Citizens who do not have garden plots and buy delicious fragrant berries in the summer and bright “plastic” — in the other seasons, from time to time think about the reasons for this difference. But, as a rule, thinking is limited to the fact that in the summer, strawberries are “real”, and the rest of the year — greenhouse, so it does not taste the same. But does the quality of strawberries depend only on this?
We, gardeners, of course, know that the taste, color and size of berries, as well as their number, are influenced by many factors. Some are almost impossible to resist. For example, after a cold spring, summer residents everywhere complained that the berries were small. In rainy summers, it is difficult, and often impossible, to preserve the crop: tender strawberries get wet and rot, no matter how you treat the planting with fungicides.
In our region, almost every year in early-mid-June, there are powerful thunderstorms with squally winds. I remember a couple of seasons when after such natural disasters, landings were simply compared to the ground: water falling from the sky in huge quantities, did not have time to soak into the ground, and the wind drove it in a wave that smoothed everything in its path.
Yes, a large number of areas in the middle zone and more Northern regions are considered to be the territory of risky agriculture. It is difficult to do anything against force majeure situations. But if the season is running normally, there are ways to influence the quality and size of the strawberry crop. And the main thing here is competent care and timely feeding with the elements that the plant needs right now. What regime does the Queen of berries want to eat?
Spring
Depending on the region, strawberries Wake up in late March or early April. First of all, the plants begin to build up a green mass. The main building material for this is nitrogen, and the optimal source of it is organic fertilizers. Therefore, mullein in spring is the best elixir for the awakening berry plantation.
Take a 10-liter container, put 2 kg of rotted manure, 2 tablespoons of ammonium sulfate and pour water to the top. Mix everything well and pour 0.5-1 l under each Bush. Manure is a source of nitrogen. And with the addition of ammonium sulfate ((NH₄ )SSO₄), we introduce a nitrogen balance regulator — sulfur. If there is a lack of this element, plants slow down in growth. This top dressing is ideal for 2-3-year-old beds.
If your plantation is already 3-4 years old, you can use an infusion of chicken droppings. Fill the container with fresh organic matter and water in a ratio of 1: 3 (for dry material, the ratio is 1: 15) and insist for 36-40 hours. We get a rather pungent concentrate, which we dilute in the proportion of 1:4 — and water the pre-moistened aisles, trying not to get on the green parts of the plants.
If you organized a strawberry bed only last year, then you do not need to feed it in the spring. For sure, you did everything correctly, and the fertilizers that were applied during planting will be enough for this spring.
The second time in the spring, you need to feed strawberry bushes during budding — a very resource-consuming process. During this period, the emphasis should be on adding potassium, so you should prepare a “high-calorie” cocktail: mix 2 tablespoons of nitroammofoski, 1 tablespoon of potassium salt and dilute it in 10 liters of water. Under each plant, pour 500 ml of this solution on the wet ground.
Foliar fertilizing with complex fertilizers containing boron works well at this time. This element is extremely important for the formation of a large number of strong ovaries and improving the taste of Mature berries.
Summer
In the spring, we did everything to ensure that the bushes grew strong, formed buds and tied the berries. A lot of resources were spent on this, and we made up for them in time. Then the most important thing begins: all the tiny green beginnings of berries should turn into large juicy and beautiful fruits. That is, the consumption of nutrients during this period is the most intense, and it is important that there is no shortage of them.
During the filling of berries, multi-component feeding is necessary. For example, this: we prepare mullein according to the spring recipe, add 1 Cup of wood ash and 1 tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer. All thoroughly stir and give each plant 1 liter of this “energy”. Strawberries will definitely respond, and after a while you will see a generous return.
You will definitely like the harvest, and you will want to repeat it. Around the beginning of August, strawberries begin to lay flower buds for fruiting in the next season. Therefore, at the end of July, you need to give the plants the means to successfully carry out this process.
During this period, you should focus on potash and phosphorus fertilizing-the key to a good flowering next spring. You can scatter dry monopreparations in the aisles, seal them up and water them copiously. Wood ash is also an excellent fertilizer that will work well in this phase of strawberry development. We make it at the rate of 5 glasses per 1 m² of the bed, plug it into the soil and water it. You can also use foliar top dressing with universal complex preparations, strengthening them with the addition of 5 g of potassium sulphate for every 10 liters of solution.
Autumn
When growing once-fruiting strawberries, autumn feeding is not required: by this time, all important processes in the plants have already been completed. If you have fed your berry patch in a timely manner, you can be sure that everything will be fine next year. To fix the result, unless it does not hurt to sprinkle the aisles with humus and close it up shallowly. You should also continue to water the strawberry plantation from time to time.
If you have a remontant crop growing, then after the autumn berry harvest it needs top dressing to form flower buds, that is, potassium-phosphorus. And if after the first fruiting you have made a sufficient amount of mineral potassium and phosphorus additives, then after re-harvesting it is better to apply an ash infusion. To do this, mix 1 liter of ash and 10 liters of water, leave for 2-3 days, then dilute the infusion about half (until you get a light gray liquid) and pour 0.5-1 liter of the resulting fertilizer under each plant.
In General, for remontant varieties, the number of fertilizations during the season should be increased, since such plants experience an increased load. Therefore, fertilizing during the first budding and filling of berries is repeated during the next cycle of fruiting.
It is also necessary to carefully monitor the appearance of plants and understand the “signals” that it sends to us. Any change in the leaves may indicate a deficiency of some element of nutrition.