Juicy, tasty, aromatic strawberries bring us a lot of pleasure and benefits. It’s especially nice when the harvest is grown with your own hands. Like any other crop, strawberries require some care. Much depends on autumn preparations for winter. Experienced gardeners know everything without prompting, but beginners will need information about what activities should be carried out in the autumn so that the berry bushes can successfully overwinter and delight them with a good harvest next season.

Caring for strawberries in autumn

In the autumn, strawberries continue to be watered, loosened, and fertilized. It is also necessary to monitor the appearance of pests and properly prune the bushes before wintering. By this time, the entire harvest has already been harvested and the bushes are in a period of relative dormancy. We need to help them recover before winter so that the plants can successfully survive the frost.

On a note! Autumn is a good time to transplant or plant strawberries. It is easy to propagate vegetatively.

Many gardeners, in the old fashioned way, trim off all the leaves on strawberry bushes. However, a more modern method of pruning is done differently. It is undesirable to completely deprive plants of foliage for the reason that this will greatly weaken them. The bushes will strive to re-grow the vegetative mass; as a result, there will be almost no energy left to form peduncles, which means that the amount of harvest next season will be less.

For this procedure, it is recommended to use sharp pruning shears or garden shears, but under no circumstances should you tear off the leaves with your hands - this will damage the stem and roots, since the bush may be half pulled out of the soil. It is better to hold the event on a dry, fine day, in the morning or evening. There are rules for autumn pruning of strawberries:

• You will need to remove all damaged and diseased leaves that have spots, as well as those that are lying on the ground. It is better to take the foliage outside the site and burn it to reduce the risk of disease for other crops.
• If the strawberries are affected by a fungus, it is recommended to completely remove all leaves.
• The height of the bushes after pruning should be at least 10 cm; the stems should not be cut at the root, otherwise the generative buds from which young shoots develop can be removed.
• If you do not plan to propagate the berry plant, you need to cut off all excess whiskers.
• For propagation, leave the rosettes formed on the first 2-3 tendrils closer to the mother bush.
• Young bushes planted this season are not pruned - this will make it easier for them to overwinter.
• If weeds grow nearby, they are cut off and left in the garden as mulch.

On a note! The mustaches should not be cut at the root; it is recommended to leave sections 8-10 cm long from the base of each of them. If you do not plan to transplant the strawberries, do not keep a lot of mustaches in the garden.

Immediately after pruning, it is necessary to feed the plants. It would be good to use organic matter at this time:

• wood ash;
• chicken droppings;
• compost;
• rotted manure.

Ash can be added in dry form or as an infusion. As a fertilizer, 150-200 g of ash are scattered on one square meter of land, or the same amount of substance is diluted in 10 liters of water; 0.5 liters of infusion will need to be added to each bush. This substance is rich in all elements vital for plants. After its application, it is no longer necessary to use additional phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

Bird droppings has a good effect on the development of berry bushes and crop formation. It is used not only in autumn, but also in spring. This fertilizer is considered highly concentrated; it must be diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10. The composition must sit for two days, after which it is suitable for use. Fertilizers are applied closer to the ground, trying not to get on the leaves and stems of strawberries.

Compost represents decomposed food and plant waste. Its application not only nourishes the crop, but also improves the soil structure. In autumn, it is better to add immature compost, which will gradually rot over the winter and warm the roots of the plants. The fertilizer is mixed with soil and spread under the bushes.

Rotted manure It is better to use in liquid form. Its application in the fall for berry crops is approved by experts. To prepare a nutrient solution, use a kilogram of mullein per bucket of water. The fertilizer needs to infuse a little, then strain and use for watering between the rows.

Advice! Sowing green manure will be beneficial for strawberries. Rye, wheat, rapeseed, oats, and phacelia are sown in the row spaces immediately after pruning. By the time frost sets in, a real green carpet will grow in the strawberry beds, which will serve to insulate the crop and enrich the soil.

Preparing strawberries for winter: video

Strawberries need watering until the very end of the growing season. Of course, in the fall, berry bushes no longer need as much moisture as during the ripening period of berries or in hot weather.

If regular rains begin, they can completely cover the plants' need for moisture. However, it is still recommended to water strawberries in dry and warm autumn. Particular attention should be paid to young, recently planted bushes. For successful rooting, the soil underneath should always be slightly moist. After each watering, the row spacing needs to be loosened.

On a note! Strawberries have a superficial root system, so the soil under the bush is loosened, moving 12-15 cm away from it.

Before covering the bushes for the winter, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment against pests and diseases. The most popular disinfectant is a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. Some people use pharmaceutical greens for these purposes. To prepare the solution, just dilute 10-15 drops of brilliant green in 10 liters of water. You can also use an ammonia solution by adding 3-4 tbsp. spoons of this substance into a bucket of water.

The good thing about autumn is that you can use chemicals without fear; the entire harvest has already been harvested, which means that harmful substances will not reach your table. At this time of year, even strong insecticides can be used if necessary. For lovers of environmental control methods, there are a number of biological products that strengthen the plant’s immunity, affect pests, and improve the condition of the soil. Among them are Zircon, Fitoverm, Fitosporin, Aktofit.

When to start preparing for winter by region

The gardener's goal should be to prepare strawberry bushes for winter in advance. After all, after pruning or replanting, plants need time to recover and adapt. They must have time to recover, produce new shoots and grow roots, so work cannot be carried out just before frost. The specific timing of preparatory work depends on the region. Additionally, you need to pay attention to what the weather is like.

