

• remontant varieties, the fruiting period of which lasts all summer and part of autumn, should be treated with preparations before wintering;
• Process ordinary varieties (Gigantella, Mashenka, Zephyr) in late July - early August, without waiting for cold weather;
• after preventive measures Cover the bushes with special material or pine branches to protect them from low temperatures.

Processing strawberries in the fall using effective preparations and folk remedies will reliably protect plants from diseases and pests. You should not skip the procedures for preparing a strawberry plantation for the winter cold: Lack of attention and negligence reduce the yield, allowing weeds and pests to freely dominate the beds. Infection with fungal infections is dangerous not only for strawberries, but also for the entire site.

If you are growing berries on your own plot, then you definitely need to know about strawberry diseases and pests. The video provides information about the autumn treatment of strawberries from diseases and pests, when, how and with what they need to be treated:

As soon as summer residents do not mock the poor strawberries in the fall: they are cut to zero, weeded, dried, covered with film... All this leads to freezing and a decrease in yield. Proper care Picking strawberries in the fall is not difficult, but requires some knowledge.

It would seem that we all know how to care for strawberries in the fall - cut off their leaves, and that’s the end of it. However, experienced gardeners will say that this approach is wrong and they will be right. After all, for a full-fledged harvest next year, it’s worth preparing strawberries for winter from mid-summer.

Fertilizing strawberries in autumn

Strawberries need to be fed three times a year: before flowering, after fruiting and in September before wintering.

Every gardener has his own answer to the question. Some people use a 10% solution of mullein mixed with ash, some infuse bird droppings, and others prefer specially developed complex fertilizers.

After picking the berries, strawberries, as before, need care and attention. Therefore, never hesitate about whether to water your strawberries in the fall. Of course, both watering and removing the whiskers must be continued.

The last moisture-recharging irrigations are carried out already in October with a frequency of once every seven days, provided that the weather is dry. If it rains and the soil is saturated with moisture to the very roots, then it is not necessary to water the strawberries.

In September-October, the signs of all diseases affecting your plantation are more clearly visible on strawberry bushes than ever before. This is a suitable period for treating plantings with drugs against pests and diseases. But, before processing strawberries in the fall, you need to rid them of weeds, which interfere with the ventilation of the bushes and take away some of the nutrition.
There is a nuance to this: weeding strawberries in the fall is not recommended, as it can damage them. root system plants that will not have time to recover before frost. The best option would be weeding at the end of summer or treatment with Lenatsil (a herbicide intended specifically for strawberry plantings).

After the strawberry bed has been left free of unauthorized settlers in the fall, you can begin to expel pests and diseases.

The debate about whether it is necessary to trim strawberry leaves in the fall has lasted for decades and is still not over. From the point of view of pruning supporters, diseases develop on old leaves and peduncles, harmful insects and spores of fungal diseases can settle, so it is better to remove them, leaving only short stems. Opponents of this position believe that a bush pruned for the winter will spend all its energy on forming new greenery and will go under the snow weakened, which will negatively affect fruiting next season.

In our opinion, the truth, as always, is in the middle: you can either prune strawberries immediately after fruiting, so that they have time to form new lush greenery before winter, or do pruning in the fall, but remove only dried and diseased leaves.

IMPORTANT! The bush’s main protection from frost and wind is its lush leaves, so you can’t leave strawberries to spend the winter without leaves.

If you are planning to trim strawberry leaves in the fall, then take sharp garden shears or pruning shears, be sure to put on gloves and prepare a container for the leaves - you should not leave them in the garden bed or between the rows.

FACT! Repairing strawberries are not pruned in the fall, only diseased and damaged leaves are removed with the onset of cold weather. This is done very carefully so as not to damage the root system.

Mulching strawberries in autumn

The best shelter for wintering strawberries is snow. It is he who is able to reliably cover the bushes and protect them from soil cracking, damping off, freezing and other misfortunes. But what if there is no snow in your area in winter?

