Content
You can get a high-quality harvest of any crop only by observing certain requirements of agricultural technology. Garden strawberries are no exception.
To feast on aromatic and tasty berries, you need to make an effort. Strawberries are responsive to care, gardeners note high yields with rhythmic adherence to the rules of care. Top dressing is considered one of the important points. Today we will look at the types of dressings for garden strawberries during the flowering period. It is this life time of strawberry bushes that many gardeners drop out of the nutrition schedule.
There is a misconception that if the strawberry bushes have bloomed, then now the plant will cope on its own. And all further care consists in watering, weeding, removing unnecessary whiskers and loosening. Feeding strawberry beds is carried out at the beginning vegetation and in the autumn to prepare the bushes for wintering.
But the plant needs nutrients and minerals throughout the entire period of its life. The soil reserve of these substances is insufficient for long-term cultivation of strawberries in one place. And at the time of flowering and fruit formation, the bushes will need additional components. However, some gardeners are wondering if it is possible to make top dressing when strawberries are blooming? Will there be harm to the berries from additional fertilizing, because they absorb all the fertilizers applied to the garden?
Feeding strawberries during flowering is required. It allows you to significantly increase the yield and improve the quality of berries. They become larger, juicier and more flavorful. It is these qualities that are appreciated by gardeners in varietal strawberries.
Bushes need to be fed during the flowering period:
- only planted;
- already fruiting.
The main stages of feeding strawberries:
- at the beginning of the vegetative process;
- at the time of flowering;
- after the end of fruiting.
What is the importance of feeding strawberry bushes at the time of flowering? It provides several important parameters:
- Strawberries will recover well after the winter period.
- The bushes will have more peduncles and ovaries, because the plant has enough strength for this.
- All the fruits that have set will not fall off, because the bushes have enough nutrients for their development.
The importance of the procedure is clear to us, now it remains to find out how to feed strawberries during flowering.
Choosing formulations for feeding strawberries during flowering
The method and type of feeding should be determined depending on the composition of the soil on the strawberry ridges. Most often, farmers feed the bushes with compositions of mineral fertilizers, which are easily absorbed by the root system of the plant. But there are also folk methods - wood ash, chicken droppings, boric acid or yeast. At this stage, strawberries need potassium, so the choice of fertilizers is based on the presence of the desired element in them.
There are only two main types of dressings - root and foliar. Let's consider each type of feeding in more detail. But first, let's find out what are the general rules for feeding a crop at the time of flowering. Usually this time falls in May - early June. Before starting the spring procedure, you need to make some preparations:
- we clean the bushes from dried parts;
- remove the layer of mulch around the plant, if any;
- delete weeds;
- we loosen the soil (for root application of the components).
This is necessary to free the roots of the plant in order to improve the access of light and air to them, to increase the number of ovaries on strawberry bushes.
Root fertilization
This is a convenient way to feed strawberry bushes that every gardener is familiar with. The nutrient solution is applied to the soil so that the necessary substances flow through the root system to all parts of the plant.
We feed the bushes carefully. It is necessary to ensure that the composition does not fall on the leaves, but is evenly introduced into the soil. For this purpose it is good to use:
- Potassium nitrate... To prepare a feeding solution, one teaspoon of the substance is enough for a bucket of clean water. One bush will require 0.5 liters of the finished composition.
- The drug "Ovary"... The preparation of the solution is carried out strictly according to the instructions attached to the preparation. Overdose is not allowed.
- Yeast... Gardeners use fresh and dry yeast for feeding strawberries at the time of flowering. Nutrient consumption - 5 liters per 10 garden strawberry bushes. Preparation of a solution from fresh - 1 kg of yeast per 5 liters of pure water. Then the resulting mixture is again diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20. Water the strawberry bushes with ready-made fertilizer.Dry yeast one sachet is enough for the preparation of the starter culture. Add sugar, warm water and let it brew for 2 hours. Then pour 0.5 liters of sourdough into a watering can and feed the berry.