The more time strawberries have for the recovery process, the better. Even if autumn offers warm weather, it is best to finish pruning the berries and process them in early September. Let the plants gain strength before sheltering for the winter, because fruiting seriously depletes the berry plants, especially for remontant varieties.

A feature of the Ural climate is the unpredictability of the weather and the early probability of frost. It is not recommended to mow strawberries here for the reason that they will not have time to recover before the arrival of frost. When the berry plant is left without leaves, flower buds are formed reluctantly and the yield may decrease next year. In the event that plants are affected by mites and fungal diseases, the leaves are cut off a month earlier than in the Moscow region, that is, in July.

In the conditions of the short Siberian summer, early-ripening varieties of strawberries are grown and they begin to prepare them for winter immediately after harvesting. In early August, old lower leaves and remaining flower stalks are removed from the plants. It is also necessary to remove old mulch from under the bushes, in which gray rot spores have settled. Young and healthy bushes are not pruned. In the fall, they only feed and water the plants so that they continue to develop during the remaining time until winter.

In the Leningrad region, autumn is most often rainy, so it is better to mow the bushes in August. In conditions of high humidity, fungal diseases and rot develop at tremendous speed. If you leave the foliage on the bushes, in the spring the strawberries will be affected by numerous diseases, and the harvest will be of poor quality. You will need to cover the plants after the ground freezes. On the eve of this event, the ridge is cleaned of old plants, dried flower stalks and excess tendrils.

Features of preparing different types of strawberries for winter

Regular and remontant strawberries have their own characteristics that need to be taken into account when holding autumn events. Ordinary varieties stop bearing fruit quite early, while remontant varieties continue to bloom until frost. Preparation for winter must be carried out taking into account the life cycle of plants.

After pruning, fertilizing and pest control have been carried out, it is time to prepare for winter. The bushes winter well under the snow, but the gardener cannot know in advance how snowy the winter will be. To be on the safe side, it is better to mulch the strawberries with plant materials.

The ideal option is the use of pine needles. The needles do not stick together, do not absorb excessive amounts of moisture, and repel mice. If it is difficult for you to get spruce branches or pine litter, use compost, humus, and straw for covering. Some people install arcs over the bed, which are then covered with spunbond.

On a note! For covering procedures, you should definitely wait for frost; low temperatures at the beginning of winter will serve as a kind of hardening for the strawberries and the bushes will withstand wintering more easily.

Planting strawberries in autumn

Remontant varieties of strawberries require more attention and care. If they are not properly prepared for winter, the harvest next season will be very poor. Such strawberries should go into the winter saturated with moisture, so they need moisture-recharging watering. Water the bushes regularly, with warm water, in the morning or evening.

You need to be prepared for the fact that some of the actively fruiting plants will die off due to heavy load and you may need to replant young bushes. The best time for this is August. Until the frosts, it is necessary to monitor the plants and pick off all flower stalks until the berries are under the snow. Without a mulch layer, it is difficult for a crop of remontant varieties to survive the winter. Use the same mulch for it as for conventional varieties: spruce spruce branches, pine needles, straw.

Preparing strawberries for winter: video

Those who have been growing strawberries for a long time have accumulated little tricks in their arsenal that help increase the yield of the crop and improve the quality of the berries. What do experienced summer residents recommend in caring for berry bushes in the fall? Here's what:

• As strawberry bushes grow, their roots become exposed; it is important to hill up the plants before covering them to avoid freezing of the root system.
• If you are in doubt whether you should radically prune the bushes for the winter or leave the strawberries to overwinter with leaves, check both options. Trim the plants on one half of the bed and leave the other half as is. Subsequently, the harvest will tell you in what form the strawberries will winter better.
• To get a bountiful harvest, choose varieties that bear fruit well: Queen Elizabeth, Albion, Lord, Russian Size, Elsanta and others.
• When fertilizing, do not use fertilizers that contain chlorine; strawberries react extremely negatively to chlorine-containing substances.
• Mulch not only conserves moisture for the roots and protects them from the cold, the mulch layer prevents various pests and pathogens from penetrating the root system. Strawberry bushes need to be mulched twice a year.
• Strawberries cannot be replanted if the ground is already frozen. If you did not have time to plant in time, postpone it until spring, otherwise the young seedlings will not survive the winter.
• After the snow covers the ground, throw snow with a shovel onto the bed with berries - this is the best and warmest shelter for strawberries.

It is not surprising that strawberries, like other crops, require certain agricultural practices. If you follow all the recommended rules, you can grow so many delicious berries that there will be enough not only for serving, but also for sale or processing. Adults and children love strawberries, and they are quite expensive, so it makes sense to grow them at your own dacha.

Strawberries are perennial herbaceous plants that form a kind of receptacle, which we call a berry. On top of the berry there are seeds, which are considered the true botanical fruits of the plant.
Depending on the variety, the bush can bear fruit for different periods of time. Gardeners most often use garden strawberries, which bear fruit within one month in the summer. Remontant strawberries are able to bear fruit throughout the entire season from early spring to late autumn.

How to care for berry beds depends on the variety. Remontant strawberries bloom throughout the season, which requires special feeding conditions, otherwise the number and size of the berries will not meet the gardener’s expectations.

