The best ways to properly maintain a strawberry mustache before planting
How to properly maintain a strawberry mustache before planting? This question is of interest to gardeners who choose this method of breeding berry bushes. It has many benefits. Young seedlings take root well, have the same qualities as the mother bush. After a year, the seedlings begin to yield. This is one of the best methods for increasing the number of strawberry plants in your own garden.
Selection and preparation of mustaches
In the first year after planting, all mustaches are removed from the strawberry bushes. This is done in order to get powerful plants with a well-developed root system. Peduncles are also removed for one-year-olds so that they do not waste energy on the formation of berries. On the mother strawberry bush, whiskers of the first, second and third order are formed. Stronger and more viable are closer to the bush, and it is recommended to use them.
Strawberry bushes that are two years old and older give new shoots. At the beginning of the season, the strongest, largest plants are chosen. They are marked with a sign, stick or other handy material.
When to trim the strawberry mustache
In mid-July, the mustache is cut off and planted nearby. By the end of summer, they take root and begin to actively develop. For the winter, the entire strawberry bed is dived and stored in a cool room. At this point, the strawberry whiskers have their own roots and are ready for wintering.
Important! There are varieties of berries that need to be propagated in August..
How to keep a strawberry mustache before planting
Sometimes, after trimming the whiskers, it is not possible to plant them in the ground immediately. Many people wonder if it is possible to keep the strawberry mustache before planting. There is a solution to this problem. The maximum shelf life is 2 months. It is better to plant the mustache immediately, this increases the percentage of survival and rooting.
For 2 - 3 weeks
Young strawberry whiskers are placed in water for a day with the addition of a root formation stimulator. If it is not possible to plant seedlings immediately, then they are left in water for 2 - 3 weeks. During this period, strawberries give good roots. Then it is transferred to open ground in a prepared bed.
Up to 2 months
It is possible to keep the strawberry whiskers for a period of about 2 months. For this, seedlings are sprinkled with earth and stored at home. Carefully monitor soil moisture. This is how seedlings are stored, gardeners who prepare seedlings for sale. Wet moss or foam rubber is placed at the bottom of the container.
How to store seedlings from winter to spring?
Strawberry seedlings are stored under certain conditions. The air temperature in the room is kept at the level of +2 - + 6 ° С.Humidity must be at least 90%. The optimal conditions are considered to be an excess of the content of carbon dioxide in the air by 2 times more than oxygen. If the humidity in the room is low, then damp towels are hung, if it is high, they are ventilated. When opening the window, the seedlings are insulated. Suitable for storage:
- cellar;
- insulated balcony;
- refrigerator;
- basement.
To store seedlings indoors, the bushes are transplanted into boxes. Prepare double-layer boxes. The root area of each plant is covered with sawdust or moss in several layers. Periodically check the condition of the seedlings, water them if necessary and ventilate the room.
Many gardeners who do not have basements and time to keep an eye on strawberries indoors. Leave it to winter in the garden. To do this, the bed is covered with insulation, pre-moistened and fed. Warm material is fixed on the garden bed, applying heavy objects along the edges to exclude the possibility of being blown away by the wind.
Important! If you do not follow the storage conditions, strawberries will freeze and die..
In the refrigerator, seedlings are stored for up to 7 months. Plants are placed in a plastic bag, without soil. Sprayed with water and placed on the bottom shelf for storing vegetables. There the air temperature is constantly maintained at 1 - 2 ° С.
Constantly opening the refrigerator removes excess moisture.
The modern storage method according to the Frigo method is gaining popularity. All the leaves of the seedling are cut off and stored in the cold. This helps to select the strongest bushes, remove the weak and get the highest yields. Such strawberries take root faster in the open field.
We save seedlings by snowing
Before snow storage, the strawberries are prepared in advance. Watering is reduced for a month before storage. 2 weeks before the shelter, it is completely stopped. Then the bushes are watered once, preventing them from drying out. During this period, the plants fall into suspended animation, all life processes slow down. Strawberries support vital functions. Then the following manipulations are carried out:
- Choose a piece of land with a constant snow cover of at least 15 cm.
- The dug out seedlings are transferred to this site.
- Then mulch the bed with straw.
- Cover with spunbond on top.
- Then a layer of snow 10 cm thick is laid.
- Repeat a layer of straw to prevent melting and keep warm.
Important! If it is not possible to transfer the seedlings to another place, they are left in the garden and snow is carried out according to the instructions.
Landing rules
The mustache is planted in two ways: in a pot and in open ground. The decision on the method is taken by the gardener, taking into account the area of the site and the possibility of keeping the seedling. For the potting method, resort to the following actions:
- Choose the strongest strawberry whisker.
- Prepare the soil: mix it with organic fertilizer.
- Close up half capacity.
- A process is placed in it without tearing it off the mother tree.
- Sprinkle with water every day until roots form.
- After 10 days, the stem of the attachment is slightly incised so that the new bush gets used to independent existence.
- 14 days after planting, the seedling is completely separated from the mother plant.
For planting in open ground, follow certain instructions:
- Prepare a bed in advance.
- Dig up the site, remove stones and weeds.
- Organic fertilizers are applied.
- The mustache is cut off, leaving a 20 cm long process, and the roots at least 15 mm.
- Dig holes 5 cm deep.
- Pour a small amount of water into each.
- Close up seedlings to a depth of 5 cm.
- Sprinkle with water every day until rooting.
After rooting, manipulation can be carried out, which increases the endurance and resistance of the strawberry to adverse conditions. After such a procedure, the bushes will not be afraid of showers, rains, hail, sudden changes in temperature. They make beds in the "Norwegian manner".For this, several procedures are carried out:
- The garden bed is equipped with high boards on all sides.
- Cover with a transparent film.
- A few cm are left on top for airing.
- Carefully monitor watering and soil loosening.
This procedure helps the seedlings to root better, increases their survival rate, makes them strong and hardy.
