All about fertilizing strawberries in the spring: when, how and how to fertilize strawberries in the spring. Feeding strawberries in spring - proper care and secrets of a good harvest How to process and feed strawberries in spring

It is probably difficult to find a person who would not love a juicy, fragrant and sweet berry - strawberries. This miracle is grown in a variety of climatic zones, on different soils, while using a variety of agricultural practices.

However, few people know what strawberry fertilizer should be applied in the spring.

When to start spring feeding strawberries

During the summer season, strawberries are fed three times:

1. spring;
2. after harvest;
3. before preparing for the winter.

The first fertilization of strawberries is carried out after spring loosening, at the very beginning of the summer season, when warm weather sets in (April-May), and the first leaves appear on the plant. In this case, all actions are aimed at stimulating the growth of leaves and shoots, so fertilizers must contain nitrogen (it is best to prepare organic matter).

It is also very effective to feed strawberries with iodine, which is especially relevant in spring.

The second time strawberries are fed after tying berries. At this time, new roots are formed and buds are laid for the next season, so fertilizers should contain potassium and useful trace elements. Most often, at this stage of growing plants use mullein, and to saturate the soil with potash fertilizers, ash is added to the soil.

Did you know? Strawberries have a lot of useful properties. For example, in terms of vitamin C content, only currants are ahead of it, and there is more folic acid in strawberries than in raspberries and grapes.

During the flowering of the plant, to increase the yield, it is recommended to spray the bushes with a solution of zinc sulfate or boric acid. During spraying, nutrients are immediately absorbed into the foliage. Carry out this procedure in the evening, in calm and dry weather.

How to fertilize strawberries in the spring

According to experienced gardeners, spring top dressing of strawberries in early spring will provide an opportunity to harvest a decent harvest of this fragrant berry. But what kind of fertilizers is better to use so as not to harm your health?

organic fertilizers

Whatever fertilizers are invented in chemical laboratories, the best feeding for strawberries is manure and humus.

1. Manure (mullein)- litter from rooms with pets, mixed with their excrement. It is actively used for soil fertilization. Manure is also the best fertilizer option if you are looking to feed strawberries in the spring before flowering.

   For 10 liters of water, dilute 2 cups of manure and add a tablespoon of sodium sulfate. All this is thoroughly mixed to a mushy state, after which the resulting composition is poured over the ground under each bush (1 liter each). You can also sprinkle manure under the roots of strawberries, and cover with a layer of earth (2-3 cm) on top.

2. Humus- fully decomposed manure. It is considered the best fertilizer for strawberries in the spring, as it provides the maximum concentration of nutrients in a form that is best absorbed by cultivated plants.
3. Chicken litter. It is a rich source of nitrogen. For strawberries, a weak (20 parts of water per part of the litter) solution of this organic compound is used. The infusion is kept for 3 days and fertilized with 0.5 liters of the mixture for each bush. After it, the plant grows strongly and pleases with large fruits.

Important! Manure is used only in a rotted form, since fresh material contains a lot of weed seeds ready to germinate on fertilized soil.

1. Dairy products. They are successfully used for top dressing, as strawberries love slightly acidic soils. In addition, milk contains calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, nitrogen, amino acids and other minerals. It is best to add sour milk to humus, manure or ash. In addition, diluted milk will help get rid of the tick.
2. Bread. Many gardeners claim that there is no better way than yeast to feed strawberries in May. Yeast fungus contains amino acids, proteins, minerals, perfectly acidifies the soil. Strawberry roots are strengthened, the berry gets good nutrition and grows large.

   To do this, bread is soaked in water for 6-10 days, after which the resulting solution is diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10. You can also use live culinary yeast: dilute 200 g of yeast in 0.5 liters of warm water and leave for 20 minutes. Then dilute the mixture in 9 liters of water and pour each bush abundantly.

3. weeds. Such top dressing does not harm either strawberries or people. To prepare the fertilizer, the weeds left after weeding are collected and poured with water. A week later, strawberries are poured with the resulting solution. Such top dressing will help increase the number of fruits, have a positive effect on the taste of berries and protect your strawberries from some pests.
4. Ash. Wood ash for strawberries in the spring is a very effective fertilizer. It can be used as root and foliar top dressing. You can sprinkle dry ash between rows before watering or rain, or you can use it in a solution. To do this, a glass of ash is diluted in 1 liter of hot water, then the mixture is diluted in 9 liters of water and watered at the rate of 1 liter per 1 m².

Thanks to the feeding of strawberries in the spring with folk remedies, the fruits are juicy and large.

Did you know? Daily consumption of strawberries strengthens the walls of blood vessels and immunity. These berries help fight insomnia, and also protect against viral diseases. With a sufficient amount of strawberries in the diet, you can refuse iodized food.

Feeding strawberries with mineral compounds

Mineral fertilizers are of two types:

1. highly mobile- differ in the rate of absorption (phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, nitrogen);
2. low mobility- act much more slowly (boron, iron, copper, manganese).

