How to plant strawberries with a mustache?

How to plant strawberries with a mustache?

Strawberries are a good, attractive berry for consumers. But for its successful cultivation, it sometimes becomes necessary to propagate it with a mustache. Before performing this procedure, it is imperative to explore all its subtleties and possible nuances.

Advantages and disadvantages

The rise in prices covers all or almost all goods. Buying ready-made seedlings becomes more difficult every year. And it is unlikely that this trend will be reversed in the foreseeable future. But there is a simple way out - you need to plant strawberries with your own hands. This will avoid overexposure of culture in one place.

The simplest seating option is precisely the use of a mustache. Eliminates the need for:

  • special premises for the cultivation of seedlings;
  • soil use;
  • the use of boxes and boxes;
  • picking;
  • careful refining after moving to free ground.

If the work is carried out carefully, it is possible to achieve engraftment of all plants. At the same time, the main varietal characteristics are reproduced 100%.

After all, reproduction with a mustache does not lead to a change in the genetic code. Some gardeners even manage to propagate strawberry varieties F1 with mustaches. But in this case, the accuracy of reproduction of the original properties is not ensured.

However, it is worth knowing that:

  • agricultural technology is somewhat different from the usual;
  • it is necessary to plant strawberries with a mustache before the beginning of August;
  • it is not always possible to gain the required number of mustaches in order to perform the procedure properly.

Optimal time

You can plant strawberries with a mustache at an arbitrarily chosen moment (within the growing season). But it is better not to leave work for the fall and not to carry it out in July, but to do this business in the first half of August.

This approach allows you to achieve engraftment of outlets by September 15 or a little later. The first, albeit not a record, harvest can be harvested next year. The second vegetative season becomes peak; these are the requirements in the middle lane, in other regions they may differ slightly.

That part of the seedling material that is not in demand is removed. This should be done at the start of flowering and during the formation of berries. This choice is due to the fact that the yield will not be reduced.

The full mass of useful components will be redirected to the development of berries. Additional removal of shoots is carried out in the fall, simultaneously with pruning of foliage.

The exact moment of the autumn removal of excess whiskers is determined by the general climate and the current weather. Connoisseurs advise to carry out such work when the berries are already harvested. By removing unclaimed parts, it will be possible to force the development of the bush. If it is hot, it is advisable to work in the morning or late hours.

For work, they take only garden shears with impeccable sharpening.

Selection of the mother bush and mustache

Success depends on more than just meeting deadlines. It is imperative to choose the antennae as carefully as possible. But they start with the selection of a suitable bush. The number of mustaches issued is determined by the plant variety, in some cases there are none at all. When the fruits are ripe, the best bushes should be noted, where the berries are the largest.

They are just perfect for vegetative propagation. Before flowering, 100% of the inflorescences must be removed, while it is strictly forbidden to touch the mustache. They are allowed to develop unhindered to the point where separation from the main bush becomes possible. To get a solid harvest, be sure to eliminate all early shoots. This allows:

  • avoid excessive planting density;
  • saturate the berries with the most useful substances;
  • exclude the influence of destructive factors (diseases).

All mustaches are removed from the main plant, except for 3 pieces. Those that are not taken for seedlings are cut out. The selected specimens serve to secure the three daughter inflorescences. Be sure to leave developed sockets located near the middle of the bush. But those sockets that belong to the second and third lines must be removed.

An exception is made for well-developed inflorescences of the second level. Those parts that are collected will not only have to be rooted, but also pressed to the soil, covered with soil from above. Selected rosettes should grow until the final formation of the root complex. Separation of inflorescences from bushes is not allowed until three leaves are folded. After that, you can transplant the prepared seedlings.

To eliminate errors, it is necessary to mark the selected bushes with ribbons or flags on poles. It is undesirable to use bushes selected for seedlings as a source of whiskers.

Both of these moments greatly deplete the plants. Accordingly, an attempt to collect mustaches from seedlings will only lead to the exhaustion of her strength. The bush will take a long time to recover.

Soil preparation

But when the bushes are selected, the whiskers are cut off, planting them is immediately impossible. You need to prepare the ground first, and not all soil is suitable to the same extent.Where strawberries grow for 3 years or longer, the fruits are crushed. And even relatively small berries are collected in smaller numbers. In addition to this moment, it is necessary to pay attention to other circumstances.

So, any strawberry variety does not tolerate excessive moisture. And nothing can be done about it if the plants are already developing. But at the preparation stage, it is quite possible to create beds of greater height. They eliminate fluid stagnation. Another significant aspect is high-quality lighting all day long.

