Nothing causes more heated debate among gardeners than mulching strawberries with sawdust. Some believe that this method of protecting beds is very questionable in terms of the balance of harm and benefit, while others are simply delighted with the result obtained. This article will help you evaluate the pros and cons of mulching with sawdust.
Can I use fresh sawdust for mulching?
Many opponents of the use of sawdust in gardening argue their position by saying that fresh sawdust:
- actively extract nitrogen from the soil, which is so necessary for all plants;
- significantly acidify the soil;
- serve as an ideal breeding ground for various pests.
It would be stupid to argue that each of these factors takes place. But in the case of using sawdust as mulch, one cannot help but make an allowance for the fact that the increase in acidity and decrease in nitrogen levels are so insignificant that plants simply do not notice them. As for the proliferation of pests, the experience of many gardeners shows that sawdust mulch not only does not increase their number, but even slightly reduces it. For example, tulips covered with mulch made from fresh sawdust are much less likely to suffer from mouse attacks. Those who still do not risk covering their beds with fresh sawdust can pre-treat them. To do this, sawdust and urea are laid in layers on a thick plastic film (0.2 kg of urea for 3 buckets of sawdust) and moistened abundantly from a watering can (10 liters of water for each layer). The resulting “pie” is covered with another layer of polyethylene on top and left for 10-14 days to overheat.
Mulching strawberries with sawdust in spring
In addition to maintaining the required level of humidity and making it difficult for weeds to live, sawdust mulch in strawberry beds also acts as a kind of padding that protects the berries from contact with the ground. You can mulch strawberries with sawdust immediately after spring sanitary pruning. Coniferous sawdust treated with urea is ideal for these purposes, as it will help protect the bushes from weevil attack.
In cultivation strawberries(another name for garden, Victoria) is an important agrotechnical technique - mulching. It consists of carefully covering the soil surface between plants with a special protective layer - mulch.
However, despite its apparent simplicity, this component is very important and correct execution depends on both individual plants and the plantation as a whole.
Therefore, let’s look together in the article at the question of what this technique is, what, when and how to mulch strawberry bushes.
Why do you need mulch when growing strawberries?
Like others cultivated plants, strawberry yield depends on a number of factors - from soil moisture and the content of nutrients in it to the presence of weeds and outbreaks of diseases on the plantation.
It has the following properties:
- Allows increase productivity by 50% in just a few weeks of use.
- You can get a good one harvest even on low-fertility soils and in unfavorable climatic conditions
- Absolutely safe
How to mulch strawberries in the country?
For mulching strawberries personal plot They use both loose organic and all kinds of synthetic materials. Organic mulch is used both in spring and autumn.
When rotting in the spring-summer period, they enrich the soil with nutrients, and when the plantation is insulated for the winter, they protect it well from the cold and in the event of prolonged thaws they are able to ensure normal air exchange, thereby not causing the death of plants during a short awakening.
Inorganic materials are used more often in the spring and serve solely to protect the soil from drying out and overgrowing by weeds.
Organic covering materials
For mulching strawberries, various available organic materials are widely used - from simple grass and straw to forest moss, pine needles, spruce branches, and pine needles. The advantages of these covering materials are their availability, low cost and absence of harmful substances.
Straw and hay
- Straw or hay is thoroughly shaken to remove seeds.
- Soak in warm water.
- Dry in the sun.
- Place around plants and between rows in a layer 15-20 cm thick.
Cut grass
You can also use grape leaves and marigold tops for mulching using this method. When using marigolds, remove the heads with ripened seeds.
Sawdust and shavings
- Rotted shavings, sawdust or shredded bark coniferous species dried in the sun.
- Dry mulching material is scattered in an even layer 5-7 cm thick around the plants and between the rows.
- As the mulch layer settles during the season, shavings or sawdust are periodically added.
The mulch layer obtained in this way is not loosened - in this case it can mix with the soil and, starting to rot, will take from it what is necessary for this process nitrogen.
Needles
How to properly use needles for mulching:
Peat
As a mulching material for this method use lowland peat:
- caked and lightly compressed peat is crushed to a loose state, heavily moistened peat is dried;
- cover the spaces between plants in a row and between rows with mulch;
- The peat layer when mulching strawberries with it is on average 6-8 cm.
