Timely strawberry care appropriate for each stage of the growing season is the concern of gardeners who want to get the most out of the crop without depleting the crop. Berry bushes at the beginning of the season, in the first spring days, when frosts are still frequent, and after - during the formation of buds, during fruiting and closer to autumn - the needs are different. The intensity and frequency of watering, the composition of fertilizing are different.
Diseases with pests also do not attack plants immediately: the timing of development, distribution depends on the life cycle of microorganisms and insects, on the weather. And other representatives of the animal world love to feast on ripe strawberries. All this the gardener takes into account when he draws up a schedule of work on the berry beds.
How to water strawberries during flowering?
Has the long-awaited period of strawberry flowering begun? Can strawberries be watered during flowering, and if so, how? So how often does a plant need to be watered to produce decent fruit?
The answer to the question of how to water strawberries is simple: watering a plant during the flowering period should be carried out in such a way that water saturates the ground and gets to the roots, but does not touch the ovaries and flowers. In addition, too frequent or heavy watering of strawberries outdoors will also not have a beneficial effect on the development of long-awaited fruits.
Diseases
Labor will be in vain if infection is allowed on the plantation.
Viruses and fungi infect strawberries, cause diseases that can destroy crops, destroy plants. The bushes respond to any problem by changing the appearance of the foliage:
- spots of different caliber and shades appear;
- the edges dry out;
- the leaf withers or curls.
About a dozen reasons for yellowness to dilute greens.
Symptoms of other diseases:
| Name | Manifestation | Favorable conditions | Treatment |
| Powdery mildew | "Starchy" plaque on all parts, the leaf darkens, rusts, curls upward, dries. | Moderate temperature + high humidity. Too tight fit. | Before fruiting - preparations such as Topaz, Bayleton, Horus, Fitosporin-M, and other fungicides. During fruiting - garlic infusion with household soap, burdock infusions. But with a strong defeat, it is not effective. |
| White rot | Whitish leaf spots, white mold and fruit rot | Cool, damp, shade, dense planting | Throw away the crop, treat with fungicides. In case of severe damage, get rid of the bushes. |
| Gray rot | The same, but with a gray coating | Warm + high humidity. Typical for growing strawberries, especially remontant varieties in greenhouses | Ventilate the greenhouse, thin out plantings, ash, lime to draw moisture out of the air. Fungicides for treatment. In the off-season - siderates. |
| Black root and fruit rot | Spots and decay of the corresponding color: all parts of the bush and fruits turn black | Violation of crop rotation, overfeeding with nitrogen, use of immature organic matter | Plants are destroyed. After them, the earth is spilled with hot water with potassium permanganate, Bordeaux mixture, fungicides |
| Late blight rot | First, the berries rot, then purple-purple spots affect the entire bush, which dries up and dies without treatment. | Waterlogging | The crop is disposed of, all affected leaves and shoots are cut out, treated with fungicides. The fungus lives in the soil for years, so crop rotation and preventive treatments in spring and autumn will protect it from spread. |
| Spotting (brown or white) | The speckled greens turn into a sieve. | Dampness in the beds (especially under cover, if it is poorly ventilated) | Finding out on time, they are treated with fungicides. If they have time before flowering, then take "Skor", "Ridomil Gold", Bordeaux mixture, "Oxyhom". In case of total defeat, the bushes are destroyed. During processing, the reverse part of the sheet plate is not passed. |
| Chlorosis | On brightened, up to yellow-whitish, leaves are dark streaked | The plant receives less nutrition, primarily iron. | Add an essential trace element to the diet |
Any treatment begins with the removal of all affected parts of the plant. Deciding on the use of aggressive drugs, gardeners are studying the period of time when it will be safe to collect processed fruits. To do this, remember how long (roughly, on average) strawberries ripen after the start of flowering. For most varieties, this is 30-40 days.
Basic rules for watering strawberries during fruiting
It is necessary to water the plant at regular intervals (6-12 days). At the same time, about 10-13 liters of water should go for each square meter, and its temperature should be at least 18, but not higher than 22 degrees.
In addition, you can water strawberries in two ways: manual and drip. Of course, the second option is more economical, of high quality and uniform, however, even with manual irrigation, you can achieve a good harvest, it is only important to pay attention to the fact that the soil does not erode, and the water flows evenly. Proper watering must be done early in the morning or late in the evening, when the sun has already stopped baking.
Thus, we figured out the question of how often it is necessary to water strawberries during flowering and fruiting and how to correctly supply water.
Lack of lighting
When choosing a place for strawberry beds, check the light intensity all day. Buildings, trees that cast shadows on the site are the reason to relocate the berry plantation. The more shading factors, the fewer flowers, the lower the quality of the crop.
A summer resident who has discovered a lack of lighting on a strawberry plantation due to the lack of flowers is forced to either eliminate the cause of shading (cut down a tree or shrubs), or transfer the berry to another place. And this is the loss of at least one more harvest. Therefore, agricultural technicians recommend choosing a planting site for berry crops especially carefully.
Feeding strawberries during flowering
The plant must be fertilized three times a year: at the beginning of plant growth and development, during the flowering period and at the end of the harvest. It should be noted that the most significant fertilization is during the flowering period of strawberries.
For feeding at this time, mineral fertilizers loved by many gardeners are perfect, which contain three elements necessary for the growth and development of plants. Also, for feeding strawberries, nettle infusion, wood ash or yeast feeding are well suited.
When the first ovaries appear, mulching can be used to retain water in the soil. Dry, clean straw, moss or wood shavings work well for this “procedure”. Mulching will relieve the plant of many diseases and help keep the berries clean.