With a lack of sunlight, you can lose both the quality and volume of fruits. Responsible farmers start preparations in advance, even when planning plantings for the previous season. Ideal crops of the previous year are cereals and beans of all kinds. But potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes in this role are bad. Cabbage should also be discarded if there is no desire for strawberry beds to be infected next year.

Having chosen a suitable place, you need to start preparing it. Where there is enough heat and light, where groundwater does not rise to the surface, there should be light soil. It passes water and air well. But not all soils that meet these requirements have a sufficient level of fertility. Invalid:

  • acidity less than 5 and more than 6 units;
  • the presence of fungal spores;
  • virus infection;
  • the presence of larvae of harmful insects.

Humus and turf are the best options. In principle, medium loams with a high organic content are suitable, if only because they have limited acidity. The problem is that all such soils are dense and need loosening with additional additives.

The recommended natural softening method is sawdust. They are used in the overripe form.

It happens that the time of disembarkation has already come, and the raw materials have not been completely overcooked. Then the sawdust should be soaked briefly in a solution of urea. For every 10 kg of sawdust, 2 liters of water and 60 g of urea are used. A little ash is added to the mixture that has been infused for 2 hours and stirred until smooth. You can also loosen the earth with peat, which thoroughly absorbs and retains water.

But this option should be left as a last resort. After all, peat significantly increases the acidity. It can be compensated only by adding 200 g of ash per 10 kg of the main reagent. And ash can be introduced only in the autumn months, as it contains calcium that inhibits the development of plants.

Therefore, gardeners should treat peat loosening with great care.

Some mixtures to improve the soil structure may include river sand. Only its large fractions are suitable after thorough washing. And even in this case, sand can account for a maximum of 10% of the total volume. With a complete lack of experience, you need to focus on the simplest option. It includes, in addition to humus and turf, a fair amount of peat and hardwood sawdust of a fine fraction.

Any composition containing turf is treated for pests. For this purpose, the earth is watered with 1 liter of ammonia water for every 5 sq. m. Of the synthetic analogues, Roundup performs well.

The chosen place must be freed from all sticks and needles, from foliage and branches, from foreign debris. The earth needs to be dug up for 1 bayonet of a shovel.

When a summer or early autumn planting of strawberries is planned, loosening should be started at least 30 days in advance. When calculating for planting in the spring, digging should be done from September 1 to September 30. In the process for 1 m2 add:

  • 50-60 g of potassium salts;
  • 50 g of nitrogenous substances;
  • from 80 to 100 g of superphosphate;
  • from 6 to 8 kg of humus (sometimes replaced by compost).

Reproduction methods

potted

In addition to growing in open ground, you can plant strawberries in pots. Effective cultivation of a plant in this mode is possible only with high-quality illumination. Full coverage should be from 5 hours per day and above. Therefore, it is necessary to choose only balconies directed to the south or southwest. Even among them, it is worth rejecting excessively shaded places and houses located near highways.

On the glazed loggia, you will have to use white curtains or paper to prevent excessive heating of the plants in the summer. Since the roots are deepened by 250-300 mm, it is at this height of the pots that you should be guided. The containers themselves must be bought in white, and at the bottom there should be channels for drainage. Do not use pots with water-permeable walls.

Experts consider plastic and ceramic containers or boxes made of polished wood with a volume of 3 to 10 liters to be the best choice.

Regardless of whether they will be planted in a pot in the summer or in another season, there are general requirements for preparing the land. There is no need to use a drainage layer of expanded clay. You can saturate the entire volume with soil. The ideal solution in this case is a combination of lowland peat with 20-25% loosening agent. What should be absolutely avoided is the use of land taken in a summer cottage (this rule is also observed when growing in cups).

"Economy" of this kind will result in excessive compaction and excessive wetting of plants. Get a solid harvest will not work.Properly planting strawberries from a mustache in spring is possible only in the second half of April. Then the impact of frost poses a minimal danger, and the heat has not yet had time to come into its own. It is the spring period that is optimal for planting mustaches in harsh climate areas - at any other time the culture will not take root.

On the beds

Still, they often try to grow strawberries without roots on ordinary garden beds. And there are a number of subtleties here. So, when planted in a shaded place, the sweetness of the berries will be small, but the aroma will noticeably increase. It is these fruits that are best suited for making jam and jam, for drying and other types of processing. Planting strawberries next to strawberries and other representatives of the pink family is categorically unacceptable.

Nearby there should not be any fruit trees, as well as bird cherry and wild rose. Holes for future bushes should be located at a distance of about 0.4 m from each other. Such characteristics will allow all plants to fully develop. The lane width is recommended at the level of 0.2 m, with a dividing furrow of approximately 0.3 m.

Landing strips are oriented from east to west so that the illumination is uniform everywhere.