In this case, the gardener himself will have to play the role of caring nature. Strawberries need to be covered for the winter, and there are now enough methods and materials for this. The easiest thing you can do is mulch your strawberry bushes in the fall with plant-based ingredients.

The ideal shelter for garden strawberries is needles - they do not get wet, do not stick together and do not attract mice. If you cannot get pine litter or spruce branches, then choose another suitable material - straw, compost, humus, dry leaves, etc.

Remember that if you have chosen spunbond for covering, you cannot place it directly on the leaves - this will lead to freezing of the strawberries in places of contact with the material. Such covering materials require the installation of arcs.

IMPORTANT! You need to mulch and cover the strawberry bed in the fall after the first frost. Bush that passed subzero temperatures, will become more hardened and will withstand wintering easier.

Autumn care for strawberries does not require serious time or financial investment, but despite its simplicity, it gives tangible results. In the spring, your bushes do not waste time on recovery and immediately begin to actively grow, bearing fruit longer and more actively than usual.

Strawberries, large-fruited garden strawberries, and hybrid strawberries are related berry crops that are usually called by the common name “garden strawberries.” Rules for caring for them general outline are the same.

Formation of future berries in autumn

In those strawberry varieties that are not remontant, fruit buds of the next season are formed in August-September previous year. That is why this period is so important for the coming harvest.

Next year's strawberry harvest largely depends on autumn work.

Autumn events

This is beauty! Strawberries on the plot of one of our editors!

When the berry has fruited, it is necessary to carry out several important agrotechnical measures in turn on the strawberry plantation:

This is an approximate to-do list for those gardens where the surface of the beds is not covered with a special film or agrofibre. If strawberries are planted in cuts of special mulching material, some points will not be relevant. The general concept (protection and feeding) remains the same.

Top dressing and mustache

Mustache removed!

For next weeks, before the onset of cold weather, . You can give one more feeding. for better plant preservation. This must be done as well.

Caring for strawberries immediately after harvest

When strawberry beds are used for several years, the bushes age and the yield decreases sharply.

Strawberries should be replanted approximately every 4 years.

Productive timing different varieties Strawberries may vary, but it is generally recommended to replant every 3-5 years. In this case, obsolete plantings are removed and the beds are dug up for other crops. But if the plants have not yet crossed the critical age limit and are ready to please with the harvest next season, they need decent care.

The sooner the gardener starts processing strawberry beds, the better bushes will restore strength , overwinter more successfully, bear fruit more abundantly on next year. Specific dates vary by region and varietal characteristics berries. As soon as the last fruits are collected, it is advisable to immediately begin trimming the leaves.

Whiskers for breeding

If they are taken from the same fruit-bearing plantation, processing can be slightly delayed in time. We must not forget that plants are exhausted by fruiting.

If seedlings are needed for propagation, the tendrils are not removed, but rather allowed to take root and grow a good rosette.

Therefore, for to ensure that the mustache grows as quickly as possible, the beds are watered generously and liquid fertilizing is carried out. or organics: mullein or nettle infusion (dissolved in ten times the volume of water), chicken droppings (water infusion 1:20).

To make your mustache healthier, you can spray the beds against diseases (with a biological product Fitosporin or chemicals Forecast, Propi Plus, Chistoflor ), from pests (pesticides Iskra M, Fufanon ).

Trimming foliage and tendrils

Removing leaves from strawberries is sometimes called mowing. But this does not mean that you need to mow with a scythe or lawn mower. Use garden shears, pruning shears, a knife or a small sickle.

If the plants are only one year old or the owner is confident in the absolute health of the plantation, then only the oldest, lower leaves are removed. In other cases, the entire leaf apparatus is eliminated. It is cut, raked, removed from the garden bed and burned. This is how many diseases and pests go away.

At the same time as the foliage, unnecessary mustaches are also cut off.. Only leaf petioles about 5 cm long are left on the bushes. With shorter pruning, there is a risk of infections and damage to the buds (heart).

