Seven secrets of a good strawberry harvest. How to harvest the maximum yield of strawberries from the garden

Is it possible to achieve good harvest strawberries, what ways? Gardeners with experience know how to harvest fruits. There are a number of secrets on how to get big harvest without the use of pesticides and other additives.

Based on the quality of the soil, the result will be clear. The site must meet the following requirements:

• must hit the ground Sun rays;
• the earth should not be oxidized;
• soil fertility.

In order for the next year to be fruitful, the berry should be planted at a specific time. perfect time- the end of July - the first ten days of August. If planted in the spring, then high yield in the end you won't.

Each bush is planted in a hole with earth small area. It is necessary to ensure that the leaves are clearly located on the soil., not lower and not higher. So there will be an instant rooting.

Garden strawberries should be planted at a distance of 15 cm. It is convenient to plant a berry in a tape way, which assumes two rows.

Each other row must be limited to 50 cm and tapes to 80 cm. Before planting the seedling needs to be disinfected with vitriol solution.

Tips for planting strawberries in the fall:

How to achieve high fruiting in the open field

To grow garden strawberries, regular watering is necessary, but without diligence otherwise the leaves will rot. If it does not exist, you can forget about good yields.

Watering frequency is easy to determine: if the earth crumbles in the hands, then the soil must be watered immediately. When the soil sticks, this is not required.

Damp soil adversely affects the plant. Water about once a week. During the period of fruit growth, watering increases to 1 time in 4 days. One plant requires half a liter.

The choice of high-yielding varieties for summer cottages

The selection of a variety is carried out according to the parameters:

• resistance to insects;
• disease resistance;
• taste qualities;
• guaranteed result.

Popular types are: Zorya, Makherauha, Red Gauntlet, Ruyana,. Of the usual varieties, it is worth highlighting: Masha, Elvira, Bogota.

Each gardener chooses varieties himself, because opinions, like people, are different.

Crop rotation is a good way to get a big harvest

It is not necessary to experiment with many types of strawberries, it is better to choose three varieties or those that you already recognize. And leave 20 percent of the plot for new ones. So check the resistance to cold, disease and yield.

A few weeds on the territory will not harm the plants, but rather protect from the heat. Large-fruited varieties it is undesirable to plant after tomatoes and potatoes, otherwise it is threatened with diseases of these crops.

Approximately 30 days before boarding the earth must be equipped with complex minerals. The soil should be compacted in a couple of weeks, after which you can get down to business.

Bushes age quickly, so they can not be kept for more than 5 years. To increase the yield, you need to plant new rows every year, and after a while remove them.

Not all varieties are prone to old age, there are centenarians. Frequent landing new seedlings - a guarantee of soil fertility and a good harvest.

Getting rid of barren bushes

There are aggressive strawberry varieties that do not bear fruit, but only occupy the site. For example, Suspension, Dubnyak, Bakhmutka.

They are easy to see: no flowers, empty flowers are formed, and the berries are small and crooked, despite the care. Characterized by powerful growth, they are larger and give more whiskers.

Even one such plant can spread throughout the garden, strangling the surrounding productive varieties. To improve yields, monitor the beds, find and remove weed bushes.

Proper reproduction of the berry

The plantation is laid with half of its own material and half of the acquired. It is advisable to prepare seedlings at harvest time. During this period, choose the best bushes.

If only one berry grows on a bush, but it is large, do not flatter yourself, because it contains bad genetic data.

Bushes will be the most productive with an average size of berries, as well as even shape. It is necessary to mark such plants, and when they give a mustache, root in time.

On the new plant, the soil from strawberries rests for about 4 years, from other crops for 3 years. Bushes are well absorbed in places, where beets and carrots used to grow.

Increase feeding

IN summer period you need to feed about 4 times complex fertilizers. It can be phosphorus, trace elements, nitrogen. It is done according to the algorithm:

1. In the spring, the first top dressing is carried out. Dry bird droppings or manure are used, which are diluted with water in proportions of 1:20 and 1:10, respectively. Under each plant put 1 liter of the mixture.
2. The stage of the appearance of flowers implies a second top dressing. Add rotted mullein or bird droppings to the soil, diluting with 10 liters of water per 1 box of matches.
3. Before flowering, 1 liter of cow manure is added.
4. In mid-August, add a solution of manure and bird droppings, add half a glass of ash for every 10 liters.

