How to feed strawberries and what to fertilize during flowering and fruiting
Feeding strawberries with mineral and organic fertilizers promotes active growth and increases yields. On poor soil, the bushes grow poorly and often get sick. When applying fertilizers, it is important to observe the measure and not overfeed the plants. On overfed soil, strawberries begin to grow deciduous and yield declines.
Why fertilize strawberries?
It is recommended to fertilize strawberries for a number of reasons:
- The yield increases.
- Resistance to disease increases.
- The berries grow sweeter and larger.
- Abundant flowering.
- It is easier for bushes to survive the winter.
Many summer residents are of the opinion that if the culture bears fruit, everything is enough for it. But this is not always the case. Fertilization increases yields and improves fruit quality. In addition, if you do not apply top dressing for a long time, the soil will completely deplete, and all crops will grow poorly on it.
Fertilizer types
There are several types of fertilizers by type. It is organic and mineral. Organic can be prepared on your own, while minerals are purchased at gardening stores.
Organic fertilizers
Organic fertilizers include weeds, rotted food and foliage debris, manure and bird droppings. Organic matter is introduced into the soil during the entire fruiting period. It is combined with mineral supplements.
Slurry
For strawberries, only rotted manure is used. Fresh manure is concentrated, and its use leads to burns of the root system of garden strawberries.
1 kg of manure is poured into 6 liters of water. Stir and leave for several hours. Stir again before watering. You should get a slurry of a uniform consistency. Strawberry beds are watered after sunset.
Fresh manure
Fresh manure is used as an organic fertilizer in the fall, before preparing the soil for planting seedlings. The soil is dug up and mixed with manure. In the spring, this place will be fertile soil for planting strawberry seedlings.
Chicken droppings
Chicken manure in an amount of 1 kg is diluted in 5 liters of warm water. Leave for 2-3 hours. Before watering, the strawberries are stirred until smooth.
Green manure
Green fertilizer is prepared on the basis of weeds that grow on the site. Any weeds are used for feeding. Nettle is also added to the infusion.
Preparation of green infusion:
- Finely chop the weed together with the stems.
- Pour 1 kg of raw materials with 5 liters of warm water, cover and put in the sun.
- Leave the infusion for 2-3 days.
- In warm weather, it will begin to ferment, and so that the fermentation process takes place faster, a bag of yeast is added to the water.
- When the infusion is ready, filter it.
- Before watering, the liquid is diluted in warm water.
It is recommended to water strawberries with green infusion in the evening, after sunset. Fertilizer is applied to the soil 2 times a week. The term for top dressing is 2 weeks.
Yeast
Preparation of yeast feeding:
- Dissolve a bag of yeast in 1 liter of warm water (first, the yeast is diluted in a small amount of warm water, and then poured).
- Add 2 tablespoons to the water with yeast. l. Sahara.
- Leave to wander for a day.
- Before use, the yeast infusion is diluted in warm water.
Water the strawberries once a week for 3 weeks.
Mineral fertilizers
Mineral fertilizers are single-component and complex. In the first half of the season (before fruiting), strawberries are fed with nitrogen. During the formation of ovaries and fruiting - potassium and phosphorus.
Wood ash
Feeding with wood ash is of two types. Ashes are scattered on the ground and then watered abundantly. Or immediately diluted in water and watered with the resulting mixture of plants.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen contributes to the rapid growth of foliage and root systems. With a nitrogen deficiency, the leaves begin to turn red. The component is contained in calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and carbamide.
Potassium
Potassium is contained in such dressings:
- Potassium chloride.
- Potassium sulfate.
- Wood ash.
- Potassium nitrate.
- Kalimagnesia.
Potassium increases yields and improves the taste of berries.
Ammonia
The ammonia quickly evaporates, so it must be mixed with fatty acids. They are found in laundry soap. Foam settles on the leaves and they absorb nutrients.
1 bottle of ammonia is mixed with 5 liters of water. Then add soap shavings. Stir and pour over the strawberries.
Iodine
10-15 drops of iodine are diluted in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is sprayed on strawberry bushes. Iodine is not only a nutritional supplement. With a solution of iodine, they also disinfect the soil before planting seedlings. It is also used as a prophylactic agent against diseases.
When spraying strawberry foliage, use a small amount of iodine. High concentration leads to burns.
Boric acid
In 10 liters of warm water, 1-2 g of boric acid and 1 g of potassium permanganate are diluted. The water is mixed and immediately watered with garden strawberries.
When berries ripen, boric acid in an amount of 2 g is mixed with 20 g of urea, 2 g of potassium permanganate and 100 g of wood ash. All ingredients are diluted in water.
A mixture of organic matter with minerals
A mixture of organics and minerals is used in the fall for application to the soil. Mixed dressings are used to prepare the soil for planting seedlings. The humus is stirred with potassium chloride and superphosphate. Mix with soil. In the spring, the soil will be sufficiently nutritious for the seedlings.
How to fertilize strawberries in spring?
In spring, you can feed strawberries with rotted manure and nitrogen. Overripe manure enriches the substrate. Nitrogen has a beneficial effect on the growth of bushes and the formation of ovaries. It is brought in before the beginning of the flowering period. Urea is used for feeding, it also contains nitrogen. As soon as the first inflorescences began to appear, potassium is used instead of nitrogen. You can't do without wood ash. It is scattered over the soil, and then the beds are watered.
In the southern regions, garden strawberries are fertilized in March. In the central and Volga regions - in the last days of March - early April. In the north - from the beginning of the second decade of April.
What fertilizer is best used in summer for a good harvest?
If there was no time to fertilize the soil before planting in the fall, in the summer strawberries are fed with mineral and organic compounds.During the fruiting period, strawberries should be fed with phosphorus and potassium.
In the summer, slurry is used. It is insisted for 3 days, and then watered, after diluting with water, strawberry beds in the evening. Yeast feeding and infusions based on weeds are also suitable in summer.
If the bushes grow poorly and give little yield, complex minerals are introduced into the soil when loosening the soil. For example, potassium salt, superphosphate.
In the event that the bushes began to grow deciduous mass, the introduction of any types of dressings is stopped for a while. Overfeeding decreases yield.
Fertilizing strawberries in autumn
Autumn feeding is aimed at preparing plants for winter. During this period, nitrogen should not be added to the soil. Autumn dressings are applied after the berries ripen and harvest from the site.
As during flowering and fruiting, the soil is fertilized with phosphorus and potassium. Rotted compost is also added. In the fall, strawberry beds can be watered with onion peel decoction or hydrogen peroxide solution.
100 g of husks are poured into 2 liters of water and boiled. Before use, they are diluted in water and watered with strawberries.
1 bottle of peroxide is diluted in 10 liters of water. The resulting liquid is poured over the plants. All watering takes place after sunset.
How to properly feed?
Top dressing is of two types - foliar and root. Foliar dressing affects the outside of the bushes. Strawberries are watered like regular water.
The root is applied at the root. Unlike the first, root fertilizers are more concentrated. They need to be applied directly under the root, being careful not to touch the leaves. Mineral dressing is most often root. And organic ones are foliar.
Further care of strawberries after feeding
After feeding, the strawberries are weeded (after 1-2 days). Remove all weeds. The beds are watered several times a week. Watering is carried out in the evening. These measures will be enough for berry growth. Regular care of garden strawberries will improve the quality of berries and increase yields several times.