Features of caring for remontant strawberries

The ability to bloom and produce berries throughout the season is due to the peculiarity of the buds from which the inflorescences are formed. They develop in the same year in which they are formed, which distinguishes the remontant variety from other types of strawberries.
Remontant strawberries are more sensitive to the quality and moisture of the soil, but their cultivation is advisable for obtaining berries throughout the season. Caring for strawberry bushes consists of several stages.

• Mulching. Carrying out the procedure is especially important when caring for remontant strawberries; this will preserve additional moisture in the soil and prevent the bushes from drying out. Sawdust or straw can be used as mulch. The mulch is laid out around the strawberry bushes and along the rows in a layer of 5-7 cm.
• Watering. Strawberries are very sensitive to lack of moisture, so it is recommended to regularly water the rows to prevent the bushes from drying out.
• Loosening. You need to loosen the row spacing, this is necessary for free air circulation at the roots. In parallel with loosening, it is advisable to hill up the bushes, this is due to the fact that during the growth process the roots can come to the surface of the soil and dry out.
• Weed removal. Weeds draw nutrients and moisture from the soil, clog the strawberry roots, as a result of which the plant is unable to grow and bear fruit normally.
• Fertilizer. For this purpose, mineral and organic fertilizers are used. The first fertilizing of the soil is carried out during preparation and digging of the soil before planting. The main fertilization is carried out when preparing the bed for winter in the fall. Spring fertilization is carried out only if it was not possible to fertilize in the fall.
• Removing a mustache. This does not apply to varieties that do not form tendrils and are propagated by seeds or by dividing the bush.
• Circumcision.
• Preparing for winter.

Pruning strawberry bushes

Many gardeners argue about the advisability of this procedure. Some argue that it is impossible to cut off the leaves because the bush loses nutrients obtained through the process of photosynthesis. But there are a number of arguments in favor of pruning strawberry bushes.

Advantage of Circumcision

• Hive update. By pruning, old and damaged leaves are removed, this allows new shoots to develop, which is difficult in the presence of old leaves. After pruning the bushes, the leaves quickly recover, so there is no danger to the plant.
• Pest and fungal disease control. Rust and other fungi multiply on the surface of leaves and spread to nearby leaves, causing damage to healthy leaves and neighboring plants. When removing cut parts of bushes from the garden bed, they will not be a source of infection of healthy parts of the plant.
• Wintering is better tolerated. Renewed leaves allow the bush to better cope with wintering.
• Possibility of using one bush for a longer time. Typically, bushes are used for harvesting for 3-4 years; if the bushes are regularly pruned, their service life can be increased to 5-6 years.
• The berries are larger. This is due to the fact that the bush is regularly updated.

Circumcision technique

• Garden strawberries are pruned in August; leaves cannot be pruned in late autumn. This is due to the fact that the plant needs to have time to put out fresh leaves before the first frost in order to survive the winter.
• Remontant varieties bloom throughout the season almost until the first frost, so you need to prune it in July, this will allow you to get several more harvests from the plant before the onset of winter after pruning. Remontant varieties of strawberries cannot be pruned after harvesting the last harvest; the bushes will not survive the winter.
• Pruning is done with a sharp knife or pruning shears; tearing off leaves and tendrils by hand can damage the integrity of the bush.
• It is forbidden to trim the bush to the very root.
• Leaves should be removed from the garden after pruning. Some gardeners use it as mulch, but this can be dangerous because fungi will transfer from cut bushes to new leaves and re-infect the plant. It is best to burn the leaves that are left after trimming rather than using them to fill a compost bin. The resulting compost may contain pathogens that will again spread throughout the area.

Preparing for winter

Strawberries for the winter should be prepared in the fall. The entire process of preparing for winter consists of several stages, the implementation of which will allow the plant to survive the winter normally.

The last preparatory measures before the winter period are carried out in October, at this time fertilizers are applied, and if necessary, the beds with strawberries can be additionally insulated. The last harvest of remontant strawberries is harvested in October and they are also prepared for the onset of winter.

• Reduce watering. Stopping watering will signal the plant that the growing season has stopped. The last watering should be carried out no later than mid-October after applying fertilizer. You can stop watering garden strawberries in early September.
• Bush pruning.
• Insulation. Typically, strawberry bushes survive the winter normally without the use of a covering, but in severe frosts with low precipitation, the strawberries should be insulated. If there is a small layer of snow, it can be raked onto the bush, thereby creating a natural fur coat. In the complete absence of snow, additional insulation is required. To do this, dry leaves or a manure-straw mixture are poured onto the bed in an even layer. The use of such materials for insulation is convenient because in the spring there is no need to remove them, and the material itself serves as an excellent fertilizer.
• Protecting flowers from frost. Remontant strawberries can bloom for a long time, this can lead to the flowers being damaged during night frosts, which will also affect the condition of the bush. To prevent this process, it is recommended to pick off flowers after frost or use methods to preserve heat around the bush. For this, a film can be used to cover the plants at night and remove them in the morning. You can also place buckets of water in the spaces between the rows, this will also prevent damage to the flowers.

To get the best harvest, you should know how to properly prepare strawberries for winter. In climatic conditions in which there is little precipitation, even mild frosts can be destructive for the bushes, so they should be additionally insulated. Particular attention should be paid to remontant varieties of strawberries, this is due to the fact that the plant is severely depleted during the growing season due to constant flowering and formation of berries; such bushes are not able to cope with the cold on their own.