In the spring, fertilizers for strawberries are applied to increase the yield. For this purpose, use:

• ammophoska mixed with ammonium nitrate(2:1) in a liquid solution, the norm is 15 g per 1 m²;
• nitroammophoska- plants growing on clay soils especially need this fertilizer;
• ready-made complex fertilizers, which include potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, nitrogen ("Kemiroy Lux", "Ryazanochka").

Mineral fertilizers play an important role in obtaining a good harvest: with a lack of nitrogen, the fruits grow small, lose their taste, and their foliage becomes too pale.

Strawberries need potassium to produce sugar fruits. In addition, with its lack, the plant gradually fades, and by autumn it may disappear.

Important! Feeding strawberries with urea in the spring is not recommended, since urobacteria are still at rest and the fertilizer will not be absorbed.

What is better mineral fertilizers or organic

It is impossible to unequivocally answer what is better for strawberries - organic or mineral fertilizers, since both of them have a positive effect on growth and fruiting.

Mineral fertilizers, for example, are quite effective and have a good effect on the size and taste of strawberries: the berries grow large, sweet and beautiful. But they must be used carefully, strictly adhering to the instructions. An overdose will negatively affect not only the crop, but also human health. In addition, mineral fertilizers are not recommended to be used later than 2 weeks before fruit ripening.

organic fertilizers they will not provide a large berry, but they are absolutely safe for people. In addition, organic matter can be applied in almost any amount, as plants take as many nutrients as they need.

Important! Any top dressing should be kept in the recommended ratio and prepared from quality ingredients.-with an excess of fertilizer, strawberries will begin to grow rapidly, and flowers and fruits will be frail and late.

Features of feeding strawberries in the spring

Feeding strawberries in the spring is a mandatory procedure, but not everyone knows how to properly feed young and adult strawberries in the spring.

How to properly feed young plants

Young strawberries planted in the fall can not be fed at all in the spring, or you can use the following solution: take 0.5 l of manure or chicken manure for a bucket of water, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sodium sulfate and pour the resulting mixture under each bush 1 liter. This limit cannot be exceeded.

Top dressing of adult strawberry bushes

Strawberries that have been growing for more than a year also require special care, because the soil is depleted, and the plant has nowhere to take nutrients from.
How to feed adult strawberries in spring? For its fertilization, you can use the same solution as for young plants, only before feeding, when loosening the soil, sprinkle the ground with ash (2 cups per 1 m²).

Experienced gardeners use another method: a bucket of nettles is poured with water and insisted for 3-7 days. This solution is an excellent biofertilizer. They are sprayed with strawberries at the beginning of the formation of the bush and after harvesting.

You can also feed with a solution mullein (1 part), water (5 parts), superphosphate (60 g per bucket) and ash (100-150 g per bucket). The resulting solution is poured into grooves made along the beds with a depth of 4-5 cm. The norm is a bucket of fertilizers 3-4 meters deep. After the procedure, the grooves are covered with earth and watered.

In the second year, you can feed the soil ammonium nitrate (100 g per 1 m²), and in the third year of life, strawberries are fed with a mixture superphosphate (100 g), potassium chloride (100 g) and ammonium nitrate (150 g). This mixture is enough for 1 m².

Before flowering, strawberries are fed with microelements: in a bucket of hot water stir 2 g of boric acid, a glass of ash, 2 g of potassium permanganate, a tablespoon of iodine. After the mixture is infused, strawberry bushes are sprayed with it (in the evening).
Spring top dressing of strawberries plays an important role in obtaining a crop - it will help the plant recover faster after winter and form ovaries.

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Strawberries are grown by almost everyone who has at least some land. But for many gardeners, it does not give good yields. That area is overgrown so that it is almost impossible to find small berries on it. That dry plants cover almost the entire territory. And it happens that there are berries, but they are completely tasteless. How to care for strawberries so that they please with a high yield?

Spring strawberry care

Some gardeners cover strawberry plantings from frost for the winter. cover is removed. Throw away all excess. Then a layer of earth a few centimeters thick is removed from the site. Usually this is last year's mulch. Together with it, various pests and fungi are destroyed. If this is difficult to do, then you need to dig the area shallowly, trying not to damage the roots of the plants. Strawberry bushes are cleaned of dried leaves, dead plants are removed. If there are few of them, then new ones can be planted instead. But you need to do this as early as possible so that the strawberries take root before the onset of heat.

under the film

Some gardeners cover beds with strawberries with plastic wrap. Some make a semblance of a greenhouse and hide the entire area under one film. Others prepare shelter from arcs for each row separately. Strawberries under it develop and bloom much faster.