Compost and humus
Recommendations for using humus and compost:
- or the humus is carefully sifted, thereby removing stones and any plastic or other inorganic debris that accidentally gets in.
- If necessary, the mulch is dried in the sun.
- When mulching strawberries with compost or humus, scatter them in a layer at least 5-7 cm thick.
Fallen leaves
Garden leaves fruit trees dried in the sun. Fill out everything free space around the plants with a layer of leaves 3-5 cm thick.
This method of mulching will retain moisture in the soil and, when rotting, will improve its structure. However, during a prolonged rainy spring or summer, there is a risk of rotting of the mulch layer due to its compaction and accumulation on the surface large quantity water, frequent use of leaf litter can.
Do not use leaf litter from such species as mulch: Walnut, oak, willow, aspen. They contain tannins that inhibit the growth and development of strawberries.
Cardboard
When using cardboard, follow these rules:
- The bed is covered with several sheets of packaging cardboard with an overlap of 15-20 cm on each side.
- A layer of peat, humus or compost 10-12 cm thick is poured on top of the cardboard.
- The bed is kept in this form for 5-7 days, allowing the soil under the cardboard sheets and the humus on top to slightly compact and settle.
- When planting, dig a hole and punch a hole in the cardboard using a scoop.
- A strawberry bush is placed in the hole, sprinkled with soil, and compacted.
- With this method of mulching, watering is carried out only in the root zone so that the cardboard becomes less wet and lasts longer.
Inorganic covering materials
Among inorganic materials, the following are widely used for mulching strawberries:
- nonwoven materials;
- polyethylene film.
Nonwovens
Among nonwoven materials, types of agrofibre are used:
- spunbond;
- lutrasil;
- agrotextiles;
- geotextiles.
Perform the following simple manipulations:
Nonwoven materials, unlike organic ones, have greater durability, allow air and moisture to pass through, are easy to apply, and do not require maintenance.
Their disadvantage is their rather high price.
How to use film to mulch strawberries?
Polyethylene is the material with which owners of country plots are accustomed to mulch strawberries.
It is used mainly in the spring as follows:
Mostly black polyethylene film is used for this mulching method. To save time, films with perforations are often used - ready-made films placed at spaced intervals. round holes under plants.
Among the main advantages of the film are:
- low cost;
- ease of use;
- effective suppression of the development of weeds;
- rapid warming of the soil underneath in the spring.
The disadvantages include:
- Lack of air and heat exchange between the soil and environment, as a result of which the soil under the film overheats on hot days and excess moisture begins to accumulate.
- When temperature changes occur, the film begins to crack and quickly becomes unusable.
- The strength of some films does not allow you to easily move on them when harvesting.
Features of watering strawberries with mulch
When choosing the method and time of watering a mulched strawberry plantation, you should take into account the type of covering material:
Stories from our readers!
“I am a summer resident with many years of experience, and I started using this fertilizer only last year. I tested it on the most capricious vegetable in my garden - tomatoes. The bushes grew and bloomed together, they yielded more than usual. And they did not suffer from late blight, this is the main thing.
Fertilizer really gives more intensive growth garden plants, and they bear fruit much better. Nowadays you can’t grow a normal harvest without fertilizer, and this fertilizing increases the amount of vegetables, so I’m very pleased with the result.”
To properly mulch garden strawberries, you should follow the recommendations:
Video: Mulching strawberries for beginners
Conclusion
Thus, mulching Victoria is necessary to solve whole line problems ranging from soil moisture conservation to weed and disease control.
The yield of a strawberry plantation and the duration of use depend on the correct implementation of this agrotechnical technique. Therefore, it is very important, following all the above recommendations, to choose the right mulch and apply the material to the strawberry plantation.
Mulching of various crops is used to improve ventilation of the root system. This procedure helps plants develop and relieves them of some dangers. At the same time, there is an increase in productivity berry crops on average by 15-20%.
