Properstrawberry care in springis of great importance for the start of proper plant growth in the new growing season. We start spring strawberry treatments around mid-March and start with removing the thick layer of straw that protected the plants from frost. What else needs to be done? See whatstrawberry care in spring looks likeand what to do.
Strawberry care in spring - strawberry plants
In mid-March, strawberries come to life, which can be recognized by the fact that they start to sprout new leaves from the center of the crown. So it's time to start taking care of them.
Strawberry care in springstarts with removing the winter cover, which is usually a thick layer of straw. Then rake up and remove the older leaves that protected the root collar against freezing. In this way, we eliminate pathogens that could overwinter on these leaves.
Weeding strawberries in spring
Once this is done, take a hoe or a small rake and loosen the soil, doingweeding strawberries in spring .
Weed control in strawberries is very important from early spring to prevent weeds from choking the strawberries. We do this carefully so as not to damage the delicate strawberry roots. Loosening can be done to a depth of 2-3 cm, not more. Weeds, however, need to be removed very carefully, especially the perennial ones, by uprooting them. Not all of them need to be thrown away. For example, the dandelion obtained in this way is a great material for the preparation of an extract or liquid manure for spraying or watering plants against diseases and pests.
Fertilizing strawberries in spring
An important procedure is alsofertilizing strawberries in springHere we can use multi-component mineral fertilizers, available in garden stores, preferably special fertilizers for strawberries, which we use in accordance with the instructions on the packaging. Examples of such fertilizers are Florovit fertilizer for strawberries and fruit shrubs and Fructus for strawberries, wild strawberries and raspberries. When choosing the preparation forfertilizing strawberries in spring , make sure that apart from the basic NPK formula, i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the fertilizer also contains other macro- and micronutrients needed by strawberries, i.e. magnesium, sulfur, calcium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
Multicomponent mineral fertilizers are administered in one of two ways. The first is to apply the entire dose of fertilizer at once in spring. In the case of Florovit for strawberries and fruit bushes, mentioned as an example, it will be 0.25 kg of fertilizer per 10 m2 of bed.The second wayof fertilizing strawberries , more beneficial in my opinion, is to break the fertilization into two doses. The first, the larger, is given in the spring, and the second, slightly smaller, is served after the fruit harvest is finished. Then, in the case of the aforementioned Florovit, in spring 0.15 kg of fertilizer is used per 10m² of strawberry beds, and after harvest - the remaining 0.10 kg per 10m².If you avoid using mineral fertilizers on the plot, strawberries can be also water with vermicompost diluted with water (according to the instructions on the packaging) or sprinkle guano granules between the plants.
Spraying strawberries in spring
One of the most common diseases of strawberries in amateur cultivation is gray mold. This disease can appear in the form of brown rot spots on flower buds and flowers in spring. Later, it causes large losses in fruit, which are massively deformed, turn brown and rot, and a gray dusting coating appears on their surface. In cultivation on a plot, where we avoid the use of chemical pesticides, we can safely use the biological preparation Polyversum WP to fight gray mold in strawberries.It is available in small amateur packages, containing 5g of the agent and a filter cloth needed to prepare the working liquid.
Spraying strawberries in springagainst gray mold is done after noticing the first symptoms of the disease, which usually takes place during the flowering period. If the disease was severe in previous years,spraying strawberries in springwith Polyversum WP can be done preventively at the beginning of flowering, especially if it gets warm (gray mold develops quickly at temperatures above 18 ° C) and rainfall occurred. Of course, the spraying itself should be done on a dry, rainless day, so that the spray liquid has a chance to properly cover the plants and not be washed away too quickly by rainfall. Polyversum WP on strawberries is used in a dose of 1g of the preparation dissolved in 3-6 liters of water, which is enough for spraying 100m² of strawberry beds.
Spraying strawberries in springPolyversum WP can also reduce diseases such as powdery mildew and white and red blotch on strawberry leaves. Usually, the Polyversum WP spraying has to be repeated, with 2 to 3 sprayings per season. If we use them alternately with fungicides, such as Signum 33 WG, leave a break of at least 7 days between successive sprayings.
It is no coincidence that I give Signum 33 WG here, because, like Polyversum WP, it has a wide spectrum of activity against strawberry diseases - it allows you to fight both gray mold, powdery mildew, and white spot of strawberry leaves. The preparation is available in small packages, containing 10 g of the agent, perfect for amateur use. On strawberries, Signum 33 WG is used in the proportion of 18 g per 5-7.5 liters of water. This amount is enough to spray 100m² of strawberry plants.In a few cases we will have to reach for a wider range of strawberries spraying agents.If, in recent years, we have observed concave, dry spots of a dark shade on the fruit, it is a sign that the plants have been attacked by strawberry anthracnose. This requires preventive anthracnose spraying with Switch 62.5 WG or Scorpion 325 SC during flowering.
"However, if we decide tospraying strawberries in spring , I encourage you to stop at Polyversum WP in amateur crops on plots and not to use chemical protection measures. After all, this is the point of growing your own strawberry so that you have the fruit grown naturally and free from all chemicals. "