Preparing a strawberry bed for winter must be done correctly, then the harvest of berries next season will please the gardener with the quality and quantity of the harvest.

One of the traditional agrotechnical techniques for caring for strawberries is pruning them. It helps prepare the berry plantation for the formation of the next harvest. Nevertheless, in modern horticultural society there are sometimes doubts about the need for such a procedure. Information about why you need to prune strawberries and how to do it correctly will help you understand their validity, promoting its active growth and increasing productivity.

Do I need to trim the leaves of strawberries?

Pruning strawberry bushes involves removing both tendrils and leaves. The latter retain their pure green color only for two months of the growing season, after which they age - they dry out, become stained, and lose immunity to pests and diseases. It is believed that without them it will be easier for the plant to strengthen the root system, increase winter hardiness and more easily survive the cold period, as well as get rid of pests and pathogens found on dried and damaged leaves. It will rejuvenate and be ready to produce a bountiful harvest of fruit next season.

Leaving the berry plantation in the same condition as it is, without pruning, is possible only if it is in a completely healthy condition - when none of the plants are affected by any disease and have no spots.

Strawberry mustaches are trimmed if you do not plan to use them for reproduction. Otherwise, thickening the plantings with them significantly reduces the crop yield.

Opponents of the “bareness” of strawberry bushes believe that since the foliage is involved in the process of feeding the roots, its removal will disrupt the processes of photosynthesis and impair the plants’ ability to absorb oxygen, which will affect the rate of their growth and development. In fact, this statement is true only in relation to young healthy bushes, the greenery of which remains healthy, juicy, untouched by pests and diseases throughout the growing season, which does not contradict the condition of the absence of the need for annual pruning of strawberries for the winter, mentioned above.

In addition, strawberries that reproduce with tendrils are capable of growing green mass very quickly, so pruning the foliage will not harm it.

When to prune strawberries

Experienced gardeners believe that the timing of pruning (or mowing leaves, as this procedure is also called) does not play a significant role. Strawberry leaves “retain youth” for no more than 2˗2.5 months. In July-August, they begin to dry out and become covered with rusty, red, whitish spots, indicating their aging, decreased immunity and the development of various diseases. Therefore, you can prune strawberries after fruiting at any time of the year. The main thing is that before the onset of cold weather, the bushes have time to grow new young shoots.

Based on this, in warm regions of Russia and in its central zone, the procedure can be carried out even at the beginning of autumn, and in cold regions, it is necessary to trim strawberry bushes in the summer - from July 20 to mid-August.

Benefits of autumn pruning

The development cycle of strawberries (strawberries) and the laying of the future harvest, unlike many other plants, occurs in the autumn period, and not in early spring. The formation of buds begins, the deposition of nutrients and sucrose in the stems. Many insect pests are losing activity. Therefore, it is logical to begin preparing strawberry beds for future fruiting at this time.

Pruning strawberries in the fall, not thoughtlessly, but at least a month and a half before the cold weather, will allow strong and prepared plants to overwinter more easily and quickly prepare for the new season in the spring. Before winter, the bushes will leave, bearing new strong leaves instead of cut ones, forming flower buds for next year, fertilized with nutrients.

Removing leaves from fruit-bearing bushes can lead to a decrease in yield only if it is done carelessly, touching the generative buds that form in the fall. If you cut them, the berries on such a bush will form in smaller quantities.

Advantages and disadvantages of spring pruning

After a winter, especially a frosty one with little snow, many strawberry plants lose some of their foliage. Using mulch in such cases helps preserve the roots from freezing, but does not save the green leaves. If there are a lot of diseased, rotten, damaged leaf blades in the beds after the snow has melted and the soil has dried, they must be carefully removed. Spring pruning helps to clean strawberry plants from “spoiled” greenery, cut off rotten, dead leaves and tendrils that will interfere with the accumulation of strength for fruiting.

This is a selective procedure: if pruning was carried out in the fall or at the end of summer, spring pruning is carried out only if the plants need it.

Bushes that are not pruned in the fall endure winter worse and suffer more from cold weather. Therefore, skipping autumn pruning can lead to deterioration in fruit quality and an overall decrease in yield. Although some gardeners believe that the losses are small and pruning can be neglected, they save time by carrying out total mowing in the spring.

How to trim strawberries

Strawberries are a tenacious plant; even after too much pruning, they completely restore themselves. But incorrect manipulation can slow down regeneration. Therefore, it is important to know how to properly carry out this process, which includes some other procedures - mandatory feeding, loosening the soil, mulching.

Leaf trimming

Using a sharp and clean pruning shears at a height of 5-7 cm from the ground in the fall, cut off the entire upper part of the strawberry bush, holding it with the other hand in assembled form. This allows you not to damage the “heart”, that is, not to touch the generative growth buds that rise a couple of centimeters above the soil surface. When pruning in spring, 3-5 healthy young leaves are left on the bush. All cuttings, rotten leaves from the ground, weeds are carefully removed and burned.

After pruning, strawberries need to be helped to survive this procedure as easily as possible. To do this, carefully loosen the soil in the beds (for this, experienced gardeners advise using a metal rod rather than a hoe), after which they water it with a pink (weak) solution of potassium permanganate, an infusion of ash, or apply complex mineral fertilizers (you can purchase a product specifically for strawberry crops) .