After pruning in August, the strawberries will be ready for winter in the fall!

In Central Russia, in the North-Western region, in Siberia, strawberry leaves are not trimmed later than mid-August. Fresh green mass should have time to grow well before the onset of cold weather. If the timing is missed, later only the lowest leaves are removed - spotted, old ones.

Weed control

Weeds growing next to the bush are pulled out by hand, trying not to damage the bush.

Weeds, especially perennial ones, can greatly choke strawberry plants and significantly reduce the yield of the plantation. Weeds must be removed along with their roots.

Weeding and loosening

Weeding between rows is carried out using a shovel or a narrow long scoop.

Weeding and loosening strawberry plantings are always carried out together.

This way you can extract even the deepest rhizomes. A thin root remover is used directly near the bushes, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the delicate surface roots of strawberry plants. Simultaneously with weeding, the soil is loosened.

Application of herbicide

It is more convenient to treat large garden strawberry plantations with herbicides using a backpack sprayer.

Sometimes, in order to get rid of the dominance of perennial weeds on a strawberry plantation, it is recommended to use a special herbicide called Lontrel 300-D .

Spraying with this preparation leads to the death of perennial weeds (except for cereals such as wheatgrass), and strawberries remain alive. Lontrel is an aggressive chemical and should only be used in cases of extreme necessity, strictly according to the instructions.

Watering

If there is (or has recently been) heavy rainfall, then additional watering is not needed.

But in dry weather, it is necessary to ensure a supply of water to the strawberry roots. This way, young foliage will grow faster and flower buds will form more successfully. Watering must be very abundant- it is better to apply water or sprinkling. If from a watering can, then at least 30–40 liters per square meter of planting. Moistening the soil is also a preparatory measure before fertilizing and mulching.

Top dressing

Before applying fertilizer, the soil is loosened, then the granules are scattered and embedded in the soil, and peat is added on top.

Fertilizers are applied in two ways:

• pour humus and ash under the bushes;
• carry out fertilizing irrigation.

Both techniques can be combined.

1. First, strawberries are given liquid fertilizer with the obligatory presence of nitrogen in it. . This will help the bushes to grow powerful leaves to replace the cut ones already during August. Best option– organic. Slurry is diluted in water (1 liter of slurry per bucket of water) or an infusion of bird droppings (2 glasses of infusion per bucket of water). The resulting solution is used to water the plantings, using a bucket for 20 bushes. If there is no manure or droppings, they are replaced with a fermented infusion of grass. You can also fertilize with urea (1 tablespoon per bucket of water), complex mineral fertilizer (according to the instructions). The addition of humates and microelements will not hurt.

   Stage one - add liquid fertilizer to the strawberries.

2. After a few days, add wood ash to the base of the bushes (a handful per plant) and loosen it slightly, embedding the fertilizer into the soil. Or they add it in liquid form using a daily water infusion (proportion: two glasses of ash per bucket of water).

   Stage two - add wood ash.

3. After this, compost is scattered around the strawberry plants (up to a bucket per square meter of bed) . The main thing is that it is well rotted, and the composition may vary depending on what was put into the compost heap: grass, manure, kitchen waste, sawdust, leaves and other organic matter.

   Stage three - spread the compost.

Treatment of strawberries from diseases and pests

Protective spraying is carried out after mowing the foliage, watering and liquid fertilizing, but before adding compost and mulching. Each gardener decides whether to use gentle, environmentally friendly products or chemicals (if the situation with infections is critical).

Chemical remedies

To prevent spotting, strawberry bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture after harvesting.

It is advisable to mulch not only the bushes themselves, but also the spaces between the rows, maximally protecting the roots from drying out and winter cold.

