Preparing the soil for strawberries should be a priority for the gardener, because it determines what kind of harvest he will reap. The soil for strawberries should be light and have enough moisture. You also need to add fertilizers that contain all necessary elements. Fertilizers can be organic and inorganic, their task is to nourish the plant so that it produces large, juicy berries, so this issue needs to be studied in detail.
- sandy;
- peat;
- clay;
- light gray;
- soddy-podzolic.
- Manure. Represents the droppings of domestic animals. To use it as a fertilizer, it must be applied when it is at least a little rotten, because fresh manure contains many weed seeds suitable for germination.
- Humus - this substance is completely decomposed manure. Many people like to place humus near the beds, as this fertilizer contains a lot of nutrients. They contribute rapid growth plants.
- Chicken droppings. It contains nitrogen, which is very beneficial for strawberry growth. If you mix one part of chicken manure with twenty parts of water, you will get an excellent fertilizer.
- Ash. This natural product can be used in many different ways. The first way is to simply put ash in the soil between the beds. The second way is to make a solution. Ten liters of water are mixed with one hundred grams of ash, and the resulting solution is watered onto the soil around the strawberry bushes. In order to fertilize one square meter, you will need to use one hundred grams of ash.
- The plant is fed for the first time in early spring.
- The second time it is fed when the plant has formed ovaries.
- The third time is in the summer, when the harvest has already been harvested.
- The fourth time in the fall, after picking berries.
- Boron – has great value for the formation of ovaries. Its presence or absence plays a huge role in the formation of the roots and shape of the fruit. If this element is not present at all, then the berries are deformed and root development stops.
- Calcium. It directly affects the formation of fiber. If the acidity in the soil is high, it means there is not enough calcium. As a result, strawberries become watery and their shelf life is reduced.
- Manganese and iodine. These elements are important for strawberries at any period of their development. They successfully protect plants from fungi and strawberry rot, and increase their immunity. Thanks to manganese, berries become tastier. Deficiency of this element is a problem that can be eliminated by spraying plants with a solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of iodine. In this case, the soil for garden strawberries will be suitable.
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Soil for garden strawberries: preparation, composition
Garden strawberries are one of the most popular crops among summer residents. This is an unpretentious plant for which any soil is suitable. But if a gardener wants to get maximum results, then he needs to pay close attention to the composition of the soil and its preparation for planting.
The soil for planting strawberries should be light and highly permeable to air. Water should not condense in it. The content of sand and clay is minimal. The optimal soil for growing strawberries may be black soil, which is rich in potassium. Loamy and sandy loamy light soils are suitable.
The following types of soil are not suitable for strawberries:
In sandy soil, the roots of strawberry plants will dry out and overheat. In heavy clay soils Strawberry seedlings will also not take root. Peat soils contain organic compounds, which provoke late blight diseases.
The ideal soil contains three percent humus. This ensures that the optimal amount of water is available. To improve the taste of the berries, the ground will be mulched with spruce and pine needles.
The area intended for planting strawberries is first cleared of weeds. In order to grow strawberries, a bed is suitable that previously grew legumes, celery, onions or carrots.
The site should be located in a place that is well lit by the sun and not exposed to strong winds. It is advisable not to choose areas where underwater water approaches the ground too quickly.
Fertilizers
Before planting, you need to add fertilizer to the ground. Otherwise, according to experts, it is impossible to obtain a large amount healthy berries strawberries
Fertilizers come in different forms. Organic fertilizers are often used, such as:
Mineral fertilizers are produced quick effect, and can be purchased at gardening and gardening stores.
How to feed soil for strawberries?
Here is the most common scheme for feeding strawberries:
Fertilizing soil for strawberries mineral fertilizers necessary in order to compensate for the lack of nitrogen. The second feeding can significantly improve the taste of strawberries.
IN summer time Fertilizers also need to be applied, because plants form flower buds, and this largely determines what kind of harvest there will be next year. In the fall, fertilizing is needed so that the strawberry bushes receive the strength they need to grow.