If you trim strawberry leaves in this way, the plants will be rejuvenated and will be stimulated to grow new greenery.

Mustache trimming

The question of what to do with a strawberry mustache is especially relevant in the summer. The shoots of strawberry bushes spread in all directions very quickly. If there are no plans to expand the plantation in such a spontaneous way, the mustache is removed. They are cut off with a sharp pruner, leaving 5-7 cm at the base, then the rosettes that have taken root are removed. If they have grown too much into the soil, use a hoe or knife to remove them.

If there is a desire to propagate the variety, for this purpose use the first (maximum second) rosette from the mother bush, which has already taken root. This is the best, most powerful planting material. Such rosettes are planted in a separate bed.

You cannot pick off leaves or tendrils by hand. The force applied by hand pulling affects the roots, damaging them, which leads to deterioration of the plant.

Pruning remontant varieties

Types of strawberries that bear fruit throughout the season are called remontant. They also need pruning. In the fall, complete pruning of remontant strawberries is carried out, and during the entire fruiting period, selective pruning is carried out, eliminating only damaged areas of the bushes. This is especially true when growing strawberries in a greenhouse.

Some remontant varieties require thinning - cutting out excess stems in early spring. In order for the berries to be large and full-bodied, 7-8 stems are left on a biennial plant. At each harvest, they try to remove excess tendrils so that the plant’s energy is spent on the formation of new ovaries.

Pruning strawberries is a simple process, but if done on time, it is a powerful stimulus for the plant to new growth, rejuvenation and increased productivity.

Growing remontant strawberries has its own rules and nuances. Caring for it requires a competent approach and constant work. All efforts will pay off in that the berries can be picked several times a year, and the bushes will not lose their ability to bear fruit for 3-4 years, which is considered a very high indicator.

Types of remontant strawberries

Remontant strawberry varieties can be grouped into several types.

• Long daylight varieties (LDC)– this group includes those that form flowers and set berries only when the daylight hours are at least 10 hours. The first flowers and ovaries appear in mid-June, and the berries become ripe in late June - early July. The second wave of flowering occurs in mid-August, and berries can be collected almost throughout September. The berries are large, the pulp is aromatic and sweet. The disadvantage of this type of strawberry is that it becomes very depleted over the course of a year, which is why it does not overwinter well, and sometimes requires a complete renewal in the next season. Caring for it involves constant feeding and monitoring the growth of the mustache.
• Day Neutral Varieties (NDN)– these varieties bear fruit no matter how long the day is. On one plantation you can simultaneously see flowers, ovaries, green and red berries. This type of strawberry is more suitable for bearing fruit all year round, and if care is regular, then the harvest from one bush can be harvested for at least three years. The main modern varieties belong specifically to this type of strawberry.

Strawberries also differ in that some varieties produce mustaches, while others do not. In the former, reproduction can occur due to the separation and transplantation of rosettes formed at the ends of the whiskers. The latter reproduce by dividing the bushes, on which several divisions are formed with a separate growth point.

The varieties of strawberries that form mustaches also differ from each other: in some, most of the berries are set on mother plants, while in others, on daughter rosettes. The care for these varieties is different - some have their whiskers removed, which increases fruiting, while others do not.

When planting remontant strawberries, you must take a responsible approach to choosing a variety, taking into account all its features, so as not to make mistakes in growing and caring for it.

Methods for propagating remontant strawberries

There are several ways to propagate remontant strawberries:

• seeds;
• rosettes formed on the tendrils produced by the mother plant;
• by dividing the bush (more often used in those varieties that do not have mustaches).

The method of propagation by seeds is more labor-intensive, and you may not be able to wait for berries next year. But it is suitable if you want to plant a new variety on your site.

Propagation by means of mustaches and dividing the bush is effective; it allows you to quickly rejuvenate the garden bed completely, plant bushes in places where the strawberries have not overwintered, and get a harvest this year.

To collect berries all year round, it is recommended to plant several types of strawberries in one area: regular ones, which bear fruit in early summer, varieties of the NSD group and several bushes of the DSD group. Berries will be on your table from the first days of June until the end of September.

Propagation by seeds

When propagating remontant strawberries by seeds, use. The time for sowing seeds is February or the first days of March.

You can choose a later date, but then the seedlings will have to be planted in the summer, and in hot weather they will require painstaking care: frequent watering, protection from the scorching sun, spraying. The survival rate of seedlings will not be one hundred percent.

If you were late with sowing seeds in February, then it is better to grow the seedlings in the summer and plant them in the garden in early September, but not later.

Sowing seeds

Seeds are sown in loose, moist soil, sprinkled with dry soil and covered with cellophane. Place on a sunny windowsill - the place should be warm. At a temperature of about +20°, the first shoots will appear in three weeks.

The cellophane is immediately removed, the container with the seedlings is transferred to a cooler place, but the lighting should be bright. It is advisable to install additional lighting, then the bushes will not stretch out.

Seedling care

Caring for seedlings is simple:

• watering;
• lighting control - it should be at least 10 hours a day;
• ventilation of the room.

At this stage, strawberries grow slowly; picking is carried out no earlier than after two months.

When the seedlings have 4-5 true leaves, they need to be transplanted into separate cups. For good development of the root system, a glass volume of 200 ml is sufficient.

When transplanting, seedlings should not be deepened. The growing point should be at ground level.

After picking, caring for the seedlings should continue in the same way as before.

