How to care for strawberries in the fall and properly prepare them for winter. Proper care of strawberries in autumn Strawberry autumn processing

I spent almost the entire previous summer fighting aphids in the strawberry beds. A neighbor advised treating the entire garden bed with ash in the fall so that there would be no aphid infestation next season. In addition to this, I also carried out the rest of the mandatory autumn processing of the strawberry bed. This summer, for the first time, my favorite strawberries were not attacked by any insect pests! And I was able to harvest a double harvest of berries. In this article I will tell you how to properly prepare a berry bed for winter and how to treat it against common diseases and pests.

If, after picking the berries, you simply abandon the strawberry bed until next spring, then pests may grow under the fallen or diseased leaves, and weak bushes in early spring they will catch some disease, which will then spread throughout the entire garden. Therefore, every autumn it is imperative to prepare plants for winter.

  • Cutting off leaves - Any diseased or old leaves must be cut off and thrown away. At the same time, it is advisable to cut off unnecessary tendrils. The less excess there is, the easier it will be for strawberries to survive the winter. But if seedlings are required for the next season, then the tendrils are not touched until spring.
  • Pruning bushes - Gardeners have divided opinions about this procedure. Some advocate pruning the bushes so that the strawberries can rest, while others believe that they should not be touched. Therefore, in this case, you can conduct an experiment by cutting off one half and leaving the other as is. In the summer you will be able to see which half of the crop has increased.
  • Weeding - Be sure to weed all the ground from weeds so that next year their number has decreased significantly. You need to pull it out along with the roots, and then thoroughly loosen the ground.
  • Replanting - Every three years it is necessary to renew the bushes. To do this, transplant the first rosette with full leaves and roots. This procedure can be done not only in autumn, but also in spring.
  • Feeding - Of course, the most important feeding is in the spring. But in the fall it is also necessary to feed, but this should be done carefully, since there are substances that will prevent strawberries from hibernating normally. For example, nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of greenery on plants. It is enough to give a weak solution of chicken manure, dissolving one part in ten liters of water. It can be replaced with manure or humus. As a last resort, sprinkle the entire soil with wood ash, which will not only fertilize the soil, but also protect it from insect pests.
  • Shelter - In regions where winter is very changeable or frosty, the entire bed must be covered in any way: dry raspberry branches, tops, spandbond, agrotex, spruce or pine needles. The main thing is that the material allows air to pass through. Polyethylene film It is undesirable to cover it, otherwise pathogenic bacteria may develop under it. For the same reason, experienced gardeners do not recommend using sawdust as mulching. Mulching with straw is quite suitable, but you should take into account that mice can live in it, so it is worth installing nearby ultrasonic repeller rodents or poison for them.

The more thoroughly the treatment is carried out in the fall, the easier it will be for the plant to bear fruit next season, and the gardener will be able to take a break from fighting pests and diseases.

Diseases

The most common diseases of strawberries are: black and gray mold, brown and white spotting, powdery mildew. Their occurrence is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, every autumn it is imperative to spray the plants against a disease that is more common in this area or with which the greens are already infected.

Powdery mildew

To protect the planting or get rid of this fungus, it is enough to treat everything with one of any preparations:

  • Colloidal sulfur - Dissolve 100 grams of sulfur in a ten-liter bucket of warm water, mix well and water the entire soil.
  • Copper sulfate - 5 grams of liquid are diluted in a ten-liter bucket copper sulfate, then pour in a piece of grated laundry soap. Mix everything well and spray the bushes in early autumn.
  • Potassium permanganate solution - So many grains of potassium permanganate are dissolved in a bucket so that the water is light pink, after which the bushes are thoroughly sprayed. If you overdo it with the amount of grains, the leaves can get burned.
  • Sulfaride - With its help, you can prevent the appearance of powdery mildew; to do this, dissolve 2 tablespoons of this drug in a bucket of water. Then use a spray bottle to spray all the leaves and stems of the strawberries.
  • Topaz - This drug works very effectively and quickly. To do this, pour one ampoule of this drug into a ten-liter bucket of warm liquid, after which all parts of the plant are sprayed. This procedure is carried out in calm and cloudy weather.


