What to do after picking strawberries. Caring for strawberries after harvest: video

Every gardener wants to get tasty, large and juicy strawberries in season. And it’s time to take care of the future harvest immediately after harvesting.

Caring for a fragrant berry is a long process, almost all-season, but having felt the careful care of the gardener, strawberries will not be stingy in rewarding him with a generous harvest. Let's look at how to care for the soil after harvesting strawberries.

Trimming old strawberry leaves and tendrils

The plant transferred its juices to the ripening berries, now the gardener’s task is to help the bushes regain their strength, give them the opportunity to form new leaves and prepare for a long winter, so that next spring to have a decent harvest.

Important! Five-year-old strawberry plantings should be replaced with young plants.

Having collected the last berries at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to carry out weeding the beds with strawberries, because weeding is not carried out throughout the entire fruiting period. Then remove straw, sawdust, pine needles and other mulch and carefully loosen the soil under bushes and between rows.

Cut material must be removed from the beds. This seemingly cruel procedure will give the bush the opportunity to produce new leaves and buds by autumn.

Having discovered many shoots thrown out by the plant, a logical question arises: what to do with a strawberry mustache. Nature provides that strawberries are needed only for reproduction.

Therefore, if it is necessary to propagate strawberries, the strongest tendrils are left for rooting, and the resulting young seedlings are separated and transplanted into beds in the fall.

The remaining tendrils must be removed, since they will take away juices and strength from the mother bush, thereby making it weak and reducing next year’s harvest. Discarded by the plant and not needed by the gardener mustache is cut off as low to the ground as possible with a sharp pruner or knife.

Breaking off a shoot can lead to the pulling out and death of the entire plant. Since strawberries throw out mustaches several times during the warm season, the mustaches are trimmed several times as they appear. This will save the bush from unnecessary expenditure of effort.

How to feed strawberries after harvest

The plant needs adequate nutrition to recover, so it is necessary to strawberry fertilizer after harvest. You can do it with this mixture: potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and dissolve superphosphate in a ratio of 1:1:3 in water and pour this solution over the bushes.

Strawberries will also benefit from sprinkling the base of the bush with vermicompost, rotted compost, or covering the plant with pieces of dried manure. You can nourish a strawberry plantation by sprinkling it with crushed wood ash - 2 kg per square meter.

Did you know?After two months of growth, strawberry leaves begin to age.

How to water strawberries after harvesting

After the harvest, strawberries do not require intensive watering of the soil. Bushes need to be watered only during dry periods. The main thing is not to let the soil dry out after fruiting.

At the strawberry growing site, it is recommended to carry out mulching the soil straw, peat or sawdust - this will retain moisture in the soil. After watering, you need to let the soil around the strawberries dry slightly and thoroughly loosen the soil in the beds.

How to treat strawberries to prevent diseases and pests

After fruiting is complete, the plants should be inspected and treatment against diseases and pests.

Diseases, affecting strawberries:

• powdery mildew– manifests itself gray coating on foliage that rots, curls and falls. For treatment, the beds are treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur - 50 grams per 5 liters of warm water.
• gray mold- appears as gray spots affecting the berries, can be cured with a solution of copper chloroxide - 40 grams per 10 liters of water.
• black rot- an analogue of sulfur, only the spots on the berries are black, the treatment methods are the same.
• spotting– leaf damage with brown-red spots, get rid of it with a solution of copper chloroxide – 50 grams per 10 liters of water.

Important! Reddish foliage is cut and burned in preparation for wintering - this will protect the plantings from pests.

Areas for growing berries need constant control and protection from strawberry pests.

Most Frequent pests:

• strawberry weevil- an insect that eats leaves and buds, get rid of it by spraying the bushes with karbofos - 75 g per 10 liters of water.
• strawberry mite– small insect, whose presence is indicated by yellowed, deformed foliage. They get rid of it in the same way as weevils.
• spider mite- forms a web on the foliage, the fight against it consists of treating the plant with a solution of phytoverm, as well as cutting and burning all the leaves after fruiting.