All selected whiskers are sprinkled with a small portion of soil. Watering them should be plentiful. Seating is carried out after the appearance of an autonomous root complex. Normally, this happens within 14 days, but sometimes it can happen faster. You can recognize this result by looking dense beds.

It is advisable to wait for a cloudy day without precipitation. The cutting off of the uterine mustache is carried out with a pruner, it must be done in one go. Parts rooted in the soil should be dug out with a pair of spatulas.They are stuck on the left and right, after which, with careful movements, they seem to loosen the mustache. It is impossible to pull sharply, because the sensitive structure of the plant is easily torn.

The extracted bush should be transplanted to a new place, where a hole is prepared for it in advance. There they form a tubercle at the very bottom, where they put the seedling. It is forbidden to bend and compact the roots. If they are excessively long, then an incision is made. It is recommended to raise the point of development of the antennae by 10-20 mm above the ground.

Violation of this rule can lead to rotting of this part of the plant, either drying out or freezing in winter. All planted bushes should be watered immediately. In this case, it is necessary to shed the foliage. Freshly watered plantings are immediately mulched. The best cover is straw.

If it is impossible to use straw, it is replaced with shavings, mowed herbs, moss or sawdust. When the mulch is laid out, the plantings are covered with covering materials. This is necessary for optimal rooting of strawberries.

If everything is done correctly, the mustache will have time to get used to the new position before the onset of cold weather. And therefore, in the coming warm season, it will be possible to already eat your own sweet berries.

Aftercare

But not everything is as simple as it seems ... A lot depends on the subsequent care. Violations in it can cross out all the initial success. As with other plants, strawberries need care throughout the growing season. To grow a crop of strawberries planted in autumn, at the very beginning of spring, it is necessary to cut off all the leaves that have dried up since last year.

No need to leave flower stalks. But strong green foliage should be left until the young green leaves. If there are still some extra mustaches, they are also cut out.Very carefully clean the site from the old mulch. It has absorbed pests and pathogens, so it can no longer be used.

In addition, with the mulch layer removed, the heating of both the ground and the roots by the sun is accelerated. Be sure to treat the beds with fertilizers, ahead of the start of flowering. The best reagent for this purpose is a solution of cow dung mixed with trace elements. 0.5 l of slurry is diluted with 10 l of water, a maximum of 10 g of auxiliary components is introduced into such a solution. The prepared liquid is consumed 1 liter per bush.

If there is no desire to mess with manure or it is unpleasant, you can take complex fertilizers. Best results are achieved with formulations specifically designed for strawberries. Having fed the strawberries, the ground at the intervals separating the bushes is loosened. One such step raises the yield up to 15%. When strawberries have already yielded a crop last year, simultaneously with loosening, 400 g of ash per 1 square meter is introduced into the soil. m.

This is not only an excellent organic food, but also a means to eliminate the danger of invasion of slugs. Ash-treated strawberry bushes are much less likely to suffer from gray rot. It happens that when the earth is exposed, open roots are found. They are simply covered with earth again. Additionally, mulching is carried out with straw, leaf humus and hay (its layer reaches 40 mm).

Important: before carrying out any pruning, it is worth disinfecting the working tool. Ideally, this treatment should be repeated when moving from one plant to another in order to completely eliminate the transmission of infection. The earliest watering is carried out in the spring, when active growth begins.

Before flowering, you must constantly take care of retaining moisture. Irrigation will be required again:

  • when the flowering itself begins;
  • when pouring ovaries;
  • when the crop is harvested;
  • just before the cold weather sets in.

The water flow should be such that the earth becomes wet 0.4 m from the surface. A second test is carried out after 48-72 hours. A clod of earth taken from the same depth should not turn into dust and stick to the hands. It is extremely rare to feed strawberries in the first year, only if the plants show signs of trouble. This is mainly required in the second year of development.

Tips from experienced gardeners

    Even in the country without the use of sophisticated equipment, you can get very attractive results. But there are already a number of nuances that have been developed by the experience of many people. It is unwise to ignore them. All planting material should be purchased only from reputable suppliers. In order for the transplanted plant to take root as soon as possible, the soil around it should be slightly loosened.

    When placing an outlet in the ground, you definitely need to pour 5 liters of warm water on it for about 1 sq. m. If sawdust is used as mulch, they must be scattered throughout the ridge and create a layer of 70-80 mm. This technique allows you to save moisture from irrigation for 60-90 days.

    According to its characteristics, mulching with coniferous needles is quite close to mulching with sawdust. However, this method cannot be used for several years in a row, since the acidity of the soil will increase to an unacceptable level.

    See the next video for strawberry breeding tips.

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    The information is provided for reference purposes. Do not self-medicate. For health issues, always consult a specialist.

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