In recent years,planting strawberries on black agrotextilehas become more and more popular, which acts as a mulch, facilitates heating of the beds and stops the growth of weeds. This type of planting has many advantages and makes growing a strawberry much easier. Seehow to plant strawberries on agrotextileand the benefits of this method of growing strawberries.
Strawberries on agrotextile
Why is it worth planting strawberries on agrotextile?
Planting strawberries on agrotextile has many advantages.First of all, it is an excellent way to control weeds in strawberries, as it eliminates weed infestation almost completely, without the need for herbicides or manual weeding. Nonwoven agrotextile, as a breathable and moisture-permeable material, despite covering the soil, allows water to freely penetrate deep into the substrate, and does not allow it to evaporate excessively, thanks to which the soil is constantly moist. It has been proven thatplanting strawberries on agrotextileaccelerates plant maturation. This type of strawberry handling makes harvesting much easier. The black color of the nonwoven agrotextile heats up the substrate, which stimulates the roots to take up more nutrients and promotes plant development.
When to plant strawberries on agrotextile?
The date of planting strawberries on agrotextileshould match the type of seedlings you want to buy. The cheapest are green seedlings, the so-called fresh, which are dug out from nurseries and planted in two dates - spring (from March to May) or autumn (from September to early November).Such strawberries will bear fruit in the next year after wintering.
If you want to have the first fruits in the same year, then from March to June you can plant frigo strawberries, which are stored in a cold store during the winter, and bear fruit about 2 months after planting. The last and most expensive type of seedlings are potted strawberries. These are the most expensive, but they also give the most confidence that the seedlings will take root, grow he althily and bear fruit abundantly. They can be planted all the time from spring to fall, although the most recommended date is the second half of summer.
At what spacing to plant strawberries on agrotextile?
Strawberries should be planted in such a spacing that will provide them with good conditions for growth and fruiting. In amateur cultivation, the distance between the rows of strawberries should be about 50 cm, while in the row the plants should be planted every 15-35 cm. Usually, there are about 10 strawberry plants per 1 m² of a bed.Remember also that if we have a strawberry variety with strong growth, then the distance between the seedlings should be greater.However, if we have poorly growing varieties, then the spacing is reduced. The same goes for the type of soil. The richer and better fertilized the substrate, the more intensive the growth of strawberries will be, which means that the spacing should be greater (even up to 35 cm between plants in a row). On non-fertile soil, reduce the spacing by planting plants every 15 - 25 cm.
What agrotextile should strawberries be planted on?
In order to plant strawberries on agrotextile, first buy a black agrotextile of an appropriate thickness. Black non-woven agrotextile for mulching the soil under strawberries is the best because it favors the heating of the ground. It should be an agrotextile with a weight (thickness) of 50 g / m².
How to prepare a flower bed for planting strawberries?
Strawberries should be planted in sunny places, on airy, not too heavy soil, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.2, preferably moderately fertile. Beforeplanting strawberries on agro-infiltration , remove all weeds.For fertilization, the soil can be dug with compost or manure, but the manure should be applied earlier - in the fall of the year preceding planting. Directly before planting, you can use compost and mineral fertilizers for strawberries. It is best to dig half the dose of fertilizer with the soil with a spade (put it under the spade) and spread the remaining dose on the surface of the soil and rake it (put it under the rake), leveling the bed. Remember to never plant strawberries on freshly dug and fertilized soil - at least a week should pass from digging.
Planting strawberries on agrotextile - step by step
1. Unfolding and fastening agrotextile
Once we have the designated area of the beds on which we want to plant strawberries, we can start spreading the nonwoven agrotextile. Remember to tighten the nonwoven agrotextile to minimize any folds and creases. At the edges, the agrotextile is best fixed to the ground with agrotextile pins.Such pins can be purchased or made of wire of the appropriate thickness. Cut pieces of about 30 cm from the wire and bend them on both sides, leaving the middle part straight. We should get the shape of an angular horseshoe. The more pins we stick on the edges of the nonwoven agrotextile, the better it will stick.
2. Making cuts on the nonwoven agrotextile
When we have stretched and attached agrotextile, we can cut in straight lines and at an appropriate spacing the places where we will put strawberry seedlings. A sharp wallpapering knife is ideal for this purpose, although scissors can also be used. It is important not to make the cuts too large, because then weeds can grow (the length of the cuts should be 10 cm each). We cut the agrotextile with two straight cuts that intersect to form the shape of the letter X.
3. Strawberry seedling placement
When the cuts are ready, we can start planting strawberries, remembering not to put the dug soil on the non-woven fabric, but e.g.into the bucket. Sufficiently deep holes need to be dug for the plants so that the roots do not bend during planting and are placed vertically, and then covered with soil. Let's also make sure not to plant the seedling too deep (lower branches underground) or too shallow (you can see the roots above the ground).
4. Cleaning agrotextile and watering When we have planted all the strawberries on the nonwoven agrotextile, sweep the excess soil off the agrotextile so that it is reasonably clean, and then water the bed abundantly.