General information
Mulch can be organic (for example, leaves, sawdust, shavings, pine needles, etc.) and inorganic (various artificial fabrics, films, gravel, loose pebbles). IN modern farms components of the second type are used. The first type of coating attracts various arthropod pests, such as insects. In addition to them, slugs attack plants. Therefore, it is recommended to change organic mulch periodically.
Mulch should be poured onto the surface layer of soil between the stems of berry bushes. A wide variety of methods are used for this. Summer residents add mulching components to the beds manually, and large agricultural corporations use special machines for these purposes.
Mulching strawberries
The main purpose of mulch is to retain moisture near the roots of the plant. In summer, the powder prevents overheating, and in winter it helps protect the berries from the cold. Erosion processes are reduced and soil composition is improved.
Application for berry crops
Mulching of strawberries is carried out 2 times during the entire growing season. First in the spring, when the first ovaries appear on the bushes. Treatment of plants helps prevent contact of flower stalks with the ground. At the end of summer or after the harvest, the mulch is removed. The second time the procedure is carried out at the end of October. Mulching helps prevent berries from freezing in winter period. When spring comes, everything is removed from the beds.
The advantages of this processing:
- watering intensity decreases;
- the number of loosening is reduced;
- due to the decomposition of organic substances that make up the mulch layer, the soil fertility in the beds sharply increases;
- berries are better able to resist pest invasion;
- strawberry immunity to rot improves;
- crop productivity increases.
But mulching also has its disadvantages:
- the looseness of the soil increases, which attracts slugs and similar animals to plantings;
- fungi that carry various diseases develop well when they fall on the mulch-treated area.
An alternative to mulching strawberries would be following methods, used on summer cottages:
- Destruction of weeds by hilling berry bushes manually or using herbicides. This method does not completely get rid of pests.
- Increasing the intensity of loosening beds. The procedure requires caution due to the close proximity of the roots of the hybrids to the surface of the earth.
- Increased watering during flowering and fruit development. Problems will arise when liquid stagnates under the berry bushes.
- You will have to treat the soil 3 times per season with preparations that destroy fungi and soil bacteria. When using these products, you must strictly follow the dosage.
There are many methods and materials for carrying out soil improvement work. The gardener, based on the available capabilities, decides what to mulch the strawberries with and what to use when cultivating the beds.
Most often, gardeners use hay or straw as mulch, as they are the most accessible materials in rural areas. Some of them cultivate the land with spunbond, paper or bark various trees. Some summer residents use manure or humus, roofing material, sawdust. But you need to keep in mind that most of these materials are suitable as mulch only in summer.
Mulching strawberries is hard work
Winter makes more stringent demands, so insulation materials are used to preserve strawberry bushes. These include hay, straw and pine needles, and they are placed between the bushes in a thick layer directly on the ground.
Important! Do not pour covering material onto plants.
A small part of gardeners who begin to grow berries are faced with a choice: what to use to obtain good harvest, how and with what to mulch strawberries. Experts recommend using easily accessible materials for this.
Sawdust
But some doubt whether it is possible to mulch strawberries with sawdust, whether this will lead to crop loss. Breeders and scientists claim that this is one of the best covering materials. Therefore, all doubts about whether sawdust can be used for strawberries or not should be resolutely brushed aside and start mulching the soil. When using this material, the soil in the beds becomes loose and conducts air well. Therefore, even in extreme heat, crusts do not form on the ground, and the amount of loosening is reduced by 30-40%.
For strawberries or strawberries, sawdust from deciduous trees is used. They will rot faster and release necessary for plants substances.
Important! It is better to use pine needles and shavings only for insulating bushes in winter.
The soil in the area where mulching is carried out with sawdust should not be acidic. Neutral soil, or at least slightly alkaline soil, is selected. Neutralization of high acidity is carried out by applying under plants wood ash, dolomite flour, eggshells.
Important! Newspapers should only be in black and white font. Color photos and text contain chemicals that are harmful to plants.
If the gardener has fresh sawdust, then the mulch is prepared in this way:
- Choose a flat place on the site where direct rays of the sun do not fall. Spread a polyethylene film, securing the ends with stones. 3 buckets of sawdust are poured on top to form a layer of 100 mm.
- Fill the mulch with urea (200 ml) and 10 liters of water. Then the operations are repeated several times.