Mulch is placed on strawberry beds after rain or good watering, in a layer of 3-5 cm. Mulching is not the same as sheltering from frost for the winter; it is a different agrotechnical technique. Various organic materials are used as mulch for strawberries.:

• compost,
• straw,
• rotten sawdust,
• wood chips,
• chopped bark,
• decomposed lowland peat,
• dry leaves,
• pine needles

Of course, many of them acidify the soil (pine needles, sawdust, bark, peat). But strawberries are not afraid of a little acidification. And if before planting the strawberries, the soil was properly deoxidized, wood ash is added annually, and the plantation is operated for no more than the prescribed period, then the mulch will not cause harm.

Mulching strawberries with pine litter.

Sowing green manure to increase yield

Some gardeners sow green manure in the rows of strawberries after harvesting.

Sowing green manure after harvesting is a useful procedure. We do this every year.

Plants such as rapeseed and others are used. In addition to enriching the soil and improving its structure, green manure left in the winter contributes to snow retention.

Further work

Several more months pass from the strawberry harvest to the winter hibernation of the bushes. During this period, plants too.

1. It is necessary to regularly remove growing mustaches – they greatly weaken the plants and impair the formation of fruit buds.
2. In dry weather you need periodic heavy watering .
3. At the end of August or September, another feeding is carried out, with predominance of potassium-phosphorus components . For this they use aqueous solution potassium sulfate and double superphosphate (a tablespoon per bucket of water), complex autumn fertilizers, wood ash.

Covering a strawberry plantation for the winter

Spruce spruce branches are a good material for covering strawberries in case there is no snow cover for a long time.

• If all activities are carried out correctly and on time, healthy and strong bushes will form by mid-autumn. As a rule, they overwinter successfully. But it’s better to play it safe and cover the strawberry plantation for the winter. This is especially necessary in cases where foreign varieties are planted, new varieties whose endurance has yet to be tested. In regions where there are harsh winters and problematic off-seasons, protection works according to the principle “God takes care of the best.”
• The shelter should not be too early and dense - this threatens to overheat bushes First, strawberry plants must be hardened by the first autumn colds. When the top layer of soil freezes, daytime temperatures drop slightly below zero - only then do they cover the strawberries. In conditions Middle zone and regions with similar climates, this time usually occurs towards the end of October or even in November. If at this time it is no longer possible to come to the garden, the procedure can be carried out earlier, but not too tightly.

Options for winter shelters for strawberries

Dry foliage is the most popular option for winter shelter for strawberries.

• spruce branches (coniferous tree branches);
• pine needles or dry leaves;
• reeds, corn and sunflower stalks;
• white agrofibre (): lutrasil, agrotex, etc. It is advisable to throw it not on the strawberry bushes themselves, but on small arcs so that an air gap remains.
• Many gardeners DO NOT RECOMMEND using SAWDUST: they get wet, cake, and freeze.

Sometimes they practice installing shields in the form of a fence near the beds - for better snow retention.

If earlier there were cases of damage to strawberry bushes by mice, then poisoned rodent baits are laid out throughout the plantation.

Video about the proper preparation of strawberries for wintering

Victoria is a beautiful, tasty and aromatic berry. It grows not only in the southern regions, but also in the European part of Russia. Thanks to your amazing taste qualities, Victoria has become one of the most favorite berries among children and adults. The article will talk about how to properly process Victoria so that year after year it brings big harvest. They take care of it both in spring and autumn.

How to treat Victoria in the fall

Plant care consists of three stages. This is mandatory pruning of bushes, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and preparing Victoria for the winter. Let's look at each stage in detail.

Trimming

How to treat Victoria in the fall? Where to start? The most important and necessary thing in the process of caring for garden strawberries is timely, as a rule, leaves and tendrils are removed. This procedure is necessary in order to give the plant a rest after active fruiting and growth. This stimulates the plant's preparation for next year and rejuvenates it. Such treatment allows you to improve the condition of each bush. Over the summer, pests could accumulate on the leaves. When pruning you naturally improve the health of the plant. Leaves and tendrils can be removed as early as September. To do this, it is most convenient to use pruning shears or a sharp knife. Cut the leaves at a level of about 10 cm from the ground, being careful not to damage the growing point. After the procedure, the rows should be weeded. The soil between them needs to be loosened and, if necessary, fresh soil added to cover the exposed roots.

