When to mow strawberries for the winter?

What to do if the strawberries have grown too much?

After harvesting, fill the area with strawberries right on top of the bushes with hay, leaves, weeded weeds, or place a compost heap in this place all summer. At the end of the season, cover with old film so that the wind does not blow it away and leave until next spring. Over the long autumn and winter, everything will rot under the film.

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Pros and cons

Tendrils are long shoots, devoid of leaves, that radiate in different directions from the bush. They are considered the most harmful to strawberries and need to be pruned because they prevent the berries from bearing fruit well.

However, if the plantation increases, the need for tendrils appears. In this case, exceptionally strong and large shoots are left, which are located first from the bush. Along with the tendrils, leaves are often removed if there are too many of them.

A comparative review of all the advantages and disadvantages of this method will help to understand the reasons why there is no certainty in the issue of mowing and trimming strawberries.

Pros:

The growth of root systems is accelerated. Due to the absence of above-ground parts of the plant, the roots are directly fed with useful substances and microelements.
Pests located on the leaves of the plant are destroyed.
The possibility of frost damage to the beds is eliminated.

Minuses:

There is a high probability of damage to the generative and vegetative buds of berries, which are harbingers of the future harvest. This is possible because all bushes are pruned without a detailed inspection.
Further development of the plant may slow down, which is explained by the stress received during the removal of leaves. Moreover, it is important to take into account the much later formation and ripening of fruits compared to other berry plants.
Young stems and leaves are likely to be infected by pests, which are simply shaken off to the ground before removing old shoots. This happens if the crop is not treated with toxic substances.
The supply of oxygen to the plant decreases. Leaves form the respiratory system of the entire plant. Thanks to them, photosynthesis becomes possible, saturating the stems and shoots with oxygen. As a result of removing leaves, oxygen saturation is significantly reduced.

After care

Like any living plant, strawberries require further care after pruning or mowing.

Here are the main and most important steps:

Loosen the soil around the bushes.
Remove all unnecessary shoots and weeds.
Treat the plantation against pathogenic pests using fungicidal preparations.
Feed the plant with organic and mineral fertilizers.
If there is no rain, provide the berries with regular watering. Constant moisture in the beds is the key to the fruitful growth of young foliage.

Do I need to prune strawberries in summer?

The opinions of agronomists on this matter differ. Some believe that such a procedure will preserve the health of strawberries, because a large supply of pathogenic organisms could accumulate on its shoots. Others do not recommend cutting strawberry leaves, as this can greatly weaken the plants.

Goal and deadlines

After fruiting, strawberries experience a second wave of growth. When the harvest is harvested, young, fresh foliage begins to grow. It provides nutrition to the berry bushes. But the old leaf plates begin to fade at this time. They no longer play an important role in the life of the plant and gradually die off. But even when dead, they can become a source of spread of diseases and pests.

The best option is to have a small number of beds. Then the old leaves can be cut off carefully without affecting the young ones. As a result, this will make the plant stronger, since it will be possible to trim off old leaf blades with slow photosynthesis.

The main purpose of pruning at this time is to curb the spread of fungal spores. Although it will not be possible to completely get rid of harmful organisms using this method, the degree of infection of the berry garden will become noticeably lower.

Note: By reducing the number of pests and the intensity of disease development, it will be possible to reduce the number of treatments using chemicals.

The exact dates have not been established. They are determined based on weather and climatic realities in the growing region. The main thing is that the bushes have time to go into winter with developed young leaves.

Procedure diagram

Since the berry garden is constantly rejuvenated to ensure a stable harvest, bushes from different years of planting grow on the same plantation. When removing old foliage, they start with younger ones and, in turn, move on to older specimens. The pruning pattern helps prevent strawberry mites from spreading from tools and clothing throughout the berry garden.

In addition, strawberries produce a lot of whiskers during the fruiting period (how much depends on the variety). If there are no plans to reproduce it, they need to be cut periodically - as they appear. Then the plantings will not thicken, forming new rosettes.

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 mold, firstly. Secondly, although the berries become large, they are watery, less sweet, and have a shorter harvest period.

In early spring, before flowering, we fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers. But remember, the main application of fertilizers should be after harvesting. This is feeding with complete mineral fertilizer and organic matter. 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.