- To cover the resulting slide, use a film or fabric that does not allow air to pass through. After this, wait about 2 weeks until the sawdust is completely dry.
The resulting mulch must be sprinkled under the berry bushes according to the method described above. Further care involves adding sawdust and fertilizer. In the spring, when plants are flowering, the soil is loosened, fresh soil, horse manure and nitrogen fertilizers are added to it.
In the summer, new sawdust is added. The layer thickness must be at least 40 mm. When fruiting begins, potassium and phosphorus mixtures are introduced into the soil.
Important! If this is not done, then by the end of August there will be no mulch left on the beds, which will reduce the crop yield.
Grass
If there is no sawdust, then use freshly cut grass. It contains quickly decomposing components that provide strawberries and strawberries with the necessary substances.
Important! Such mulch can be placed under bushes only in the summer due to the short duration of its effect. Due to rotting of the grass in the lower layers of the coating, poisoning of the berries is possible.
Before laying the mulch layer, the freshly cut grass is dried, removing plants with ripened seeds from it. A layer of mulch is placed under the strawberries or strawberries (if correct operation it is changed every 2 weeks) with a thickness of 30-50 to 70 mm, and it is not recommended to water the beds with water during the week.
Hay and straw
Hay and straw
Ash
Many novice gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to sprinkle strawberries with ash, and how to do it. This is done to kill or repel pests. The method is also suitable for feeding strawberries in spring, summer or autumn. The ash is placed under the stems in a layer 30-40 mm thick. Then the strawberry bush and the soil under it are watered with warm water.
Important! The liquid should not stagnate, otherwise the roots will begin to rot. It is better to moisten the soil to a depth of 50 mm.
Ash, while aerating the soil, eliminates the danger of attack by slugs and most insects. It can also be used as a fertilizer. But it is better to first feed the bushes with nitrogen (spring) or phosphorus or potassium (summer and autumn) mixtures.
Which mulch to choose for strawberries
Often the gardener is confused by the variety of materials used for the procedure and asks the question, mulch for strawberries, which is better, what to use in each specific case.
Sawdust is considered the best coating component. But for winter you will have to use coniferous needles or shavings, and the rest of the time it is advisable to use the remains of deciduous trees.
It is better to use black film or special fabric only in spring and summer, although some materials can protect plantings from winter cold. They are stretched over the beds, and then cuts are made in the places where the trunks of the bushes pass. The beds are first loosened and organic fertilizers. The film is lowered onto the ground. Its side edges are secured with stones.
Important! IN Middle lane In Russia and in the north it is better to cover the beds with black film, and in the southern regions use two-color material. All this also applies to spunbond.
The packaging cardboard is cut so that it covers the entire width of the bed plus 10 cm on each side. A groove is made along the perimeter of the sheet into which the remaining “wings” of the package are inserted. Cover the cardboard with a 100 mm layer of earth. It is not recommended to moisten such mulch, otherwise the material will get wet. Leave the workpiece for 8-10 days. After this, berry sprouts are planted in the ground on cardboard. Which are sprayed with a pear. When the seedlings grow, it is advisable to cover them with hay or straw.
When mulching in the spring with pine needles (needles), bark or cones, it is possible to repel various insects and slugs from plantings. The mulch layer should be at least 40 mm thick. If this process takes place in the fall, then in winter the strawberries will be protected from the cold.
Important! Needles should not be used on acidic soil.
Mulching strawberries with grass clippings is only beneficial in the summer due to the fact that they will rot before winter. It is recommended to use hay and straw in winter to protect strawberries from the cold.
The use of film, cardboard (paper), and spunbond is not always possible due to the unevenness of the area; in addition, due to poor air circulation, their use causes gradual death of the root system of the berries. Condensation remains on the fabric or film in the spring, damaging the berries.
Mulching is an important component of agrotechnical measures. It allows you to reduce the cost of watering, weed control, garden pests and various diseases.
For inexperienced farmers, the best mulch for strawberries is sawdust or ash. But beginners often make the following mistakes:
- Select and apply film on poor soils. At the same time, they forget to remove the rhizomes. As a result, the entire crop dies. This occurs due to the spread of weeds and fungal infections.