At the end of summer, strawberries run out of leaf growth resources. They need to be cut off, especially those whose stems turn red - this is a sign that the plant cannot provide them with nutrients. On old bushes that are 3-4 years old, the foliage is cut off completely. You shouldn’t be afraid of this, as minerals are saved and next year the berry bushes will bear fruit again. big harvest. But this fall you still need to think about how to feed your strawberries after harvesting.

Required condition rapid growth shoots in spring and appearance large quantity buds - feeding strawberries in August after pruning. From these, ovaries are subsequently formed.

How to process strawberries in autumn for winter

In order for all the ovaries to survive until autumn and bear fruit, care must be carried out regularly throughout the growing season. It consists of timely removal of dry leaves and whiskers. The tendrils that the bush throws out take a lot of nutrients, taking them away from the ripening berries.

Pruning in summer is done with scissors or pruning shears. Cut shoots are not thrown away if you need to propagate the bed. They are dug in for a while so that they can be planted on their own in the fall. permanent place. By autumn they will develop a root system and take root in a new place without problems.

This method of planting strawberries in August requires the use of fertilizers - organic or mineral. The bushes are watered with infusion of manure or a diluted mixture of complex mineral mixture, for example, containing potassium and phosphorus. It is better not to use nitrogen supplements to prevent young seedlings from growing. This will not allow her to survive the winter well. The main thing that needs to develop is root system.

The best thing to feed strawberry mustache seedlings in September is ash from tree branches, straw, tops and grass. It does not contain nitrogen, only phosphorus, potassium, calcium and trace elements.

When a landing site is selected new bed, it is cleared of weeds, loosened, apply fertilizers:

• Compost– the most useful mixture of organic matter, soil, superphosphates.

• Humus– lying cattle manure. It is used by adding to each hole when planting. Under the influence of soil microorganisms it turns into nutritious humus.

• Infusion of chicken manure. The substance must be infused for at least a week so that excess ammonia disappears and does not damage the roots of young strawberry seedlings.

• Mineral fertilizers. They are applied to feed young strawberries in August based on the dosages in the instructions for one hole.

• Green manure. If this method used by the owners of the site, it also disinfects the soil and at the same time nourishes the plants with organic matter, which decomposes in the soil.

No more than two young rosettes can be left on the mother strawberry bush. Trim the rest and plant in a nutritious soil mixture.

Caring for old strawberry bushes

Fertilizing strawberries after fruiting should begin towards the end of the season so that all the berries ripen. The next stage is sorting. Bushes that are more than 4 years old should be removed by the roots and thrown into compost. The greatest increase in yield is given by 2-3 year old plants.

Work order:

• Removing old leaves from bushes. Experienced gardeners practice complete mowing of greenery.

• Weeding.

• Moistening the soil and watering with a nutrient mixture.

• Mulching with straw or green manure.

Video: Caring for strawberries after harvest

How to feed strawberries after trimming the leaves:

• Ammofoska. You can use dry granules, sprinkle them evenly under the roots, then water the soil so that the fertilizer dissolves and gets into the soil.

• Kemira for berries. Dig a hole around the bush and sprinkle with granules. Pour water and cover with a layer of soil.

• Furnace ash. Make an extract, pour boiling water over the substance and leave for 2 – 3 days.

• Green manure in the form of a solution or in beveled form. Place crushed nettles or other plants that are used as green manure in a bucket. Pour water and leave for 2 weeks until it starts to ferment. Apply the resulting infusion to each strawberry bush at the root after fruiting and pruning.

To prevent plants from getting sick or being damaged by pests, autumn feeding strawberries after trimming includes urea treatment - 30 g per bucket of water.

Cheap methods for feeding strawberries

Planting green manure on summer cottage- This is a way to save on the purchase of fertilizers. Green manure restores the fertile layer and gives plants everything they need. nutrients– potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The advantage of the method is that it is suitable for all garden crops, including garden strawberries.

