When to prune strawberries after harvest. Rules for treating strawberries in the fall against pests and diseases: mandatory procedures, advice from experienced summer residents How to treat strawberries after picking the berries

Caring for garden strawberries after the berry picking is over is the first stage of preparing the bushes for winter. There is no clear opinion among gardeners whether it is necessary to trim strawberry leaves during this period. Some consider this procedure, carried out after harvesting, mandatory, while others consider it destructive. If you are in doubt about whether to cut off old foliage on strawberry bushes, read this article and learn the gardeners' recommendations from the video.

Is it necessary to prune garden strawberries: the pros and cons

After fruiting is completed, the old strawberry leaves fade and die, gradually ceasing to benefit the plant. At the same time, young foliage grows on the bushes, which is responsible for photosynthesis. At the same time, fruit buds are laid, which will produce a harvest next year. You need to take care of its quality and quantity immediately, without postponing this matter until spring.

Proponents of pruning strawberries during the post-harvest period give the following arguments:

1. After cutting the foliage, beneficial substances circulate only through the roots and are not wasted on the green mass. The root system becomes more powerful, accumulates vitamins and minerals, and this has a positive effect on the berries.
2. The procedure increases the resistance of plants to cold.
3. Removing foliage is a rejuvenation and improvement of the bush. Pruning rids strawberries of pests and fungal diseases that can spread to young leaves.

Damaged leaves can be removed after harvesting

But the procedure also has significant disadvantages:

1. Due to pruning of green mass, the bush develops much longer. ABOUT early harvest in this case you can forget.
2. Many pests that lived on the leaves fall into the soil. There they winter quietly, with virtually no fear of frost. It is better if the cold catches insects on the foliage.
3. Fruit buds are destroyed along with the leaves. Only those that appear in the spring will produce a harvest.

Taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages of the procedure, a compromise option will be optimal. Experienced gardeners It is recommended to trim only diseased, damaged leaves. If there are no signs of illness or traces of pests, it is better to leave the beds untouched. It is also definitely worth removing dried leaves or those that are covered with stains. Therefore, after the harvest is harvested, you need to carefully examine the bushes and make the decision that is appropriate for your case.

Attention! Pruning is not necessary for young plants, but only for those that are at least 2 years old.

Proper pruning of strawberries and other post-harvest procedures

There are no exact dates for which the procedure should be planned. The most common time for pruning is in early August. If the garden strawberry variety is not remontant, then by this time the crop usually completes fruiting. For pruning, choose the morning or evening of a dry day, when there is no strong sun or rain.

Attention! Trimming remontant varieties- this is, in essence, thinning: removing stems, leaves, and tendrils that thicken the bush.

When shortening leaves, you need to do this not at the root, but leave stems 10 cm long. For these purposes, it is best to take pruners or sharp scissors. It is not recommended to mow greens, even if the strawberry plantation is very large. After all, this can damage young foliage. It is better not to touch the bushes at all or to remove old and diseased leaves selectively, by hand.

It is necessary to loosen the soil around the bushes

Very carefully, right at the root you need to cut off the antennae. You can’t tear them off with your hands - take the same scissors or pruners. Otherwise, you risk damaging not only the bush, but also its roots. To propagate the variety, you can leave the first rosette. Remove the rest so that the plant does not waste energy on them.

Attention! After the procedure carried out after harvesting, strawberries do not need additional pruning for the winter.

Having rejuvenated and healed the bushes, loosen the soil to a depth of 10 cm. Avoid areas near the roots - work in the inter-row spaces. Spill the bushes with a solution of potassium permanganate. If you notice signs of disease, use Bordeaux mixture or another fungicide.

Be sure to feed garden strawberries. Suitable for these purposes:

• vermicompost;
• pieces of dry manure;
• compost;
• ash (but not in combination with fresh manure);
• ammophoska;
• complex mineral nutrition.

Do not fertilize strawberries with chlorine - they do not like it. Don't forget about watering. At first, moisten the bed about every other day. This way, young foliage will grow faster, which means your garden strawberries will be protected from frost.

Caring for strawberries after harvest: video

The harvest of strawberries (garden strawberries) directly depends on your diligence and how fully you follow the recommendations when caring for them. Often gardeners ignore measures to maintain the berry garden after fruiting, which is a mistake.

