How to plant strawberries - the secrets of growing delicious berries

In summer cottages and vegetable gardens, the best gardeners allot strawberries - one of the earliest berries, loved not only by children, but also by adults. But how to plant strawberries to get a high yield of delicious and aromatic berries? If you follow the rules of agricultural technology, follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners, planting and caring for plants will not cause difficulties.

On this topic:how to plant strawberries in spring?

How to choose the best seedlings

Not only the survival rate of plants on the site depends on the correct choice of the variety of cultivated strawberries, but also the likelihood of obtaining high-quality berries with the best taste properties once a year or several.

The basis of plantings (about 80% of the entire area allotted for strawberries) should be seedlings of proven, zoned varieties entered in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. And only a small part of the territory can be given to "beginners".

Together with purchased plants, pests and pathogenic bacteria can get into vegetable gardens and garden plots. Therefore, every gardener should know how to assess the quality of planting material.

External signs, at the sight of which you should be wary:

1. Spots and dots on the leaves. If they are present in small quantities on plants at the end of summer, then you can buy seedlings, these mushroom manifestations do not pose a great danger.
2. Wrinkled growing leaves. If they are collected in an accordion and do not unfold, it means that a strawberry mite has settled on the bushes and you cannot buy them.
3. Leaves too pale. Possible late blight necrosis of the horns, a dangerous quarantine disease against which there are no effective measures, first the horns die off, and then the plants also die.

But healthy and strong seedlings look completely different:

• its leaves are deep green, can be shiny or with slight pubescence;
• the diameter of the horn is at least 0.7 cm, its thickness is directly related to the further development and yield of seedlings;
• it has a developed root system.

The length of the roots of young bushes must certainly exceed 7 cm. If a healthy plant is grown in a peat container, the roots will necessarily sew through it in many places.

You can buy quality planting material from crop institutes that research and develop new varieties of strawberries, in large nurseries, or from sellers who care about their reputation.

When to plant strawberries

The timing of planting strawberry seedlings depends on the climate and weather conditions typical for the region of residence of the gardener, as well as the variety and method of planting.

Usually landing is carried out:

• from the first days of March to the middle of the month in the southern regions;
• from the second decade of April to early May in the Non-Black Earth Zone;
• in the northern regions and Siberia - in the first half of May.

In the spring, when the threat of frost has passed, remontant strawberry varieties are usually planted. The rest will not have enough time for development and normal fruiting, and not all will take root.

The best time to plant a strawberry whisker is mid-July. Before the onset of winter cold weather, they will have time to get stronger and grow the root system. Next year they will develop a full-fledged outlet and have their first harvest.

The autumn planting of strawberries is carried out several weeks before the first frost. Then the plants will have enough time to prepare for winter.

How to plant strawberries: site selection and soil preparation

Suitable conditions for growing strawberries not only increase their yield, but also noticeably improve the taste of the berries obtained.

There are several simple rules for organizing and arranging a place:

1. It is best to arrange the beds with a slope of no more than 5 degrees and oriented to the southwest. Large differences in height are unacceptable.
2. The chosen location should be protected from the wind and well lit by the sun.
3. When choosing the size of the site, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of planting plants at the required distance, since their thickening will reduce the yield.
4. Additional watering should be considered. Lack of moisture will negatively affect the development of plants.

Some of the best predecessors for strawberries are: parsley, garlic, carrots, onions, cereals.

The garden bed on which strawberries will be planted in spring is prepared in the fall. Light soils are best suited for this purpose - sandy loam or medium loamy, with groundwater at a distance of 80–100 cm from the surface, allowing air to pass through. Moisture should not linger in them, and processing should not cause difficulties.

It is necessary to improve the supply of nutrients and water to strawberries by introducing additives such as:

• organic fertilizers - humus, rotted compost, peat;
• mineral fertilizers - ammophos, diammophos, nitrophos.

You can make the soil more nutritious without the need for organic fertilizers. To do this, sow mustard, beans or peas in the area allocated for strawberries, and plow them in the fall.