Green mass is used in different ways:

• cut and dig up with soil - in the case of strawberries, this must be done carefully so as not to damage the root system with a shovel or flat cutter;

• mulch berry bushes with greens;

• prepare an infusion and water the strawberry bed, which is used to feed it after fruiting for the future harvest.

Mulching is the safest and most useful way in every way. Firstly, you don’t need to waste your energy digging up the soil, simply laying mulch between the rows. By spring, it will rot on its own and food will reach the roots of the bushes.

Secondly, the work of soil microflora, which dies during digging from ultraviolet rays, is not disrupted. Thirdly, mulch warms the roots in winter and plants survive even at very low temperatures.

Fourthly, plant residues retain snow and moisture in the spring, allowing plants to quickly grow green mass. Fifthly, mulch prevents weeds from spreading, which reduces the cost of manual labor and preserves nutrients for strawberries.

Variety Victoria - what to feed in the fall

Strawberry Victoria - the most popular and unpretentious variety, but to obtain annual harvests, it also requires care, which consists of periodically trimming the mustache, watering, replanting as necessary, and treating against diseases and pests. The variety is classified as remontant and bears fruit only once per season.

At proper agricultural technology in one season you can get more than 1 kg of berries from one bush. For proper care It’s better to use O. Ganichkina’s method for feeding strawberries after fruiting:

• Feeding Victoria in the fall is carried out natural fertilizers to restore the fertile layer.

• It is necessary to mulch plant materials– sawdust, straw, green manure, peat.

• Feeding remontant strawberries after fruiting begins in July so that the plant gains strength before wintering. During this period, bookmarking takes place generative buds, which will ensure the harvest next year. It is important that these buds receive nutrition and do not degenerate, then the promised kilogram of berries from the bush will definitely ripen.

• in autumn before feeding Victoria need to be poured out up to 10 liters of water per 1 square meter to moisten the soil well and deeply. Then you can prepare a working solution of fertilizers and water the bushes. Strawberry roots are quite deep - up to 30 cm, so you need a lot of liquid.

To prevent strawberry mites from bothering you in the spring, you need to spray the seedlings with a pest repellent in the fall, preferably natural - Fitovir or its analogues. In spring, if growing leaves become deformed, repeat the treatment.

Beginning gardeners often wonder: do they need to trim the leaves of strawberries? At what time and how to do this? Experienced experts advise not to neglect such an important agricultural technique.

Leaf diseases on strawberries

Strawberry – intense berry crop, widespread in our gardens. It is susceptible to various diseases that reduce the yield and quality of berries.

In very wet weather, strawberries can be affected by powdery mildew.

But if we intensively fight diseases with the help of chemicals, environmental cleanliness and healing power products. Removing the leaf apparatus with infections sitting on it allows significantly improve the plantation. This operation must be carried out at a time when the trauma to plants will be minimal.

Mid summer

In mid-summer, with an abundance of heat and moisture, diseases become more active.

Timely pruning of diseased leaves can save other bushes from infection.

The work of microscopic harmful organisms becomes clearly visible even to the naked eye: rotten berries, spotted leaves, withered bushes... Viral diseases and damage to the root system cannot be cured - infected plants must be destroyed. But fungal infections living in the aboveground part are not so difficult to remove from a strawberry plantation. This is what pruning is used for. It helps fight without chemicals:

• powdery mildew,

Efficiency

After pruning the leaves, the soil around the bushes quickly warms up and is ventilated, which reduces the spread of diseases and pests.

In addition to the direct destruction of the infectious principle, there are other beneficial effects:

1. The bare bases of the bushes and the surface of the ridges are thoroughly ventilated and warmed up sun rays . Additional natural disinfection from fungal pathogens occurs.
2. Microscopic development is inhibited harmful insect - (who lives at the foot of leaf petioles and loves dampness).
3. Makes weeding easier .

Timing for removing foliage from strawberries

The first leaf pruning of the season is done in early spring along with cleaning the beds and loosening the soil.