Rot and spotting

You can get rid of these destructive diseases with the help of recipes:

  • Nitrophen - With its help you can not only protect plants from diseases, but also get rid of ticks and aphids. Treatment is carried out in October, shortly before the onset of winter. To do this, dilute about 150 grams of dark brown paste in a bucket of water. This product treats not only plants, but also the ground around them. Then rot and spotting will not be able to take root here.
  • Universal remedy - In a ten-liter bucket of warm water, dissolve two tablespoons of ash, vinegar, three tablespoons sunflower oil, pour half a liter liquid soap. Stir well and spray not only the plants, but also the ground around them.
  • Copper oxychloride - It is sprayed after harvesting. To do this, dissolve one tablespoon of copper oxychloride in a bucket of warm water.

Insect pests

Many insects want to feast on sweet berries, tasty leaves and nectar from flowers. In large quantities, they can completely destroy a strawberry bush. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out autumn treatment against them so that wintering insects or their larvae cannot survive the winter.

  • Whitefly - The drugs “Aktara” and “Intavir” will help you quickly get rid of this small pest. Before use, they are dissolved in liquid according to the instructions on the package.
  • Weevils - Gardeners most often get rid of them using a decoction of wormwood. To do this, collect a kilogram of wormwood and boil it in a four-liter saucepan of water for about ten minutes. Then dilute with five liters of liquid, add a little soap and spray all parts of the greenery. The following drugs work well: Fitoverm, Iskra-Bio, Actellik.
  • Strawberry mite - Spraying with a solution of potassium permanganate will help get rid of such insects that are almost invisible to the eye. Only this solution should be light pink and hot. Potassium permanganate can be replaced with copper sulfate; for this, 300 grams of this substance are diluted in a bucket of water. Among the folk remedies, one very effective tincture made from garlic and onion peels helps. It is recommended to infuse only this husk in water for about five days. Then filter and spray. You can use chopped garlic instead of peels.
  • Nematode - This is the most dangerous pest in the form of millimeter-sized light brown worms, from which the plant can no longer be saved; all that remains is to pull out the bushes and burn them. In parallel with the infected one, two neighboring healthy ones are pulled out and also burned. And the rest of the plants and the entire land are treated with the following products: “Vitaros”, “Urea”, “Skor”. Nothing has been planted on this land for about three years.
  • Slugs and snails - They are first collected by hand so that none remain on the leaves, then the soil around the plants is covered with ash or spruce needles. The drug used is “Metaldehyde,” whose granules are placed in small quantities next to the bushes.
  • Aphids - The best way to get rid of them is a decoction of wood ash. To do this, boil 300 grams of ash in a two-liter saucepan for about half an hour, then filter and dilute with a bucket of water. For a better effect, add grated soap, then water all the strawberries. Among the drugs you can use Nitrofen.
  • Thrips - First, diseased greenery is pulled out and burned away from the area, then all upper layer soils in which larvae can accumulate. After which everything is thoroughly watered with a decoction of chopped garlic or yarrow. Then the bed is covered with new soil.

Processing times

Before you begin autumn cultivation, you must first take into account the variety of strawberries, since they bear fruit differently. Some earlier, some later, and some even twice a season. If fruiting lasts until the end of August, then the treatment is carried out somewhere in October. If the harvest ended in July, then they are processed at the end of August, without waiting for the air temperature to drop to zero. Experienced gardeners It is recommended to mulch for the winter berry crop so that it does not weaken from severe frosts or lack of snow.

Conclusion

The health and fruiting of strawberries during the next season depends on proper autumn processing. Therefore, every autumn it is necessary to carry out the following mandatory procedures:

  • Weeding.
  • Cutting off diseased leaves and bushes.
  • Feeding with useful substances.
  • Treatment against insect pests and diseases.
  • Covering for the winter.

