Content
- 1 Strawberry care
- 2 The importance of spring feeding
- 3 Foliar feeding
- 4 How to feed strawberries in spring
- 5 Iodine as a fertilizer for strawberries
- 6 Caring for strawberries in spring and fertilizing with boric acid
- 7 Feeding bushes with folk remedies
- 8 Fertilizing with yeast to increase yield
- 9 Conclusion
Growing tasty and aromatic strawberries in your garden is not so easy. Some varieties require special care. Without it, the strawberries will grow small, and the bushes themselves will not grow well. Such a capricious berry requires careful and proper care, which includes regular watering, loosening the soil, removing weed and fertilizing. In this article we will talk specifically about fertilizing. Or more precisely, about how it is carried out fertilizing strawberries in the spring.
Strawberry care
Strawberry care begins immediately after the snow melts. The first step is to remove the covers from the closed beds. Strawberry patch must be completely cleared of last year's plants. The bushes themselves should also be cleaned, removing all dried leaves, tendrils and flower stalks. It is necessary to remove dead plants from the garden bed, if any. Young seedlings can be planted in place of such bushes. This should be done in early spring so that the seedlings have time to take root before the onset of heat. In addition, light loosening of the soil around the bushes is carried out. It should be remembered that the delicate roots of strawberries are very easy to touch. Only the top layer of soil needs to be loosened.Then the soil is mulched or the old mulch is renewed.
At this stage the plants are processed from pests and various diseases. Products for this can be purchased in specialized stores. Bordeaux mixture is perfect, as well as various copper-based preparations. If necessary, the procedure should be repeated.
Visually show how to properly process bushes and care for strawberries spring, can be seen in the video below.
The importance of spring feeding
Spring feeding of strawberries is very important for obtaining a good harvest. Nutrients help strawberries to grow and form buds. It is very important not to overdo it when applying fertilizer, as this can negatively affect the development of the bush. Excess fertilizer will stimulate too active growth of the bush itself, but will not allow the plant to form ovaries and fruits.
Foliar feeding
Feeding strawberries in early spring involves not only fertilizing the root system of the plant, but also the bush itself. It is customary to spray strawberries with solutions of nitrogen fertilizers, as well as with organic substances. Foliar feeding promotes good growth and formation of ovaries. Thanks to spraying, nutrients are absorbed directly into the leaves. This feeding must be done in the evening. It is important that the weather is dry and windless.
For these purposes, you can also use special combined fertilizers. They include the following elements:
- phosphorus;
- nitrogen;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- copper;
- iron;
- manganese;
- boron
The first four elements act and are absorbed by plants much faster, while the rest are a little slower. Because of this, you need to spray the bushes very carefully so that the fertilizer is distributed throughout the entire bush. Often in spring to increase yield strawberries are fed with urea, which also has another name - urea. The high nitrogen content in this fertilizer allows you to grow strong and healthy bushes.
How to feed strawberries in spring
Many gardeners and gardeners are wondering how to feed strawberries in the spring to get a good harvest. Some say that there is nothing better than organic fertilizers, others prefer mineral mixtures. It is necessary to understand what effect both have in order to determine what is best to feed your strawberries.
Mineral fertilizers have good efficiency. However, these are chemicals and using them incorrectly can have bad consequences. Mineral complexes should be used with great caution. When feeding, you must follow the instructions exactly. Overdoses of mineral fertilizers will not give the best results, but, on the contrary, can harm the plants.
Organic fertilizers also have their pros and cons. They may not have such a strong effect on the size of the fruit, but they are completely natural and will not harm human health. Organic matter such as cow manure and bird droppings can be applied to the soil in large quantities. Plants will not absorb more nutrients from them than they need.It is also good to use wood ash to fertilize strawberries. It is used for both root and foliar feeding. Extracts are prepared from it, which have a positive effect on the development of bushes.
Iodine as a fertilizer for strawberries
To feed strawberries with iodine, you will need 2 preparations:
- potassium iodide;
- potassium permanganate.