Experienced gardeners conduct following works on your strawberry:

1. Spring cleaning of the plantation from dry wood.
2. Trimming the leaves after picking the last berries.
3. On remontant varieties – partial removal lower leaves during periods summer holiday bushes

Basic rules for pruning

You need to act consciously, delving into the meaning of agricultural techniques.

When to prune strawberries after harvest

Complete removal of foliage after harvest will be a good disease prevention.

Any operations on green tissues injure and weaken the plant. But there is a time when the berry plant is capable of rapid recovery. The optimal period is when almost all aboveground part strawberry bush can be removed almost painlessly - immediately after fruiting.

It should be recognized that not all gardeners approve of this procedure. But abandoning total mowing is permissible only on very healthy plantations. This is usually possible with industrial cultivation where chemicals are used, and manual labor is not profitable.

Strawberry varieties that are completely resistant to fungal infections do not yet exist.

Which bushes cannot have their leaves trimmed?

On young bushes, every leaf should be protected.

If the strawberry plants are planted late spring and have already fruited a little, they have not yet developed to their full potential. Shrubs of tender varieties that have had a hard time with the past winter may also be weak.

Time factor

• It is very important to carry out the pruning procedure as early as possible. It’s best in the first days after fruiting ends (usually in July). In regions where snow falls already in the first or second ten days of November (and sometimes earlier), the work must be completed before mid-August. This applies to the North-West, Moscow region and all Central Russia, Far East, Altai and Siberia. In the case when mowing the foliage is postponed a little - until planting material is received.
• Plants need two to three months of active development to grow new leaves and. It is in the leaves that photosynthesis processes occur, affecting the growth of roots and horns, and the formation of future flower buds.
• If the owner missed optimal timing, pruning is carried out in a gentle manner. Only the lower and diseased leaves with signs of disease (spots, white coating, atypical redness, etc.).

Trimming process

Trimming strawberry leaves should be done with a sharp tool.

How to mow strawberry leaves correctly?

With one hand they grab the bush, and with the second (working) hand with a tool they cut off the entire above-ground part (leaves, dead peduncles and unnecessary tendrils).

We must act carefully so as not to damage the heart of the bush, the growth buds in the center of the horns. As a result, protruding pieces of petioles 4–5 cm high, as well as small young leaves, remain above the ground.

This is what a “cleaned” strawberry bed looks like.

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After pruning, strawberry plants need in additional support. It is advisable to perform the following work on the plantation:

1. Weeding.
2. Treatment with drugs for diseases and (if necessary).
3. Light loosening, updating the mulch (if the ridges are not covered with agrofibre).
4. Moisturizing the Root Zone (to a depth of 20–30 cm). If the weather is dry, you need abundant watering- first by flooding, without sprinkling. Re-water as needed. A few days after pruning, the wounds will heal, and water can be supplied by sprinkling.
5. Immune stimulation . In a small area, for the most valuable varieties, it is possible to irrigate using the natural preparation Zircon. Unlike Epin Extra, which affects the plant through the leaf, Zircon is able to penetrate through the root system, activating the work of roots and stems.
6. Top dressing. Additional nutrition is necessary for the full growth of young leaves. The greatest need is for nitrogen, moderate – for potassium and microelements. You can feed with organic matter - a solution of manure, herbal infusion (1:10), bird droppings(1:20). After a few days, wood ash is given out - in dry form (by adding and loosening) or water infusion(1:20). Store-bought complex fertilizers are also used.
7. Regular removal of growing mustaches (otherwise the bush’s strength is wasted on them).

Spring cleaning of the plantation

• At the beginning of the season, dry leaves are raked from the strawberry beds using a light rake (such as a fan).
• Additionally, the leaves that have died over the winter are trimmed.

All this garbage is burned.

Video about autumn pruning of strawberries

Caring for strawberries in August and September:

Caring for strawberries in summer should be carried out systematically. It depends a lot on this future harvest strawberries You need to pay attention to spots on strawberries, also mites on strawberries can do a lot of harm and you also need to constantly fight them.

