Strawberries require careful care. Failure to comply with the agrotechnical conditions for its cultivation threatens the occurrence of various diseases. Unfortunately, not all of them can be treated - you have to destroy the affected berry bushes, and sometimes entire beds. Pests also cause great damage to plants. Although it is difficult to completely protect plantations, treating strawberries in the fall from pests and diseases will significantly reduce crop losses for the next season. Gardeners do not always pay attention to the signs of damage to strawberry bushes by various infections, and many pests like their delicate berries and leaves. Often they are the reason for the loss of most of the crop. It is important to know about them, and proper care and timely preventive work will help protect strawberry bushes from diseases.
Strawberry diseases
Fusarium and late blight wilt
Strawberries show signs of fusarium and late blight. withering. The disease is fungal, manifested by the brown color of the leaves and petioles, the edges of the leaf blades bend upward. Fruiting decreases, and with the death of fibrous roots the plant dies.
The disease cannot be cured, the affected strawberry bushes have to be destroyed, so it is better to try to prevent it using the following measures:
- take seedlings from trusted nurseries;
- every four years, replant the garden strawberry bushes to a new place, otherwise their roots cease to receive sufficient nutrients and are easily susceptible to various infections;
- seedlings are less susceptible to disease if planted at the end of August or September;
- It is useful to treat strawberry roots with a growth stimulant before planting, and to treat the soil against fungi with an iodine solution before planting.
The photo shows the affected bushes clearly.
Gray rot
The disease is easily detected by the fluffy coating on the brownish spots that appear on strawberries. A fungal infection usually occurs during periods of frequent rain and very quickly spreads to neighboring berries, and then affects the entire bush. Fruits with spots should be collected and destroyed. However, if the leaves and petioles are damaged, the entire strawberry bush must be destroyed.
The following will help prevent gray rot:
- using agrofilm on the beds - they won’t grow under it weeds, and the fruits will not come into contact with the ground;
- even before flowering, strawberries need to be sprayed with 2-3% Bordeaux mixture or iodine solution - 10 drops per bucket of water;
- Do not plant seedlings too densely;
- You can cut off some of the leaves on strawberry bushes - then they will be well ventilated and ripen faster;
- Growing under white agrofibre will reduce the likelihood of disease.
White or brown spotting
A fungal disease in strawberry beds that is spread by spores. Its occurrence is characterized by small brown spots on the leaves of strawberry seedlings, which gradually merge, covering the entire leaf. It turns yellow and then dies. The infection quickly affects neighboring bushes.
In order to cope with it, you need to:
- spray the strawberry beds and bushes with a 4% solution of Bordeaux mixture, including the leaves;
- Before processing the strawberries, you need to cut off all the dried leaves and burn them, since fungal spores overwinter in them, then water the bush at the root with an iodine solution;
- The choice of quality seedlings and their care is of great importance.
Powdery mildew
Symptoms of the disease are expressed by curling the leaves into a tube. At the same time, their color changes from green to purple. A white coating appears on top of the leaves. The disease disrupts the pollination process, resulting in the formation of deformed fruits, also covered with plaque. The taste of strawberries also changes. The disease can be seen in the photo.
For the prevention of strawberries from powdery mildew and its treatment of the beds process copper sulfate solution. Spraying with a solution of iodine in water helps a lot. Its effectiveness increases with the addition of milk. Regularly treating strawberries against diseases and pests with this product reduces the likelihood of their occurrence.
In the video you can see how to process strawberry bushes.
Pests
Nematode
One of the most common pests of strawberries is the nematode.Most often, it infects young strawberry bushes, laying eggs on its leaves and buds. After about two weeks, the hatched larvae turn into adults - small white worms up to one millimeter long. Infected strawberry bushes can be identified by several signs:
- redness of the petioles of the leaves;
- deformation of the peduncle;
- red spots on the leaf blade;
- too small berries or their complete absence.
Treatment against nematodes
To prevent the appearance of this pest, you need to select healthy seedlings, and before planting, you need to disinfect them by keeping the strawberry bushes for a quarter of an hour in fairly hot water - 45 degrees, and then in cold water. This procedure will harden the plants, increase their resistance to adverse factors and activate rapid growth and development. It is also good to water the beds with iodine solution.
A good preventive measure in caring for strawberries will be autumn events:
- cleaning strawberry beds from diseased plants and weeds and destroying them;
- digging the beds with the addition of slaked lime or treating them with iron sulfate.
Weevil
A small dark gray bug overwinters in the ground under strawberry leaves, and in May it moves inside the buds, laying eggs in them. It is clearly visible in the photo.
The hatched larvae eat it from the inside and remain in it in the form of a pupa, which by mid-summer gives rise to a new generation of pests. They destroy the strawberry pulp, then hide back for the winter.
Fighting weevil
Spraying strawberry bushes with a solution of dry mustard or an infusion of wood ash effectively helps in the fight against beetles. Treatment with hot pepper infusion gives good results.
Spraying beds with strawberry bushes against pests should be carried out before it blooms, when the buds have just appeared. In summer, re-treatment is carried out. You can remove weevils from bushes by simply shaking them onto a spread film. Digging up strawberry beds in the fall will be an effective preventative measure.