- Large amounts of fertilizer are used along with a mulch layer. This leads to rapid depletion of the land after the first abundant harvest.
- They do not carry out preventive measures for hilling bushes, watering strawberries and strawberries after mulching. As a result, productivity decreases.
- The thickness of the mulch layer is not observed. This leads to rapid evaporation of moisture.
To get the desired result, you need not only to follow the advice of breeders, but also to carefully monitor the development of plants. Timely watering, weeding, spraying of bushes against various diseases and garden pests. Choosing the right mulching method guarantees a high yield.
Experienced gardeners are confident that Mulching strawberries is a must. Thanks to this agricultural practice, a layer of mulch retains moisture in the soil, and it is quite difficult for weeds to break through to the light; the soil becomes nutritious and loose. Mulching strawberries is a very important part of care, comparable to correct landing and watering. In this article we will tell you all the features of mulching strawberries.
Why do you need mulch when growing strawberries?
Mulching is covering the soil around strawberries with organic material, as well as film or cardboard. Thanks to mulching, the evaporation of water from the soil is reduced, and the number of waterings per season is also reduced. The moisture in the soil will remain much longer, which, of course, is good for strawberries. Mulch for growing strawberries is also needed to curb the growth of weeds, and as a result, you will save yourself from the need for frequent weeding. Under a layer of mulch root system and the soil warms up. The covering material prevents heat from escaping from the ground.
This is especially true in spring when the soil freezes at night. If you use sawdust, pine needles or straw as mulch, the soil is saturated with nutrients that the plant needs. You can also get rid of contamination of strawberries. Without mulch, during watering or rain, dirty drops of water fall on the leaves and berries, after which the presentation is lost. Since the layer of mulch prevents the berries from coming into contact with the ground, they will not lie on the ground and will not develop gray rot.
When to mulch strawberries
To understand how to properly mulch strawberries, you need to know when to do it. This procedure must be carried out twice a year. The first time this is done is in the spring, when fruit ovaries begin to appear on strawberry bushes. This is done so that the flower stalks do not come into contact with the ground. You can remove the mulch after the crop is harvested or at the end of summer. The second time to mulch strawberries is in late autumn. This is necessary so that the plants do not freeze when the first cold weather arrives. You can remove the mulch in the spring, as soon as the bushes begin to grow.
Options for mulching strawberries at your dacha, how to mulch strawberries
Mulching strawberries in a summer cottage is quite simple, but very effective procedure for a plant. Beginning gardeners do not always know how to mulch strawberries, although many materials are suitable for this. Straw, sawdust, grass, pine needles, film and even cardboard can be used as mulch. Mulch should be placed on the surface near the plant. Next, we will tell you in more detail what you can sprinkle on strawberries.
Mulching with straw, grass, sawdust, pine needles and cardboard
Mulch the soil with straw- a fairly common option in summer cottages, because straw is ideal for mulching: the soil does not acidify, and, moreover, having rotted, the straw will serve as a good organic fertilizer.
Important! Make sure the straw is dry before use. If it is fresh, it may begin to rot.
The layer of straw mulch should be 5 cm thick. It is recommended to cover the ground when the strawberries begin to bloom. Before mulching, you need to remove weeds from all beds and apply mineral fertilizer.
Mulching strawberries with grass clippings produced in the same way as when using straw. The mulch layer should be 5 cm and the grass must be dry.
If you use sawdust as mulch, then the beds must first be loosened and weeded. After this, spread old newspapers in two overlapping layers between the strawberry bushes. Next, add sawdust, the layer should be 5 cm. Mulching strawberries with sawdust is done for two years, after the expiration date they are overheated and the procedure is repeated.
Important! Chipboard sawdust cannot be used because it contains harmful resins which are dangerous to the human body.
It is best to use sawdust from deciduous wood rather than from coniferous wood, as it rots faster in the fall.
You can mulch strawberries not only pine needles, but also cones, bark And branches. Unlike other mulch materials used, pine needles quickly rot, resulting in the soil becoming loose and saturated with nutrients. Those who doubt whether it is possible to mulch strawberries with pine needles are also somewhat right. This is due to the fact that pine needle mulch acidifies the soil, but this is easy to combat. To do this, it is necessary to regularly add ash, as well as dolomite flour twice a year.