Bushes can be replanted in the spring. If possible, in the fight against pests and diseases, first of all use folk remedies. If they do not work, then they are treated with drugs.

How to process strawberries in the fall so as to protect them in winter can be found in this article.

First of all, properly prepare the plantation for processing with the help of advice from experienced summer residents.

You need to know how to properly fertilize strawberries so that they grow without diseases. It is important to protect it from pests and various insects.

Let's protect strawberries for the winter with the help of special coverings.

Treatment of strawberries in the fall against pests and diseases is successful harvest in the future, providing strawberries with health for a long time.

After harvesting a good harvest, it is necessary to ensure good harvest and in the future tense. To do this, you need to treat the strawberry bushes and properly prepare them for winter.

The advice of experienced summer residents will help.

Preparation for processing

Before we start loosening, pruning and fertilizing, let's first prepare the plantation. What needs to be done? Read on.

Get rid of all dried leaves

Powdery mildew damages a large amount of greenery, which must first be removed. You can simply pick it off and trim it. Collect everything collected in one pile and burn it, otherwise the infection will adversely affect the strawberries.

Some gardeners believe that they should not disrupt natural processes and remove leaves, but there are many opinions and, based on the experience of many people, it is worth removing excess leaves.

You can conduct the following experiment: cut half of the plantation beds and remove the leaves, leave the other half. What comes out of this experience can be learned at the next harvest.

Leaves need to be trimmed very carefully. Use scissors to cut only the necessary blades without touching the stems. Get rid of all tendrils.

Replant bushes

This is done very rarely, approximately once every 6 years, depending on the care. When the time has come, you should move the rosette further away so that you will be pleased with the aroma of strawberries the next time you pick them.

How to fertilize correctly

Many summer residents forget that in addition to summer and spring, it is extremely important to fertilize the soil in the fall.

Pure organic approvals will not work as they can burn the leaves.

Here excellent fertilizer there will be widespread chicken droppings, humus or manure.

Wood ash will also be an excellent soil fertilizer. It will also help as insect control. Place a handful under the bush.

In order to make live fertilizer from wood ash, you need to pour a glass of ash with ten liters of water and let it sit. Then divide and water each bush.

Mineral fertilizers such as superphosphates or potassium salt are suitable.

Important to know: no chlorine-containing substances. Strawberries don't like chlorine.

It is also important to remember to mulch the grass with straw or sawdust to ensure safety from large quantity weeds.

Nitrogen fertilizers are not suitable in the fall. They are used only in spring. Because of them, in the fall the plants may begin to grow very tall, which is undesirable.

We fight pests and diseases

From whiteflies and ticks

In the vastness of strawberry plantations, you can find pests such as whiteflies, strawberry mites or weevils.

Experienced summer residents advise fighting them with folk remedies.

This method works great:

For 10 liters of water at a temperature of 30 degrees, use 3 tablespoons of liquid soap, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons each of vinegar and ash.

Apply this solution to all soil, foliage, and bushes.

From weevil

How to get rid of weevils on strawberries using folk remedies

Some people like chemicals, others like folk ones. It’s up to the summer resident to decide, but folk remedies have been considered effective since ancient times. Let's consider methods of struggle.

Onion peel

We use a three-liter jar. We place onion peels and celandine there 2 to 1 per 1/3 of the jar. Pour boiling water over and strain. When the solution has cooled, spray the leaves. We repeat the process after 2 weeks.

Laundry soap

200 grams of soap per 10 liters of water. This solution is sprayed on strawberries during budding.

Mustard

Dissolve mustard powder in warm water approximately 3 liters. Carry out the treatment at the same time as with laundry soap - during the budding period.

Potassium permangantsovka

For 10 liters of water – 5 grams.

Garlic

Infuse for a week in 10 liters of water - 100 grams of garlic, add pine extract - 400 ml. and boric acid about 2 tablespoons.

Covering strawberries for the winter

It all depends on the harsh winter temperatures, that is, from the area.

Shelter under spruce branches

If heavy frosts are expected, then you should cover the strawberries with spruce branches. A little later, in winter, cover it with snow on top.