Caring for strawberries in August

Without knowing how to care for strawberries in August, you risk losing your harvest next year. Last summer month often served dry and hot. Therefore, it is important to water at least 2 times a week. The plants themselves “signal” the need for watering - the bushes droop and the foliage dries out.

You can water strawberries either by sprinkling or at the root - the sun is no longer so aggressive, and there will be no burn on the leaves

If the leaves continue to dry out, become stained, or weaken, they should be carefully cut off and only 3-4 healthy leaves should be left to improve the health of the “green mass.” The same goes for mustaches, which can be removed if they are still growing or if you forgot to do so in July.

Plants can be fed with a weak solution of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) and loosen the soil. One 10 liter bucket should be enough for 10-12 bushes. You can form earthen “sides” up to 15 cm high around the beds and fill them to the top with water.

And it is also recommended in August plant new strawberry bushes Location on. It is best to do this in the evening or on a cloudy day. The seedlings must have three true leaves and a developed root system. It is planted in a previously prepared wet hole.

Caring for strawberries in September

Autumn strawberry care differs slightly from summer activities. However, they should not be neglected either.

Some varieties of strawberries continue to form flowers even in September. The berries on them will not ripen before the onset of cold weather, so such “idle” inflorescences should be picked off. The same goes for strawberry mustaches.

Even if forecasts promise a mild winter, feed the bushes. Ammophos is perfect for this (the contents are added at the rate of 30 g per 1 sq.m.). For “warming”, rotted chicken manure, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:15, is also added. 1-1.5 liters of the composition are poured under each bush. Sometimes cow manure is used, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10 with the addition of 1 cup of ash. Strawberries are watered generously with the resulting mixture at the rate of 1.5-2 liters per bush.

For the last time before winter, inspect the strawberry bushes and discard diseased and affected specimens, as well as remove excess tendrils and withered leaves. Don't throw away "bad" plants, but put them in the compost pile.

Caring for strawberries after trimming the leaves

Caring for strawberries open ground involves not only the removal of tendrils and inflorescences, but also leaves. However, there is no need to “expose” the plant completely, since by tearing off healthy leaves, you reduce the likelihood of the formation of peduncles and fruits, reduce the yield and doom the strawberries to difficulties during the wintering period. First of all, remove dry and withered leaves affected by strawberry mites. If the fruit-bearing plant is almost entirely affected, then it is easier to cut it off with pruners just above the growth point and burn the remains.

If you need seedlings for propagation, then you should not remove the whiskers, you need to give them the opportunity to take root and grow a strong rosette

After pruning, loosen the soil and water it. Treat the bushes with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkle with ash. To provide good growth kidneys, feed the strawberries universal fertilizer at the rate of 10 g per 10 liters of water. Ammonium nitrate and nitrogen fertilizers(use according to instructions).

Towards the end of September, strawberry bushes can be covered with straw to protect them from upcoming frosts. Place between the rows freshly cut grass- it will become the first spring fertilizer.

Fertilizing strawberries in autumn

After the above work on autumn strawberry care, dig up the rows, hill up and feed the bushes with fertilizer. You can use manure (2-4 kg per 1 sq.m.), chicken droppings (1 kg per 10 liters of water) or wood ash (100 g per 1 sq.m.). In this case, manure is applied so that the fertilizer does not touch the strawberry leaves: to avoid burns to the plant. On the contrary, ash is sprayed not only under the roots, but also on the leaves.

As mineral fertilizing will do complex fertilizer(2 tablespoons of nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water).

Caring for remontant strawberries

From mid-September, start caring for fruit-bearing bushes. Loosen the soil to hide the root system and protect it from the cold. As a rule, at this time the plants are covered with a “blanket” of cut green manure or the soil is mulched with straw, hay, fallen leaves and mowed weeds. Remove remaining flower stalks so that they do not weaken the plants, and cut off any withered leaves after the first frost.