Plant nutrition

Strawberries are fed in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. The site is fertilized with nitroammophos, infusion of chicken manure or mullein, ash. It is important that fertilizers contain a large amount of nitrogen, which is so needed by a plant weakened by cold weather. The presence of this element in sufficient quantities makes it possible to grow berries large and sweet. You can water strawberries in early spring with a solution of iodine (30 drops per bucket of water). A glass of ash is also added there, previously filled with boiling water and filtered.

Between gardeners there is a dispute about the timing of the introduction of organic fertilizers. Some bring manure in winter. Such top dressing of strawberries in early spring in the snow is useful in that by the period of vegetation and fruit ripening, the manure will pereperet. Phosphorus, potassium, and other beneficial substances contained in humus will affect plants. Others are against this, since manure, falling on a strawberry outlet, can burn it. But if you make it in the fall or during a period when there is no snow, then you can place it between the bushes.

Feeding strawberries in early spring with chicken manure will be more effective if it is applied in the snow. It is very concentrated and can do more harm than good if hit directly. But, brought on the snow, it decomposes and loses its aggressive properties. This makes it easier to care for strawberries in early spring.

Top dressing of young strawberries planted this year is not carried out. After all, it is planted in specially prepared soil, and it does not need extra loads during the rooting period. If you had to transplant older bushes, then they must be supported with fertilizers.

Feeding strawberries in early spring with small doses of fertilizer is difficult because it is difficult to evenly distribute it over the site. To do this, the substance must be mixed with sand or dust. It will be distributed evenly, individual particles will not stick together.

Recently, more and more often used for fertilizing plants, including strawberries, baker's yeast. More than half of their composition is proteins. Many amino acids, mineral elements, microelements. Feeding strawberries in early spring with yeast stimulates the growth of the ground part and root, strengthens the plants. There are many recipes for watering plants and for foliar feeding. The simplest: stir 200 grams of yeast in a small amount of warm water and bring to 10 liters.

Use them along with bread and grass. To do this, a bucket of chopped grass, a pound of dry bread and yeast are poured into a large barrel (70 liters). The composition infused for a couple of days is used for watering strawberries. Some gardeners, however, find that the use of yeast only has a short-term effect, and then the soil becomes rocky.

Feeding strawberries in early spring with urea (a tablespoon per bucket of water), half a glass of ash with the addition of potassium permanganate and (two grams each) gives a good result. It not only fertilizes the soil, but also disinfects the roots.

You can buy ready-made for example "Kemira". You need to make it strictly following the instructions. Otherwise, instead of large juicy berries, you will get small and tasteless ones.

In May, strawberries bloom, so during this period they do not fertilize them.

Foliar feeding

The first strawberries in early spring are held when three leaves appear.

Strawberries do not tolerate chemical fertilizers very well. You can take carbamide (urea). But be sure to double the dose.

The second time carbamide is treated before flowering. But keep in mind that the smell of the drug is unpleasant for bees. If it does not have time to weather, then insects will weakly pollinate plants. Some fungicide can be added to carbamide.

Fertilizer overdose

Often gardeners apply more fertilizer to get a better harvest. But it is not necessary to exceed the norms specified in the instructions for the drug. By the appearance of strawberries, you can determine that they have been overfed. If strawberry leaves turn from green to dark brown, then the soil has received too much fertilizer. If the leaves were covered with brown dots, then the bushes were sprayed with a too concentrated solution. To eliminate the consequences, the site is watered with clean water, the plants are sheltered from sunlight.

When using insecticides, they often do not pay attention to the fact that fertilizers are already included in their composition. So there is no need to add them.

Soil preparation for planting

Every four years the strawberries are moved to a different location. The site is freed from various infections and fungi for six years. Only after this time has passed, strawberries can be grown on it again.

Before planting strawberries, carefully prepare the soil. The beds on which it will grow are covered with a layer of peat or humus, dug up with the ground.

soil care

The soil is loosened in the spring to a depth of five centimeters. This activates the roots of the plants. If the site is not mulched, then you need to loosen the soil after each rain, watering, fertilizing. You can fill the area with moss or sawdust, preferably stale.

Mulching the area will save you from applying herbicides and make it easier to care for the plants.

Disease and pest control

To prevent infection of berries with gray rot, bushes are sprayed before flowering (a tablespoon of the drug in a bucket of water).

To combat powdery mildew, use (potassium permanganate) or a solution of sulfaride.

Bushes infected with a nematode are immediately visible in the garden. They have twisted leaves, thickened whiskers, deformed flowers. To get rid of this pest, use the drug "Nemabakt". From folk remedies - planting marigolds on the site. Their phytoncides prevent pests from multiplying.

Weevil is a small red bug with a long black nose. It lays eggs in a bud. As a result, it will not turn into a berry, as the worm that came out of the egg gnaws out the bud from the inside. Treat strawberries from the weevil "Fitoverm". It hibernates under strawberry bushes. Therefore, removing the top layer of soil in the spring, you remove part of the weevils from the site.