Additional actions in the first and subsequent years

Increase fertility in open field can be done with mulching. You can mulch the beds in the country with the help of needles This will help the plants breathe.

If there are no needles, you can use mowed grass, straw. After harvesting in the fall, you need to collect fallen leaves and cover the bushes with them so that the berry does not freeze in winter.

The first years are very important for the berry, so the plant must take root, and not multiply, otherwise it will quickly die.

Any bush that needs to be harvested has its whiskers removed.. Each mustache requires a lot of nutrients, so the berries become underdeveloped, watery and tasteless.

Pest control is an important point in growing such a crop. After the last frost, it is necessary to treat each bush with a biostimulator, and after a couple of weeks with a Summer Resident. This will protect the plant from weevils.

Before flowering, all strawberries can be covered special material, thereby blocking access to pests. Phytoncidal plants with a bad smell for insects will help: calendula, onion and garlic.

Strawberries are a popular crop, which is grown by thousands of gardeners every year. Alas, not everyone gets a good harvest.

The reason is non-compliance with the rules and norms of cultivation, ranging from the wrong choice of tools, and ending with the wrong fertilizers.

strawberry harvest

Rule number one: mulching with black film

The method helps to get rid of weed grass, which takes moisture from the berries, and at the same time retains soil moisture. Before laying the film, the soil in the aisles is loosened. Filming at the end of August. According to statistics, the use of mulching can increase yields by 50-60%.

Second rule: trimming excess leaves

For better fruit weight gain and their bright color a week before ripening experienced gardeners it is recommended to cut 1/3 or even half of the leaves. It is best to cut the foliage that blocks the sun's rays. Under the direct light of the sun, strawberries ripen faster and practically do not rot.

Third rule: seasonal watering of berries without interruption

The simplest and effective method, however, many neglect it and irrigate only during the ripening of the berries, forgetting to do this after harvesting. And it becomes major mistake! Strawberry lays flower buds next year in the middle of the season and in the absence of moisture, very few of them are formed, which will adversely affect the future harvest. Therefore, strawberries need to be watered until the end of August, at least once every 14 days.

It is not difficult to follow the above rules, but it allows you to get a tasty and rich strawberry harvest.

Whatever the size household plot, gardeners, passionate about growing vegetables, fruits and berries, constantly do not have enough space for their experiments. And if the owner of the garden has become the most favorite crop of strawberries, then it will need to allocate quite a lot of space, because this berry loves space and light. To plant more bushes, you can arrange the beds vertically.

Features of vertical cultivation

There are many options for building vertical beds. This method is suitable for many plants, but strawberries take root better on such an original garden bed, and even create a beautiful appearance. Having spent a little time and money, the beds can be built almost from improvised materials. Compared to traditional cultivation, vertical cultivation has several advantages:

1. Significant space savings.
2. Strawberries remain clean throughout the season and do not suffer from dampness.
3. Berries become inaccessible to most pests.
4. Weeds have nowhere to grow, there is no need for constant weeding.
5. Fertilizers supplied in the form of a liquid through the irrigation tube are absorbed by the plants as much as possible.
6. Picking berries, you do not have to reach for the ground, straining your back.
7. A vertical bed with lush flowering and fruiting bushes can become a decoration of the site.

However, the disadvantages of vertical cultivation are also available:

1. The rapid drying of the soil requires tireless attention, regular watering will be needed.
2. It is imperative to carry out liquid top dressing, because ordinary fertilizers in ready-made bed do not lay.
3. In winter, even not very cold, plants can freeze completely. The beds are arranged in such a way that they can be moved indoors or wrapped well.

Ways to grow strawberries vertically

If the plot is small, but you want to plant as many strawberry bushes as possible, then you should try growing it in pipes, plastic bottles or barrels.

Beds in pipes

A very common way to grow strawberries vertically is. Such structures will require financial investments for the purchase of components, but long term PVC pipe services will pay for all costs.

Vertical growing of strawberries in pipes is a great alternative to classic beds

To create a vertical bed of pipes, you will need materials:

• plastic pipes for plumbing work not more than two meters long and 20 cm in diameter;
• hose or PVC pipe with a diameter of 2 cm (its length should be 10–15 cm longer than the main pipe);
• burlap or spunbond.

A hacksaw and a drill with a nozzle for cutting circles - tools for making beds can be found in anyone's home

Before starting work, gravel for drainage, seedlings and land for planting bushes should be prepared. Soil for seedlings is mixed from sod land, manure, peat and compost in equal proportions.

