Planting strawberries in the autumn - tips and tricks

Planting strawberries in autumn has many advantages over spring planting. The strongest argument is the receipt of berries in the next year. If you plant strawberry bushes in the spring, then you will wait for harvest only for the next season. In addition, the planting of seedlings a couple of months before the onset of winter contributes to the preservation of flower buds. Autumn planting is carried out when the cold has not yet entered into its rights, and the weather pleases with sunny days. Thanks to the warmth, the planting material comfortably adapts to a new place of residence, takes root, is gaining strength for wintering.

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Autumn planting of strawberries is also convenient for gardeners in that it minimizes labor costs for caring for bushes, in contrast to vigilant spring-summer "watch" in the beds. In any case, it's up to you to decide on your own time. If, for some reason, you did not manage to plant this culture in the spring, you can always do it in the fall.

Autumn planting, photo:

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Strawberry planting in autumn

The bushes are important to plant correctly and on time, so the best period for this process is August / end of September. At this time young seedlings will not be subjected to active attack of pests and diseases, they will be able to get stronger, prepare for the winter. The early autumn planting starts from the second week of August and lasts until mid-September. The average time for disembarkation starts from the second week of September and lasts until October 15-17. The latest period begins approximately 30 days before the first frost. However, in determining the timing, you should always rely on the climatic features of your region.

The most abundant harvest should be expected after an early or mid-autumn planting. The last days of warm August are the most acceptable period for this process. If you are going to use strawberry whiskers for planting, then focus on the time from the third week of August to the second half of September. On later terms, this is not recommended, because such a tender planting material will not have time to fully adapt to a new location before the onset of cold weather.

The process of landing, photo:

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Planting strawberries in autumn - preparing soil, fertilizing

Not later than a month before planting, you must prepare the soil. During this period, the land, as they say, "settles down" - the roots of young plants will not be denuded afterwards. Strawberry is considered a rather unpretentious culture, but like any plant, it loves fertile soil, has its own "whims". For example, it does not like the sandy, peaty, clayey and sod-podzolic soil. In such conditions, the yield of strawberries is significantly reduced, and in marshy soil it generally refuses to grow. It should be borne in mind that even on the ideal soil for it, transplanting once every three years should be mandatory. The best choice will be chernozem, loam, sandy loam.

Preparing the soil for strawberries when planting in the fall is to improve its composition, make useful components for increasing fertility, improve aeration. Also, good results are obtained by preliminary seeding of mustard or lupines at the place where the strawberry will later be planted. With the arrival of spring, these siderates will need to be cut off, slightly crushed and mixed with the upper layer of the soil. This method allows you to saturate the soil with nitrogen, improve its structure. Strawberries will grow well in the place where legumes (peas or beans) were grown, broccoli or cauliflower, dill, parsley and other greens. If tomatoes or cucumbers grew on the site earlier, as well as potatoes, strawberries may not like it.

Pre-planting of ciderates helps dacha farmers save on top dressing, but does not exclude them completely. If the land in advance was qualitatively saturated with potassium-phosphorus, organic additives, then fertilizer for strawberries during planting in the fall can not be made. Moreover - the first couple of years the bushes will not need additional fertilizing. Well, if this place was formerly grown by siderates, and to improve their growth, fertilizers were used, such an environment would be ideal for cultivating strawberries. If no preliminary work was done on the ground, it is recommended that 7-8 kg of humus per 1 square meter be applied to the soil. Also, you can add diluted humus in the water (blubber) directly during the planting of bushes - it is poured directly into the beds. This culture loves compost, biohumus, wood ash (a pledge of good growth).

The preparation of beds for planting strawberries in the autumn does not include the introduction of nitrogen-containing feeds, as they reduce the immunity of plants on the eve of cold weather, frost. The optimum acidity level of the soil should be 5, pH, but not lower. Otherwise, the land will have to be lime. If you have an increased acidity of the soil on the site, then it is best to make lime for a couple of years before the expected planting of strawberries. With regard to groundwater - it is important that their level does not exceed at least 80 cm to the surface layer of the earth. Pests also like to use strawberries: strawberry nematodes, horsetail, wireworm, Colorado beetle - the most common "gourmets". If, during digging or tillage of soil, you have discovered their larvae, then necessarily treat the soil with diluted ammonia in water (10-15 ml per 10 l of water).

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Strawberry - planting and care in autumn

Quality planting material is the key to a good harvest! Choose the bushes, in which the diameter of the root neck is at least 5-6 mm. Roots should be well developed, at least 6 cm long. Also pay attention to the number of leaves, they should be at least 4-5 pieces. Preparing strawberries for planting in autumn - if seedlings were purchased or taken from a neighbor, then it should be planted as soon as possible in the ground. If the planting process is postponed for any reason, place the bushes in a place where the sun's rays do not reach them, and wrap the roots with wet moss (or at least slightly with a wet cloth). Young seedlings, which were grown from seeds, are preliminarily dipped into roots in clay mortar, and then they are buried in the soil. This method prevents the drying of the root system, helps the bushes to become more comfortable.