It is impossible to get a good harvest of strawberries without top dressing. Of course, choosing a variety suitable for your land, planting pattern, watering and disease prevention is of great importance. But with a lack of nutrition, the harvest will still be scarce. Spring fertilization will provide the bush with full development and strength. Therefore, the first feeding is carried out at the very beginning of the growing season.

When to fertilize strawberries in spring

Spring work with strawberries is carried out in a certain order. After the snow has melted, remove the mulch that served as a shelter for the bushes. The bed is also cleaned of all plant residues, dried bushes are removed. The earth needs to be slightly loosened so that the roots get access to oxygen. Watering is done not earlier than the earth dries out from moisture.

For the rapid growth of bushes and the formation of a large number of ovaries, strawberries need top dressing. They will need to be applied after the formation of two or three leaves and before flowering begins. The exact timing of the introduction depends on the climatic zone and weather conditions.

Dates for the Moscow region

Strawberries wake up quite early after winter. In the central regions of Russia, which includes the Moscow region, bush care, including top dressing, can be started from the second half of March.

If you have the opportunity to visit the cottage early or the site is near the house, dry fertilizers can be scattered directly on the melted snow. Minerals dissolve in puddles of water and go to the roots. During this period, wood ash and granular mineral fertilizers can be used.

Timing for the Urals, Siberia

In the northern regions, care for strawberry bushes begins a month later - approximately in mid-April. As soon as the bushes are open and cleared of plant debris, watering can be done, followed by fertilizer.

If the first time you get into your garden, when the ground is already dry, you need to feed the strawberries during the first loosening. In any case, you should have time to apply fertilizer at the stage of formation of the first few leaves in order to start active vegetation.

At this time, you can make both dry and liquid top dressing, as well as spray strawberries on the leaf. Under the root, fertilizer is necessarily applied to moist soil, after watering or rain. The first top dressing should be saturated with nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green mass.

On a note! In the first year, the plants do not fertilize. During this period, the nutrition of strawberries is provided by the dose of fertilizer that was laid during planting. In the second year, mineral and organic top dressings are used. In the third season, only mineral fertilizers are used. In the fourth year, organics are added again.

Before flowering, it is good to feed strawberries with organic fertilizers. Perfect for this:

• manure;
• humus;
• chicken manure.

Many summer residents simply lay out dry manure under the bushes, sprinkling it with a layer of earth 2-3 cm thick. You can also prepare a manure solution using two cups of rotted manure per 10 liters of water with the addition of 1 tbsp. spoons of sodium sulfate. Under each bush pour 1 liter of top dressing. Humus is good because it is perfectly absorbed by the roots.

Chicken manure is an excellent source of nitrogen and is fertilized using 1 part manure to 20 parts water. Top dressing is insisted for 3 days, after which the strawberries are watered, using 0.5 liters of infusion for each plant.

The range of fertilizers for strawberries is quite wide. Gardeners actively use both purchased and folk remedies. Each of them contains its own nutrients, there are also complex fertilizers.

Folk remedies

What summer residents just do not use to feed strawberries with folk methods. Food and pharmaceutical products are also used. Here are the recipes recommended by those who have already tried them on their berry beds:

1. Additionally, lactic acid products can be used to feed strawberries by adding them to fertilizer based on humus and manure. Such a mixture will not only serve as food, but also help get rid of the tick.
2. For spring foliar feeding on the eve of flowering, iodine can be used in combination with other components. H and a bucket of hot water is added a glass of ash, 2 grams of boric acid and potassium permanganate, 1 teaspoon of iodine. The mixture is thoroughly stirred and used for spraying berry bushes. At the same time, the composition with iodine will protect strawberry leaves from fungal diseases.
3. Fertilizing with ammonia, which is based on a nitrogen compound - ammonia, has proven itself well. Additionally, the product will scare away many pests with its pungent odor and destroy the spores of the fungus. The working solution is prepared from 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of ammonia in 10 liters of water. Top dressing can be applied to the ground and leaf. It is better to cook it in the fresh air, since ammonia vapor can burn the mucous membrane when inhaled.

Foliar top dressing should be carried out in dry weather in the morning or evening. Under the scorching sun, spraying the leaves is not recommended.

yeast

Fertilizing with yeast can improve the structure of the soil without the introduction of chemicals. Yeast contributes to the faster decomposition of organic matter in the ground. It is easier for plants to absorb food in this form. The roots become more accessible: nitrogen and phosphorus, amino acids, organic iron, vitamins and other trace elements. As a result, a powerful root system is formed in strawberries, which contributes to the development of a strong bush and the appearance of large berries on it.

It must be borne in mind that yeast is applied only to heated soil. Yeast fungi will work at temperatures above +20 degrees. In the process of fermentation, potassium and calcium are taken from the ground, so after fertilizing with yeast, wood ash must be added.