Covering strawberries for the winter

Final stage autumn care behind garden strawberries- this is insulation. 2 days after treatment and feeding, cover the bushes with straw, spruce paws or fallen leaves. This will not only protect your strawberries from winter frosts, but will also serve as an additional source of organic matter.

Reading time ≈ 12 minutes

Do you want to constantly get a good harvest of berries? In this case, you will have to start processing the strawberries after harvesting, protecting them from diseases and pests, as well as creating optimal conditions for fruiting. This time comes at the end of summer, but those who did not have time to do this can catch up during Indian summer, although in different regions this period occurs at different times.

Be that as it may, in any case, you need to deal with this before the onset of cold weather, so that the plants can bear maximum fruit in the future. You can familiarize yourself with the requirements for productive growth of berries in this material.

Pineapple strawberry or Fragaria ananassa is very large

For reference. Strawberry is the common name for cultivated strawberries, which appears in Russian from the word “club”. It mainly grows in gardeners' beds green strawberries(Fragaria viridis), musk strawberry (Fragaria moschata) and pineapple strawberry (Fragaria ananassa).

Autumn care for cultivated berries

Professional gardeners recommend cultivating strawberry beds more than once a year, but monthly - in July, August and September, but not everyone can afford this. So here you will have to somehow prioritize, but at least several times a year preventive measures will have to be done, otherwise good harvest not to be seen.

It is noteworthy that the cyclical development of a plant begins not in the early vein, as most novice gardeners believe, but in autumn period, therefore, it is at this time that maximum attention to the beds is necessary. Creation optimal conditions for a rich harvest, you need to start in September and the result of the gardener’s work will be visible during fruiting, that is, the consequences of all actions, right or wrong, will affect. This is a period of low activity of various pests and pathogens. It is now that the laying for the future formation of buds and the accumulation of sucrose, as well as other nutrients, begins in the stems.

What to do before pruning

Loosening the soil in a strawberry bed

Until carried out preparatory work, processing of strawberries after harvesting (pruning, applying effective measures against diseases and pests) should not be started. There are three points to consider:

• Loosening the fertile soil layer

This action opens up freer access of oxygen to the root system, therefore improving conditions for active development and this must be done before frost. But climatic conditions very different in geographical location and it is better for every gardener to know when in his area the mercury column of the thermometer drops below zero. In order not to damage the root system of the plant, which is located at a depth of 5 cm, the soil under the bush should not be turned over, going deeper than 3 cm, but between the beds this parameter should be increased to 15 cm. For loosening, a fork, a small hoe or just a sharpened rod of reinforcement are suitable .

• Top dressing

To create conditions for the growth of the root system and green mass, nitrogen fertilizers are very useful for bushes. They need to be added to the soil not in autumn, but in summer period and the best time for this is the end of July and the beginning of August. Strawberries will need nitrogen fertilizers that accelerate metabolism, which is possible when the plant juice moves in its above-ground part (leaves, stems). If such fertilizer gets onto the beds in the fall, then with the onset of frost the sap flow will not slow down, and this is very bad - the greens will freeze

• Mulching

First of all, you probably need to understand this concept. Mulch, this protective covering and in in this case For this purpose, large and small ones are widely used. sawdust, less often polyethylene film. This is excellent protection for retaining moisture in the spring and insulating the top layer in the fall (the thermal conductivity of wood is quite low.

Note. Some gardeners use pine needles to retain moisture or protect them from frost, but this is a rather dangerous undertaking. The fact is that when the needles rot, they release abietic and oleic acids, which will do strawberries a disservice.

Three feeding options

Any varieties of strawberries need to be fed

After harvesting and loosening the soil, the bushes are fed and the following preparations, the composition of which is given below, are very suitable for this.

Option No. 1 - ash and ammonia:

• ammonia - 2 tablespoons.

Note. Before fertilizing the soil for the beds, abundant watering of the soil is necessary.

Option No. 2 – boric acid and iodine:

• boric acid – 1 teaspoon;
• iodine – ½ teaspoon;
• whey – ½ liter;
• ash plant origin– 1 glass 250 g.
• water (preferably well) – 10-12 liters (full bucket).