Necessary components of fertilizers
Fertilizers for strawberries should contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen is responsible for leaf formation and development. But if you need to prepare fertilizers, you shouldn’t get too carried away with adding nitrogen. Its excess can lead to a lack of fruit on strawberry bushes.
Phosphorus is essential for young strawberries. It is responsible for the formation of the root system. The addition of potassium leads to the formation of resistance in plants to frost and heat, and to fungal diseases.
Microfertilizers
These are fertilizers that contain everything necessary for normal height and development of strawberry substances. Typically, strawberries are processed using the spray method.
The composition of microfertilizers includes the following elements:
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Productivity garden strawberries depends not only on the variety or care of this berry crop. A lot depends on the soil on which strawberries grow, timely application of fertilizers and many other soil requirements.
First of all, you need to decide where on the site the strawberry beds will be located. The place for strawberries should be well lit by the sun and at the same time protected from wind and drafts. It is best to plant this berry crop on sandy, sandy loam or chernozem soils that retain moisture fairly well. Soil water should not come too close to the soil surface.
It is necessary to prepare the soil before planting strawberries. Basic requirements for the soil on which strawberries will grow:
the soil must be fertile; if it is depleted, then it is necessary to apply appropriate fertilizers in the fall before autumn digging;
- the best soil for strawberries is light;
- water should penetrate well into the soil;
- acidity pH should be about 5.5;
- there should be no “harmful” insects or diseases in the soil.
- Strawberries do not grow in saline, limestone or other acidic soils.
Soil components
Organic fertilizers must be added to the soil - rotted compost, cow dung, these are the nutrients needed for normal strawberry growth.
If it is not possible to add humus soil to the beds, then you can use turf. However, this soil is quite heavy, so peat, or rotted sawdust, or other leavening agents are added to it. You can also use coarse sand with the addition of wood ash as a leavening agent.
Soil disinfection
Very often, spores of fungal diseases and other microorganisms can overwinter in the soil, which can cause various diseases strawberries Pest larvae also “wake up” as soon as the snow melts. How to disinfect the soil so that strawberries are not susceptible to diseases and invasion of “harmful” bugs?
Usually in the fall, the area where you plan to plant strawberries must be cleared of weeds. To do this, you can use herbicides such as Roundal or Ground. Weeds treated with these drugs will begin to die within a few days, and will finally die in about two weeks. It is worth treating the soil against pests and diseases copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture mixed with colloidal sulfur.
Depending on how depleted the soil is, complex mineral fertilizers mixed with organic fertilizers are applied. And only after that they dig up the area.
Watering
For normal strawberry growth, the soil must have good moisture permeability. High humidity soil control is achieved by regular daily watering of strawberry beds. Typically, for such watering, drip irrigation systems are installed on the beds.
When strawberries begin to grow their vegetative mass, they need less moisture. The soil should not be allowed to become too moist, but it should also not be allowed to become too dry. If there is a small amount of moisture in the soil, the yield of this berry crop will decrease, and too high a liquid content in the soil can provoke fungal diseases in strawberries.
Soil fertility level
To receive good harvests strawberries from the site, the soil must contain at least 3% humus. This humus content allows the soil to retain moisture, and nutrients are better absorbed by the strawberry root system.
You can get a high-quality and high yield of garden strawberries if you follow the technology of cultivating the berry crop. One of the main things in it is the composition and condition of the soil, its acidity, and the presence of nutrients in it. Therefore, before planting strawberries, it is necessary to select an appropriate area and prepare the soil for planting the berries.
What kind of soil do strawberries like?
It cannot be said that strawberries need any special soil mixtures for their growing season. It can grow in any part of the garden, but it will produce small, tasteless berries.
When choosing a place for berries, they rely on the fact that they become more ripe and sweet in the sun. But a little shade during the day will not spoil the taste of the strawberries.
Before planting, the ground is cleared of weeds by removing the rhizomes of perennials. The berry grows better on level places, where the slope should not be more than five degrees. You should not plant strawberries on elevated open places, slopes, since the plant will not have enough moisture during the growing season, and in winter it will freeze.
