How to properly plant strawberries?
It has long been known that fruits bring great benefits to the human body, not to mention the fact that they are also very tasty. One of the first we are pleased with strawberries, enriching the immune system with a huge amount of useful substances. This berry is delicious both fresh and as jam, jam and more, because there is not much of it. Since the culture is early, it is difficult to buy it in large quantities due to the high price, but you can grow it yourself. You can not do without knowledge of how exactly the process of seating this plant is carried out.
Mustache breeding
To make a large plantation of delicious berries from a small garden, there are various ways. Each of them is good in its own way, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Since strawberries throw out whiskers in the process of growth and development, the reproduction process can be considered the simplest with precisely these parts of it. This is a natural option, with the help of which culture can generate itself, but to obtain good results, one cannot do without human intervention.
The mustache that grows on the side of the bush, over time, begins to form its own root system and take root. If this is not prevented, then the plantation turns out to be very thickened, as a result of which the berry grows small. The advantage of such natural reproduction is complete transfer of varietal characteristics to a young plant.
To get new bushes by dividing with a mustache, you need to select several plants that are distinguished by good external data and give a stable and tasty harvest, and leave them for reproduction.
Those bushes that give life to new shoots will not be able to give an abundance of strawberries, therefore it is not recommended to overload them with this task. The main plantation will be aimed at obtaining tasty fruits, and some of the plants will prepare young bushes, which will bring the first harvest in a year. An ordinary healthy bush can give quite a lot of whiskers, which will greatly weaken the mother plant, so it is worth rationing them, leaving no more than seven. The optimal number of processes will make them stronger and form a powerful root system that can take root in the shortest possible time and give impetus to further development.
Strawberries are able to throw out whiskers from the beginning of summer, when the ambient temperature and daylight hours are most suitable, but those shoots that were grown in July take root best. A strong plant gives a tendril not with one outlet, but with three or more, but the most suitable for reproduction is the first one growing near the mother bush. In order not to waste his strength, it is worth trimming the mustache immediately after the first outlet.
If there is a need to grow a large number of seedlings, you can leave two outlets and remove the tip of the process.
The mother bush should be completely concentrated on the reproduction process, therefore it is important to monitor the appearance of flower stalks and get rid of them immediately so as not to waste the culture's strength on unnecessary activities. The process of propagating strawberries with a mustache is carried out according to a certain algorithm.
- Bushes for propagation are selected that can provide good material for seating.
- After the appearance of the mustache, their number is normalized, and all peduncles are removed.
- When roots form on rosettes, they must be pressed to the ground with a wire or in another way. In this place, fertile soil is poured for rooting. You can use a peat cup, which is dug into the ground in the place where the outlet is located, after which rooting occurs in it, and not a single root suffers when excavated.
- Water the young plant every three days. The soil should be moist and the soil loose.
- As soon as the outlet is fully formed, having at least four fully developed leaves and roots about 7 centimeters long, you can transplant to a permanent place. The most acceptable period for seating is the end of August and until the second half of September. It is important to work in dry weather without scorching sun, in the morning or in the evening, to provide the plants with the most comfortable conditions.
- The socket must be separated from the mother plant and transferred to a permanent place by digging it from the ground along with the soil in which it grew. The mustache is cut 10 cm from the mother bush. So that the young plant is not so dependent, you can cut the mustache in advance, gradually weaning it from the original source of nutrition.
If everything is done correctly, then the new bushes will quickly take root and have time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather. In order for rooting and development to go faster, it is important to plant strawberries on a prepared garden bed, where suitable predecessors grew: carrots, radishes, beets and herbs.
The soil should be light and nutritious, for which you need to apply the right amount of fertilizer.Planting a berry crop in such conditions will give excellent results.
Bush division method
Work on the development of new strawberry varieties is ongoing to this day, which makes it possible to obtain not only increased yields and a pleasant taste of the berry, but also a partial or complete absence of mustaches that waste the plant's strength. These include remontant varieties, for planting which the method of dividing the bush is used. This option allows you not to stop the fruiting process, which makes it possible not to lose the crop, but at the same time to get the right amount of new bushes at the right time.
Only completely healthy plants with a strong root system can be used for division. Do not propagate bushes if they show signs of pest damage, because new bushes will have the same problems, which will negatively affect the quantity and quality of the crop. You can divide the culture with horns, but they are formed in adult plants, 2-4 years old, so young plantings do not need to be used.
One large full-fledged strawberry bush can produce at least five and up to 15 shoots, the main thing is that each of them has a heart and roots.
The division procedure can be carried out during the growing season, but the most comfortable conditions for this are in early August. The process of reproduction of the bush occurs according to a certain scheme.
- Choose the strongest and healthiest plant, dig it up with the ground so as not to damage the roots.
- If there are dry or yellow leaves, they must be removed, and the entire bush should be placed in a container with warm water. To disinfect the roots and protect the bush from diseases, you can add potassium permanganate to the water.
- As soon as all the earth comes down from the roots and sinks to the bottom of the tank, you can start dividing the bush. It is desirable to unravel the roots with the help of hands, without using cutting objects. During operation, it is important not to use excessive force so as not to damage the heart. If you need to cut something, a sharp object is used, which must first be disinfected.
- When the preliminary preparation is completed, the plants are left to dry the roots. At this time, it is possible to examine them well and remove all problem areas by covering the cut with powder from chalk, activated carbon, wood ash or cinnamon.