Top dressing

How to treat Victoria in the fall after the pruning stage? To improve the formation of leaf and fruit buds in the plant in the new season, it is necessary to feed it. Over the winter, Victoria will accumulate the required amount of organic and mineral substances. You can spread fertilizers immediately after the completion of the procedure for trimming the mustache and leaves, that is, in September. The most best views feeding for the plant is humus, compost, barn. It is recommended to use superphosphate as a mineral fertilizer. You can prepare this mixture yourself: mix 2 large spoons with 200 g of wood ash. The resulting powder must be dissolved in 10 liters of water. Pour this mixture over each bush. After watering, the soil should be mulched.

Preparing for cold weather

How to treat Victoria in the fall so that it overwinters well? In areas where there is a lot of snow, the cold is not terrible for Victoria. But its absence can have a detrimental effect on the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to cover strawberries for the winter. Straw is suitable for mulching. Each bush is carefully covered with it. You can use peat, leaves from trees (fallen) or corn stalks - whatever can be found in your area and garden. Sometimes they buy a special covering material for Victoria - lutrasil or spunbond. Knowing how to properly process Victoria in the fall, you will protect the plants from severe frosts, and next year you will receive a rich harvest of tasty and large strawberries.

Strawberries, a close relative of garden strawberries, are one of the most favorite berries among summer residents. But not every amateur gardener can boast good harvest in your garden. A very common picture is when a strawberry plant occupies a large area, but there are very few berries in it. To be able to get a rich harvest next summer, you need to properly care for the crop this fall.

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Basic rules

Work on caring for strawberries in the fall includes:

• weeding;
• pruning young and removing old leaves;
• protection from pests and diseases;
• feeding the soil with fertilizers;
• preparation for winter.

Trimmed bushes need to be sprayed with solutions to protect them from diseases and small animals. Then they are fed with mineral or organic fertilizers and insulate for the winter by mulching the soil.

Remontant strawberries, for example, the Victoria variety, bloom and produce berries until the first frost, so they need to be periodically fed with a complex of fertilizers until they stop bearing fruit. To extend this process, when it gets cold, the bed with the planted berries is covered with film.

Strawberries are one of the few crops in the garden that leave with green foliage in winter. This is both additional protection from frost and makes it vulnerable. Growth processes continue until the onset of cold weather, which is a considerable burden on the plants. After the berries are dropped, the lateral horns, tendrils, root appendages, stems and leaves are activated.

You need to start processing and preparing strawberries for wintering immediately after they stop producing berries. It is not difficult to create favorable conditions for a crop in order to get a rich harvest next season if you follow certain rules.



Loosening and weeding

Loosening and weeding help the root system to develop more actively and provide it with a better supply of oxygen.

After harvesting, the following steps should be taken to treat the soil:

• loosen the soil between the rows;
• remove weeds;
• add fresh nutritious soil to the root system while loosening it.

Between the rows, the soil must be loosened to a depth of 10 cm. It is worth noting that when working near bushes you need to be extremely careful. Since the roots of the plant are near the surface, you can accidentally damage them with a shovel or hoe.

It is important to hill up strawberries periodically. If this is not done, the rhizome tubers may become bare over time and stop producing appendages, reducing the fruiting of the bushes.

It is also necessary to exterminate all the weeds growing around the bushes, otherwise in winter they will “steal” nutrients from the plants, which will lead to their depletion.



Trimming

If the bushes begin to darken, this indicates that the plant has almost completely exhausted its resources. In this case, updating the bushes is required. To do this, pruning is done in the fall, which includes:

• pruning young leaves;
• removal of blackened, dried or pest-infected parts of the plant;
• mustache shortening.

In order for the crop to acquire new leaves by winter, it is better to start pruning the plants in advance, already in August or at most the beginning of September. It is recommended to perform the procedure in the morning or evening, when the weather is warm and dry. The leaves are not completely cut off, leaving the stems 10 cm from the surface of the ground. Shortening close to the root can damage the growth cup, which is responsible for the production of new leaves.