We figured out what is the best way to mulch strawberries, but there are others, unconventional methods. Use cardboard as mulch-least popular way, however, it also has a right to exist. It is best to use thick carton boxes, but don’t take regular newspapers, as they contain a lot of lead from printing ink, which is harmful to plants. Lay cardboard over the prepared area with the edges overlapping by 20 cm. After this, add a 10 cm layer of fertile soil and leave the area for a week. After this you can plant strawberries. Using a garden scoop, pierce the layer of mulch along with the cardboard and plant the seedling in the hole, watering it immediately. To avoid spoiling the mulch, there is no need to water between strawberry bushes. After the seedlings have grown, cover the beds with mowed grass.
Using film to mulch strawberries
Quite often used for strawberries mulching film or spunbond. Spunbond is a fabric that is used to mulch strawberries. To figure out what is better to use (film or spunbond), you need to know what their difference is. If you use film as mulch, it can serve you for two seasons, but spunbond for strawberries is used for several years. There are special varieties of polyethylene that are designed for mulching. The film already has holes for planting and watering plants.
Did you know? It is best to use black film as it retains heat better.
Also, they do not penetrate through dark film Sun rays, and weed growth is inhibited. However, covering strawberries with spunbond allows the soil to breathe. The film allows air to pass through worse, and the soil may close, and this will cause rotting of the strawberry root system. You need to mulch with film immediately before planting strawberries. The day before, you need to make a bed for strawberries on the site; if there are weed roots, remove them. After this, add organic fertilizers to the soil and carefully level it with a rake.
Did you know? If you have film without holes, make them yourself using sharp knife. The distance between holes should be at least 30 cm, and between rows - 50 cm.
After spreading the film, it needs to be pressed along the edges, for example with bricks.
The aroma and amazing taste of strawberries will not leave anyone indifferent, which is why strawberries are very popular among gardeners.
To obtain generous harvests of berries, even from a small garden bed, you need to know the basic secrets of care when growing strawberries.
Mulching strawberry beds helps strawberries bear fruit abundantly.
Let's take a closer look at what types exist types of inorganic materials used for mulch– film, spunbond, let’s talk about the use of such organic materials for strawberries- like pine needles, straw and hay, peat, sawdust and shavings, compost and humus, chopped bark, mown weeds and grass, fallen leaves. You will learn what is best to use when growing strawberries.
Experienced gardeners have long appreciated mulching and use it annually on strawberry plantations, making their work easier during summer season and helping a given culture reach its full potential. At the same time, a wide variety of materials of inorganic and organic origin can act as mulch.
Some gardeners use old roofing felt or linoleum as mulch. Similar inorganic materials Due to the thick texture, it is inconvenient to use. These building materials includes dangerous chemical compounds, which casts doubt on obtaining an environmentally friendly harvest.
One of popular types soil cover – black polyethylene film. Mulching is carried out even before planting young rosettes. Prepare the soil in the beds: apply fertilizers, dig, level and water.
The surface of the bed is covered with film, the ends are secured at the edges. Holes 8-10 cm in diameter or cross-shaped cuts are made in the film at a distance of 30 cm in a row and 40-50 cm in rows. Strawberries are planted in the holes.
The film protects the soil under strawberry bushes from washing out and drying out, keeps it loose, keeps weeds from growing, and protects the berries from contamination and getting wet. IN spring period The black film contributes to the fastest warming of the soil.
Compared to similar products, polyethylene film is not expensive, and many manufacturers already offer film with ready-made holes for planting strawberries. This reduces the gardener's labor costs.
The fragility of the film is compensated by its price, but when using it for strawberries, this becomes not an important factor.
No one will mulch adult plants every year. Manufacturers are constantly working to improve films, adding dyes and stabilizers that can protect the material from cracking under the influence of temperatures.
Such films will last for 3-4 years, just until the strawberry plantations are completely renewed. When choosing mulching films pay attention to the thickness - it should be not less than 30 microns.
Also one of the most important selection factors is the color of the film. The black film performs two main tasks: it prevents the growth of weeds and effectively warms the soil. For northern regions, with short summers and changeable weather, this is the most acceptable option.