Strawberry roots need moisture and nutrition, so choose soil that will easily allow water and mineral and organic substances to pass through. These are medium loamy or sandy loam soils. In order to turn the existing soil on the site into a comfortable one for strawberries, it is necessary to add appropriate fertilizers to it.
Sufficiently moist soil is important for the plant, but excessive swampiness of the area will lead to strawberry diseases. Therefore lie down groundwater should be at a level of 80-100 centimeters from the surface of the earth, and the lowest soil moisture should reach 70-80 percent.
Be sure to alternate areas. It is not worth growing a plant in one place for more than four years - the soil will become depleted and the yield of berries will decrease. After it, you can plant legumes and root crops. And place the strawberries where the grains grew. Planting flowering mustard, beans, beans, and peas before planting the berries makes the soil fertile. In the fall, the grasses are plowed in to make the soil nutritious without adding organic matter.
Soil composition
Pick up perfect place It is difficult for each garden crop, but it is possible, by planting a strawberry plantation, to enrich the soil in accordance with the agrotechnical requirements for growing the berry. On heavy clay soils, add along with organic fertilizers river sand. In this case, the area is dug deep to 27-30 centimeters or plowed. Sandy lands are fertilized by adding manure or compost. Ideal for strawberries would be soil with a three percent humus content.
Humus is the name given to nitrogen compounds with which microorganisms saturate the soil, obtaining them from rotted plant residues. Earthworms play an important role in creating the nutrient layer.
Dying parts of the plant, decomposing in the soil, turn into humus containing useful substances. These include humic acids, fulvic acids, and their derivatives.
They loosen the soil, turning it into a porous mixture permeable to water and air. Filled useful elements The layer prevents heavy metal salts from negatively affecting plant roots. Soil fertility affects the increase in strawberry yield. You can prepare a nutrient layer by storing food waste, weeds, autumn leaves in a designated place, and placing earthworms there.
Of the minerals needed for the favorable development of strawberries:
- Phosphorus. Without it, the berry will not develop a strong root system. An indicator of the norm is the content of ten to fifteen milligrams of phosphorus in one hundred grams of soil. If there is little of it in the soil, then feed the soil with superphosphate before planting the berries in an amount of 50 to 70 grams per square meter.
- Potassium. Strawberry roots absorb the element well from the soil. But if the area is limed, then manganese and calcium will not allow the element to be absorbed, displacing it. Optimal shape Feeding will be potassium sulfate or potassium magnesium. Apply 40 grams per square meter of garden potash fertilizers. This is done before planting and during the growing season.
- Magnesium. Strawberries suffer from its deficiency if the acidity of the soil is too low. This element is included in complex fertilizer because it is responsible for the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves of the plant.
- Calcium. A lack of calcium also has a negative effect on the condition of the plant’s foliage – it becomes limp and deformed. If the soil acidity level is normal, then there will be enough calcium for strawberries.
- Bor. The element boron, which is washed out of the ground more often than other substances, is important for high-quality fruiting.
When choosing fertilizers containing potassium, pay attention to the quantitative ratio of chlorine in them. Excess chlorine will negatively affect the growth and fruiting of strawberries.
The amount of minerals should not be excessive. This will not allow the berry to develop properly. But since nutrients are quickly washed out of the soil, it is necessary to apply them before strawberries bloom and in the fall after harvesting.
Soil acidity
Soil acidity is determined by the pH sign. And for strawberries this indicator is at level 6, which indicates a slightly acidic environment, close to neutral.
Increased acidity of the area is dangerous, since aluminum ions can inhibit root system plants, do not allow it to develop properly.
Define increased acidity according to availability on the garden site:
- weeds such as woodlice, sedge, horsetail;
- red-brown deposits on stones and paths;
- rusty hue on the surface of the earth.
Litmus paper will help determine the pH level. It is lowered into a container of water in which there is a bundle of soil. If the indicator turns yellow or red, then the soil in the area is acidic. From blue to light blue – neutral alkaline.