The most suitable for strawberries are slightly acidic soils, which have a pH value close to six. Higher acidity of the soil is dangerous for the root system of strawberries, since an excess of aluminum ions will inhibit it. Therefore, you should not set aside a plot for strawberries on which, among weeds a lot of woodlice, horsetail.

How to plant strawberries outdoors

Before planting, in early spring, the soil is disinfected. To get rid of fungi and pest larvae, as soon as the earth thaws, use a 25% aqueous solution of ammonia. This ammonia water must be embedded in the soil to a depth of 15 cm.

Before forming the beds, they dig up the earth. This must be done a month before planting seedlings in summer or early autumn. If planting is planned for the spring, the site must be dug up in September.

For 1 m² it is necessary to make:

• 100 g superphosphate;
• 60 g of potassium salt (potassium chloride);
• a bucket of humus or compost;
• 50 g of suitable nitrogen fertilizers - urea, potassium nitrate, ammonium sulfate or others.

Just like other crops, strawberries are planted in cloudy weather or in the evening. About an hour before planting, the plants are watered or soaked in a biostimulator (growth regulator).

In order to protect the seedlings from pests, they are kept in a weak solution of garlic infusion (150 g of garlic infusion per 10 liters of water). To prepare it, 200 g of garlic cloves are ground into gruel, which is placed in a container with a volume of 1 liter. Top up with warm water, close and put in a dark place. This concentrate, diluted, is also used by gardeners in the fight against fungal diseases and spider mites.

A strawberry seedling should have no more than four healthy leaves, the excess must be removed. The length of the roots should not exceed 10 cm, they can be trimmed with a sharp knife or cut with a pruner.

There are several well-proven methods of planting strawberry seedlings in open ground, which have received recognition from many fans of this culture.

Planting in separate bushes

In the garden, strawberry bushes are planted one at a time, keeping a distance of about 45 cm between them. In the future, you will need to regularly remove the mustache, which will contribute to the good development of plants and their abundant fruiting. The holes should be not only deep, but also wide. Fertilizers are added to the remaining soil.For 1 bucket of earth, you will need to take one bucket of manure and compost, 2 glasses of ash. Mix everything well and pour a little into the center of each hole.

Their survival rate depends on the correct planting of plants in the ground. Therefore, you need to know and observe the conditions of the process, which should take place as follows:

1. Each seedling is placed on a mound of nutritious soil mixture poured into the hole. Moreover, the growth point is located at the level of the soil surface. The roots are straightened, they should not be in a heap.
2. The bush is held, and its roots are gradually covered and watered with water, so that they better contact the soil.
3. The position of the growing point is checked.
4. Mulch a bed or only holes with seedlings.

The best mulch for strawberries is needles. It protects against certain diseases, repels pests. You can also use black linen, straw, cardboard, glassine or rotted sawdust. For the first time, fertilizers can be applied under the plants or watered with an organic solution after 15 days.

With this method of planting, the berries grow especially large. The occurrence of putrefactive diseases in them is practically excluded, thanks to the good ventilation of all the bushes. However, you need to conduct constant weed control, weed and periodically mulch the beds.

Carpet way

Seedlings are evenly planted, the mustache is not cut off, but distributed over the site. Berry bushes quickly fill the entire area and create a special microclimate under the leaf surface. Falling leaves are a kind of mulch and prevent the growth of weeds. In such conditions, soil moisture after irrigation or rain persists for a long time.

This, very easy-to-use method of growing strawberries, is preferable for those who devote a lot of time to other plants or have never had their own plot before and therefore do not know how to plant strawberries in the country. The beds do not need to be watered and loosened frequently. Fertilize them little by little and only for the next year.

How to plant strawberries in rows

Most often, strawberries are planted in beds, the width of which is about 200 cm. In one row, the distance between strawberry seedlings is about 30–40 cm. And between rows is much larger, 50–70 cm. This is how far you need to plant strawberries. The fact is that it does not tolerate strong crowding and immediately reduces the yield. If no humus was added to the holes, you can add fertilizers with trace elements intended for growing strawberries.

The level of the beds is made 20 or 25 cm higher than the furrows separating them, which causes an intensive outflow of excess moisture from the strawberry bushes during showers. Therefore, water will not stagnate on the site, the number of pests will greatly decrease.

