On the eve of spring - the beginning of the gardening season - many people who grow strawberries on their plots care about only one question: what do you need to know in order to grow a rich harvest? After all, even adults are not able to be indifferent to this juicy berry. What to say about the children who generally sweep it from the beds overnight!
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to figure out which strawberry fertilizers are the most effective.
Why does almost every gardener grow strawberries?
You can talk about the amazing taste of this berry endlessly. However, everyone who has tried it at least once knows this very well. But not everyone knows about the benefits. And this is a big mistake! Because the red berry contains a huge amount of folic acid and vitamin C. They strengthen the immune system and the walls of blood vessels, protect against colds, and help in the fight against insomnia. It is for these reasons that many doctors strongly advise eating berries to prevent serious diseases such as anemia and diabetes.
But just wanting a big harvest is not enough. Strawberry bushes require not just attention, but care and the right fertilizer. However, even people who have been growing red berries for more than one year do not always have an idea of what fertilizers for strawberries (for harvest) are needed. And how not to overdo it.
What is the care of strawberry bushes?
As you know, if you do not make an effort, it is almost impossible to achieve something. That is why planting strawberries, and then, without doing anything for it, waiting for an abundance of berries is at least stupid. Indeed, without proper care, the plant will either wither or go into a leaf and will not bring a crop, although it will grow.
But what does the phrase "care for strawberries" mean? What exactly needs to be done? Let's take a closer look.
We have already noted that the red berry requires a lot of attention. But all efforts and labors will not be in vain. After some time, the plant will reward them with many tasty and he althy berries. But before that you need:
- At least once a week loosen the soil around the bushes. This can be done with a chopper or a hoe. Whoever is more comfortable.
- Water plants daily. Better under the root, so as not to wash off the pollen on the flowers.
- Control pests. Whitefly, Colorado potato beetle, aphids and even moles can cause irreparable harm to bushes. Therefore, their presence should be closely monitored.
- Systematically fertilize the soil for strawberries. Especially in spring. But the main thing is to follow the recommendations presented below,feed correctly and in the right amount. Otherwise, the effect will be the opposite.
Why is it so important to feed the red berry in spring?
Spring feeding is very important for strawberries. Because it is during this period that she, being at the stages of “awakening” and growth, is gaining strength. The abundance of berries directly depends on the number of which. But before you start fertilizing, it is very important to carry out a general cleaning of the plants. It begins when the soil has dried out from melt water. Then most gardeners:
- Free the bushes from the warm "spread" of last year's foliage.
- Cut off the extra antennae. Of course, if this procedure was not performed in the fall.
- Then loosen the soil around each plant.
- And after three or four days, they begin to fertilize the red berry.
Basically, early feeding of strawberries is carried out in mid-April. But it is best to be guided by the weather on the street and the condition of the bushes themselves. When the first leaves appear on them, you can apply fertilizer. Some - strictly under the root of each bush, without affecting the young leaves, others - by spraying.
Why is organic fertilizer better?
What is the best fertilizer for strawberries: organic or mineral? It is rather difficult to answer this question. Because in terms of efficiency, they are almost equal. However, mineral fertilizers should be diluted and used for top dressing.it is necessary with extreme caution and strictly according to the instructions, in the indicated amount. Not more! In addition, it is important to feed strawberry bushes with them at least two weeks before the fruits ripen and can be eaten. Otherwise, you can harm not only the plant, but also the human body, and even his life.
Thanks to organic nutrition, strawberries will be slightly smaller in size. But there are no strict recommendations about it: the amount of solution per bush, additional components and other aspects, each gardener can determine by eye. And one more most important difference between organic fertilizers for strawberries and mineral fertilizers is that the former are absolutely harmless both for the plant and for humans. This is especially important for people who have children. After all, due to their age and some carelessness, they can easily eat unwashed berries right from the garden.
That's why we'll look at organic fertilizers next.