Many inexperienced gardeners believe that after fruiting, garden strawberries do not need care and can be “preserved” until the next season. However, with this approach, you should not be surprised that next year there is no harvest or it is very meager. After all, preparation for the new stage of fruiting begins immediately after picking the strawberries and continues for most of the season. In this article you will find the most popular tips regarding how to how to properly care for strawberries after harvesting.

Caring for strawberries in July

An important component of July strawberry care is mustache trimming. The fact is that strawberry bushes that are 3-5 years old, after fruiting, actively grow mustaches and spend on this a large number of nutrients. Therefore they are removed using secateurs to facilitate plant development.

Do not tear off the mustache under any circumstances, as this can easily damage the strawberry bush, and the plant will spend a lot of energy recovering.

Before removing parts of the strawberry bush, it should be feed. For 1 sq.m. add a mixture of superphosphate (40-60 g), ammonium nitrate (20-30 g) and potassium chloride(15-20 g). Loosen soil between rows to a depth of 10 cm and next to strawberry bushes.

Oxygen for the roots is no less important than water and fertilizing, so regularly loosen the soil near the strawberry bushes

Healthy strawberries, which will enter the active growth phase in 5-7 days, should be fed with a mixture of nitrophoska (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) and wood ash(1 glass). Use 1 liter of solution for young plants in the first year of fruiting, and 1.5-2 liters for older ones.

Towards mid-July you should feed your strawberries fresh chicken droppings . It is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15-20. Plants are watered from a watering can, being careful not to get it on the leaves. 10 liters of solution is enough for 6-8 mature strawberry bushes and 20-25 young strawberry bushes. Fertilizer should be applied after rain or a couple of hours after watering.

In a timely manner pull out the weeds, removing them after watering and rain. Also loosen the soil regularly to saturate root system oxygen.

Caring for strawberries in August

Not knowing, how to care for strawberries in August, you risk losing your harvest next year. The last month of summer is often dry and hot. Therefore it is important to carry out watering at least 2 times a week. The plants themselves “signal” the need for watering - the bushes droop and the foliage dries out.

You can water strawberries either by sprinkling or at the root - the sun is no longer so aggressive, and there will be no burn on the leaves

If the leaves continue to dry out, become stained, or weaken, they should be carefully cutting down and leave only 3-4 healthy leaves to improve the health of the “green mass”. The same goes for mustache, which are removed if they are still growing or if you forgot to do so in July.

Plants can be feed with a weak solution of mullein(1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) and loosen the soil. One 10 liter bucket should be enough for 10-12 bushes. You can form earthen “sides” up to 15 cm high around the beds and fill them with water to the top.

It is also in August that it is recommended to plant new strawberry bushes on the site. It is best to do this in the evening or on a cloudy day. The seedlings must have three true leaves and a developed root system. It is planted in a previously prepared wet hole.

Caring for strawberries in September

Autumn strawberry care differs from summer events insignificant. However, they should not be neglected either.

Some varieties of strawberries continue to form flowers even in September. The berries on them will no longer ripen before the onset of cold weather, which is why they are so “idle” inflorescences should cut off. The same applies to mustache strawberries

Removing inflorescences from varietal strawberries in the fall will help protect them from anthracnose and white spot.

Even if the forecasts promise mild winter, feed the bushes. Great for this Ammophos(contents are added at the rate of 30 g per 1 sq.m.). For “warming” they also add rotted chicken droppings, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:15. 1-1.5 liters of the composition are poured under each bush. Sometimes they use cow dung, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10 with the addition of 1 cup of ash. Strawberries are watered generously with the resulting mixture at the rate of 1.5-2 liters per bush.

For the last time before winter, inspect the strawberry bushes and reject sick and affected specimens, and also remove excess tendrils and withered leaves. Don't throw away "bad" plants, but put them in the compost pile.

Now you know, how to care for strawberries in September. Armed with this information, you are guaranteed to receive a bountiful harvest next year.

Caring for strawberries after trimming the leaves

Caring for strawberries open ground involves not only the removal of tendrils and inflorescences, but also leaves. However, there is no need to “expose” the plant completely, since by tearing off healthy leaves, you reduce the likelihood of the formation of peduncles and fruits, reduce the yield and doom the strawberries to difficulties during the wintering period. First of all, remove dry and withered leaves affected by strawberry mites. If the fruit-bearing plant is almost entirely affected, then it is easier to cut it off with pruners just above the growth point and burn the remains.