Planting in the garden

Young strawberries are planted in the garden when the weather is consistently warm - without night frosts and cold morning fogs. In the middle zone this time falls in mid-May, in more northern regions - in early June.

Before planting, be sure to accustom the strawberries to the sun's rays. They start with several hours, and the hardening time is increased daily.

When replanting, you must ensure that the center of the bush (heart) is not buried. It should not rise above ground level either, because this will lead to the roots drying out and the seedling dying.

When planted in spring, berries may set this year, but only closer to autumn.

Planting of bushes is carried out according to a 25x25 cm pattern in a checkerboard pattern, while only 4 rows of strawberries are possible in one bed.

Can be planted in rows in two lines. Leave 20 cm between bushes in a line, and 60 cm between rows.

Reproduction by mustache

After the strawberries bear fruit for the first time in a season, the most powerful tendrils are left, and all the rest are cut off. When several rosettes form on the tendrils, choose the largest one, which is usually located closer to the mother plant. All others are removed so that they do not take away some of the nutrients.

When roots appear on the rosettes, they are buried in the ground, but not separated from the main bush. This can be done only in August, two weeks before transplantation to a permanent place.

When transplanted in autumn, young bushes quickly take root and adapt to new conditions. They produce berries as early as next summer, and harvesting occurs all year round without interruption.

Dividing strawberry bushes

For division, choose a large healthy bush, in which several divisions with separate growth points are noticeably visible. It is advisable that the strawberries be 2 or 3 years old. The bush is carefully dug up and divided using a sharp, clean knife. Those parts that have good roots - at least three of them - are transplanted to a new place.

When dividing a bush, berries will form on it the very next year, regardless of what time of year the division was carried out.

Selecting a location and preparing the bed

In order for the yield to be high all year round, and caring for strawberries to be easy, you need to choose a suitable place for it. Strawberries prefer loose, light soils that contain sand. The soil is preferably slightly acidic or neutral. The area should be illuminated by the sun all day. Strawberries will not grow on heavy, highly acidic soils, even if proper care is provided.

Although strawberries are a moisture-loving plant and the largest number of ovaries are formed with sufficient watering, they cannot tolerate stagnant water and die.

Place for strawberries is prepared in advance. If planting is planned in the spring, then the bed is prepared in the fall; if the seedlings are planted in September, then the bed should be taken care of in May:

1. the bed is cleared of weeds, their roots are selected;
2. organic fertilizers are applied: per 1 m2, one bucket of well-rotted manure or decomposed compost and half a bucket of ash is enough;
3. digging is carried out using a full bayonet shovel;
4. To prevent weeds from growing in the garden bed in the summer, it is covered with black agrofibre and left there until planting begins.

15-20 days before planting is planned, a complex of mineral fertilizers is applied. You can buy it ready-made, or you can make it yourself using just two ingredients.

• potassium sulfate – 1 tablespoon;
• superphosphate - 2 tablespoons.

Caring for remontant strawberries

Caring for remontant strawberries is more labor-intensive than regular ones. It includes many mandatory events.

• Frequent watering to keep the soil moist.
• Loosening the soil as soon as it dries a little after watering.
• Removing the whiskers if they do not produce berries and there are no plans to reproduce by daughter rosettes.
• Mulching with hay, straw, grass clippings, sawdust or pine needles will reduce the frequency of watering, the need for loosening will disappear, and the berries will not be splashed with soil after rains.
• In order for remontant strawberries to bear fruit all year round, they must be fed frequently. Fertilizers are applied after the first harvest, and the next time - when new flower stalks appear. Fertilizing with mullein infusion (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) has worked well.
• The foliage of remontant strawberries is not removed after the first fruiting. Only those leaves that have begun to dry out, are covered in spots, or are heavily thickening the plantings are trimmed.
• The leaves are cut off in the fall after the last berries have been collected and the foliage has begun to dry out. In regions with cold winters, it is better to postpone this procedure to the spring and remove the leaves after the last snow has melted.
• In cold winters, it is advisable to cover the beds with white agrofibre, but it must be removed at the first warming.

Conclusion

With proper constant care, remontant strawberries bear fruit regularly, but their lifespan does not exceed three years, and plantings require renewal. Autumn is best for planting, because at this time most of the seedlings take root, and the next season, in the second half of summer, you can already pick berries.

Remontant strawberries, or as they are more correctly called, remontant garden strawberries, can increasingly be found in the garden plots of not only amateurs, but also professionals. It sometimes inhabits large territories, and the owners are happy with this coexistence. However, to my surprise, many people still have questions about the proper care of remontant garden strawberries, as if this overseas miracle was brought to our land just a couple of days ago.

Caring for remontant strawberry bushes. © Uteki

The main difference between remontant garden strawberries and ordinary ones is its ability to bloom and, accordingly, bear fruit twice a season, without interruption. Only a small fraction of plants have this ability - raspberries and a number of citrus fruits.

Garden strawberries of remontant varieties can lay flower buds either in long daylight conditions (for example, the Garland variety) or in neutral daylight conditions (for example, the Miracle of the World variety). It is noteworthy that varieties capable of setting flower buds in long daylight conditions produce approximately 40% of their harvest in July and up to 60% of their harvest in August.

Remontant garden strawberries, capable of laying flower buds in neutral daylight conditions, bloom and bear fruit throughout the warm period, gradually yielding their harvest. Considering the great wear and tear of plants, plantations of remontant strawberries that bear fruit twice a year also need to be changed once every three years, and those that bear fruit throughout the warm period - once every two years, each time changing the location of the plot.