Mustache trimming

Both remontant and ordinary garden strawberries have an amazing ability: they constantly strive for vegetative propagation and produce a huge number of tendrils. There are also varieties without mustache, but they have not yet become as widespread among summer residents as their “mustachioed” counterparts.

Aerial shoots draw a lot of juice from their “mothers”, weaken them and cause damage to the crop. Therefore, you will need to regularly inspect the strawberry plantation and cut out any tendrils that appear on the bushes.

Unnecessary tendrils take a lot of energy from plants

The only exception is the situation when you really need to propagate your favorite variety. In the spring, mark the strongest bushes in the garden and leave 2-3 of the strongest shoots on each. All other mustaches that appear on them must be removed. When the shoots take root and become stronger, you can separate the new rosettes from the mother plants and replant them in a new bed.

Garden strawberries can also be propagated by sowing seeds. You can choose the right variety for yourself in our market by looking at the Strawberries section.

Mowing Features

In order to achieve high strawberry yields next year, as well as to prevent damage to them, it is important to observe some nuances in the process of “cleaning” the beds:

Trimming strawberry leaves and mustaches should be done exclusively with sharp scissors or pruners.
It is strictly not recommended to pluck shoots by hand, since there is a high risk of damage to the root system. The result is a long recovery of the plant.
Leaves that have changed color to red must be removed. This will help get rid of pests and disease carriers.
It is important to treat the plantation with chemicals. However, this must be done in the fall to avoid freezing of the bare bushes, so that there is time for the growth of new young leaves.

How to loosen and fertilize strawberries

Strawberry bushes need regular loosening. It is better to choose for this process the time after rain or the appearance of a sufficiently large number of weeds. The average number of loosenings per growing season is 7–8 times.

When carrying out the procedure on the uterine areas, exercise extreme caution to avoid damage to the planting material. Under no circumstances should you damage the mustache (lash). If you do not use these strawberry bushes as mother material, then you can safely remove all excess tendrils. Because their strong growth significantly reduces the yield and simply clogs the garden.

To loosen between the rows, use a wider hoe, plunging it into the ground to a depth of about eight centimeters.

But to loosen the rows themselves and directly around the strawberry bushes, use a narrow hoe or a bayonet shovel, lowering it into the ground to a depth of 6 cm and 3 cm, respectively.

Do not forget to carry out activities to clean the strawberry plantation from dry leaves and various debris, which must be carefully collected and burned.

So, step-by-step instructions for loosening:

Scatter ammonium nitrate (one hundred grams per ten linear meters) along the rows with the plant. This must be done so that part of the fertilizer gets under the strawberry leaves.
After loosening the soil between the rows, lay a layer of mulch in it.
Only after this the rows and areas near the strawberry bushes are loosened.
At the end of the procedure, a small furrow (about five centimeters) is made near a row of bushes. A mixture consisting of one hundred and fifty grams of superphosphate, eighty grams of potassium sulfate and one kilogram of sifted humus is poured into it every ten meters. Fertilizers are covered with soil on top.

The last time to loosen strawberries occurs in the autumn.

Preparing strawberries for cold weather

Well, the last stage in caring for strawberries is preparing the bushes for the winter, which comes down to covering the fruit-bearing bushes. This process occurs in late autumn after the first frost.

The safest and most natural shelter is snow. However, in regions where winters are characterized by severe frosts and little snow, warming the berries becomes mandatory. There are two shelter options:

Branches of coniferous trees (spruce branches)

In this case, young bushes need to be covered completely, the rest need to be surrounded. Sometimes tops, leaves or straw are used as shelter.

However, they have certain disadvantages:

straw is an excellent place for mice to build nests;
leaves and tops tend to become stale, which helps limit air circulation inside the shelter. In the event of a prolonged thaw, the strawberries become damp.

Thus, the best shelter remains spruce branches. In order to ensure good ventilation, brushwood or dry stems should be placed under the coniferous branches.

Spandbod or agrotex

For this option, any type of covering material with a density of 60 grams per square meter is suitable. Such a shelter provides high temperature conditions and breathability, which completely eliminates damping off.

However, in this case, it is necessary to have arcs onto which the material must be pulled. If the shelter is spread directly on the beds, severe freezing of the soil and all plants is possible.

Despite the fact that caring for strawberries after harvest is a labor-intensive and painstaking process, you can be sure of a good harvest and fertile soil for years to come.

