All about planting strawberries in August

Despite the fact that most gardeners prefer to plant strawberries in the spring, for some regions it is considered much more correct to do this in the fall. The main argument is called the possibility of a culture to take root before a cold snap, winter calmly and, as a result, please with an early harvest.

For planting strawberries at the end of the month, it is recommended to select not some exotic varieties that are laborious to care for, but the usual garden "Victoria". Such a variety with wide leaf blades and large sweet fruits has good immunity and general resistance, and therefore is not afraid of insect attacks, or temperature jumps, or insufficient care. Also suitable for August planting "Queen Elizabeth II", "Brainchild" of domestic breeders, and a frost-resistant hybrid "Mara de Bois", bred in France. The variety shows itself well "Albion" - it bears fruit several times and pleases gardeners with berries with a very bright taste. Early maturing varieties are also preferred. Kimberly and "Temptation".

The first gained popularity due to its unusual fruit, which has a caramel flavor, the same even shape and a shiny surface. The fruits of the variety "Temptation" a delicate musky flavor is observed, as well as the ability to bear fruit in large quantities in large quantities. Finally, strawberries should be placed on the beds. Honey. This variety will ripen early and bear fruit stably.

To successfully cultivate a crop, even when planting, many factors must be taken into account.

Transferring August strawberries to open ground should be on those days when the sun is not visible in the sky, and even better - the next day after a rainstorm.

If landing is carried out on a normal cloudy day, then it is better to start it around lunchtime, and if on the next day after the rain, then towards evening.

The area where the berry bushes will be located should receive sufficient lighting throughout most of the day, and also be protected from drafts. Shading will negatively affect the condition of the fruits - they will grow more slowly, losing both in size and in taste. The future bed should be made even and high, but in principle, a slight bias will not harm.

If there is a choice, then it should be located in the southwestern part of the site. Since liquid stagnation negatively affects the state of strawberries, it is not necessary to plant them in lowlands, as well as in places that are flooded during the spring thaw of snow.

Best of all, the berry feels itself, developing on light and nutritious soil without liquid stagnation. The best will be to organize a bed on sandy loam soils or loam. If the characteristics of the selected site do not meet the requirements of the culture, you can try to normalize the composition of the land.Each square meter of heavy clay soil is enriched with 2.5 buckets of coarse river sand. Sandy soil can be improved by adding 2.5 buckets of humus.

In addition, any bed before planting strawberries requires the introduction of fertilizers. The only exception to this rule is black soil. Each square meter of the planned site should receive a mixture of a bucket of humus, a tablespoon of potassium sulfate and a pair of superphosphate matchboxes. Processing is as follows: first, the nutrient mix is ​​evenly distributed over the site, and after that the entire bed is dug to a depth of 40 centimeters. The procedure should be carried out in advance - a couple of weeks before planting strawberries.

The culture requires a slightly acidic soil mixture with a pH level that does not go beyond 5.5-6. To deoxidize the soil, you will have to carry out the procedure for adding lime, based on the quantity, focusing on the type of soil.

Strawberry cultivation will be successful if the rules of crop rotation are observed. Plants can be placed in beds where onions and garlic, carrots, herbs or radishes used to live. Suitable as predecessors and siderates, for example: mustard or buckwheat. Strawberries cannot take the places that previously belonged to cabbage and cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes or pumpkins, that is, crops that completely "devastate" the soil from nutrients. Bad neighbors for berries are called raspberries with rosehips, since they have similar pests.

It should be added that Recently, an increasing number of gardeners are switching to black agrofibre, which is ideal for growing strawberries. The material is placed on top of dug, weeded and fertilized soil, after which it is fixed with wire elements. It is quite convenient to use varieties with cut holes in the form of a circle or a cross, although they are easy to make yourself. Planting of seedlings is carried out directly into these holes.

Strawberry mustache is best for the August planting.... The planting material is cut from strong bushes, which are less than two years old and which have already proven their yield. In order for the children to be strong, it is customary to cut off all flower stalks in mother plants in the spring. In addition, it is recommended to give preference to rosettes growing near the mother bush, and therefore having more developed roots. The selected planting material is either immediately buried in the mother bush, or dived into the pots.

It is also allowed to purchase seedlings in a specialized nursery. When selecting seedlings, it is important to ensure that the samples do not have any damage to both leaves and roots. The leaf blades should have a juicy green color and a healthy sheen. It is important that the length of the roots does not exceed 5-7 centimeters, and the thickness of the horn is at least 7 millimeters. If the seedling is sold in a peat pot, then the roots must pass through its walls and be visible to the naked eye. In the case of a cup, the roots, as a rule, entangle its entire volume.

About a week before planting strawberries, the beds can be dug again, weeded and leveled with a rake. If desired, at the same time, organic matter is introduced in the amount of one and a half buckets for each square meter. On a suitable day, the roots of each seedling are dipped for 5 minutes in a solution prepared from 5 liters of water, 1.5 tbsp. tablespoons of salt and 0.5 tsp of copper sulfate. Processes that are too long are shortened with a machined instrument. For each plant, its own hole is dug, which is immediately filled with water.According to the rules, its depth should be directly related to the dimensions of the root system - it should fit comfortably. On average, this figure is 15 centimeters.

You can start planting a crop even before all the water in the hole is absorbed. Position the plant so that the growing point, known as the heart, is at ground level. If you deepen the seedling, then it will not be able to bloom, and the one located too high will suffer during wintering. The roots of the bushes are first straightened in water, and after absorbing moisture, they are covered with damp earth, which is gently slammed with hands. The distance between individual specimens should be kept within the range of 25-40 centimeters.

You will have to take care of the strawberries immediately after planting. For example, seedlings getting used to open ground will need a specially organized watering. The water used for it must always be settled and naturally heated. For the first week, it is necessary to irrigate the plant every day in a small amount, directing moisture from the watering can strictly to the root and not touching the leaves. For the next 14 days, the amount of fluid used increases, but the procedure is performed once every couple of days.

At the end of the above period, irrigation of the crop is carried out as needed. It should be mentioned that this system is optional if August was rainy - in this case, it will be enough to prevent the soil from drying out. Also, immediately after planting, the seedlings may need a little shading. If the soil was previously prepared for the appearance of berries, then there is no point in additional feeding. Otherwise, the plants will have to be fertilized three weeks after planting with urea, used in an amount of 30 grams per 10 liters of water.

Before wintering, strawberries will receive abundant watering, and then - the creation of a shelter. For the latter, in principle, the same materials are suitable as for mulching: straw, tops, fallen leaves or spruce branches. They will be removed only in the spring, when temperatures above zero are established.

In order for the berries to grow large and sugary, the beds are best placed going from east to west. If the garden plot is organized on a slope, then the habitat of the culture should be located across. A plus will be to pre-treat the area with 3 tablespoons of ammonia diluted in a bucket of water - such a solution will eliminate caterpillars, slugs and similar pests. On the same bed, seedlings of different varieties can coexist, but it is more correct to create a "partition" of onions or garlic between them. In any case, the main thing is to avoid confusion with the mustache.