Preparing a yeast solution is not difficult:

1. A three-liter jar is filled with warm water, without adding 4-5 cm to the edge.
2. A pack of dry yeast and 4-5 tbsp are added to the water. spoons of sugar. Instead of dry, you can take 25 g of raw yeast.
3. The mixture is stirred and placed in a warm place until foam appears.
4. The finished wort is poured into a ten-liter bucket and topped up with warm water.

Top dressing is applied under the root, spending from 0.5 to 1 liter of yeast solution for each bush.

On a note! You can not leave the yeast to ferment for several days, otherwise there will be no benefit from such a solution. Yeast fungi must get into the ground alive and have time to work.

Wood ash is sold in gardening stores, but due to its high consumption, its purchase is unprofitable. This fertilizer can be obtained independently by burning firewood, dry grass and other plant residues. Depending on the feedstock, the composition of the ash is different, with the predominance of certain minerals.

• For example, when burning pine birch and spruce firewood, the composition of the ash will have a predominant calcium content.
• The maximum proportion of phosphorus can be obtained from the same pine or birch firewood and rye straw.
• When burning sunflower stalks and buckwheat straw, the output is a fertilizer with the highest amount of potassium.

It is also necessary to take into account what chemical reactions occur in the soil when ash is applied. This substance is an alkali that converts nitrogen into volatile ammonia, so nitrogenous compounds disappear from the soil in the presence of ash.

Proper agricultural technology involves first applying nitrogen fertilizer and only after 5-7 days, after it has been assimilated by plants, top dressing with ash.

You can also dust the leaves by first moistening them with clean water from a watering can. The leaves will absorb the nutrients they need, and the remaining ash will fall to the ground and be absorbed by the roots.

If the first top dressing is applied in order to enrich the earth with nitrogen, then the second time it is better to use a complex mineral fertilizer. Its composition is a balanced mixture that contains all the valuable substances necessary for the full development and fruiting of strawberries. At this stage of growth, top dressing should also contain nitrogen in greater quantities than other elements.

Of the ready-made preparations, such as Agricola, Fertika, Gumi-Omi and other complexes with a note that they are intended for strawberries and strawberries are suitable. Gardeners who have sufficient experience can independently compose a mixture of mineral fertilizers. The most popular are inexpensive and economical means:

• Ammonium nitrate. It is also called ammonium nitrate or ammonium nitrate. The fertilizer is a salt of nitric acid with a 35% nitrogen content. Ammonium nitrate can strongly acidify the soil, so its simultaneous application with dolomite flour or limestone is practiced. Due to its properties, the fertilizer relieves the bushes from the fungus. Watering leaves and earth with a solution of ammonium nitrate serves as an excellent disease prevention.
• Urea (urea) exceeds all other mineral fertilizers in terms of nitrogen content. It contains 46% of this substance. In the air, the fertilizer is converted into ammonia and evaporates, so urea is applied as a solution or buried in the ground. This chemical compound has a neutral acidity reaction, therefore it is suitable for any soil.
• Nitroammophoska contains three important elements at once - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and therefore is considered a complex fertilizer. When buying, pay attention to the composition of the mixture. Each manufacturer makes it according to its own recipe, which is why there is a difference in the ratio of components. In the spring, this fertilizer is applied only if in the fall the strawberries were not fertilized with superphosphate and potassium salt.

Each of these fertilizers in dry form is applied to the ground at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon per square metre. You need to make granules in moist soil. For a liquid solution, 1 tablespoon of dry fertilizer is dissolved in 10 liters of water, up to 1 liter of composition is applied under the root for each bush. If you do not want to saturate your strawberries with nitrates, the concentration of nitrogen fertilizers can be slightly reduced.

On a note! If you are planning to give grown berries to children, it is best not to fertilize them with chemical fertilizers. The children's body is especially sensitive to nitrate compounds.

For adult bushes top dressing is necessary. Strawberries will grow even if you do not fertilize them, but in this case you can forget about a good harvest. And over time, the soil is depleted and does not provide the plants with the required amount of nutrients.

Strawberries at the age of 2 and 4 years are fed in the spring with mineral and organic fertilizers, 3-year-old bushes need only mineral supplements.

The desired effect will not be achieved if an insufficient or excessive amount of fertilizer is applied. Nitrogen fertilizer is given only at temperatures above 15 degrees. When introducing a solution of rotted manure or bird droppings, water the strawberry stems and leaves at the same time.

If strawberry bushes were planted in compliance with agricultural technology, then in the first year of their life they do not need fertilizers. But if fertilizing was not applied during planting, or you doubt that there is enough of it, you can feed the young with a solution of chicken manure prepared at the rate of 0.5 liters per 10 liters of water. A solution of sodium sulfate is also suitable (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). For each bush, one liter of ready-made fertilizer is consumed.

A good strawberry crop cannot be obtained without sufficient care. An important role in this process is the application of fertilizers, to which the berry is very responsive. For good development, top dressing of strawberries in the spring is essential, which our article will tell about.