1. Circles with a diameter of 10 cm are cut out in wide pipes. Holes are drilled with a drill with a special nozzle, observing a checkerboard pattern. The rows are placed at a distance of 20 cm. The bottom of the pipe is left without holes. If it is assumed that the structures will winter on the site, circles are not cut out on one side of the pipe.

   For the normal development of the plant, the diameter of the holes on the pipe is 10 cm.

2. Holes of 5 mm are drilled in a narrow tube for 2/3 of the length, the lower part is closed with a plug.
3. A narrow pipe is wrapped with burlap or spunbond and placed whole part down the big pipe.
4. The entire structure is dug into the ground. Gravel is poured inside to a height of about 10 cm and outside the pipe.
5. They start planting seedlings. Pour the earth to the bottom hole, lightly tamping. The bush is placed on the surface of the soil, carefully straightening the roots. Then more soil is loaded into the pipe to the next holes and strawberries are planted again. This procedure is repeated until the pipe is completely filled with seedlings.

   vertical bed of plastic pipe suitable for balcony

6. Each new layer of soil is watered.

Video: instructions for creating beds from PVC pipes

From PVC pipes build another structure. The pipes are cut lengthwise, so their diameter is chosen large. Halves of pipes are hung horizontally on the walls of buildings using wire or ropes. So do several levels of beds. If you use brackets to fasten the pipe halves, the structure will be more stable.

Video: making a pipe for a hanging garden

Growing in plastic bottles

It's very affordable and economical material, which is used to organize vertical landings. For the arrangement of the beds you need to prepare:

• five-liter plastic bottles;
• fasteners for bottles (wire);
• frame where the bottles will be installed;
• paint, if you plan to paint the structure;
• cutter, nippers and brush.

Having prepared everything necessary materials, get to work:

1. The bottles are cut into two parts.
2. The lid should not be tightly twisted, allowing excess moisture to drain.
3. Soil is poured into the part of the bottle with a lid and strawberries are planted.
4. The lower part of the bottle is fixed on the frame and a container with a strawberry bush is placed in it.
5. The whole structure can be painted acrylic paint to improve appearance.

Volume earthy coma in a plastic bottle is very small, so you need to strictly control the humidity of the vertical beds

When planting strawberries in plastic bottles, be sure to add hydrogel to the soil. It will absorb excess moisture and give it to plants as needed.

A plastic bottle is perfect for growing strawberries on a windowsill.

Video: strawberries in plastic bottles

Growing strawberries in a barrel

Under strawberry beds can accommodate barrels of any size, new or old, which are often found on garden plot. Observe the following work order:

Experienced gardeners advise planting fragrant herbs, calendula or basil in the lower rows of barrels to avoid acidification of the soil.

Before the onset of winter, vertical beds with strawberries need to be protected from the cold. Around the barrels, a grid is installed on the guides. The distance between the fence and the bed is filled with insulation (leaves, dry grass) and covered with a material that does not allow water to pass through.

How to water strawberries in vertical beds

Growing strawberries in vertical beds will require from gardeners special attention to watering, since such beds dry out very quickly, and with a lack of moisture, all the bushes can die. When landing in pipes or barrels, an irrigation system in the form of a pipe with many holes must be installed inside. Water must be supplied not only to internal pipes, but also water the bed from above, since the upper bushes suffer from drought first of all. Once a week, watering is combined with top dressing. mineral fertilizers(special mixtures of fertilizers for berry crops).

For beds arranged from plastic bottles or other small containers, be sure to use a hydrogel. It is mixed with soil during the planting of strawberry bushes. By absorbing excess water and releasing it as needed, the gel will help maintain soil moisture and reduce the amount of watering.

In the first days after planting strawberries, especially in the heat, the beds are watered twice a day until the seedlings take root. Then watering is reduced.

Suitable strawberry varieties

For vertical beds choose remontant varieties strawberries, which are harvested several times during the summer. The Queen Elizabeth variety is very popular. Its berries are with juicy dense pulp, large, correct form. Ampel varieties look good on vertical beds, for example, Alba. This early variety, its bushes curl very beautifully, they will decorate any corner of the garden.

Vertical planting of strawberries will allow rational use of every piece of land in the garden. Building garden beds is easy. Having thought over the irrigation system and providing shelter for the beds for the winter period, you can significantly increase the yield of strawberries. A easy care for planting and the beautiful appearance of the beds will delight gardeners.