- Bread (wheat or rye). Able to replace the yeast composition completely. Dried pieces of bread are poured with water and left to ferment. This can take from 6 to 10 days. As soon as the composition "ferments", it is wrung out or filtered. Then it is diluted with clean water in a ratio of 1:10 and the strawberry bushes are watered. Consumption per plant - 0.5 liters of infusion.
- Wood ash... An excellent natural remedy. It is very popular with gardeners. Pour a glass of the substance with 1 liter of boiling water, stir and let cool. Then strain and use 0.5 liters of infusion to feed one bush of garden strawberries at the time of flowering.
- Mullein (infusion)... Take 2.5 kg of manure and pour 10 liters of water, insist for 24 hours. Then mix the infusion and dilute with water in a ratio of 1:20. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, experienced gardeners recommend immediately adding Baikal humate to the composition (before infusion). For one strawberry bush, you will need 0.5 liters of top dressing.
Foliar application
This method consists in irrigating strawberry bushes with nutrients.
Useful substances are absorbed by the leaf mass, especially their lower part. This must be taken into account when spraying plants. Foliar nutrition is carried out during the period of mass appearance of flowers on strawberries. For this, gardeners often use:
- Ready-made compositions of mineral fertilizers... The preparations "Rubin", "Hera", "Agros" have proven themselves excellently for feeding strawberries at the time of flowering. How to prepare the solution is detailed on the package, adhere to the recommended dosages.
- Zinc sulfate... A 0.02% solution for spraying strawberries is being prepared.
- Potassium nitrate also suitable for foliar spraying. It is necessary to take a teaspoon of the drug for 5 liters of water and process the strawberry bushes.
- Yeast... The recipe for the solution is the same as for root application.
- Infusion of fresh nettle... Finely chop the grass, put it in a bucket and fill it with hot water (50 ° C). Insist for a day, then dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10 and carry out foliar feeding of strawberries at the time of flowering.
- Boric acid (pharmaceutical preparation)... A small pinch of powder is enough for a bucket of water. Stir the mixture and sprinkle over the strawberries.
- Fermented milk products (kefir, whey)... They provide not only nutritional benefits, but also contribute to acidification of the soil. This is important for gardeners who have alkaline soil on the site. The second advantage of such feeding is that ticks and aphids "do not like" it. The products are diluted with water (1: 1) and strawberries are fed. The composition also has a drawback.He cannot provide adequate nutrition for strawberries during their flowering period. Therefore, you will have to add treatment with infusion of nettle, mullein or bird droppings.
- Complex composition... For this top dressing, you will need several components. They are bred in 10 liters of water and foliar spraying is carried out. You need to take 2 grams of potassium sulfate and potassium permanganate, 1 gram of boric acid and a bag of any complex fertilizer for garden strawberries.
Useful Tips
Natural formulations are, of course, very popular.
They are available, easy to make on your own, and environmentally friendly.
Top dressing at the time of flowering, do one of the methods and the selected composition. Find the best one for your site. All recipes are for selection, not for simultaneous use.
Apply organic fertilizers only in a diluted state. Strawberries love feeding with natural organic matter, but an overdose will lead to sad consequences.
At the time of root dressing, the soil should be moist. It is best if you feed the strawberries after another watering or rain.
Foliar application is done in dry, sunny weather, but not on a sultry afternoon.
Any feeding will not bring stress to the plant if you do it in the evening or early in the morning before the onset of the heat.
Standard dosages are for sandy loam and light loamy soil. Conduct a soil analysis on your site to find the most suitable feed for your strawberries at the time of flowering.
By correctly feeding, you will significantly improve the condition of the strawberry bushes and the yield indicator. Help the berries become prettier, tastier and more aromatic. This result will cover all the costs of time.
Conclusion
Feeding garden strawberries at the time of flowering is an important measure to increase the yield.
But be sure to adhere to the rules for feeding, so as not to harm the plants.
The most basic rule is reasonable expediency. You should not be zealous and increase the proportions or the amount of dressings for strawberries during the flowering period. One procedure is enough at the time of the appearance of peduncles. Otherwise, you can disrupt the natural acid-base balance of the soil, which will affect the development of strawberries. An overdose of nutrients is better avoided than coped with.