The roots of the seedlings, photo:

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Preparation of strawberry seedlings for planting:

1. Plants should be planted only in moist soil. It is preferable to do this on a non-sunny day, towards evening.
2. Long rootlets should be shortened to 6-8 cm.
3. The roots of the bush can be placed in a container with a growth stimulator (for example, "Kornevin") diluted in water, about an hour and a half before the moment of penetration into the soil
4. On the recommendation of seasoned gardeners, you can also soak roots in garlic tincture (water infusion). This technique will improve the immunity of plants, scare off harmful insects.
5. Excess leaves on planting shrubs are best removed.

Seedlings must be relatively deep and wide, the distance between them must be at least 30 cm. For each bush in the hole poured a small mound of earth, after which they put a seedling on it, trying to combine the growing point with the surface of the bed. The roots are neatly spread along the sides of the mound, sprinkled with soil, and flooded with water.

Caring for strawberries after planting in the fall consists in loosening the soil immediately after its penetration into the ground - this ensures a qualitative access of moisture to the root system of plants. Then the soil around the seedlings can be sprinkled with earth mixture with humus or wood chips. It will be nice if the bushes planted for winter will be covered with foliage or coniferous lapnik - so you will insure the strawberries during frosts, and the snow masses will remain on the beds. Periodically, the snow will thaw and thus moisten the earth. You can also cover strawberries with agrarian or straw.

Mulching with straw, photo:

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Planting strawberries in autumn is associated with some conventions: the growing mustache should be immediately removed, as well as the peduncles. Initially, freshly planted bushes should be watered, but not too abundant (the upper layer of soil should remain wet). After 8-10 days, the frequency of irrigation is reduced, but the volume of water, on the contrary, is increased. After about three weeks, your seedlings will be adapted to winter conditions. Do not forget that strawberries are very poorly tolerated by drought, so before the onset of frost should be abundantly saturate the earth with moisture. When the spring comes, you can remove the protective mulch, clean the bushes from old and damaged leaves. It is also possible to hedge and remove the top layer of soil (2-3 cm) for better penetration of sunlight, removal of possible pests.

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Planting strawberries in autumn on agrovolokno

The fact that the bushes can be covered with the appropriate material, all have long been known, but you can do the opposite. A rather interesting method is the planting of seedlings on the covering material.

Benefits:

• Absence of weeds.
• Protection of berries from contact with the soil - they remain clean, practically do not rot.
• This material is not an obstacle to air or water.
• The temperature of the soil is higher, as it is "warmed" by agrofiber.

Initially chosen suitable location on the site, it should be flat, sunny, with a minimum slope. Then follows the preparation of the planting beds for planting strawberries in the autumn - we dig the ground, we remove all the excess (weeds, roots of trees or bushes), fertilize with humus or other appropriate top dressing (mentioned above). After that, we carefully level the soil, we plan the beds, we lay agrofiber on the ground. The color of the material is not so important, but for some reason, in the recommendations of experienced gardeners, it is often possible to see tips for choosing a black agropowl.

Bushes on agrovolokne, photo:

Cloth should be overlapped (approximately 20-30 cm), taking into account the shape and size of the site. On the perimeter lay heavy objects (stones, bricks) and proceed to fixing the agricultural fibers on the ground. This is best done with a wire pre-cut into pieces of 50-70 cm long. We bend the wires in the middle, we make a kind of pin, by means of which we pin the material to the ground. This process can be done by eye, you can in chessboard order - as you prefer.

Then follows the landing on agrovolokno:

1. We plan places for bushes, they should be located from each other at least 40 cm.
2. We make cruciform cuts with a sharp knife.
3. We bend the corners of the notch, place the bush in the hole formed, bend the corners back.
4. Do not put too much seedlings in the soil.
5. After the planting is over, we water well the seedlings.

If the plantation under the strawberry you have a large, then with the outline of the cuts on the agrofiber we advise you to use the marker. It is not difficult to do it yourself.

Further care is minimal and consists only in the timely watering of plants. This can be done with a hose with a special nozzle for irrigation. Thus, under the agro-soil it will always be wet. Before the onset of cold weather, strawberries are covered with protective mulches from above, as described above. In addition to all the advantages of this method, agrofiber protects berries from pollution, which is especially important during the rainy season.

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Planting strawberries in the fall is not some kind of innovation, this technique has long been successfully used in gardening. If everything is done correctly, then you will be rewarded with a generous harvest of early juicy berries. Try and you this method, the more it does not represent special difficulties and the use of new technologies.