In our material we will try to bring to your attention in as much detail as possible the subtleties of caring for remontant garden strawberries.

How to properly care for remontant garden strawberries?

By and large, varieties of remontant strawberries cannot be called capricious; they are all quite unpretentious, but they still have their own subtleties in care. For example, everyone knows that modern large-fruited varieties of remontant strawberries can form berries weighing from 65 to 90 grams or more. Naturally, this will most likely lead to fairly rapid depletion of the soil and the need to apply additional fertilizers. This may be why a number of gardeners, contrary to general opinion, advise removing the very first spring flower stalks.

Then the second harvest of remontant strawberries, firstly, will be much earlier than expected, therefore, the plants will prepare for winter without human intervention. Secondly, the berries will be tastier and larger. Sometimes the total harvest after such a simple technique even exceeds two total harvests or an all-season harvest for remontant varieties of a different type.

Caring for remontant garden strawberries includes strictly mandatory steps - this is indispensable watering (the plants must be provided with plenty of moisture), fertilizer (everything is good here in moderation, but the plants should not suffer from a deficiency of one or another element), loosening the soil (after each watering and rain to avoid the formation of a soil crust when air and water exchange is disrupted), mulching the beds (after each watering, as it inhibits the growth of weeds and the formation of a soil crust), weed control (especially wheatgrass - the most malicious competitor of crops) , destruction of pests and diseases (at the earliest stages of their manifestation), pruning bushes (a specific procedure for remontant strawberries) and, finally, preparation for winter (an important stage in the life of remontant garden strawberries).

Important! Gardeners who have been through fire and water recommend that you always mulch the beds with remontant garden strawberries, because the root system of this berry crop, unlike the common garden strawberry, is located high, and the plants very often suffer from a banal lack of moisture. To save irrigation water, you need to use mulch almost immediately after watering (and it is better to water with water at room temperature and in the evening). The mulch can be spruce needles, sawdust, straw, humus, hay, or ordinary mown grass. In addition to protecting against moisture loss, mulch will also protect the berries from being splashed with soil during rain and watering and will inhibit the growth of weeds (don’t forget about them too!).

Caring for remontant strawberries. © Aliceson

Watering remontant strawberries

Remontant varieties of garden strawberries need to be watered more often than ordinary garden strawberries, especially in the dry seasons of the year. Immediately after planting the seedlings, the plants need to be watered every day, then after five to six days, watering can be done every other day, and ultimately, watering just a couple of times a month will be enough.

To water remontant strawberries, you can only use warm water at room temperature; it’s great if it’s rainwater collected in a barrel painted black. You can water the plantings both in the morning and in the evening. When watering, try to ensure that the soil in the area where remontant garden strawberries grow is moistened by two to three centimeters at a time.

As for the mulch of remontant strawberries, as we already wrote above, it is needed, but it is not at all necessary to cover the soil with mulch immediately after watering; this can be done the next day. Instead of mulch, if, for example, it rains, the soil between the rows can be carefully loosened. But remember: it is very important not to damage the roots, which, as we have already written, are located closer to the soil surface than those of common strawberries. The main thing when mulching or loosening is to avoid soil crust so that air can freely penetrate to the roots.

If there is no rain for a long period and the soil dries out, then you can break all the rules of watering and moisten the soil almost every day, without allowing the soil to dry out too much, this is very important. If the soil is already very dry, for example, in a country house where you have not been for several days, then first very carefully loosen the soil and then water it, but do not do the opposite. Frequent watering is especially important for day-neutral varieties of remontant strawberries; why, I think there is no need to explain here. These same varieties require more frequent and thorough weeding, especially after rain and the removal of dying leaves that turn red.

Fertilizer for remontant strawberries

It is clear that remontant garden strawberries can be severely depleted and they definitely need proper feeding. Remontant garden strawberries most actively consume elements such as nitrogen and potassium from the soil. But she needs phosphorus, but to an insignificant extent. Taking this into account, fertilizing with phosphorus can be carried out only once, adding doses of superphosphate (15-20 g per square meter) only when planting a plantation of remontant garden strawberries.

An approximate feeding scheme for remontant strawberries is as follows:

Usually, the first feeding of remontant strawberries is carried out in the third ten days of May, during this period they use urea, the composition is very weak - one gram or two (if the soil is poor, per bucket of water), this is the norm per square meter of soil. Approximately in the second half of June, when peduncles of repeated fruiting begin to actively form, you can add mullein (1:10 - in the amount of 0.5 liters per square meter or bird droppings 1:15 - in the amount of 0.3 liters per square meter). It is quite acceptable, along with organic fertilizers, to use newfangled mineral fertilizers, such as Kristallin Solution or Kemira Lux.

In general, ideally, the entire season should be stretched out so that there are about ten fertilizers, alternating these fertilizers.

The second option for feeding remontant strawberries is when, at the very beginning of June, the plants are fed not only with slurry diluted 10 times and bird droppings 15 times, but also with the addition of 1% urea (1 g per bucket of water), this entire composition should be used on 2 - 3 square meters of area.

