All about strawberry and strawberry mustache

One bush of strawberries or strawberries can become the basis for reproduction and give several shoots at once for planting. In the article, we will talk about the features of a strawberry mustache, how to trim it correctly and when it is best to carry out this procedure, as well as how to propagate everyone's favorite berry culture with the help of a mustache.

Strawberry and strawberry whiskers are newly formed shoots with rosettes of leaves that are used to propagate this berry crop. For the first time, the shoots of the most popular Victoria variety appear when the bushes begin to bear fruit, new shoots are formed by the end of the summer period (these terms are typical mainly for other varieties).

Strawberry whiskers are regularly trimmed - this is a must. Firstly, the removal of old shoots stimulates the emergence of new ones, and secondly, the extra "kids" for the bush is an additional cost, since they pull off some of the nutrients instead of increasing fruiting.

And, thirdly, it is necessary to improve the health of the strawberry plantation. New outlets can become a haven for pests.

A novice gardener should definitely learn how to properly trim a mustache. However, this is not all: the timing of the circumcision is also important.

You can pick off new shoots from strawberry bushes in the spring, or you can remove them at the end of the growing season - in the fall. In the first case, this is carried out during the active growth of the plant - thus, the plant gets more opportunities for the formation of color and the formation of berries.

For the second time, this agrotechnical procedure is carried out in the autumn period or, depending on the region, at the beginning of August. In the summer, you can also remove excess shoots, but for young bushes this is done no earlier than a year after planting.

Autumn pruning of strawberries is relevant only for the southern regions (you can remove the mustache only at the beginning of autumn), and in other territories it is better to leave this work in the spring than to let the plant overwinter in an injured form.

If you plan to propagate your strawberry plantation this season, then do not trim the whiskers, on the contrary, take measures to root new shoots. This is especially true for the first rosettes from the master specimen. In other cases, follow the agrotechnological rules.

Mustache trimming is planned for a fine day. According to technology, this is done either in the morning or in the evening. Why can't strawberry or strawberry sprouts be removed in rainy weather? Because, along with moisture, there is a risk of introducing infection into the wounds - as a result, the bush can disappear or hurt for a long time.

Prepare the following tools, items and fertilizer for pruning:

• garden shears or pruning shears (must be well sharpened);
• a bucket or other container for a clipped mustache;
• gloves;
• mulch (needed to cover the bush).

The procedure for circumcision itself is simple, even an inexperienced gardener can easily cope with such work. Cut off the shoots above the growing point. The unnecessary tops are immediately collected and folded so that it does not interfere with further pruning and so that it does not subsequently become a source for the development of fungal and bacterial infections in the soil.

The mustache is usually removed before flowering to stimulate the flower stalk. But if you did not have time for this period, then you can do this during flowering, then the plant will direct all its forces to the formation of fruits.

Surely the question arises: is it possible to simply cut off the mustache?

Well, then, pulling out a young shoot, you can completely pull out the plant with the root, thus ruining the entire bush. Therefore, it is better to follow the traditional technology of pruning young shoots. By the way, after removing the mustache, you need to take proper care of the strawberries.

The soil under the trimmed bush is loosened to a depth of 5 cm, the crop is watered abundantly and examined for harmful insects, fungus or signs of disease. If you find such traces that will lead the plant to negative consequences, be sure to treat the cut with a manganese solution or an insecticide.

Healthy bushes after pruning shoots are treated with the drug "Fitosporin" Is a good disinfectant for berry crops. After that, the strawberries are insulated, you can just take ordinary ash, and straw or coniferous litter will do for mulching.

The first rosettes from the uterus bush are more suitable for reproduction, they can give their shoots. It is necessary to cut off such a lush mustache for seedlings and root it in the ground, making a small mound, a first-order rosette (the one that is closer to the mother material).

The rosette is directly from the mother bush and will give the first crop, the rest of the shoot is cut off. Other shoots are also suitable for planting if they have a well-developed root system. They are pruned after fruiting (June-July), rooted in a peat cup with good soil.

Pots with garden strawberry seedlings are taken to the greenhouse or kept at home on the windowsill, not forgetting about regular watering.

Choose planting material not from those mother bushes that bear fruit abundantly. They spend a lot of energy on the harvest, so their shoots are not as strong as on non-fertile bushes. The latter are just all directed to the development of shoots.

When strawberry and strawberry bushes are used immediately both for fruiting and for planting material, the crop's yield decreases by at least a third, while the berries themselves are also smaller and not so juicy and tasty.

Most strawberry varieties are propagated with the help of a mustache; this method is unacceptable only for a remontant variety. For other species, this is a universal method, including in this way hybrids are propagated that do not transmit their varietal characteristics through seeds.

Planting material ready for planting looks like this:

• well-developed rosette with at least 4 leaves;
• the bush is well rooted and has strong roots from 7 cm or more.

It is better to plant strawberries and strawberries on a cloudy day or in the evening, so that the sun does not burn the seedlings. Summer planting will allow young bushes to gain a foothold in the ground before the cold weather, stock up on the necessary useful elements and winter without injury.

The rest of the mustache that was not useful for planting, remove from the site or add them to the compost pit. Otherwise, they can spontaneously take over and disrupt the compactness of the bushes on the site. On a strawberry plantation, everything must be under control.

Experienced gardeners recommend updating strawberry plantations more often, choosing the strongest and most lush shoots for seedlings.

There are times when strawberries not only do not give a mustache, but, in principle, do not start new shoots. This happens for the following reasons:

• mustacheless variety (that is, a plant, in principle, is not capable of giving a mustache);
• the lack of energy in strawberries to feed also "kids".

In the second case, this happens more often when the strawberry blooms profusely and gives a large harvest, when it is overtaken by an invasion of pests or the plant becomes ill. Do not wait for a mustache and too old bush, as well as from depleted soil.

So it is worth distinguishing between cases when the culture, in principle, does not give new shoots due to varietal characteristics, and when in previous seasons this bush gave a lot of whiskers, but now vegetative shoots do not develop. If everything is clear with the first case, then in the second the situation is often correctable.

The main thing is to determine the exact reason for the "childlessness" of a strawberry or strawberry bush and take the necessary measures: either to improve the soil composition, or to regulate other agro-technological processes.