Feeding strawberries at different stages of development

Feeding strawberries: an introduction

Strawberry (garden strawberry) is a whimsical berry. Not every summer resident can grow and get a good harvest of strawberries. She requires special care and attention. By doing everything right, you can get good and tasty berries. Care includes not only watering and loosening the soil, but also fertilizing strawberries. In order for strawberries to develop well and correctly, you need to make at least 5 dressings (strawberries have their own periods of development when they need to be supported with fertilizers). Before planting, it requires a little preparation of the soil. To do this, take: 10 liters of humus, 2 tablespoons. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. potassium sulfate, 2 glasses of ash. When fertilizing, look for bushes that bear fruit that are 2 to 4 years old. Try to update 5-year-old bushes with new ones. Those bushes that bear fruit need daily care, at least for a few minutes.

Feeding strawberries: spring feeding

The first top dressing after the winter season must be carried out when the snow melts and the soil dries up a little (so as not to deliver dirt on the site). Nitrogen must be added first. It is he who will help the plant to recover its strength after the harsh winter months. In summer, nitrogen is not needed, it interferes with the development and fruiting of the bushes. But spring is the perfect time for him. The best nitrogen fertilization will be rotted cow dung, which is diluted with water. In 10 liters of water, you need to mix and mix well 2-3 kg of manure. Let this mixture sit for a few hours, and then you can water the bushes. One bush accounts for 1-1.5 liters of fertilizer. If you have poultry droppings, you can also use that as fertilizer. But it should be used with caution. It is 10 times stronger than the mullein. To prepare a solution from poultry droppings, it must be mixed with water (1: 1) and infused for a week in a warm place. Then you can use the solution, before use, dilute at the rate of 1 liter of solution for 15 liters of water. Do not let the poultry manure solution get on the leaves. In order to use urea as a fertilizer for strawberries, you need to take the granules and dissolve them in water (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). Mix everything well so that the granules are completely dissolved in water. Fertilizer is applied in 0.5 liters for each strawberry bush.

Top dressing of strawberries before flowering

The second feeding is carried out during the bud formation period, before the flowering period begins. flowering takes a lot of energy from any flowering culture, it is during this period that plants need mineral feeding, which includes a large amount of potassium, and it is he who is especially needed during the flowering and budding period. In order to prepare a solution for spring feeding you will need: · Potassium salt - 1 tbsp. · Nitroammophos - 2 tbsp. for every 10 liters of water. Mix all the ingredients well and use as fertilizer at the rate of 0.5 liters for each strawberry bush.

Top dressing during flowering

Such feeding is simply necessary when strawberries are forming ovaries. Boron is good for this. It is he who will improve the quality and quantity of the harvest during the period of berry ovary. Boron fertilizing is done directly on the leaves. To do this, you need to take boric acid (2 g) and dilute it in hot or warm water (boron does not dissolve well in cold water). Such a solution is used during the flowering period, spraying the foliage and flowers of strawberries.

Top dressing during the development of berries

When the berries begin to appear, use the mullein solution, which we described earlier, while you need to add wood ash (1 glass) for every 10 liters of mullein solution. Let this solution brew for 2 days. Each bush needs 1 liter of the resulting mixture. If you rely more on store-bought fertilizers, humic fertilizers are a good choice.

Top dressing after harvest

The most recent top dressing can be done when you have harvested the entire strawberry crop. After harvesting, strawberries begin to set flower buds for the next season. Therefore, you need to fertilize the strawberries well at this moment so that the future harvest is healthy and rich. For such feeding, dry fertilizer is suitable, which contains potassium and phosphorus. But do not look at what is written in the instructions that they need to be brought under the bush, bring them into the aisles. If you have wood ash, it is also ideal for late dressing. To do this, you need to take wood ash and add 5 glasses of it for every 1 square meter of the garden, then pour it with warm water so that the wind can not spread it throughout the site. It might seem to you that strawberries are a berry that is difficult and troublesome to care for. at first, yes, but if you do everything right, strictly follow all the instructions, then you can get a good and constant harvest of this tasty and healthy berry. You just need to get used to it, having made all the necessary fertilizing for several years in a row, you can enjoy this summer berry for a long time.