Manure feeding
No matter how much they offer us all kinds of chemical fertilizers for strawberries in the spring, the best, perhaps, will forever remain natural. The most effective, according to experienced gardeners, are:
- Manure - most often cow excrement. They are mixed with straw or bedding taken from the premises where the animals are located. And then they insist for a week. Strawberries cannot be fertilized with fresh manure. Because it contains a huge amount of grass seeds and weeds. Mature manure is necessarydilute with water. The proportion is 1 glass per 10 liters. Then water the strawberry bushes with the resulting solution. One liter per bush.
- Must is manure that has completely decomposed over time. Many gardeners call this top dressing the best. Due to the fact that it is best absorbed and nourishes the plants.
- Chicken manure solution is another strawberry favorite fertilizer. For its preparation, litter should be mixed with water. The proportion is 1:20. Insist for three days, then fertilize the bushes. For each - half a liter.
Tree and grass top dressing
The above top dressings are very useful. However, not every gardener keeps cows or chickens. And for many of them, it is very difficult to get the components necessary for strawberry fertilizer, and sometimes expensive. Therefore, further we will explore effective top dressing, which is almost always in every home:
- Weed grass collected from your own garden or garden is put into a special container, filled with ordinary water and infused for a week. The result is an excellent and safe infusion, which should be watered with strawberry bushes. Thanks to him, fertility increases and the taste of future berries improves.
- Wood ash is an excellent top dressing not only for strawberries, but also for other plants. It can be fertilized both in its pure form, sprinkled around the bushes, and by means of a solution - a glass of ash per ten liters of hot water. One bush requires a glass of the resulting fertilizer understrawberries.
Food feeding
A lot of people know about the beneficial properties of nettle. That is why some people add it to salads, soups, and wash their hair with an infusion of leaves. But this burning plant is also used as a top dressing for strawberries. To get a solution for irrigation, you should put the nettle in a suitable container, fill it with water. Best settled rain. Leave for one day, then dilute. Proportion: - one part solution to twenty parts of water.
Food from milk and derived products is still very effective. They contain many essential minerals for plants. However, it is better to add them to one of the solutions described in the previous two paragraphs. Then their properties are enhanced. Also, since strawberries prefer slightly acidic soil, it is better to use sour dairy products.
Yeast supplements
Many experienced gardeners strongly advise beginners to use yeast fertilizers for strawberries. Which? Perhaps the most affordable:
- Bread, or rather, the yeast that is part of it, perfectly strengthens the roots, saturates plants with vitamins and minerals. As a result, the berries grow large and, most importantly, in large quantities. However, it is wrong to simply scatter pieces of bread on the beds. It is necessary to fill them with water (so that it completely covers the bread) and insist for a week. Can be more. Then the resulting solution must be diluted. Proportion - ten parts of water require one part of the solution. Then water the bushes with them -one liter each.
- Dry or fresh yeast can be used not only in cooking, but also in gardening. To make a fertilizer based on them for strawberries, strawberries, pour yeast (in the amount of two hundred grams) with half a liter of warm water. Let it brew for fifteen minutes. Then dilute the mixture in nine liters of water and pour over the strawberries. One liter per bush.
How to feed properly
For best results, it is important to fertilize strawberries according to the following guidelines:
- Fertilize each bush in a separate portion.
- Sprinkle the area around with earth.
- After strawberries should be watered with plain water.
- You can also dig fertilizer into a hole dug near the bush. Depth - no more than ten centimeters.
Foliar top dressing by spraying bushes is also effective. Therefore, we will further study this method in more detail.
Features of foliar top dressing
As our reader could see, there are different root fertilizers for strawberries in the spring. To increase the yield, spraying the bushes is also most effective. It allows you to deliver top dressing to young leaves, ovaries and buds.
Spraying with a solution of nettle has proven itself well (we studied it earlier). For spring top dressing, it is necessary to carry it out every other day. A total of four times a week. Also very popular with experienced gardeners is a 0.9% solution of boric acid at the rate of two grams of boron per ten liters of water.