Mulching

Another method is mulching.

There are many options here - straw, sawdust, hay, reeds, peat and others. All of them will create warmth for the strawberry and will warm cold winter. The main thing is not to forget to remove the mulch in the spring so that the strawberries do not burn.

But mulching in this way has its disadvantages:

  • The mulch needs to be renewed every year;
  • Attracting all kinds of pests;
  • Soil oxidation.

Polyethylene film

A good method for dealing with frost and frost, but it also has a number of disadvantages:

  • Overheating of roots;
  • Disruption of the work of earthworms, which favorably promote growth;
  • Restriction of soil in the air;
  • Limit the soil to plenty of water.

You can help strawberries survive winter stress by spraying them with a special stimulant Zirconium.

Black covering material

It is considered the most common and comfortable material for covering strawberries for the winter.

There are many myths about it not leaking water, but this only happens when it is new. Its suitability can be checked immediately and you can make sure that water flows in easily and without problems.

With the help of black covering material, strawberries will live for 3 to 4 years without any problems.

Some covering materials are sold with special holes for strawberries.

Other materials for covering strawberries

There are also white-black, yellow-black, white-red materials. What makes them special?

For example, yellow-black material differs in that yellow color All kinds of pests and insects are attracted, thereby protecting the plant. And the black color helps reduce weed growth.

Autumn processing is a guarantee of a rich and high-quality harvest in the coming season. Cut and remove old leaves, loosen and feed, cover plants on winter period- this is the basic care of strawberries. Autumn work with this crop they begin after the fruiting phase.

Weeding and loosening

The basic rule of pruning is: don't overdo it. For each bush, you need to cut off the leaf blade itself, preserving the protruding stems. Thus, the growing point remains intact, and the bushes soon begin to sprout new leaves. All tendrils of berry bushes also need to be removed.

Top dressing

Fertilizer application is another one important stage on the question of how to care for strawberries in the fall. The plant responds well to organic nutrients: bird (chicken) droppings, horse manure, mullein or humus. Gardeners also often add it (it replaces fertilizing well).

Concerning mineral fertilizers, you can use superphosphate or potassium salt.

Important!It is extremely undesirable to apply chlorine-containing substances as fertilizer, since the strawberry plant reacts poorly to chlorine.

First, humus, mullein, or mullein are laid out in small pieces over all the beds. Rains and scheduled watering will gradually dilute fertilizers, evaporating them useful material and delivering them deep into the strawberry root system.

However, the bed method works much faster. For this purpose, fresh droppings are dissolved in water in a ratio of 1:20 and thoroughly mixed. Then the resulting liquid is poured under berry bushes. Consumption for 7–10 bushes is approximately 1 bucket of the composition. In case of use mineral supplements they are scattered around the area, embedded in the ground with a hoe. It is necessary to water immediately. To prevent a crust from forming on its surface after moistening the soil, the area is mulched or covered with pine needles. In the future, it will be possible to loosen the soil and water the plants through the layer.

Soil renewal

If you have a small land plot and you have to grow the same plant crop in one place year after year, it is natural that the soil needs renewal (improvement). In old soil, pathogens of fungal diseases accumulate, and the number of nutrients decreases.

The whole secret of renewing the land lies in enhanced agricultural cultivation techniques. For example, you can create sunken or raised beds by filling them with humus or compost. In such conditions, the soil is partially replaced, microorganisms are intensively functioning, processing organic matter into new soil. In addition, the berries are abundantly supplied with nutrients.
Plants can be protected from and thanks to health-improving treatment of the soil under strawberries in the fall. Do not forget also that the beds need to be mulched from time to time. Mulch will serve as a barrier to the penetration of infections into the above-ground parts of strawberry plants.

Autumn transplant

For replanting, take one- or two-year-old bushes, previously divided into parts. You can also use the growth formed on the antennae. Transplantation is carried out primarily for the purpose of rejuvenating the planting. Over 3–4 years, berry bushes age, the number of flower stalks decreases, and the berries themselves become smaller.