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Why a plant can "forget" about flowers
It's okay if your strawberry is "addicted" only to growing a mustache in the first year after planting. During this period, the plant strengthens in the garden, preparing for future fruiting.
But if the flower boycott continues for 2-4 years, it’s bad. In some cases, chemical "therapy" will help, in others you just need to be patient, and in others - radically "reshape" the garden ...
- The bushes are old. That is, they grow in the garden for more than 5 years. There is only one way out: transfer. Remove old bushes, plant new ones. Experienced gardeners are sure: this crop needs to be renewed every 4 years, completely blasting out old bushes.
- The bushes are planted late (in August of this year or later). In your case, the harvest will have to wait only next year. The next time, transplant strawberries at most in May or early June, and even better - in the fall. And insulate this planting well for the winter - it will be afraid of frost.
- The bushes are not planted correctly. They may not like both too high and too deep a planting (in this case, the heart may begin to rot altogether). When forming a garden bed, remember: the heart of the bush should be at ground level, no deeper or higher. If you look around the garden and see that this is not the case, try to correct the situation. For example, if the strawberries "climbed" too high, add earth, and if they are too deep, carefully dig out the bed.
- The bushes are not overfed with what they need. If you give the soil too much nitrogen, it positively affects the growth of leaves and the same tendrils, but negatively on the appearance of flowers and fruits. So nitrogen fertilizers should be replaced with simple watering (that is, with clean water). True, the effect of this can be expected for a whole year. Or the second option: in the second half of summer, cut off most of the foliage, and then give the plant a potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.
- The bushes are undernourished. Traditionally, this culture is fed three times per season: as soon as you have planted the bushes (use fertilizer with phosphorus, it will help the plant to take root quickly), just before flowering (here strawberries need potassium), and also at the end of the season, when the crop is ripe and harvested (now you can remember about nitrogen, and besides, the plant needs phosphorus again).
- "Bad taste" land. Strawberries do not like clay, heavy soil. If you have just one, but you dream of planting this culture, before starting the formation of the garden, try to somehow improve the land: add sand (coarse), and of course, humus. Sometimes drainage (at the base of the beds), or stationary beds on a hill, helps to get a decent harvest.
- Insufficient watering. You do not need to pour the bushes - the strawberries will die in constant puddles. But if there is no moisture, it may refuse to bloom. By the way, it is necessary to remember about watering (if there is no rain) even after harvesting. How do you know if watering is sufficient? Dig up the soil: it should get wet by at least 5 cm. And remember: if flowers have already appeared, water the plant only at the root!
- The bushes lack pollination. In this case, flowers will still appear, but they will not be able to turn into berries. There may be several reasons: there are few insects on the site (first of all, bees), it rains constantly. If the apiary is somewhere nearby, do not scare off the winged helpers with insecticides. These funds are not prohibited in principle, but it is better to temporarily forget about them during pollination.
- The sun is not enough for the bushes. Strawberries are a thermophilic culture. If you plant bushes in the shade of trees with dense foliage, it will take root without difficulty, but will refuse to bear fruit. Your strawberries have a lack of light if only long petioled leaves appear on them and they are pale in color.
- Bushes suffer from pests. For example, an earthen weevil got into the habit of laying eggs right in the buds, destroying the rudiments of flowers. And here, on the contrary, you cannot do without insecticides.True, they need to be applied correctly: start spraying as soon as you see the rudiments of the buds, but the flowers have not yet appeared (ideally, spraying should be carried out 5 days before flowering). The insecticide is applied in the morning and will work throughout the day. Fitoverm is a good example of such a remedy; after its application, the berries will be completely edible.
- Nature intervened. Flowering can be delayed (or very poor) if the spring is cold and rainy. The fact is that when the temperature drops, the roots of this plant do not work well, so strawberry bushes receive little nutrition, even if the soil is good and fertilizer is applied (and the rains completely wash out the minerals from the upper part of the soil). In your case, covering with agrofibre will save you. In addition, a snowless winter can be the culprit of all your problems: flower buds of strawberries not hidden under the snow can freeze out. Therefore, if in your region winters are not pleasing with snow, cover the strawberry garden with the same agrofibre or old leaves in the fall.
- Too many tendrils. Why does the plant throw them out? To "capture" more space in the garden. But strawberry spends a lot of energy on the formation of these antennae, and often they do not remain for flowers. And therefore, if you remove the extra processes, after a short time you can see the appearance of the first flowers. However, if you need seedlings, leave the strongest tendrils - new bushes will sprout on them.
If you still have questions about growing strawberries, you will find answers to many of them in this video. And it will start with an interesting one - it turns out that our usual strawberries should be called a completely different word ... What? We look!
Plant protection from pests and adverse conditions
Traditional methods and means, as well as natural biological products, will be an excellent protection for strawberries from harmful insects during the flowering period.
Popular methods include spraying plants with tobacco, onion, garlic or pepper infusions.
Unfavorable weather conditions can greatly harm the plant and future fruits, therefore, during prolonged rains, cold or abnormal heat, it is important to use special biostimulants for the growth and development of the crop.
Pollination of culture
With incomplete pollination, this crop will bear a small number of fruits, which are small in size. The reason for this may be sudden temperature changes, frequent precipitation and other conditions that are undesirable for strawberries. In order to strengthen the plant, it sometimes needs help with pollination.
If the area with strawberries is small, then you can artificially pollinate the plants with a brush. Such procedures are usually carried out in the afternoon. If strawberries grow in a greenhouse, fans can be used for pollination. In this case, pollen can be transferred from flower to flower.
Experienced gardeners also recommend using honey for pollination. It is diluted in the amount of 10 grams per glass of water and sprayed on the bushes. Honey attracts bees and they pollinate flowers better.