Fertilizer for remontant strawberries. © SunnysideLOCAL

Diseases of remontant strawberries

Gray rot

Remontant garden strawberries are often attacked by gray rot. It manifests itself most actively in dense plantations, where the soil is not loosened and frequent watering is carried out, especially with sprinkling and cold water. Gray rot can affect all above-ground organs of the plant, which will lead to losses of up to 85% of the entire crop. In order to prevent the appearance of gray rot on remontant strawberries, it is necessary to plant on the site in accordance with the characteristics of the growth and development of a particular variety, to mulch the soil, as well as sufficient, but not excessive watering. At the first sign of infection, the affected parts of the plants should be removed.

As a preventive measure, you can treat plants at the very beginning of the growing season with 2.0% Bordeaux mixture, and after harvesting at the very end of the growing season, to consolidate the result, with a 1% solution of colloidal sulfur.

There are also fungicides to combat the disease, but you can only use approved ones, in full accordance with the instructions on the package, for example, Strobi, Switch, Euparen, Triadimefon (Bayleton), Captan. The biological product Alirin-B is considered the safest from the list of recommended ones.

Brown spot

It manifests itself when, as in the previous case, strawberry plantings are thickened, there is too much moisture, and day and night temperatures fluctuate noticeably. As a preventive measure in the spring, remove all dry leaves so that the infection does not “settle” on them and treat with 2% Bordeaux mixture. Do not forget about mulching, which will not allow the fungus to reach the surface.

If the disease is very active, then use approved fungicides, strictly following the instructions on the package, for example, Skor, Strobi, Fundazol.

Powdery mildew

The first sign of the appearance of this disease is the purple color of the strawberry leaf blades, then they curl and become ash-gray, as if sprinkled with old flour. If you don’t want this disease to come visit you, then in early spring, treat the plants with a weak (slightly pink) solution of potassium permanganate or 1% colloidal sulfur.

There are also fungicides, but use only approved ones and exactly in accordance with the instructions on the package, for example, Topaz, Fundazol, Tilt, Strobi and Fitosporin-M.

Brown spotting on strawberry leaves. © Tip10
Powdery mildew on strawberry leaves. © gov.au

Pests of remontant strawberries

The first pests of remontant strawberries on my site are slugs. I saved myself from them by planting garlic between the rows: honestly, I never saw a single slug again.

Strawberry mite

It is considered a much more dangerous pest of strawberries: if it damages young leaves, they curl and turn yellow quite actively. The plant itself is sharply inhibited in growth. The mite can infect from half to the entire plantation, and without treatment it can lead to its death.

A 3% solution of colloidal sulfur helps to overcome mites, but it can only be used very early in the spring and after the entire harvest has been harvested. Well, and of course, various types of approved acaricides.

Strawberry nematode

Usually, if a strawberry is infected with a nematode, its leaves become deformed and curled. A characteristic feature can be seen on the petioles: they become too fragile and sometimes break even from the wind. Fruiting on such plants is either weak or absent altogether. The nematode is considered a quarantine pest; if it is present on the site, plants must be immediately removed and burned.

Spider mite

Usually the strawberry leaves seem to become limp, and if you turn them over, you will notice traces of the mite’s activity – a cobweb. As a result, the leaf blades turn yellow and dry out prematurely. Gardeners write that Karbofos helps very well against spider mites. After harvesting the entire crop, they process the plants and cover them with film for several days.

Signs of damage to strawberries by strawberry or cyclamen mites. © K. Lynch Dead strawberry plants infected with strawberry nematode. © Surendra Dara Strawberries affected by spider mites. © Surendra Dara

Pruning remontant strawberries

Caring for remontant strawberry bushes, among other things, also includes pruning. Typically, pruning bushes is enough to do once a season - either in spring or autumn.

If you live in a cold region where remontant strawberries require shelter, then pruning should be done in the autumn. This is done as follows: after the final harvest of the entire harvest, the lower leaf blades are removed from the bush, trying not to touch the upper leaf blades, because it is in their axils that the fruit buds are laid, from which the fruits will form in the next season.

In the event that berries do not form on the mustache at all and the gardener does not plan to propagate remontant garden strawberries in this way, then removal of the mustache is mandatory.

Remember, however, this rule: after the first fruiting of remontant garden strawberries, the removal of the whiskers is usually not carried out, but the leaves that have begun to dry out, have formed spots or are hiding more developed and healthy leaves must be removed. Removing such leaves can be done in the fall, immediately after harvesting the entire harvest, when the foliage slowly begins to dry out.

If you are a resident of a cold region, then take your time and postpone this operation to the spring, remove such leaves after the snow cover has completely melted.

Important! Many people neglect to trim dead leaves and tendrils of remontant garden strawberries, but their removal is like a shield that protects plants from pathogens, because it is on diseased, old foliage that the infection overwinters.

Autumn care and preparation for wintering

Long sunny day remontant strawberry plants often do not ripen fully by the end of the season, especially if they are not grown in a greenhouse. Taking this into account, not only is part of the harvest lost, but sometimes plants that do not have time to adapt to cold weather and frost also suffer. The best option to save such plants is to cover them with fresh straw 5-8 cm thick, and throw spruce branches on top, which will keep the straw from flying all over the area.

Remontant garden strawberry. © siliconinvestor

Bottom line

As you can see, growing remontant garden strawberries does not present any particular difficulties and even a beginner, not to mention a professional, can cope with this task.

Do not forget, however, even though we have already written about this, that the lifespan of the plantation should be no more than three years, after which the plantings need to be renewed.