If you need seedlings for propagation, then you should not remove the whiskers, you need to give them the opportunity to take root and grow a strong rosette

After trimming loosen the soil and water it. Treat the bushes with a weak solution potassium permanganate and sprinkle ash. To provide good growth buds, feed the strawberries with universal fertilizer at the rate of 10 g per 10 liters of water. Also suitable ammonium nitrate And nitrogen fertilizers(use according to instructions).

Towards the end of September, strawberry bushes can be covered with straw to protect them from future frosts. Place freshly cut crops between the rows grass– it will become the first spring fertilizer.

Caring for remontant strawberries

From mid-September, start caring for fruit-bearing bushes. Loosen the soil to hide the root system and protect it from the cold. As a rule, at this time the plants are covered with a “blanket” of cut green manure or mulch the soil with straw, hay, fallen leaves and weed clippings. Remove remaining flower stalks so that they do not weaken the plants and become wilted. cut off the leaves after the first frost.

As you can see, caring for garden strawberries after fruiting is not difficult. It is enough just to carry out necessary complex standard events, and grateful plants will give you a bountiful harvest.

Good harvest Strawberries are planted in July - September of the previous year. Caring for strawberries in July and August is the basis for next year's harvest.

At this time, a second wave of leaf growth occurs, as well as the growth of new horns and the laying of new flower buds. They are deposited in the horns nutrients, which garden strawberry plants will spend next year on producing berries. But the first thing to do is to carefully trim off all the old leaves, trying not to damage the hearts and young leaves.

You should not be late with this procedure, because with the growth of young foliage you will need more time and diligence. In addition, diseases and pests that appeared on old leaves during the season will have time to move to new ones.

If you notice that the growing young strawberry leaves are wrinkled and deformed, this means that the plants are infected with strawberry mites. Treat strawberries with any anti-mite preparation (acaricide). Good results are achieved by treatment with Actellik, Kleschevit (aka Fitoverm), Titovit Jet or a solution of colloidal sulfur.

Then thoroughly loosen the soil between the rows to a depth of 10 cm. Directly near the bushes, you cannot loosen it deeply, so as not to damage the root system. In strawberries it is located superficially.

Next you need to fertilize. To do this, add complete mineral fertilizer with microelements to the soil. Calculation: 20-30 grams per 1 square meter. Special fertilizers for strawberries, containing all the necessary elements in a balanced form, are best suited for this. Ammophoska is quite suitable for this purpose: in addition to the main nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), it contains calcium, magnesium and sulfur. You should avoid chlorine-containing fertilizers, because strawberries do not tolerate chlorine. Very good result provides the introduction of humus, which not only fertilizes the soil, but also significantly improves its structure.

To prevent a crust from forming on the soil surface after watering, mulch the bed with peat.

After applying dry fertilizer, water the strawberries. Until the end of the season, keep the soil wet, watering rarely but abundantly. After abundant watering loosen the soil to remove weeds. Cut out the newly growing mustache - fruiting on next year will be much weaker if the bush spends energy on education daughter sockets, not flower buds. Timely removal of the whiskers stimulates the formation of new flower buds. Powerfully grown young leaves cover the strawberry bush in winter and contribute to more successful overwintering.

So, the strawberries stopped bearing fruit. But this does not mean at all that the bushes can be left alone until spring. Post-harvest handling of strawberries must be proper if you want to harvest basketfuls of the crop. Correct Actions will allow you to keep the plants healthy, prepare them for the cold period and abundant fruiting.

For a crop like strawberries to bear fruit, post-harvest care is extremely important. That is why, after picking the berries, the plant still requires weeding. During the latter, it is necessary to remove rotten and unripe berries, dry and diseased (with symptoms of infection with a fungal disease) leaves.

It is also necessary to remove the grown antennae so that they do not weaken mother plant . By the way, this is an excellent period for obtaining strawberry seedlings. To do this, part of the antennae is left to form the so-called “babies”. They will have time to take root, and closer to autumn they will be transplanted to a new place.

It is also worth gently loosening the soil between the rows to aerate the soil. If you are afraid of disturbing the root system, just use a pitchfork to pierce the ground every 5 cm. If there is straw under the bushes, do not remove it, but carefully mix it with top layer soil. Gradually, the litter will become rotten, and then completely decompose and fertilize the soil.