Strawberry whitefly
A small white butterfly with two pairs of miniature wings feeds on the juice of strawberry leaves and lays eggs on their undersides. The larvae stick to the leaves, forming a kind of cocoon. Adults then emerge from them. In one season, the whitefly gives up to four generations, and overwinters in the soil, under strawberry bushes. An effective way to combat it is to use mulch film on the beds.
Bronzovka shaggy
A dangerous pest that attacks strawberry bushes in May, during the flowering and fruiting period, is the hairy bronze beetle - a small black beetle. It eats leaves and branches, multiplying quickly. To combat it they use:
- deep loosening and digging of the soil;
- burning raw straw;
- collecting beetles by hand.
Strawberry mite
When a pest appears, the strawberry bushes become smaller and the leaves wrinkle. Its dimensions are very small. Feeding on cell sap, they multiply quickly and produce up to several generations over the summer. Soon the mites colonize the entire garden bed, and when the strawberry bushes are replanted, they are transferred to the new one. Moist, warm weather is especially favorable for their reproduction.
Protecting strawberries from the strawberry mite involves the following steps:
- in the spring, in dry weather, you need to clean the strawberry beds from plant debris and burn them;
- strawberry bushes need to be treated with hot water, up to 80 degrees, and then fed;
- every 14 days, spray with a solution of colloidal sulfur;
- It is useful to treat all strawberry beds with Bordeaux mixture;
- effectively destroys strawberry mites with an infusion of onion peels; this method must be used several times with an interval of about two weeks;
- at the end of summer you need to mow the strawberry bushes and burn the collected grass, and water the garden bed and fertilize it;
- Before planting, you need to give the seedlings a hot bath for a quarter of an hour and then cool them down.
Spider mite
A thin cobweb appears on the strawberry bushes, enveloping its leaves. It indicates the appearance of a spider mite feeding on the cell sap of strawberry stems and leaves. Its growth gradually slows down, fruiting decreases, and the bushes die.
At the initial stage of damage, treating strawberry bushes with an infusion prepared from a mixture of wormwood and tobacco will be an effective remedy. If this is not enough, you need to treat the beds with karbofos.
Aphids on strawberries
Small insects can be noticed immediately, as they cover all parts of the plant. Multiplying quickly, aphids colonize all neighboring strawberry bushes, causing enormous damage. When it appears:
- strawberry leaves curl and dry out;
- flowering and fruiting of bushes slows down;
- deformation of the berries occurs.
The pest cannot tolerate the smell of garlic, so garlic infusion is very helpful in combating it. It is prepared in cold water and aged for several days. It is used to treat strawberry bushes and the soil around them. An excellent remedy for aphids is a solution of dry mustard, as usual, with laundry soap.
Medvedka
The pest lays eggs in the ground and overwinters there. Both it and its larvae eat the roots, causing the strawberry bushes to slowly dry out. The mole cricket reproduces quickly and causes great damage to the crop. To protect against it you need to use all available methods:
- you should try to lure birds to the strawberry beds using feeders;
- to set up traps, bait containers are buried in the beds;
- You can lure insects out of the hole with a soap solution.
Tobacco thrips
Small yellow-brown insects feed on the cell sap of strawberry leaves, causing the bushes to wither and die. Eggs are laid on the lower leaf blades, and five generations hatch over the summer. In winter, thrips hide in the soil under strawberry bushes.
In the fight against the pest, spraying strawberries every week with infusions of dandelion, orange peels or chamomile decoction, starting before they bloom, helps.
Slugs
They appear in large numbers at high humidity and eat berries and young leaves on strawberry bushes. The pest hides under leaves during the day and overwinters in the soil.
To help get rid of slugs:
- covering beds with agrofibre;
- mulching with sawdust and processing with wood ash;
- spraying with a saturated solution of table salt.
Ants
To protect strawberry bushes from these insects, plants with a pronounced odor, such as wormwood, mint, garlic or onions, are suitable. They can be planted between or around beds. Solutions of ash, mustard, and wormwood are also used to treat beds.
Other pests
strawberry pests respond well to infusions and decoctions prepared from home remedies. It is worth resorting to chemical means of protection if the problem is too advanced. The video will tell you about the process of processing strawberry bushes.
Wireworm is a small worm; it can be removed by treating the leaves with a solution of lime, potassium permanganate or dry mustard.
The favorite delicacy of snails is cornmeal. At the same time, it is destructive for them, which makes it possible to use flour as protection for strawberry bushes.
To hatch silkworm larvae, you can treat strawberry bushes with kerosene.
To combat the cockchafer, you must first destroy its larvae, which hide in the depths of manure heaps. They are dug up in the fall so that all the larvae freeze over the winter.
Sweet baits placed around the strawberry beds will help get rid of annoying wasps.
The bright colors of strawberries and their fragrant smell also attract birds. A few plastic bottles on pegs will scare them off.
Conclusion
It is easier to deal with strawberry diseases and pests at the initial stage. You should regularly inspect bushes and beds, carry out preventive measures both in autumn and spring, and remove affected leaves or bushes in a timely manner. With proper care, strawberry beds will delight you with a rich harvest of sweet berries.