It is carried out in the fall, since during this period the soil is wetter and warmer, and the weather is cool. Start replanting bushes in mid-August and finish in the first weeks of September. This way you give the plant time to take root, take root and grow good green mass.
Before winter, the strawberries will leave stronger and dressed in lush foliage. Most of seedlings transplanted during this period easily survive the winter and begin to bloom. Thus, autumn transplant is the best answer to the question of how to prepare strawberries for winter.


Autumn is the period when gardening requires special care. Although all the berries have been collected, the strawberries require pruning, spraying, covering for the winter and moisture-replenishing watering. In the fall, dry leaves are trimmed from the bushes, fed, loosened the soil, and treated against diseases and pests.

Features of autumn processing

Read also

The most common strawberry pests are aphids, snails, slugs, strawberry-raspberry weevils, and spider mites. Diseases include white spot, brown spot, powdery mildew, gray spot.

Snails and slugs are collected by hand from the bushes and destroyed.

The following preparations are most often used to spray strawberries in the fall:

From spider mite add 2 tbsp to a bucket of water at a temperature of 30°C. spoons of liquid soap, 3 tbsp. spoons of overcooked sunflower oil, 2 tbsp. spoons of ash and 2 tbsp. spoons of vinegar.

You can also spray the bushes with potassium permanganate, a solution of copper sulfate (2-3%) or Bordeaux mixture (3-4%).

For prevention, you need to constantly pull out all the weeds, cut off dry and diseased leaves, and also loosen the soil and moisten it.

Gray rot

Gray mold develops especially actively in rainy weather. Gray rot occurs most intensely when plantings are dense due to poor ventilation of strawberries, when planting in lowlands, and also when there is an excess of nitrogen in the soil, that is, an excessive dose of urea or organic matter when applied.

By the time the berries form, the rot spores have matured and spread around to large areas, flying through the air. The spores fall on the berries, a gray coating appears on them, and then the berries begin to rot.

To prevent gray rot, strawberries are sprayed with “Fitosporin” or “Fito-plus”. You can use a solution of 1 teaspoon of Bordeaux mixture per half liter of water (1% solution).

White spot (ramularia) and brown spot (cladosporiosis) of leaves

These diseases usually appear in early autumn. Ramularia is detected by seeing carmine spots with white dots on the leaves. With cladosporiosis, reddish-brown spots with dried edges are visible on the leaves.

Therefore, at the beginning of autumn you need to water the bushes with Fitosporin. But it is better to use the safe “Zircon” instead of this drug, this is a mixture of hydroxycinnamic acids that the bushes themselves produce to protect themselves from diseases.

Mycoplasma and viral diseases

They can be detected by wilting bushes or mosaic spots on the leaves. Plants become dwarf and their leaves become curled. If you see diseased plants, dig them up with their root system and burn them. Plant flowers in the vacant space for 3-4 years.

Nematode

In September, be sure to inspect the bushes to see if they are damaged by nematodes. If nematodes are found, dig up the diseased bush and 2 more bushes on either side of it and burn it. Plant strawberries in this place only after 2-3 years.

Weevil

The weevil lays larvae in unopened buds. The larva eats out the middle of the bud, then moves from the bud to the ground, where it pupates.

If you see pinholes on the leaves, this means that the weevil wants to drink juice before wintering. Spray the plants with Fitoverm or Iskra-bio.

Strawberry mite

After fruiting, plants are sprayed against strawberry mites with colloidal sulfur or with Apollo, Neoron or Fosbecid preparations; these preparations are poisonous. But “Fitoferm” can be used at any time.

Processing times in the fall

It all depends on the variety of strawberry. Processing is required after picking the berries. Therefore, ordinary varieties are sprayed in September, and remontant varieties are sprayed just before winter. Then cover the strawberries for the winter coniferous spruce branches or special material- lutrasil.