Spraying - when and with what?

Strawberry agricultural technology after harvest also involves spraying. This procedure protects the crop from diseases and pests. Don't forget that trimming the leaves 2-3 weeks after picking the fruit also serves this purpose. You can limit yourself to pruning if in spring and summer, that is, during flowering and ripening of fruits, the plant was protected with a biological product against gray rot, for example, Polywersum WP.

After completing such a mandatory procedure as pruning strawberries after harvesting, you can spray against fungal diseases. This is especially important if the fruits have rotted and molded en masse, or if specific spots have appeared on the leaves. Amateur gardeners, having several beds, use such a tool as Topsin M 500 SC.

If the berries have been damaged by the strawberry nematode pest (Aphelenchoides fragariae), which sucks juice from leaves and flower buds, it is worth spraying with Ortus 05 SC or Sanmite 20 WP.

If the fruits have been damaged by mowers (Otiorhynchus) gnawing the edges of the leaves, you should use the product Dursban 480 EC or Pyrinex 480 EC. Both the plant and the ground around it are treated (repeat after two weeks).

Fertilizing strawberries after harvesting is the most important procedure

After completing all the above procedures, you can begin applying fertilizers. For strawberries, additives containing nitrogen and potassium, as well as phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, are especially important. will help them form new strong shoots.

There is no clear answer to the questions - why and when to prune strawberries after harvesting. Gardeners have different opinions on this matter. Some are for it, some are categorically against it. Why trim leaves? Why do this if it seems to be known that the foliage feeds the root? Like, the more foliage, the stronger the bush Yes, this is, of course, correct. But... The harvest has been harvested - get ready for the next one! Sounds like a slogan for a gardener. So, after harvesting, this is preparing the plantation for the new season. And trimming strawberry leaves is one of the stages of this care.

We all love this berry. In the spring, a lot of effort is spent on caring for strawberries before and during flowering, during the period of formation and ripening of the berries. We want more strawberries. So that they are larger, juicier, tastier. So, just after the harvest, you need to make every effort to improve and increase it next year. Strawberries need special care after harvesting. This is the most important time for her and for us.

Why trim mustache on strawberries?

Surely, you already noticed during the harvest that strawberries (strawberries) produce a lot of mustache. Of course, this depends on the variety. Some varieties form a lot of mustaches, some have only a few, and may even be without any mustaches at all.

Once you have collected all the berries, carefully inspect the entire plantation. It is necessary to loosen the beds of garden strawberries, weed them from weeds, and remove the mustaches.

Strawberries require whiskers for reproduction. If you do not want to get young rosettes, new plants for propagation, then you need to cut them off immediately after they appear.

Usually there are several tendrils on one bush. We collect them in one bunch and cut them as close to the base of the bush as possible. By the way, this mustache trimming procedure will have to be repeated more than once during the season. If we start it up and don’t do it on time, then the plant will spend all its energy on growing whiskers, rosettes, and the future harvest will receive less. Strawberries will produce fewer flower buds, which means there will not be many berries, they will become smaller.

Anything unnecessary for the future harvest must be trimmed off.

In addition, this is necessary so that the strawberries do not thicken, since thickened plantings are more difficult to care for.

When to feed and fertilize

Some gardeners do the wrong thing by heavily feeding strawberries before harvesting. This leads to the fact that it is severely affected by gray rot, this is, firstly. Secondly, although the berries become large, they are watery, less sweet, and have a shorter harvest period.

Early in the spring before flowering we spend nitrogen fertilizers. But remember, the main application of fertilizers should be after harvesting. This is feeding complete mineral fertilizer and organics. Many people apply manure to the strawberries. This, of course, is good - manure not only nourishes the plants, but also takes care of the root system of strawberries.

Hilling strawberries

The fact is that strawberries - berry plant– perennial. Over time, it builds up an aerial root system and begins to seem to stick out of the ground. We are forced every year, especially after 3-4 years of growing in one place, to add mulch, soil, compost, rotted manure into the rows, thus covering the strawberry roots. Mulching helps roots develop well.

Reasons and timing for pruning leaves

The formation of fruit buds in strawberries (garden strawberries) occurs in June ( Krasnodar region) – July (middle zone) after harvest. It is at this time that the first trimming of the mustache and leaves should be timed.