Correcting the soil condition begins with liming the bed. Slaked lime powder or dolomite flour is sprinkled evenly on the area under the strawberries, mixing with the soil with a rake. You can increase acidity with peat and gypsum.
Achieving the appropriate pH is essential for the plant to feel comfortable and produce excellent yields.
Preparation for planting
To ensure stable fruiting of strawberries, it is better to carry out preparatory activities. In addition to digging up the earth, this includes marking the beds and leveling its surface. And since any plant needs vital important elements, then fertilizers are added to the soil.
Before planting strawberries, do not fertilize the soil in the garden bed with fresh manure or increased doses of mineral complexes. If potassium chloride is used, then the soil is fed with it in advance, in the fall or spring, several months before planting the berries, so that the chlorine goes into the deep layers of the soil.
In addition to natural black soil, the composition of the soil in the area for berries includes a little turf and peat. For looseness, you can add sawdust.
A year or two before planting a garden crop, snow retention is carried out on the site, which will increase soil moisture. Currant curtains arranged in a checkerboard pattern will help to hold back the snow. Replace the scenes with an installation wooden shields up to 80 centimeters high, installing them every ten meters.
There are two planting periods - spring and summer. Removed by mid-April upper layer land on the selected site. The thickness of the removed layer is ten centimeters. If the soil is still dry, then it is moistened. To saturate the earth with oxygen, lay out vapor barrier film with air holes.
As soon as the bed under the material has warmed up, it is removed. Having cleared the ground of remaining roots, larvae chafer, start planting strawberries.
If the procedure is planned to be carried out in August or September, then preparation of the site begins two months before the chosen date.
Conclusion
To grow strawberries, it is important to properly prepare the area for planting. It needs to be nourished useful substances, moisture. The composition of the soil and its acidity are important.
Vlad
What soil acidity is suitable for strawberries and strawberries?
Juicy, sweet, aromatic and large strawberries grown on your own plot are the dream of any gardener. But the result varies. What influences the development and fruiting of a crop? This is an indicator of soil acidity, indicated in the table, which some have not even heard of, while others pay little attention to it. But it is he who is capable of both destroying all the work expended in growing strawberries and strawberries, and also delighting with healthy plants that bring excellent harvest! Data on the acidity, composition and other properties of the soil necessary to obtain large quantity berries, here!
The beginning of the beginning: what is acidity for strawberries
Soil acidity (alkalinity) is the totality of the exchangeable ions, salts and acids it contains. It is the former that influence the micro- and macroelements found in the soil, transforming them from useful and necessary into poisonous and harmful. Toxic substances harm both the strawberry bush and the roots themselves, which does not allow the plant to be healthy and, therefore, to enjoy a large harvest of berries. The indicator is expressed in pH units from 1 to 14, where starting from 1 is strongly acidic soil, starting from 7 is alkaline.
A simple table will introduce every gardener to acidity and clearly show that between the final indicators (from a highly acidic to the most alkaline environment) there are several intermediate stages, each of which is optimal for a particular crop or tree. You can easily understand which crops your garden is suitable for!
At the same time, in order to grow healthy bushes, enjoy plants that are not susceptible to diseases and get a significant harvest, you need soil acidity with a pH value of 5-6 units. However, it is worth remembering that not only acidity is important when growing strawberries, but also the composition of the soil that determines it. What soil is optimal? We'll tell you here!
Attention! How to determine the acidity of the soil on your site yourself? Using litmus test indicator, sold in a pharmacy or on plants that “live” in the garden. Best helpers Can't find a definition!