Video: Treatment of strawberries in the fall from pests and diseases

Garden strawberries (traditionally called strawberries by the people) are a favorite delicacy not only of our children and grandchildren, but also of numerous insects that live in abundance on summer cottage. Mechanical destruction of these pests is not always possible; you often have to call for help chemicals protection. In addition, the crop is susceptible to diseases leading to a decrease in yield or even death of plants. Safe for humans, but sufficient effective means for the fight can often be made from well-known substances.

The need to process strawberries

Calendula - good insecticide for strawberries

Strawberry mites should not be left in the winter either. If you want to do without chemicals, you can water the garden bed with infusion several times a week. onion peel. To do this, pour about 200 g of husk with a bucket of water, leave for 3-4 days, strain.

If there are a lot of different pests, but the situation is not yet critical, immediately after the last berry picking you can try to mow down all the leaves and burn them. Many people do this with 3-4 year old strawberry plantations anyway. It’s good if, after mowing, the sun fries the remains of the bushes for several days. After this, you need to water the bed well, preferably with the addition of fertilizers: phosphorus and potassium. The foliage will grow back quickly and will be significantly healthier.

If there were a lot of rotten berries, after harvesting the bushes can be treated with mustard infusion (100 g per bucket of water, leave for 2 days, filter and dilute by half). If you are not too afraid of “chemistry,” you can take copper oxychloride instead of mustard and follow the instructions for the drug.

In case of illness powdery mildew one of best exits will be sprayed with a solution of the drug Topaz. Bordeaux mixture is very effective in the fight against fungal diseases.

How to process strawberries

The range of drugs for controlling pests and diseases on strawberry plantations is huge. Over time, new chemicals appear, and old ones multiply their names: many businessmen produce well-known drugs under their own name. Understanding what is being sold is becoming more and more difficult. Fortunately, in most situations it is quite possible to get by with the well-known drugs themselves, or even with “home” remedies.

Ammonia is an aqueous solution of ammonia and has a strong, pungent odor. Ammonia dissolves in water at room temperature in a concentration of approximately 25%, which is quite a lot, and it is still dangerous to use such a solution in everyday life and at the dacha. If it gets on the skin, rinse it off immediately with plenty of water. But, as a rule, hardware stores sell less concentrated solutions.

Most often in open sale 10% ammonia solution is supplied

It is known that ammonia water (a highly diluted ammonia solution) is an excellent nitrogen fertilizer. But ammonia can also be used to prevent many diseases. garden plants. Most crops can be sprayed with it after flowering has ended. After treating strawberries with ammonia, ants, aphids, nematodes, and other pests do not appear on the beds for a long time. With regular spraying, you can also get rid of weevils, root nematodes, and chafers.

It is believed that during the season you need to treat strawberries with ammonia three times:

  • the first treatment is in early spring, when green leaves grow. Take 40 ml per bucket of water ammonia(aqueous solution of ammonia with a concentration of 10%). Water the garden bed generously using a watering can. The solution should get onto both the bushes and the soil underneath them. At the same time, in addition to fertilizer, they get rid of fungal diseases on the leaves and pests that overwintered in the ground;
  • the second treatment is after flowering. Use just a little ammonia for a bucket of water, only 2-3 tbsp. l. After abundant watering, the bed with strawberries is watered with the prepared solution using a watering can. This is protection against most diseases. In addition, the second treatment is also a timely nitrogen fertilization;
  • the third time - after the harvest. The solution is used of the same composition as in the spring. This is exercise and prevention for the next season.

Iodine is a weak oxidizing agent, perfectly disinfects in most cases, and thanks to its antiseptic properties it can prevent the occurrence of various bacterial diseases.

Iodine can be used to prevent bacterial diseases

By watering strawberries with iodine solution in early spring, you can get rid of weevils, which can destroy almost the entire crop. You need to prepare a solution of only 0.5 tsp. pharmaceutical alcohol solution of iodine in a bucket of water. First, the bushes are watered abundantly with water, and then treated with the prepared solution.

