Strawberry: Preparation for Winter
Preparation for the cold season begins in a few months. Care in autumn behind strawberries – preparation for winter. Pleasure it is easy if you pay attention to a few moments. In order for this process to be successful, the strawberry needs the right conditions.
After the summer, there are many old, faded leaves, which can be damaged or infected with diseases. After fruiting strawberries inspect and remove new shoots, old and unhealthy leaves.
leaves are infected with diseases
Also remove all plants that have signs of the disease or the presence of ticks.
Strawberries constantly appear new shoots – “mustache”, some of them can also be removed: the plant does not have to feed as many leaves, so it will have more strength to obtain new fruits. Soothes to tear off manually or with scissors, while not to tear the stalks right at the root, but to leave at least a few centimeters.
The shoots are ideal for creating a new strawberry bed. These branches must be replaced in a timely manner. As soon as the first shoots were rooted – remove everyone else. Thus, plants can gain strength to overweight. By autumn, they should be well rooted, otherwise terrestrial frosts can seriously damage plants.
important! In no way cut off a new strawberry planted in August or September.
The location also plays an important role in winter. On the garden in lowlands, where the air is cooler than in other places, not the best conditions for strawberries. There are gathering melting water and precipitation, the roots of strawberries get down.
They cover plants in such a way that a certain insulating layer is formed, which will protect them from frost in winter. For coating, various materials are used, most often it is straw or a mulching bark. Also used nonwoven materials or dry leaves from the garden. It is important that it was permeable material allowing the strawberry to breathe, and did not delay water, which will lead to the formation of fungi and reproduction of bacteria.
Strawberry wintering in beds
In the fall and winter, the plant prepares energy for spring. Winter can be very cold, especially in frosty nights and frost can irreparably damage plants.
Preparation of strawberries for winter in autumn. The last trimming runs in about early October. Especially this pruning should be made clean. A sharp secateur remove the shoots as close as possible to the plant.
The shoots are cleaned constantly, remove the leaves only in the late autumn to prevent fungal infections. Only large leaves are removed, the core must remain unharmed. Gentle leaves in the middle are very sensitive, and their injuries usually lead to the death of plants.
In the period from October to November, the air temperature begins to fall, and the night temperatures are lowered below zero. The first night freezes will not harm strawberries, but it’s time to cook strawberries so that the plant can survive the winter. If night temperatures fall below -10 ° C, they may irreversibly damage the root strawberry system.
It also refers to buying new plants. The last strawberries should be planted at the end of summer. If strawberry plants will be planted later, it will feel bad on the outdoors, because before the first frosts, it usually does not have time to take care. Acquired late strawberries should be left not to winter in the garden, but in a pot in a cool place, and smuggling in the spring you can land them.
Please note!when planting strawberries should also be monitored to ensure that the core is above the ground. If it is too deep, fungal diseases may form, which lead to the death of the plant.
Strawberry Preparation for Winter in the fall: feeding
Regardless of the variety, the last making of the feeding occurs in early autumn. Liquid fertilizers at this stage should not be used, only long-term fertilizers. Suitable fertilizers:
- compost;
- horny chips;
- Nail cattle.
Fertilizer is carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plants, it is introduced into the soil around the plants. In addition, it is possible to pour a little sand to the ground. Soil looser and sand provide good ventilation and prevent rapidly conjunction, which can lead to rotten or fungal infections of strawberries.
Mulching
The most famous and most important means of protecting strawberry plants in winter is mulching. The freezing of the soil is one of the factors due to which strawberries can die. Therefore, it is necessary to mulch the soil around the plants. The most famous and most important means of protecting strawberry plants in winter is mulching. The mulch layer performs several tasks at the same time. It protects the soil from frost, but also from too fast drying.
For mulching strawberries, the following materials are suitable:
- straw;
- trimming dried grass;
- fallen leaves;
- bark of trees.
The mulch from the cortex to cover the Earth should not be too rough or too small. A very rude mulch from the cortex does not protect the soil, and very small prevents the circulation of air. Therefore, sawdust is not suitable as a mulching material for strawberries.
To protect the winter, the mulch layer should be only a few centimeters, in addition, the mulching material should not be directly in contact with the plant so that the air can circulate. It does not allow the plant to remain wet for a long time. Remove the mulch in the spring so that the plants do not suffocate.
You can also cover the strawberry on the garden of a garden fleece. This will protect at very low temperatures.
However, it should be freely imposed on top of plants.
Watering in winter
Autumn strawberry plants need plenty of water to ensure their health in winter and spring. Opinions about whether you need to water the winter strawberry, diverge. Even in the winter, strawberries need moisture, but too much water can harm plants.
When the garden in winter is at rest, watering is usually not conducted. It usually concerns strawberries, except that watering should be moderate in winter with a very small amount of precipitation. In this case, only in the frostoon period is watered from the plants selectively, if possible, avoid climbing cores. If there is snow that melts into a warm noon and provide strawberries with a sufficient amount of water.
Additional protection in winter on raised beds
Strawberry is popular for landing on raised beds. Preparation for wintering they have the same. However, the raised bed is more vulnerable to frost.
Right feeding, protection and care for strawberry plantings increases and supports the health and viability of strawberries, so that it can withstand winter and spring frosts as possible.