Gray, brown or two-color film ( upper layer white, and the bottom one is black) – great option for the southern regions. Such films reduce the risk of soil overheating in summer.
Applying black film as mulch, it has such a disadvantage as the accumulation of condensation under it in the summer heat. The risk of overheating is reduced by laying a layer of straw on the surface of the film; it reflects the sun's rays and protects the film from deformation at high temperatures.
Gardeners used their ingenuity and began planting strawberry beds in raised beds. Make small hills 30-40 cm high from the soil, compact the soil, throw a film on top, securing the edges at the base of the earthen rampart. Strawberries are planted in the slots made on top. Condensation from raised strawberry beds flows downwards.
In spring, such beds warm up the fastest.
When using black film, gardeners may encounter the following problems:
The film does not allow water to pass through; watering is carried out through holes under the bushes;
-- over-watering strawberries under the film, condensation accumulates, which leads to root rot;
-- condensation on the film during spring frosts can cause damage or death to plants:
-- possible appearance of slugs due to excess humidity;
-- the soil under the film is quickly depleted, beneficial microflora die in it without sufficient access to oxygen;
- in the summer heat, the film becomes very hot, which leads to overheating of the soil;
-- with sudden changes in temperature and under direct sunlight, the film cracks and becomes unusable.
Modern nonwoven materials increasingly used in strawberry beds. These materials are more expensive, but are superior to traditional film in durability.
You can find these on the market types of non-woven material: Russian spunbond and agrotex, German lutrasil, Ukrainian agrin, French agril, Polish plant-protex.
But the variety should not scare the gardener - all these materials consist of fabric obtained by interweaving polypropylene threads. Nonwoven materials differ only in the way they are weaved and processed, but they perform the same functions.
Video - Planting strawberries in non-woven covering material
Spunbond has been widely used in vegetable gardens and gardens, it does not fade or crack, and is not afraid of low temperatures.
Attention: watering strawberries mulched with non-woven material can be done on top, and not pointwise into the hole.
Main advantage of spunbond unlike polyethylene film - the ability to allow air and moisture to pass through - it has a breathable structure. This simplifies the care of strawberry beds and allows you to water over the entire surface and not into the holes.
Spunbond consists of two layers: the top layer freely allows moisture to pass through, the bottom layer prevents its further evaporation. In regions with arid climates this is necessary.
But when there are prolonged rains in the summer, spunbond loses to film, since the soil becomes excessively waterlogged.
If we compare spunbond with black film, it slowly warms the soil in the spring, but does not give off heat so actively, which is beneficial during periods of cold weather.
In rows mulched with spunbond, pests do not grow, condensation does not accumulate, beneficial soil microflora do not die, and it protects the berries from contamination and wetness, and from rot.
Used for mulching black spunbond, which warms the soil faster and better and prevents the growth of weeds. Spunbond is available for sale different colors, and two-color varieties with a black bottom layer and a white top layer that reflects the sun's rays in summer, protecting the soil from overheating.
For mulching, choose high-density spunbond from 60 g/m 2 .
Video - Raised beds for strawberries under covering material
Using inorganic materials as mulch, you will have to restore soil fertility over time and add the necessary organic matter.
Usage organic mulch, which gradually rots under the influence soil microorganisms, subsequently the soil is saturated with humic compounds, the soil remains fertile.
Covering the soil organic mulch, it remains moist for a long time, retains a loose structure, easily allows air to pass through, stops the growth of weeds (although not as actively as film), and prevents plants from being damaged by fungal diseases.
Main disadvantage use of organic materials– it is necessary to regularly update the mulch; the thinner the layer, the faster it rots. But the cost of materials is reduced to almost zero.
Useful fir or pine cone mulch. But they use something similar natural material rarely: if there is a pine or spruce forest nearby, coniferous litter is used.
Cone mulch on strawberry beds will last a long time, it will take several years to rot. Cones spread in a dense layer under the bushes will protect the plants from unfavorable weather conditions, will perfectly retain moisture in the soil and also add decorative value to the beds.