Feeding with a solution based on these substances helps get rid of pests and some diseases. Iodine actively fights gray rot and the appearance of spots on plant leaves. In addition, such a solution can saturate strawberries in early spring with essential microelements. To prepare a nutrient mixture based on iodine, you need to mix one tablespoon of iodine, potassium permanganate on the tip of a knife and 10 liters of water in one container. Use the prepared mixture to water the strawberries.
Attention! Before feeding strawberries with iodine, it is advisable to sprinkle the bushes with ash.
Caring for strawberries in spring and fertilizing with boric acid
Before you start fertilizing strawberries with boric acid, you need to prepare the beds. The first step is to loosen the soil using a garden fork to a depth of about 10 cm. To avoid trampling the strawberries during the procedure, it is recommended to sprinkle the rows with straw or leaves.
After this, you can water the plants with a special nutritious infusion of herbs. To prepare it, you need to collect nettles and prepare a large container. It should be filled one third with nettles, and then filled with water along the edges. In this form, the fertilizer should be infused for 2 or 3 days. The container with the infusion can be left right in the yard or placed in a greenhouse. There is no need to dilute the mixture. We carefully water each bush with a nutritious infusion.
Now you can start feeding strawberries with a solution of boric acid. This mixture is very easy to prepare. 10 grams of boric acid are dissolved in 30 liters of water. Plants are watered with the solution at the rate of 1–1.5 liters per bush.
Boric acid helps strawberries form ovaries, so such fertilizer is simply necessary to obtain a generous harvest. Feeding with this solution should be done before flowering. Then the plants are sprayed with pest and disease control agents.
Feeding bushes with folk remedies
Various folk methods are used as fertilizer for strawberries in the spring to increase yield. For example, many gardeners prefer nettle infusion, the preparation of which was discussed above. This fertilizer contains a sufficient amount of nutrients. They make the plant healthier and stronger.
The infusion recipe described above does not need to be diluted. Now we will learn how to prepare a more concentrated mixture. These methods are equally useful for strawberries, but the second allows you to feed a larger number of bushes. To do this, you should collect young nettles without formed seeds. Fill the prepared container with it to the very brim. Then the nettle is filled with water.
The infusion is left in a sunny place. It should ferment for 2 weeks. The mixture should be stirred every day. The finished infusion should foam well and emit a pronounced unpleasant odor. Now you can strain it and proceed directly to feeding the plants.
Before this, the infusion must be diluted with water; for 1 liter of fermented mixture you will need 10 liters of settled water.To fertilize one strawberry bush, you should take at least a liter of the nutrient mixture.
Fertilizing with yeast to increase yield
This method of feeding strawberries has become popular not so long ago. However, the results of using yeast are simply amazing. It is most useful to apply this fertilizer in the spring to strengthen the plants during vegetative period. Next, strawberries are fed with yeast during the fruiting period and in the fall after harvesting.
Both dry and regular yeast are suitable for preparing the nutrient mixture. You also need to prepare a regular plastic two-liter bottle; it is very convenient to prepare yeast starter in it. The entire cooking process occurs as follows:
- 100 grams of dry yeast should be diluted in 2 liters of ordinary warm water with the addition of 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- Close the bottle tightly with a lid and shake to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- To prepare a mixture of regular yeast, you should take 2.5 liters of water per 0.5 kg of yeast itself.
- After the yeast has dissolved, you need to pour the solution into a bucket and add another 8 liters of water. Thus, we get 10 liters of fertilizer. It is left to brew for 3 hours.
- Then the prepared solution is poured into a 200-liter barrel and water is added.
- If you do not need such a large amount of fertilizer at once, you can leave the solution in a bucket and dilute it in parts each time as necessary. In this case, a ten-liter container will need half a liter of infusion.
- To water 1 strawberry bush, take 0.5 liters of the prepared solution.
Conclusion
The above recommendations clearly show how to fertilize strawberries in the spring. Of course, you do not need to use all the methods described above. Each gardener must choose for himself what is the best way to feed his strawberry bushes. Today there is a huge range of products against various diseases and pests. So what exactly should I say? process strawberries it will be hard. The plants themselves will tell you which remedy is best for them. Feed your strawberries only with proven products and listen to the advice of experienced gardeners. This way you will only increase your yield.