Note. If there is potassium humate on the farm, then this is an equivalent replacement wood ash– this applies to both the first and second options.

Option No. 3 – fertilizer made from yeast and sugar:

• dry yeast - 10-12 g (small packet);
• sugar – 3 tablespoons with a small slide;
• warm water 21-23ᶛ - 3 liters.

The composition is thoroughly mixed and left for 2-3 hours in a warm place (possibly in the sun). With a solution of 1 mash/9 water, that is, add a liter of mash to an incomplete bucket of water and feed the strawberries, but before this you must water the soil generously.

Attention! The water for steaming yeast should never be hot! At a temperature of 30ᶛC, fermentation stops! But the fermentation process itself is active and increases the temperature of the liquid by about 5ᶛC, so that if the water is 22ᶛC, then after 10-15 minutes of activity the temperature will rise to 27ᶛC.

Advantages and disadvantages of pruning strawberry bushes in autumn

It’s up to you to decide whether to carry out autumn pruning or not, so to make a decision you should carefully weigh all the arguments of your opponents to each other. In addition, you can go the experimental route, that is, carry out autumn pruning one year, and abandon it the next year, and then compare the results. And let ill-wishers call this the “scientific poking method,” but any theoretical arguments are powerless in the face of practical experience.

What is good about autumn pruning?

Strawberries can even be trimmed with tailor's scissors.

Probably, every person will do this or that job better if he understands its purpose and is confident in the correctness of his actions. Pruning the bushes in this case means removing all the green mass from the garden bed - they are not needed for the winter, but before severe frosts all the energy will be directed to the development of the root system. If you do this, the benefits will be as follows:

• All substances useful for the bush that the root absorbs will not be transferred to the outer part of the plant and will remain in the root system. The accumulated supply of necessary vitamins and minerals will subsequently be wasted on the growth of berries, therefore, the harvest will be more abundant.
• In the absence of foliage in winter, strawberries' resistance to frost increases.
• Harmful insects and fungal diseases are removed along with the outer part of the plant. In addition, this is part of the renewal process, giving the bush new strength.

What's wrong with autumn pruning?

No matter how good everything may seem, there will always be negativity, and so it is here, in contrast autumn pruning, adherents of another theory put forward the following arguments:

• Removing generative buds that appear in the autumn, along with the green mass. Some gardeners claim that with this approach the yield is significantly reduced, because only those buds that developed in the spring along with the stems and leaves will come into play.
• When pruned, pests will fall to the ground and survive the winter with virtually no losses, so that in the spring they can take up their business again. So it's much better to leave this fight to natural weather conditions– severe frost will kill insects.
• If the bush develops from scratch, that is, from the root, then it will take time and you will be left without early fruits strawberries

What you need for pruning

Such work can be divided by season, that is, pruning can be done both in summer and autumn. Of course, these are very similar actions, but you still need to understand the nuances.

Summer pruning

It is quite difficult to call strawberries a tender plant, since this is an unusually tenacious plant - its fibrous root system takes care of this. So, when caring for a bush, you don’t have to worry that you’ll accidentally cut off the excess or inadvertently trample it under your feet. The plant will recover very quickly and new shoots will replace the damaged ones.

You must decide for yourself whether to remove the whiskers or leave them for reproduction.

In the summer, immediately after harvesting, the first cleaning is done - it is impossible to indicate here exact dates, since they depend on the variety of berries and this can fall in both July and August. In addition, there are some late-bearing varieties that can only be pruned early autumn. Here's what is meant by summer pruning:

• Removing the mustache. Summer prevention is primarily aimed at removing mustaches from the bush. Each tendril is a shoot of a new bush and by leaving them in the beds you will expand their area, but if you don’t need this, then, naturally, all the tendrils will have to be eliminated. Removal is carried out with sharp pruning shears, tailor's scissors, and sometimes even side cutters. If you decide to leave several shoots for propagation, then take only the first rosette that has taken root.
• Rejuvenation. To rejuvenate a bush, it is not at all necessary to cut off all the green mass - it is enough to remove only large leaves, but not at the root, but leaving about 8-10 cm of the stem - this will serve as an impetus for the growth of young shoots. About 3 or 5 young leaves should be left on each bush.