To trim the mustache, you must use garden shears. Under no circumstances should they be torn off by hand, otherwise the bush may be damaged. If the whiskers are planned to be used for reproduction, leave those closest to the ground, with the rosettes deepened into it. The next season, new bushes grow from them, which immediately begin to bear fruit. In another option, the shoots must be pruned, otherwise during wintering they will take away the strength and useful substances. By systematically replacing strawberries in this way, you can achieve a constant harvest.

After completing the entire procedure, the appearance of a newly replete with red strawberries will be depressing. There will be only stems sticking out of the soil. But there is no need to worry; by the beginning of winter, the strawberries will have time to grow young foliage.

At the beginning of autumn, it is necessary to repeat the pruning, but not so extensively. It will be enough to re-remove old and diseased leaves.



Protection from pests and diseases

The crop should approach winter healthy, this will increase the likelihood that it will survive the frosts painlessly. For strawberries, it is necessary to create conditions to completely eliminate the impact of pests and hidden diseases. If there are signs that the plant is unwell, you need to immediately take measures to save it. Having determined the type of pest or disease of strawberries, you need to as soon as possible treat plants with appropriate products. There is no universal drug that will destroy spider mite or prevent the spread of powdery mildew.

Growing young strawberry leaves begin to wrinkle and change shape - this is a sign that the plant is infected with strawberry mites. It is important to react quickly and treat the bushes with a special insecticide - an acaricide. Good result will give the use of "Aktellik", "Kleschevit" or a solution of colloidal sulfur. Preparations can be applied when watering plants.

Occasionally, places appear on strawberry leaves that are distinguished by a rusty-brown color - this is brown spotting. The plant has developed a defense mechanism against this disease, and it itself drops the affected leaves. To kill the infection and prevent it from occurring in the future, once collected last harvest During the season, the bushes should be watered with copper oxychloride.

Feeding with fertilizers

In autumn, strawberries accumulate strength for future fruiting, so the plant must be fed with fertilizers.

After dropping the fruits, the crop can be fertilized with an infusion of chicken manure or mullein. It is important to apply manure so that it does not touch the strawberry leaves, otherwise the plant will get burned. Superphosphate and potassium salt are used to fertilize the soil; wood ash is an excellent substitute for organic matter. Special balanced mixtures for strawberries or ammophos help to enrich the soil. Humus gives excellent results, which not only fertilizes the soil, but also improves its structure.



It is worth noting that when fertilizing the soil mineral fertilizers It is advised to replace as much as possible with organic ones. It is believed that they are better dissolved and absorbed by the soil. They are also recommended for planting. After adding fertilizers, before wintering you should loosen the soil, insulate the bed and not touch it until spring.

Preparing the shelter for winter

Final stage autumn care for garden strawberries - this is insulation. It is important to take a responsible approach to preparing shelter for strawberries from the cold. The harvest next year will largely depend on the quality of the work carried out.

Since strawberry roots are located on the surface, in the absence of snowdrifts in winter they will have virtually no protection from low temperatures and ice. Therefore, the main goal of any shelter is not so much insulation as snow retention. Straw will cope with this task. At the same time, it will also serve as an organic feed for the plant and protect it from small animals and slugs. Instead of straw, you can use pine branches or corn stalks.

Before mulching with wood waste or bark, it is important to fertilize the soil with manure, feces or urea to prevent nitrogen deficiency. You can add compost or peat under the strawberry bushes, which will also protect them from wind erosion. And as they decompose, they mix with the soil and enrich it with useful substances.



You can also mulch the soil with synthetic materials, but preference is given to organic ones, since their use leads to increased soil fertility.

The effort expended on thoroughly preparing strawberries for unfavorable climatic conditions will not go to waste. The culture will reward you this coming summer with a rich harvest of large, sweet berries.