When are feedings carried out?

In total, it is recommended to feed strawberries three to four times during the season. The frequency and amount of fertilizing depends on the age of the plants and the composition of the soil. It is also believed that when using land mulching, top dressing is needed much less often and only with mineral compounds.

In total, three stages of fertilization can be distinguished:

1. In early spring, it is advisable to feed the plant with nitrogen complexes to stimulate the growth of leaves and shoots.
2. Before the formation of ovaries, strawberries are fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Without these minerals, the berries will be small and tasteless, and the yield will noticeably decrease.
3. After harvesting the main crop, a third top dressing is necessarily carried out, designed to strengthen the plant before wintering.

Remontant strawberries and berries grown in isolated systems require more frequent feeding. The fact is that under such conditions and with repeated formation of fruits, the consumption of nutrients is noticeably increased.

How to feed strawberries after winter?

A guideline for top dressing is the onset of stable warm weather. If the air temperature is set at +15, you can proceed to the "opening" of the strawberry season. In different climatic zones, this moment occurs approximately in mid-April-early May.

What to do before feeding:

1. Clear the wintering area from shelter and plant debris.
2. Cut off old dry shoots.
3. Loosen the soil at the roots, making sure that the root collar rises slightly above ground level.
4. We mulch the root area.

After that, you can start watering and fertilizing strawberries. This can be done with different compositions, but for the first spring top dressing, organic is best suited.

Suitable organic fertilizer mixtures:

1. Manure- one of the most "favorite" dressings for strawberries. The fresh mixture must be infused for two to three days in water (three glasses per bucket of water), then diluted from a ratio of 1:10 and poured under each bush. About 0.5 liters of the mixture is needed per plant.
2. Humus can be used immediately, for which it is diluted in water or sprinkled under each bush. For better absorption, humus is sprinkled on top with earth.
3. chicken manure also contains a large amount of nitrogen, but it is necessary to dilute it to feed strawberries approximately 1:20. So that the berries do not accumulate nitrates, feeding with chicken manure is carried out once a season.
4. Green manure. For its preparation, you can use weeds plucked from the garden. They must be insisted in warm water for several days, and then used as top dressing. Nettle "tincture" will provide the best effect and additional protection against pests.
5. Yeast. You can use any type of this product, as well as soaked crackers. Such top dressing provides the plant with useful amino acids and vitamins. The calculation of the dosage is very simple: you need to take 50 grams of baker's yeast or 10 grams of dry equivalent per bucket of water. Yeast insist in warm water, for better fermentation, you can add a little sugar. After 5-6 hours, the top dressing is ready, each bush is watered at the rate of 0.5 liters per plant.
6. Dairy products also have a positive effect on the development of strawberries. In addition, they slightly acidify the soil, which this culture is only happy about. You can use any type of mixture, and spraying with a milk mixture will help prevent ticks and aphids.

Of other organic dressings, strawberries are very fond of wood ash, which is used as a powder for plants (additional protection against fungus and pests), as well as in the form of a solution (about two glasses of ash are used per bucket of water).

Mineral mixtures for fertilizing strawberries

The first feeding of strawberries can also be carried out using mineral mixtures. They are divided into high-mobility and low-mobility, depending on the composition and absorption rate.

Highly mobile compounds are those with a high content of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Low mobility minerals include iron, copper, boron and manganese. They can be used immediately before flowering and after harvest.

Preparations containing nitrogen are best used for the first feeding. Potassium and phosphorus will be needed by the plant before flowering. Complex fertilizers are used according to the manufacturer's scheme, it is better to alternate such mixtures with organics and folk recipes.

What mineral top dressings are made in the spring:

1. Carbamide or urea. It is necessary to dissolve a matchbox of fertilizers on a bucket of water, then pour 0.5 liters of solution under each bush.
2. You can fertilize with nitroammophos, which is diluted at 30 grams per 10 liters of water. It is possible to apply granules when transplanting young plants in the fall; in this case, such top dressing is skipped in the spring.
3. Foliar top dressing with iodine at times increases the yield. To do this, add 5-10 drops of ordinary pharmacy iodine to a bucket of water, after which the plants are sprayed.
4. You can use spraying with boric acid (5 grams of the product per bucket of water). This procedure is best timed to coincide with the appearance of the first buds. In addition to the necessary substances for the development of plants, such top dressing will become a protection against pests.
5. A weak solution of potassium permanganate will also be a good fertilizer. It can be poured under each bush, and also used to spray plants.

Of the ready-made mineral complexes, Boroplus, Plantafol, Rost Concentrate, Brexil Mix, Kemira and many others deserved the most positive feedback. For best results, follow the manufacturer's recommendations exactly and do not exceed the dosage.

Fertilizing strawberries in the spring is an important link on the way to a future harvest. It will support the plant after winter, help the bush recover faster and form new buds. But you need to feed the plant on time and competently. How and what to feed strawberries in spring?

