Strawberries are very popular fruits. These plants can be grown in gardens, but also in pots on balconies and terraces. It is therefore not surprising that we are so eager to decide to grow our own strawberries. However, it is worth getting to know the diseases and pests of strawberries that can cause us trouble. See what are the symptoms of strawberry diseases and pests and how to combat them. Here are proven ways to make a he althy strawberry!
Mulching the soil under strawberries with straw prevents weed infestation and helps keep the fruit clean
Mushroom diseases of strawberries
Strawberry gray mold- the disease occurs on all organs of the above-ground part of plants, but most often on strawberry flowers and fruit. Infected parts of flowers quickly darken and dry out. On the other hand, the fruit buds turn brown. Ripe fruit has soft, putrefying spots covered with a dusty coating. Strawberry is infected with gray mold when the strawberries are blooming, and we notice the effects of the disease only at harvest, but it is too late to fight the disease.
In order to prevent the occurrence of thisstrawberry disease , the plantation should be well ventilated (appropriate distances between plants). It is also important to limit nitrogen fertilization (nitrogen over-fertilization promotes the development of gray mold on the strawberry), removing old, infected leaves in spring and infected fruit during harvest. Strawberry plantations should only be sprinkled in the morning, because then the rising sun will make the plants dry quickly.In the areas where gray mold is present on strawberries, it is necessary to cultivate resistant varieties.
Withnatural methods of protecting strawberries from gray mold , planting onions and garlic next to strawberries is also worth mentioning. The substances produced by these vegetables help to reduce gray mold infestation. Onions and garlic can be planted both around the perimeter of the strawberry bed and in between the rows.
How to fight strawberry gray mold?When growing strawberries on a plot, where we usually want to avoid the need to use chemical pesticides, before flowering it is worthwhile to water the strawberries with horsetail manure or a decoction of onion husks. About 2 weeks after harvesting the fruit, on two-year-old and older plantations, the leaves must be cut a few centimeters above the growth points and removed from the beds.
Strawberry diseases - gray mold
Chemicalfighting gray mold on strawberriesis done by spraying 3 times, successively as the flowers develop. The first spray at the beginning of flowering, the second at full flower, and the third at the end of flowering. Cool and humid weather will significantly extend the flowering of strawberries, then additional spraying may be necessary. The fungicide Teldor 500 SC can be used for spraying. Currently, however, it is better to choose the recently available biological preparation Polyversum WP, which brings excellent results in protecting strawberries against gray mold.
Strawberry powdery mildew- is another strawberry disease caused by fungi. The severity of disease symptoms depends on the weather conditions. This disease occurs on all aerial organs of strawberries, but leaves and green fruit buds are most severely affected. On the lower side of the strawberry leaves you can see a flourish, whitish coating, infested flowers and young fruit buds die, and the fruit covered with the coating lose their food value.
To prevent the emergence of thisstrawberry disease , only plant he althy planting material and do not allow the plantation to become too thick and weed. Only varieties resistant to mildew should be grown and nitrogen fertilization limited. In the fight against powdery mildew, strawberries are sprayed with sulfur preparations during the flowering period and, if necessary, after harvesting the fruit.
Strawberry red root rot- caused by the fungus Phytophthora fragariae. Its development is favored by heavy, slowly warming up and moist soils. This is because here thisstrawberry diseasefinds optimal development conditions - high humidity and quite low temperature (10 - 15 ° C). In fall and spring, this allows the fungus to spread through the spores. Infected strawberry roots stop growing first. Later the side roots and the tops of the main roots rot. As a result, the root system of the diseased plant consists almost entirely of the main roots.These roots are darker than the he althy ones.Strawberry red root rotdevelops quite slowly, therefore clear symptoms and losses intensify in the second year of the plantation's life. Infested plants grow less at first and have smaller and brighter (bluish) leaves. Then the oldest leaves turn yellow and dry, and finally whole plants die, often before the fruit is harvested. Unfortunately, it isstrawberry diseasedifficult to eliminate.
Strawberry diseases - strawberry red root rot
Strawberry viral diseases
Strawberry leaf spotty- is a viral disease. Only a biological test allows for a completely certain infection with this virus, because it does not show typical symptoms on plants.A secondary symptom is fruit reduction and a decrease in yield, and this effect is most pronounced only on 4-year-old and older strawberry plantations.
Yellow-edged strawberry leaves- intensity and typical symptoms of this viral diseasestrawberry diseasedepends on the season. They are better visible in spring and autumn. Controlled plants tend to get smaller. Leaf blades and shorter petioles, especially of young leaves, are smaller. There are chlorotic spots with clearly defined margins on the edges of the leaves.
Strawberry leaf crinkle- symptoms of leaf crinkle can already be seen on the youngest leaves. These are chlorotic spots - either along the leaf nerve or over the entire surface of the lamina. The discolored tissue becomes necrotic, hence the changes in the shape of the growing gills: wrinkling, uneven growth, and even splitting of the leaves. Infected plants grow weaker and bear much less fruit.
How to fight strawberry viral diseasesAfter diagnosing the disease, first of all, remove and destroy (burn) all infected plants to prevent further spread of viruses.If there are aphids that may be virus vectors, they should be treated with an insecticide. To replant your flower beds with strawberries, you should buy certified plants from a trusted seller and choose virus-tolerant varieties.