The fact is that a strawberry leaf lives only 60-70 days - 2-2.5 months. And after that, various spots appear on the leaves - whitish, rusty, red. These are signs of leaf aging and the development of various diseases on them.

That is, cutting off the leaves of strawberries (strawberries) is necessary in order to protect the future harvest from diseases.

Trim leaves or tendrils with pruners or scissors. Tools must be sharp. Do not tear them off with your hands - this can damage the root system. Instead of increasing leaf mass, the plant will take a long time to restore its strength.

The process of chlorophyll production stops 2-2.5 months after picking the berries - even healthy plants may have leaves that turn red.

Advice: reddened leaves should be removed to prevent the remaining pests from overwintering peacefully. Treat the plantation with pest repellents. But this should have been done much earlier: the picture was taken in September. There is a danger that young leaves will not have time to grow after pruning - bare bushes may not survive the frosty winter.

So, a month and a half after picking the berries, we inspect the strawberry plantation (garden strawberries) and remove all the leaves with spots and holes, not forgetting to cut off the flower stalks. We leave only young leaves.

When to do this? In Kuban this is the end of June-beginning of July, in middle lane– first half of August. I won’t tell you the exact date – it’s not that important. Most importantly, calculate the timing so that in winter your strawberries leave with young leaves already grown.

How to prune strawberries if the plants are affected by diseases and pests

If the strawberry bushes are affected by mites or there is severe spotting on the leaves, it is necessary to remove all leaves, even young ones. Leaves with signs of disease should be trimmed as close to the base of the bush as possible, since disease spores can persist on the petioles. When pruning, try not to touch the heart of the bush - the plant will be able to recover faster. By doing this pruning, you will not harm the bush, since strawberries grow green mass very quickly. By cutting off old leaves, you will immediately see where you can loosen the ground and where you need to remove weeds.

Of course, removing all the leaves from strawberries will not get rid of all pests and diseases. They will remain on the stumps of leaves and the ground. Simply, such a bed is easier to treat with drugs against diseases and pests. This treatment is more effective.

Now you can feed the “rejuvenated” bed. At this time, as I already said, fruit buds are being laid - the basis of the future harvest, so do not forget to periodically water your strawberries. And if there is no rain, keep the soil moist.

Feeding is required at this time. It is at this time that the strawberries will build up leaf mass, which in winter, covered with snow, will protect the root system from freezing. That is, the more foliage your bushes go into winter with, the better they will overwinter. And from this your harvest will increase.

If during the harvest period you notice berries affected by gray rot, then after fruiting has ended, treat the entire plantation with some kind of fungicide - it could be Topaz or Horus.

Is it possible to mow all strawberry leaves?

Not long ago, walking through my dacha street, I saw that my friends were mowing strawberry leaves with a scythe. Berry patch They have a large one - several hundred square meters - they believe they can’t do without a scythe. At first I thought that this was their way of deciding to get rid of the old strawberries, saying that it was time to start a new plantation. But it turned out that everything was wrong. The owner of the dacha said that they mow down the strawberry leaves every year three to four weeks after the last harvest. But this year, some circumstances prevented them from doing it on time and they mowed in mid-August. According to them, their strawberry harvest is always good, and they get sick less often.

If you have a large plantation and it is older than 3-4 years, then you can follow the example of my friends.

There is another reason for completely cutting off strawberry leaves with a scythe or pruning shears (scissors) - this is severe damage to the plantings by diseases and pests. After completely cutting off (mowing) the leaves, the plantation should be treated with some fungicide or pest control drug. Be sure to feed your strawberry - help it grow leaf mass faster.

Conduct mowing on young healthy plantings You don’t need strawberries, it depletes the bushes and you deprive yourself of the harvest.

How to care for strawberry beds after pruning or mowing

I'll repeat myself a bit, but this is very important.

• Loosen the soil around the bushes.
• Remove weeds.
• Treat the plantation against diseases and pests.
• Feed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
• Water regularly if there is no rain during this period.
• It is very important that the soil in the garden bed is kept moist all the time - this is necessary for the growth of young foliage.

That's all the simple rules. Now you know how and when to prune strawberries (garden strawberries) after harvesting. You are guaranteed a good harvest next year!