Spring strawberry care activities begin immediately after the snow has melted and the soil has dried up a little. If work was carried out in the fall to cover the beds, then after the frost retreats, they must be removed.

Next, clean the beds from the debris left over from last year, and the plants from dried leaves. Then cut off the old antennae and flower stalks, remove the dead plants. In their place, plant new seedlings, but do it as early as possible so that the new bushes take root before the onset of hot days. Loosen the beds slightly without damaging the root system.

The mulch layer should also be updated. Sawdust, pine needles or wood ash are suitable for this. Mulching will help prevent some pests in the beds, such as slugs.

Note! It is better to burn dry grass, cut leaves to get rid of last year's pests and diseases.

What else is included in the spring care?

Caring for strawberries in the spring requires the introduction of pesticides. Even if all plant debris is completely removed, diseases can come from spores surviving in the soil, and pests can come from infected plants that surround strawberry bushes.

Modern drugs allow you to destroy diseases without inhibiting the plant. Most diseases are caused by fungi. To combat them, it is recommended to use such biological products as Fitocid and Fitosporin. Bordeaux liquid has a good antifungal effect, it can be used in small areas.

Take care in advance about the availability of drugs that will fight against plant mites and harmful insects. Early spraying with insecticides such as Aktofit and Aktellik will save the crop.

How else to care for strawberries in the spring? Of course, provide her with competent watering. The first spring watering should be done over loosened soil. So you maintain soil moisture and eliminate the problem of dripping moisture in the soil.

Advice! Strawberries are a hardy crop and grow in a variety of soils, but they are also capable of retaining water. Don't water the plant. You can check the intensity of watering in the following way: squeeze a little soil in your fist. If it sticks to the palms a little, without crumbling, everything is in order. If it crumbles and falls apart, watering needs to be increased.

What and how to feed strawberries?

Feeding strawberries should be timely and in the right doses. With an excess of nutrients, the plant will begin to rapidly grow foliage, and the color and fruits will be late and weak.

Fertilizer of young and adult bushes

Top dressing of young bushes that were planted last year can be omitted in the spring. The maximum that can be done in this case is to feed with a weak solution of chicken manure or cow manure. To do this, in a bucket of water, dissolve half a liter of chicken manure or cow manure and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sodium sulfate.

Pour the mixture over each plant - 1 liter under each bush.

Adult strawberry bushes need to be fertilized: after 2-3 years, the soil in the beds becomes less fertile, and the plant lacks nutrients.

To harvest a rich strawberry crop, you need to feed it 3 times:

1. Right after winter.
2. Before flowering or during flowering.
3. during fruit formation.

The first time fertilizer is applied in the second half of April (when exactly depends on the region). During this period, organic fertilizers will be the best way to feed strawberries: chicken manure or mullein.

Use a solution or scatter dry under the roots of the bushes, covering 2-3 cm from above with earth. Yeast and other organic fertilizers will be an excellent remedy (see recipes below). They include proteins, amino acids and minerals.

The second top dressing should be carried out before or during the flowering of strawberries. For this, mineral fertilizers are suitable, which will affect the taste and size of the berries. They will be large, beautiful and sweet. Specialized stores offer many types of mineral fertilizers. Next, we will talk about them in more detail.

Attention! Mineral fertilizers must be used strictly according to the instructions on the package. A large dosage will harm the plant.

An excellent remedy for the third dressing is an infusion of weeds, herbs, for example, an infusion of nettles. Such top dressing is harmless to plants and people, will not adversely affect the taste of berries, but will help increase their number, and also protect plants from some harmful insects.

How to feed strawberries immediately after winter?

The first feeding of strawberries is carried out in early spring, until flowers and buds have formed. Fertilize the bushes with good and rich mullein, which is made from fresh cow patties. To do this, dilute 1 liter of fermented liquid mullein in 10 liters of water. For one bush, half a liter of solution will be enough.

The second feeding option is urea (urea). Dilute 2 tbsp. tablespoons of carbamide in 10 liters of water and pour 0.5 liters of the resulting solution under each bush.

Advice! Feed after rain when the ground is still damp. So the mullein is better absorbed into the soil. Otherwise, the crust will not allow the fertilizer to be absorbed.

Mullein is saturated with nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is needed for plant growth, and phosphorus is needed for the formation of ovaries.

How to feed strawberries before flowering?

Before flowering, use mineral fertilizers, for example, Horus (12 g per 10 liters of water), or Topaz (6 ml per 10 liters of water). Repeat after 2 weeks. These drugs will prevent all possible diseases and spotting.

You can also use the Plantafol, Brexil Mix, Megafol or Growth Concentrate foliar dressing in the same ratio (20 g per 10 l). Add Boroplus (10-15 ml) to the selected preparation, which will help the formation of the ovary, and treat the bushes.