Attention! For such work, you should use only clean tools (secateurs, scissors), that is, after processing the next bush cutting tool It is worth wiping with a napkin, which should always be at hand. The fact is that not only healthy, but also diseased leaves are removed (they can be distinguished by deformation, curling, spots, growths and color changes). In addition, old leaves spread along the ground, which contributes to their rotting and spreading. various diseases for strawberries.

• Fertilizing strawberries. After cleaning the bushes, the soil should be slightly loosened, but so as not to touch the roots (directly at the plants 3 cm, and between the beds 15 cm deep). After this, the soil is fertilized with the preparations described above, or with universal products purchased in the store. In addition, you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate for feeding. This must be done to replenish your “fat” reserves for the winter.

Location of rosettes relative to the uterine bush

Pruning in autumn

Now let's figure out how to prune in the fall - it is somewhat different from summer care behind the beds. First of all, prevention at this time of year involves removing all existing shoots - these shoots will take away strength from the root system and the harvest will significantly decrease in quality. That is, the quantitative indicator will not decrease, only the berries will be very small.

Therefore, if you want to expand the area where you plant strawberries, then take care of this in the summer, after harvesting, so that by autumn you will be able to remove all the shoots. Before the arrival of cold weather, it is imperative to remove all diseased and old leaves that can be sorted. So, old trimmings can be loaded into compost pit, and the sick must be burned!

Autumn care for strawberry beds mulched with plastic film

There are gardeners who believe that when completely cutting off a green area, you don’t need pruners or scissors at all - in such situations it is very convenient to use a scythe (some even go to the beds with a lawn mower). But if you have no experience in growing strawberries, then radical measures It's better to avoid it. A person having practical experience, will pick up a scythe only for bushes that are at least 3 years old, or if most of them are affected by diseases or insects.

Video: Caring for strawberries after fruiting

Caring for remontant varieties

Remontant varieties of strawberries bear fruit all season long, so fresh berries you can enjoy it almost constantly. But if someone told you that such bushes do not need care, they say, there is no time left for this, otherwise you will lose part of the harvest, then they are either mistaken out of ignorance, or are deliberately deceiving you. Behind remontant strawberries you need to care for it in the same way as other ordinary varieties.

Remontant strawberry varieties bear fruit almost the entire season - Vima's fresh strawberries

The optimal pruning of such bushes primarily consists in thinning them, since the root system spends useful material, necessary for the growth of berries, which naturally reduces yield. With such prevention, the foliage and stems inside the bush are removed, but they are not cut at the root and about nine stems are left intact on the plant.

The mustaches are eliminated during the harvest period, or rather, immediately after its completion, and at the same time, reddened leaves are removed, which reduce the number of ovaries. If old bushes are found in the garden bed, they are dug up before frost.

Growing remontant strawberries in greenhouses can be put on an industrial basis

It should be mentioned that in northern regions remontant varieties do not have time to bear fruit a second time due to the onset of cold weather. In addition, frosts will not allow for high-quality preventive maintenance of the beds, but there is still a way out. In such cases, removable greenhouses are built over the beds, which are raised during harvesting and preventative care, but at night (time of frost) they must be installed in place.

Video: Caring for remontant strawberries after fruiting

Conclusion

From everything written and shown, we can come to the conclusion that processing strawberries after harvest and protecting them from diseases and pests is a mandatory procedure. Loosening the soil, watering, fertilizing, complete pruning and thinning, this is a set of actions aimed at obtaining bountiful harvest. It should be noted that the most best period to carry out such procedures, it is two to three weeks after picking the berries. Even if you have to devote a lot of time to your main job, be sure to try to carve out at least an hour or two a day and you won’t regret it!