Summer residents often use it as mulch. pine needles– free and available material, which can be collected in the nearby coniferous forest.
They spread it under the strawberry bushes and between the rows in a layer of 3-5 cm. This mulch copes with the task. Coniferous litter should be used carefully acidic soils, since during the process of decay the pH level of the soil increases.
Spruce and pine needles contain powerful phytoncides that effectively repel pests. Antiseptic properties pine needles reduces the risk of fungal diseases.
Video - Mulching strawberries / How to mulch correctly
Peat– an organic type of mulch, effectively retains moisture after watering, thanks to its porous structure, protects against weathering and leaching, prevents the growth of weeds, and protects plants from temperature changes.
Heavy clay soil mulched with peat, becomes looser and more air-intensive over time. Mulched with peat sandy soil will become water-absorbing.
Better to use for mulching lowland peat. High-moor peat significantly increases the acidity of the soil; with irregular watering, it dries out and turns into a dense crust that is poorly soaked with water.
It is easier for residents of areas with a predominance of marshy areas to obtain peat. But extracting peat from the ground and subsequent processing is a very labor-intensive process. It’s easier to buy ready-made peat in packaged form at any gardening store at an affordable price.
Effective type of organic mulch for strawberry beds, which decomposes faster and does not affect the acidity of the soil.
In the process of rotting straw Bacillus subtilis, a beneficial microorganism that prevents the occurrence of fungal diseases, multiplies in the soil.
Hay inhibits weed growth worse than straw, but has better nutritional value, when rotted, it turns out to be an excellent fertilizer for strawberries.
Video - Growing strawberries under hay (straw)
Wood sawdust and shavings great option mulch for strawberry plantations. This mulching material copes with its functions perfectly, but it should be used carefully, since fresh shavings and sawdust can make the soil acidic and draw nitrogen out of it.
To counteract this, it is necessary to spill the sawdust with a urea solution - 200 grams of urea per 10 liters of water, enough to water 3 buckets of fresh sawdust.
The acidic soil in the area must be additionally limed (the norms are calculated based on the pH level in each specific area). Rotted ones are also used for several seasons. wood waste. They are laid out under strawberry bushes without danger.
Often in strawberry beds use compost and humus as mulch. They have wonderful thermal insulation properties, protect plants from hypothermia and overheating, and protect the soil from weathering and drying out.
Such organic matter best feeds strawberry bushes, but is quickly processed by soil organisms and earthworms. Therefore, you have to update the mulch layer more often.
Weeds and lawn clippings
Weeded in the garden weeds or mown lawn grass will become an alternative to hay and straw. At first, the weeds will act as mulch, then they will become a source of additional nutrition. Weeds should be taken without seeds and roots, otherwise you can introduce even larger hordes of green pests into the beds.
Keep in mind that a thick layer of freshly cut grass will decrease in size in a few days, and in cloudy weather, instead of drying out, the green mass will rot and cause fungal infections.
Therefore, before covering the beds with strawberries with such free mulch, it should be dried for 2-3 days, turning from one side to the other.
This organic mulch is the most durable, crushed bark, within two years it rots to 30% of its original mass.
If we compare crushed bark with other types of mulch, it is less effective at restraining moisture evaporation after watering, but more effectively protects plants from overheating in summer and freezing in spring.
Remember that the bark, when rotted, increases the pH level of the soil, and the content of tannins in some tree species negatively affects the development and fruiting of strawberries.
Sometimes gardeners Fallen leaves are used as mulch from their garden, or stock up on them in the forest. Tree leaves do not have the same nutritional value as other organic types of mulch, but they improve the structure of the soil when rotting, making it loose, air- and water-permeable.
A 3-5 cm layer of compacted leaves will protect the soil from drying out, restrain the growth of weeds, and protect the berries from contamination. This mulch helps out in dry summers, but in rainy weather the leaves begin to rot and diseases develop.
When rotting, the leaves slightly acidify the soil, and leaves from trees such as walnut, aspen, oak, and willow contain tannins, which have an inhibitory effect on strawberry growth.
We reviewed all types of mulch used in strawberry plots; choosing the most suitable one in terms of characteristics and price is up to you.
Wishing you high yields and healthy plants!