Top dressing during flowering

During flowering, prepare this fertilizer:

Pour 1 glass of wood ash into a container and pour 2 liters of boiling water. Stir, let it brew for 2 hours, and then add 3 g of potassium permanganate and boric acid, as well as 1 tbsp. a spoonful of iodine. Dissolve the mixture in 10 liters of water and water flowering strawberries with it (1 cup for each bush).

Attention! Use rain or settled water, but in no case chlorinated.

foliar top dressing

When fertilizing in spring, it is necessary to fertilize not only the root system, but also the bush itself. Strawberries are sprayed with organic matter or nitrogen-containing solutions, which contributes to the active growth of the bush and the increase in the ovary. Useful substances when spraying are absorbed immediately into the foliage.

Note! Foliar top dressing spend in the evening, in dry and calm weather.

You can spray plants and mineral fertilizers. They are of 2 types:

• highly mobile;
• low mobility.

The former include phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and nitrogen. They instantly fall into the roots, foliage, buds. Low-mobility fertilizers - iron, copper, boron, manganese - act more slowly. They must be sprayed very carefully so that droplets of the solution fall on the ovaries.

iodine

To process young strawberry bushes with iodine, you will need 2 components:

• potassium iodide;
• potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

To prepare the solution, take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of iodine and a few granules of potassium permanganate, mix with 10 liters of water.

This solution will help from the beetle, pests, gray rot and the appearance of spots on the leaves.

It is better to water bushes with iodine solution after preliminary shedding of bushes with wood ash. Such an integrated approach will give a more effective result.

Boric acid

Boric acid fertilizer requires preliminary care for strawberries. First you need to loosen the soil with a garden pitchfork by 10 cm. For a greater effect from the fertilizer, it is recommended to sprinkle the aisle with straw, then pour it with nettle infusion.

Only after that, treat the bushes with a mixture of boric acid in a ratio of 10 g per 30 liters of water. It will help form good ovaries, so it is suitable for feeding strawberries before flowering. After that, it is desirable to treat it from pests - ticks and weevils - with insecticidal preparations.

Fertilizing strawberries in the spring with folk remedies

One of the most popular folk remedies for feeding bush berries is nettle infusion. What does he give? Nettle contains a large number of trace elements, due to which enough chlorophyll is formed in strawberry leaves. Bushes after top dressing become more resistant and strong for fruiting.

To prepare the infusion, collect the nettles before the seeds form on it. Fill the container (plastic or enameled, not metal) with the grass stalks tightly packed. Fill a container filled with nettles with water and place in a sunny place for 7-15 days.

Every morning, stir the nettle infusion, which will be considered ready after the formation of foam and a characteristic unpleasant odor. Strain the infusion and dilute 1 liter of concentrate in 10 liters of water. Use as a root dressing, pouring 1 liter of solution under each strawberry bush.

Yeast nutrition

Gardeners began to introduce yeast fertilizing relatively recently and the result was impressive. In spring, such a fertilizer will enhance vegetative growth, in summer it will support fruiting activity. For 10 strawberry bushes, 5 liters of yeast solution is enough.

Any yeast is suitable for its preparation. It is convenient to dilute them in a plastic bottle, since the solution will need to be shaken well.

If using dry yeast, then take a 100-gram bag and dissolve the contents in 2 liters of warm water, add 2-3 tbsp. spoons of sugar. Close the lid tightly and shake the bottle well.

In the case of using regular yeast, stick to the following ratio: 1 kg of yeast per 5 liters of water. Next, pour the mixture into a bucket, add 10 liters of water and leave it to brew in a warm place for 3-4 hours. Then pour the yeast solution into a 200-liter barrel or add half a liter of prepared yeast solution to a 10-liter watering can each time. Water them with strawberry bushes under the root (0.5 l).

chicken manure

To prepare a solution of chicken manure, take semi-liquid fresh chicken manure, place it in a bucket of warm water (1:15), mix thoroughly.

Important! The solution does not need to be insisted, apply it immediately so that all useful substances (for example, nitrogen) do not have time to evaporate. Water from a watering can around the bush, trying not to fall on the leaves.

After feeding with chicken manure, strawberries begin to bear fruit well, the berries become beautiful, sweet and juicy.

ash

Wood ash is an excellent potash fertilizer. In addition to potassium, ash contains phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. As a fertilizer, it can be used both in dry form and in the form of a solution.

To prepare the solution, take a 10-liter bucket of water and 1 kg (about 2 liter jars) of ash. Dissolve and leave for a day, stirring occasionally. All the necessary elements from the ash will pass into the water, and the solution will be ready in 24 hours. For watering strawberries, dilute 1 liter of concentrate in 10 liters of water.

When used dry, sprinkle the ash under the bushes. During irrigation, all the necessary components will penetrate into the ground.

So, feeding strawberries in the spring is the key to an excellent harvest in the future. Spend it competently, following the recommendations given above in the article.