Iodine on strawberry beds It is also used to combat gray rot and red spot. Strawberries are sprayed 3 times per season: in early spring, before flowering and early autumn. You can add a little liquid soap (about 1 tsp) to the solution described above so that it sticks to the leaves better.

It is believed that iodine is an effective immunomodulator: after its use, not only increased productivity should be observed, but also improved bush health, as well as an increase in the shelf life of grown berries.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (formerly peroxide) has unique properties. In the fight against pests and diseases of strawberries, its oxidizing (disinfecting) ability is most important.

Most likely, you can only purchase a 3% peroxide solution. A 30% solution (“perhydrol”) is quite dangerous to handle.

Hydrogen peroxide consists of only two elements, but has unique properties

Hydrogen peroxide is used in summer cottages when treating greenhouses, various containers, and tools. The drug kills bacteria, viruses, pathogenic fungi. So what is better to choose for treating rot - peroxide or iodine? Actually, the choice is yours. Depending on what you have on hand. Peroxide leaves behind water and oxygen, iodine leaves behind potassium or sodium iodides. But their quantity formed after the addition of these drugs is so small that there is little point in paying attention to this aspect. And both drugs cope perfectly with their disinfectant task.

Hydrogen peroxide is probably the simplest and safe remedy to save strawberries from rotting. Should be dissolved in 1 liter of water 2 tbsp. l. hydrogen peroxide (in severe cases - up to 3 tablespoons). All strawberry plantings are generously sprayed with the resulting solution early in the morning or evening. The treatment is repeated after 1 week. This drug in the quantities used is completely non-toxic to both humans and bees. Therefore, you can pick and eat berries within a few hours after processing.

Bordeaux mixture is a suspension prepared from copper sulfate and lime (calcium oxide or hydroxide). When they interact, poorly soluble copper hydroxide and calcium sulfate are formed, so handling the finished suspension is somewhat more complicated than with a solution: the contents of the sprayer should be shaken periodically. As a rule, a kit is sold containing both components of the mixture, and often indicator paper to monitor the correct preparation of the liquid. First, according to the instructions, two solutions are prepared separately, and then they are carefully mixed, monitoring the acidity of the medium using an indicator. To create a neutral or slightly alkaline environment, add required amount lime (in the form of “milk of lime”).

Unappetizing-looking Bordeaux mixture is actually quite poisonous.

Bordeaux liquid, unlike pure copper sulfate, adheres well to plants, acts more gently and long time. However, the mixture must be prepared strictly before use.

Bordeaux mixture is low-toxic for people, warm-blooded animals, and bees. However, it is known that copper, like any heavy metal, to put it mildly, does not improve a person’s health in higher doses. Therefore in last years The concept arose that annual spraying with Bordeaux mixture leads to excessive accumulation of copper in the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to use copper preparations in a summer cottage only in case of urgent need, no more than once every few years.

A 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture for treating strawberries in early spring is used to prevent leaf spot. Later (closer to flowering, as well as in autumn), a 1% solution is used for this purpose. Dosage - approximately 1.5 liters of liquid mixture per 10 m2 of strawberry plantation. It is better to carry out the treatment after harvesting and clearing the beds of weeds and excess leaves. Spraying with this drug is carried out no more than 2 times per season.

Boric acid

Boric acid is weak, practically safe to handle, and cannot cause much harm to humans. This is powder white, slowly dissolving in water, is a valuable source of boron - an important microelement; therefore, it plays a role in the garden, first of all, as a fertilizer. This is especially important when cultivating strawberries on sod-podzolic and light soils. Spraying bushes in early spring with a solution boric acid very favorable. There is an increase in the number of ovaries, boron stimulates the appearance of new growth points, and the berries become sweeter. The addition of boric acid can increase productivity, improve the sugar content of berries, and help protect plants from pathogens.

Typically, boric acid is used together with potassium permanganate (the well-known “potassium permanganate”).

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent, and it should be used in the smallest possible quantities

So, in early spring, planting strawberries is spilled with a solution of boric acid and potassium permanganate - 1 g per bucket of water. This volume is for feeding 30–40 strawberry bushes.