Most owners of their own plots necessarily allocate a place for garden strawberries in the hope of fragrant, fabulous delicious berries. But in reality, growing strawberries is not such an easy task, behind this demanding plant needs constant care. Weeding strawberry sprawling bushes is inconvenient, the mustache constantly climbs, the berries lie on the ground and rot. The size of the strawberries does not live up to expectations, and they may turn out to be watery or sour in taste.

It is not surprising that after the first unsuccessful independent attempts, all beginner gardeners have a question: how to grow strawberries correctly? There is no reason to get upset and nervous - you will definitely be able to grow good strawberries in open ground (in a garden bed not covered by a greenhouse). By following certain rules and knowing the secrets of success, even without experience, you can achieve the desired harvest from garden strawberry.

Even without experience, you can achieve the desired yield from garden strawberries

Features of growing garden strawberries in the beds:

• the surface of the earth should be flat or with a slight slope facing the southwest;
• in the lowlands, plants will get sick and bear fruit late due to the accumulation of cool air;
• the southern slopes are not suitable due to the early snowmelt (strawberry bushes are left unprotected against spring frosts);
• the bed should be located in a place closed from the winds, since a layer of snow of at least 25 cm is required for the wintering of strawberry bushes;
• strawberries can be grown on the same bed for no more than four years (preferably two years) to avoid the accumulation of various fungi and viruses in the soil;
• Strawberries bear fruit better in full sun, there are few berries in the shade, and they have a sour taste.
• it is impossible to overmoisten the soil, but there should not be a lack of moisture;
• dense planting will lead to a harvest of small berries, the distance between the bushes should be about half a meter (the more the better).

Video about growing strawberries

Preparatory work before growing strawberries in open ground

Soil composition for strawberries of great importance does not, any soil is suitable for it. However best results manages to achieve chernozem soil with addition wood ash. fertile peat soils, on the contrary, are not recommended for strawberries.

Beds in areas where ground water come close, make up to 40 cm high, and in dry areas - up to 10 cm high, or do not form ridges at all. One meter wide will be enough. Remove weeds and pest larvae from the bed, dig the ground to a depth of up to 25 cm and add fresh compost or humus to the soil.

The composition of the soil for strawberries does not matter much, any soil is suitable for it.

With the advent of the first ovary, sprinkle dry straw or sawdust under the shoots, then the berries will not lie on the ground and rot. To achieve bountiful harvest large berries cut off the mustache during strawberry flowering and fruiting. When the entire crop is harvested, leave one mustache growing directly from mother plant. Over the summer, a young bush will form from it, with the help of which it will be possible to renew the old plant. This update should be done every three years.

Before planting seedlings with a pitchfork, loosen the bed, level the surface and tamp a little. After that, you can abundantly water the soil with water and treat with copper sulphate.

From seedlings to the first berries - how to grow strawberries

The optimal period for transplantation is the second decade of July. It is best to transplant in cloudy weather or in the evening so that the plants acclimatize well overnight. For planting, choose the largest and most prolific rosettes located close to mother bush, with a developed root system and three to four leaves. Having separated the outlet from the mother liquor, it, together with a wet clod of soil, is planted on a garden bed.

Try not to place the seedlings too deep in the ground, otherwise the roots will rot, and not too close to the surface, the roots may dry out. The heart of the bush should be in the ground. When planting, carefully straighten the roots of the outlet so as not to break them, and place them vertically in the hole. After planting the seedlings, water the soil abundantly.

Weeds actively multiply in open ground

The generally accepted technology for growing strawberries in beds (in open ground) also implies the correct preparing plants for wintering. When the last berries are harvested, remove all the weeds around the strawberries, sprinkle the ground with vegetable rubbish: branches, sawdust, wood chips. Such measures will help the bushes to grow stronger, grow and stock up on strength before winter period. When the strawberry leaves dry up, the bushes for the winter will need to be covered with fallen leaves or straw. In the spring, strawberries will need to be cleaned of last year's leaves and loosen the soil between the bushes.

Do not forget to water strawberries regularly, especially in the heat, and feed nitrogen fertilizers and special complex fertilizers at the beginning of growth. In the open field, weeds actively multiply - you will need to constantly remove them and prevent the appearance of pests that can destroy the crop.

Video about growing large strawberries

See an interesting way how strawberries are grown on bulk beds with mulching (video in the corresponding tab). If the land on your site leaves much to be desired, bulk beds for strawberries will be the best option.