After the fruiting period ends, the bushes still need care, the quality of the harvest in the next season depends on it. To get a good harvest, the plant must be well prepared for the winter period..
Features of caring for strawberry bushes after harvest
After the fruits stop appearing, the bushes do not stop watering and feeding, they are prepared for the winter period, the excess antennae are removed. Thanks to this care, you can get a high-quality harvest in the next season. At the same time, the plant remains healthy, is not exposed to pests, and successfully survives the cold..
Bushes that have a strong appearance are able to survive even the most severe cold weather, therefore, in dry weather, it is necessary to provide them with high-quality watering and feeding. Fertilize the plant in the middle of the ninth month in dry weather. This process is especially important for young plants in order to survive the winter favorably..
To prepare top dressing, 1 part of the mullein and half a glass of ash are diluted in 10 liters of water. Pour up to 500 milliliters of solution under each bush. Also vermicompost and mineral elements are used as top dressing. On a ten-liter bucket of water add 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and nitroammophoska, one part of mullein, 250 grams of ash, and 30 potassium sulfate. Up to 50 milliliters of the composition are applied under each bush..
Pruning strawberry bushes in autumn
At the beginning or middle of the eighth month, old leaves are cut off. At the same time, the plant is able to experience minor stress, this process increases the yield. To make sure of this yourself, you can leave one bed without pruning, and remove the leaves on the other, then look at and evaluate the results.
How to properly prune strawberries
After the main fruiting period has passed, they begin to remove the old foliage using scissors or pruning shears. However, it is important not to remove too much greenery. Only the leaf itself is cut off, and the stalks are left from them, while the growth point remains unharmed, and new young greens appear. The mustache must also be trimmed. Such work can be combined with loosening the soil, while the weed is cut off superficially, and the roots rot and act as fertilizer.
After completing all the work, the bushes are thoroughly watered, covered with ash, and mulch is added. Needles are used as a mulching material for strawberries, but if it is not there, then you can take leaves or straw.
Preparing strawberries for winter: what and when to cover the beds
After the first frosts in the late autumn period, they begin to shelter the strawberry bushes. The most suitable cover for bushes is snow. With its abundance and warm winter, no additional shelter is made, mulching material is quite enough.
If the frost is too severe and there is no snow, strawberries require shelter. To do this, you can use spruce branches, the young are closed completely, and the old bushes are covered in a circle. This shelter prevents the appearance of rodents and pests..
In some cases, straw, leaves or tops of various plants are used as shelter. But it should be borne in mind that mice and other pests can start in such materials, the foliage is compacted, and the air supply to the plants is limited, as a result, delight appears. Thus, the bushes can be completely damaged and die..
Spruce branches are considered the most suitable material, and in order to improve the flow of air to the plants, brushwood can be placed under it. Also, to hide strawberry bushes, you can use a special material, agrotex or spandbod, its density should be 60 g / m2. For this, special arcs are constructed on the site, onto which the covering material is pulled.
The material is breathable, so strawberry bushes will not rot and spoil. But it must be borne in mind that for such a material it is imperative to create a frame, it is forbidden to simply spread it on the beds. In places where the fabric touches the soil, the ground freezes even more, and the construction of arches will help prevent this process..
With proper autumn care, and the shelter of the plant before the winter period in accordance with the climate, the bushes will delight you with a strong and rich harvest..
Cooking strawberries for winter (video)
Cooking strawberries for winter – 6 acres