The ridges should be oriented from east to west. Thanks to this arrangement, the berry will receive enough lighting throughout the day.

Arrangement of German beds

Delicious and juicy berries are loved all over the world. This is how strawberries are planted in Germany. The difference between this planting method from others is that fences are placed between the rows with strawberries. These can be long boards or fragments of asbestos-cement sheets. German beds have a height of 20 to 40 cm and a width of 40 to 80 cm. If the width is maximum, the seedlings are planted in two rows.

In a row, the distance between the bushes should not be less than 40 cm. Over time, the plants will become more powerful, become overgrown with foliage and almost close together.

Paving slabs or thick cardboard are laid between the fenced beds. They will keep the aisles clean in any weather.

How to prepare a garden bed and plant strawberries in it:

1. Mark out on the site a place for the future beds and paths. Dig a trench, the depth of which should be about 40 cm.
2. Wood shavings, sawdust, old newspapers, trim boards are poured into it.
3. The remaining free space is filled with soil mixed with humus. The surface of the beds is leveled.

This planting of strawberries facilitates access to the plants and provides them with ventilation. It is much easier to take care of the bushes and cut off the growing mustache in time. The berries hardly get dirty and do not rot, as they rarely come into contact with the soil.

Benefits of growing strawberries using Finnish technology

This modern method enables gardeners to get high yields and not spend a lot of time loosening the beds, protecting plants from diseases and pests. It conserves heat, which explains its value for large yields in cold regions.

It also has other features:

• keeping the soil warm allows plants to start fruiting a week earlier;
• the berries are clean, with an excellent taste and aroma;
• no weeds;
• the whiskers are clearly visible, they do not take root and, if necessary, they can be easily removed.

To use the Finnish development, you need to purchase a covering material. Black mulching film, spudbond, lutrasil, agrospan will do. There are many options. And they all have not only valuable properties, but also disadvantages. For example, the price of films is not high, but slugs appear under them. To prevent the soil under the film from overheating in the heat, it is additionally mulched with a layer of straw.

In order to plant strawberries like in Finland, it is better to buy black agrofibre. Its cost is quite high, but it also lasts much longer than film, up to three years. Permeates air and moisture, retains heat.

Even in severe frosts, strawberries will not freeze. Weeds do not grow under it. But also, as in the case of the film, the organization of drip irrigation is required.

How to plant strawberries using the Finnish method

The technology of growing berries does not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners. Compliance with the rules will greatly facilitate the work:

1. Site selection. A flat area, without trees and bushes, away from buildings, is best suited for this purpose. A shadow should not be allowed to fall on the beds. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. It is prepared in the fall. The site is cleared and dug up, while a bucket of humus or compost, 15 g of potassium chloride and 30 g of superphosphate are added to 1 m² of the area.
2. With the onset of spring, to saturate the soil with oxygen, the site is leveled with a rake and large clods are broken.
3. Two weeks later, the beds are marked. They are placed in the direction from north to south. The width of the beds depends on the number of rows. There are no more than three. The most popular is the two-line method. The width of such ridges is about 60 cm.The height is about 40 cm.
4. In the center of each of the ridges, for the entire length, a perforated hose is laid. One end should be connected to the watering hose, and the other should have a plug.
5. Form the beds and cover them with a film or spudbond. Fasten at the edges with boards, bricks or suitable heavy objects.
6. Every 30 cm, holes with a diameter of no more than 10 cm are cut out in the material. Row spacing up to 40 cm wide is left. Bushes in rows can be staggered.

It is preferable to plant seedlings grown in special pots, as they take root faster. If the seedlings have open roots, they are immersed in a stimulant solution before planting.

When strawberries are planted in the first half of May, in areas with an unstable climate, it is imperative to take into account the long-term weather forecast. The likelihood of return frosts could jeopardize the existence of a strawberry plantation.

Plant care consists mainly in organizing timely watering. They are carried out once every three days, during dry and hot periods - every day. The water should not be too warm or cold. Treat against pests and diseases as appropriate. Top dressing is usual.

How to plant strawberries on agrofibre - video