Strawberry pests
Snails that often attack strawberries are snails. The damage they cause isholes in strawberry leaves and nibbled fruitIt even happens that snails can eat the whole fruit right up to the stalk. Manual catching of snails is usually insufficient, but in amateur crops we do not recommend chemical agents for snails, which are toxic and dangerous to the environment. If we want to obtain he althy and organic strawberries from our own cultivation,to protect against snails, we suggest using natural bas alt flour
Bas alt meal is an ecological fertilizer made of ground bas alt rock.Bas alt flour is sprinkled all around the beds and it is poured out in the inter-rows so as to create barriers through which the snails will not pass. You can also sprinkle whole plants. After rainfall, the treatment must be repeated.
Harmful rooting(Pratylenchus penetrans) - is a nematode with a typical cylindrical shape and a length of about 0.5 mm. It is abundant in Poland and is considered a very harmful species. Its occurrence is one of the causes of the so-called soil fatigue. It can live in soil and on strawberry roots. All development can take place in the root cortex, which is the food of the nematode. Direct harm consists in dying of root hairs, as a result of which the plant is poorly supplied with water and nutrients. Indirect harm is the transmission of viral diseases and the facilitation of infection by soil fungi that cause diseases of the root system.
To prevent the development of this nematoderapeseed, mustard). It is not advisable to establish a new plantation on a strawberry site or in an orchard.
Note!Almost complete elimination of soil nematodes is ensured by cultivating Tagetes as a forecrop before strawberry.
Forfighting nematodes in strawberriesit is worth using the biopreparation P-Drakol. It limits the development of nematodes and other soil pests in a completely natural and environmentally safe manner. In addition, it supports the growth of strawberries and accelerates the regeneration of damaged roots. Thanks to this, strawberries will quickly regain vigor!
Strawberry mite(Steneotarsonemus fragariae) - the female of this strawberry pest is much larger, up to 2 mm long, yellow or brown, while the male is much smaller - about 0.15 mm .
Females of thisstrawberry pesthibernate in various hiding places near the strawberry's crown. They usually leave the wintering site in March.Development begins at 10-12 ° C and 80-90% air humidity. Females can lay eggs without fertilization. Only females hatch from such eggs, and there are always more of them. The mites suck the sap from leaves, flower buds and flowers. They prefer to feed on young, not yet fully developed strawberry leaves. The damage results from the cooling down of plants, which hibernate for worse and yield worse in the following year. Older plantations are usually more under control. Many fruits are poorly developed due to poor pollination of the controlled fruits.
Strawberry pests - strawberry mite
a) female from the abdominal side, b) male from the abdominal side
To reduce the risk of thisstrawberry pestplant varieties where it rarely appears, such as' Senga Sengana ',' Dukat ',' Marmolada 'and' Redguantlet '.
Chemical control of the strawberry miteis difficult due to the lifestyle of the pest hiding among the youngest leaves.Spraying is done in spring, just before the strawberry blooms, or in summer - after harvesting the fruit. It is very important that the working liquid is carefully applied to the youngest leaves of the strawberry, where the pest is hiding. If post-harvest mowing of old leaves is planned, this treatment should be prior to mite control spraying. The following resources will be helpful: Ortus 05 SC, Sanmite 20 WP.
Strawberry pests - strawberry oyster mushroom
Strawberry opuchlak(Otiorhynchus sulcatus) - weevils are small weevils, the most dangerous of which is the strawberry weevil. Its foraging larvae destroy the roots of various plants, and adult beetles gnaw leaves, buds, flowers, and even the bark on thin twigs, which leads to their withering. Red-legged Edema causes similar damage. Opuchlaki are fairly commonpests of strawberriesand raspberries. They also often attack azaleas and rhododendrons. When they appear in groups, strawberries wilt in the nests and then dry up.Leaves, petioles and bark on strawberry and raspberry shoots damaged by beetle feeding. Irregular bites on the edges of the leaves.
In the event of massive appearance of beetles, it is necessarychemical control of these pests of strawberriesSpraying only after harvesting the fruit, thoroughly spray the plants and the soil surface below them with Dursban 480 EC. The treatment should be repeated twice every 14 days. "
Strawberry nematode(Aphelenchoides fragariae) andChrysanthemum nematode(Aphelenchoides ritzemabosi) - the body of both nematodes is cylindrical, worm-like. The males are smaller, the rear end of their body is bent. The chrysanthemum nebula is larger: the female is 0.7 - 1.2 mm long, and the male is 0.7 - 0.9 mm long. The female luffa nematode is 0.5 - 0.8 mm long and the male 0.5 - 0.7 mm. Both species are multivorous and can be found on numerous weeds. They usually hibernate inside the above-ground part of strawberries. Development can take place both outside and inside.Optimal conditions for nematodes are high air humidity and moderate temperature. One generation of nematodes takes about 2 weeks to develop.
The direct harmfulness of thesestrawberry pestsconsists in sucking out the juices from the young buds and leaves that are just developing. The affected parts of the plant are deformed and stunted, which is most easily noticed during the flowering of strawberries and later in the fall. Indirect damage is caused by the presence of nematode-transmitting bacteria in plants. This bacterium produces a symptom calledstrawberry cauliflowerIt results from the shortening of all the stems so that the infected plant looks somewhat like cauliflower. Such plants bear less fruit.To prevent the appearance of nematodes, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds and plant he althy plant material.