- When everything is ready, the sockets land on the place that has been prepared for them. To stimulate the growth of the root part, you need to cut the deciduous part somewhere in half.
It is not always possible to achieve a good capable outlet, therefore small and weak options are planted in cups and grow from one to two months before planting them in open ground.
Following all the instructions, you can easily plant one bush, getting a lot of new shoots from it, which will quickly please you with ripe and tasty berries.
How to propagate from seeds?
There are many options for exactly how strawberries can be planted, and in addition to tendrils and dividing the bush, there is one more, which is also quite popular. This is propagation by seeds. To get seed material from berries, you need to properly carry out all the preparatory activities, as well as know how to germinate and plant the resulting plants. Often this option is used by breeders who are puzzled by the development of new varieties and hybrids, but anyone can try it.
The advantage of propagation through seeds is the absence of any possibility of transmitting the disease from the mother plant to the new one. The disadvantage can be considered the inability to grow a hybrid variety in this way.
To get the seeds yourself, you need to choose a good, large and ripe strawberry, cut off its top layer no more than two millimeters thick, cut into thin strips and put in a dry, warm place to dry. It is important that direct sunlight does not fall on the seeds.
After two or three days, the pulp is separated from the planting material with the help of fingers, which is collected in fabric bags or glass jars for storage in a dry and cool place. refrigerator for two months.
It will be optimal to use a box for vegetables and fruits, where the temperature is approximately +4 degrees, and there are no sharp jumps. If the substrate dries out, it needs to be moistened, maintaining the right conditions for the seeds.
The process of planting seeds occurs in February, for which you need to purchase universal soil. To protect future plants from diseases, a little wood ash or powdered chalk should be added to the soil.
Before planting the seeds, it is important to disinfect the land in which they will be planted, for which boiling water is passed through it, it is calcined in the oven or frozen in the freezer.
When a week remains before planting, the soil is soaked in a solution of "Fitosporin", "Trichodermin", "Baikal", "Aktofit", after which it is well dried. To plant strawberry seeds, you need to carry out a number of activities.
- Soak the seed material for 5 hours in a biostimulator.After placing the seeds in the solution, you need to immediately remove those that have surfaced, as they are not suitable for germination. To prepare the seeds for various environmental conditions, it is recommended to harden them for a period of three days, laying them out in damp gauze in the freezer at night and in the warmest place during the day.
- Choose a container in which the landing will be made. These should be wide containers, fill most of them with prepared soil. The first layer is a drainage layer 1-2 cm thick made of expanded clay, then the soil itself, which needs to be moistened and compacted.
- Rows are formed at a distance of four centimeters, into which the seeds will fall. It is worth deepening them no more than half a centimeter, without falling asleep on top of the earth.
- Cover the container with film or glass and place in a dark but warm place until the first sprouts appear. Every day, planting should be ventilated for about ten minutes, and the soil should be moistened with a spray gun when it starts to dry out.
- When sprouts appear, the film or glass must be removed, and the container should be moved to the most illuminated place in the room. It is important to use additional lighting to extend daylight hours to 14-16 hours. In the process of seed germination, the optimum temperature will be +23.25 degrees, and at the time of growth of green sprouts, it should be reduced to +18.20 so that the seedlings do not tend to rise too much.
- As soon as more than two leaves are formed on the plant, it is necessary to significantly lower the temperature regime to +12.15 degrees. Important: moisten the ground only if the top layer dries up, otherwise you can cause black leg disease. During this period, watering the leaves should be avoided, because moisture is applied with a pipette directly to the roots, this procedure is performed once a week.If traces of mold appear, then you need to treat the soil with a fungicide.
- After a few weeks, you can add a mixture of sand and peat under the root, which activates the growth of the root system.
- With the advent of more than four leaves, you need to dive the plant. To facilitate the process of excavation of seedlings, it is necessary to water it well and extract it along with the clod of earth in which it grew. Planting is carried out in cups, in which moderate watering and cultivation are carried out before planting in the ground.
- After 1-2 weeks, you need to make the first fertilizer. The next cycles will be done every few weeks. It is worth choosing phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, in which the level of nitrogen is low.
You can plant seedlings when it has at least 6 full-fledged leaves and roots are developed. This usually occurs in May-June, when nighttime temperatures do not fall below +10 degrees Celsius. Until the moment of disembarkation, it is worth hardening the seedlings, taking them out into the street, increasing their stay there from one hour up to 14 hours.
All subsequent actions will be the same as when working with any strawberry seedlings, and after a while you will be able to observe a healthy plantation of berry crops.
Common mistakes
In order to quickly plant strawberries and get a good harvest, it is important to choose the best bushes and decide on the propagation method. To avoid problems with this event, you need to know what errors can be.
- Hasty pruning of the tendril connecting the outlet and the mother bush, which leads to a longer survival and poor harvest, and sometimes to the death of the outlet.
- Lack of control over the number of mustaches and rosettes, which weakens the mother plant, and the resulting sprouts have inferior development and take root in a new place for a very long time.
- Performing a mustache transplant with rosettes several times. This leads to deformation and damage to the root system, which makes it difficult to quickly take root in a permanent place.
- The process of planting seedlings is carried out in an unprepared place. For example, this is soil with no fertilizers, as well as improperly selected nutrients, too viscous or overdried soil.
Carrying out all the actions correctly, without repeating mistakes, you can quickly and efficiently get a good strawberry plantation in the country, which will please you with a powerful harvest in a year.
See the following video for the method of planting and growing strawberries.