For foliar feeding strawberries in the spring use the following composition: take 2 g of potassium permanganate and boric acid per bucket of water, 1 tbsp. stove ash. Only a useful “extract” is needed from the ash. Therefore, it is infused for a day in a separate container with water, not forgetting to stir from time to time. Before use, the ash infusion should be strained.

Ash

Ash is widely used as an individual “improvised” preparation. An aqueous “extract” from wood ash obtained from burning wood in a stove or on a fire is well suited for fertilizing strawberries.

Wood ash should be used as fertilizer, and not the kind that is formed after burning various household waste.

Ash contains most of the elements necessary for the development of strawberries (probably only nitrogen). These are phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and many microelements. In addition, wood ash is famous for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Thanks to the ash, the berries become sweeter and their shelf life increases. Ash can be scattered between the rows in the garden bed. Best time for this purpose - the pre-rain period. After the rain, the most valuable things in the ash will pass into the soil. It’s a good idea to mulch the beds immediately afterwards.

Hot water

If you do not want to deal with chemical treatment of your strawberry plantation, you can try limiting yourself to physical treatment. The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, thermal disinfection. It is known that gooseberry and currant bushes are watered with almost boiling water in early spring. This destroys most pests and pathogenic bacteria. Of course, with strawberries this is dangerous: after all, they come out of winter with green leaves! Therefore, they do not take boiling water, but just hot water.

In the first ten days of April hot water(temperature 60–65 o C, best checked with a thermometer) water the strawberry plantations. They heat the water, of course, not far from the beds, scoop it up using any convenient container and quickly pour it into the center of the bush, capturing all the leaves if possible. Hot processing destroys the larvae of the transparent mite, raspberry-strawberry weevil, sawflies, mites and nematodes. Water, having passed through the soil to a depth of several centimeters, cools to about 30 o C, so there is no need to fear that the strawberry roots will be damaged.

Hot water also helps when planting strawberries. With its help, you can disinfect seedlings (whiskers) for preventive purposes. To do this, immerse the seedlings in water heated to 45 o C and hold for 15 minutes.

Fire

This looks like barbarism, but there are also such fighting techniques on the Internet.

10 days after harvest, the mustache begins to actively grow. I wait another 4 days, when the soil in the rows and between the rows dries, I cut off all the leaves and tendrils with pruning shears, and remove the weeds. At the same hour, the previously kindled powerful blowtorch I burn the ground and completely burn the leaf stalks remaining after cutting to ash. I put the cut leaves and weeds into compost. I also burn strawberry hearts; they are not afraid of being treated with fire for 10-20 seconds if they grow at or near the ground level. Only those that have crawled out of the ground so that the roots are visible will be lost.

Postnikov P.

http://chudo-ogorod.ru/zemlyanika-obrabotka-i-udobreniya

Remedies for weevils

They begin the fight in the spring, for which all damaged fragments of the bush must be carefully collected and destroyed. In early May, the plantation is treated with long-acting biological preparations (Iskra, Askarin). Protection of plants from the pest continues for several weeks. When severe infection the second treatment is carried out in the fall. At the same time, powerful insecticides are already used, such as Karbofos, Corsair.

If you do not use chemicals, it is much more difficult to fight the weevil. Basic techniques:

  • treating bushes with hot water in early spring;
  • during the budding period - spraying with a solution of laundry soap and mustard;
  • manual collection of insects;
  • spraying with infusion of tansy or red capsicum;
  • using good “neighbors” in the garden: onions, garlic;
  • treatment with tobacco-garlic infusion or infusion of celandine and onion peel.

Video: how and with what to process strawberries

We have been waiting all long winter for a harvest of vitamin plants to finally appear in our garden bed. And in June the holiday comes: strawberries are ripe - a juicy, sweet, aromatic berry. But besides us, competitors are also waiting for it - garden pests. It is up to you to decide what means to choose to combat them. In most cases, you can earn the right to a wonderful strawberry harvest without the use of toxic drugs.