Why is pruning needed?

Garden strawberries, despite the absence of woody shoots, need pruning no less than other berries. Since this crop is perennial, annual pruning helps to rejuvenate the bushes, maintain high yields and extend the life of the plants.

Strawberries grow and bear fruit in one place for several years in a row

Adding to the problems when caring for a strawberry bed are numerous pests that attack the bushes throughout the season. By removing old leaves, you help plants protect themselves from harmful insects, preventing them from overwintering nearby.

This garden crop has a small sprout and spends its entire life near damp (and often cold) soil, so it often suffers from fungal diseases. By trimming the foliage in a timely manner, you will prevent the disease from worsening, quickly cure the affected plants with fungicides, and prevent the infection from spreading to healthy specimens. If the berry plantation looks healthy, then pruning will become a preventative measure in the fight against fungal diseases and will save us from unpleasant surprises and additional hassle in the future.

Garden strawberries often suffer from fungal infections

When to mow strawberries?

The optimal time for mowing strawberries is the third or fourth week after the last harvest. At the same time, the formation of fruit buds of the plant occurs.

It is important not to delay the pruning process, since late dates are fraught with crop loss due to weak flower stalks. This rush is due to the rapid aging of leaves, which is a favorable factor for the development of various diseases on them.

The process of withering of the strawberry crop is manifested by a change in the color of the leaves, which acquire orange, red and whitish shades. Thus, pruning leaves is a necessary process to protect the future harvest from diseases.

Processing strawberries after harvest

After removing all the berries, to improve the phytosanitary condition of the plantings, it is better to treat them with Fitosporin (against fungal diseases in the proportion of 1 tablespoon of liquid solution per 10 liters of water). The prepared solution is enough for 2 m2. They also use Fitop (prepare it in the same way). Insecticides are used to prevent pests from infesting the berry garden.

Pests	Diseases
Strawberry mite	Powdery mildew
Whitefly	spotting
Strawberry leaf beetle	Gray rot
Nematode	Scab
Raspberry-strawberry weevil	Septoria

If a weevil appears on the site, you should get rid of it immediately. It is capable of destroying the harvest of not only strawberries, but also raspberries and blackberries.

Weevils on strawberries must be destroyed immediately

Pruning in case of strawberry disease

When the leaf part of a strawberry is infected with pathogenic pests, it is also necessary to observe a number of nuances during the pruning process:

Absolutely all leaves, even young ones, must be removed;
pruning must be done closest to the base of the bush, since there is a high probability of harmful spores on the petioles of the plant;
during the mowing process, it is important not to touch the heart of the bush, which will contribute to faster restoration of the crop;
the soil should be treated with chemical compounds against pests.

Advice : if rotten berries are present during the harvesting process, after the last harvest, the entire plantation should be treated with a fungicidal composition.

Is it possible to mow all the leaves?

Nowadays it is not uncommon to see strawberries being completely mowed down. According to gardeners who practice this method of caring for crops, this helps to obtain a richer harvest next year, as well as less susceptibility to diseases.

By completely pruning a strawberry plantation, you can achieve absolute destruction of pests. At the same time, it is not recommended to mow young healthy plantings, as this can provoke the opposite effect: depletion of bushes and a meager harvest in the future.

Caring for strawberries in spring. Advice from Oktyabrina Ganichkina

In terms of growing strawberries, Oktyabrina Ganichkina places special emphasis on spring care of the plantings. As soon as the frost ends, you need to remove the artificial cover from it and carefully move aside the foliage or other natural “blanket”. This way the young shoots will develop well. There is no need to water; at first, the soil moisture is more than enough for strawberries.

But pest control won't hurt. The most proven method is dusting with wood ash. This will repel dangerous insects and provide additional feeding to the bushes.

After 2 weeks, you can fertilize with a solution of bird droppings (1:20) or mullein (1:15).

After another week, you can start watering. While it is not too hot, it is enough to do this once every 10-14 days, then the procedure will need to be carried out 2 times a week.

Be sure to regularly weed and loosen the soil, as well as mulch the beds. Oktyabrina Ganichkina advises placing peelings of potatoes, carrots and other vegetables between the strawberry bushes. She claims that this will help enrich the soil with additional nutrients, as well as retain sufficient moisture.