Soil for strawberries: not forgetting the composition
Growing an excellent harvest of strawberries means preparing the optimal soil for the plant, collecting it from several components. The following characteristics will be important in this case:
- acidity (pH 5-6);
- lightness and water permeability. Strawberries do not tolerate dense and heavy soils: they do not conduct water and nutrients well, they deform the roots, and therefore you will not be able to grow healthy plant on clay soils or limestones. Sandy soil, which absolutely does not retain the moisture needed by the roots, is also not suitable. The only way out is mulching sawdust, pine needles, straw or spunbond;
- fertility. The strawberry bush will “find” a full range of mineral substances, nutritious and valuable, in soil collected from turf, humus, and peat soil with the addition of sand. The first can be prepared independently by removing a layer (up to 15 cm) of soil at the forest edge, putting it in a heap and letting it “burn out”, the second is the remains of organic substances (what is obtained after overripening compost heap), the third - purchased in a specialized store or obtained from the river bank. A good option is loam, the quality of which can be easily varied with the help of mineral fertilizers and.
However, here too it is worth maintaining a balance of micro- and macronutrients, remembering that an excess of some can cause not only a deficiency of others, but also strawberry diseases. To prevent this from happening, inspect the plants for disease damage (or mechanical damage), “treat” them if necessary, and feed them with organic and mineral fertilizers. But the main thing is to prepare the soil with optimal composition and acidity. A rich harvest of berries will not keep you waiting!
Determining soil acidity: video
Any berry crop requires painstaking and thorough preparation before planting. And for strawberries, you should be concerned not only with the selection of location and seed material, but also proper preparation soil substrate, which has its own requirements.
What should be the soil for strawberries?
Before we talk about the soil, we need to talk about the basic requirements for the planting site, because these same requirements also affect the soil.
Strawberries also do not tolerate drafts and cold winds; make sure that the selected location is not heavily blown.
The following can be said about the soil for strawberries:
- It should be loose.
- The soil pH should be close to neutral (that is, no less than 5.5 and no more than 8).
- The soil should be moist, not wet. That is, the water content in the soil should be no more than 90% and no less than 70%.
- Medium or light loams and sandy loams are suitable for strawberries. It, of course, can grow on heavy loams and on sandy soils, but will bear very little fruit.
- The soil should have a high humus content (about 3%).
Strawberries can deplete the soil on which they sit, so they need to be replanted every 3-4 years to new, more fertile soil
Predecessors of strawberries
Crop rotation is extremely important for strawberries, so you should select the beds for planting very carefully. Be careful not to plant strawberries after crops that harm them.
The most harmful predecessors of strawberries are Solanaceae. Indeed, it is extremely harmful to plant strawberries after potatoes or tomatoes, as they deplete the soil and can infect it with fungal diseases or rot.
You should also not place strawberries on beds of cabbage or zucchini, because these plants tend to draw phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen from the soil, which strawberry bushes need so much.
Strawberries also grow poorly after Compositae crops, such as Jerusalem artichoke, because they leave behind soil poor in both nutrients and moisture.
Precursors useful for strawberries are:
- Carrot.
- Garlic not only enriches the soil with useful substances, but also, when planted nearby, drives away pests.
- Parsley, by the way, is good and easy to plant nearby, as it drives away slugs.
- Legumes (peas, beans, lentils), which enrich the soil with nitrogen compounds.
- Alkaloid lupine, which is also a green manure, can make the soil whiter and looser.
- White buckwheat is not only a useful green manure, but also an excellent honey plant that fills the soil with a whole range of nutrients.
Indeed, such an order of changing crops would be the most optimal and correct both for the strawberries themselves and for the crops following them
We need to clarify right away different varieties strawberries such as large-fruited or small-fruited, remontant, red, white, will not require specific soil. We just remember that you can’t plant strawberries in the soil where the strawberries were sitting.
Preparing soil substrate for strawberries
To improve the fertility of strawberries, the soil is prepared in advance, preferably a week before planting the plant, and preferably in the fall, so that the beds have time to rot over the winter. And they do it like this:
Preparing the soil for growing strawberries at home
When you grow strawberries at home, planting them in pots, containers or other containers, you can use ready-made soil for strawberries. Or you can prepare the soil yourself.
Don't forget to do drainage layer in pots.
Video: preparing soil for planting strawberries
Features of soil preparation for growing strawberries in bags and pipes
Many gardeners like unconventional approaches to growing berry crops, for example, strawberries can be grown in nylon bags or in PVC pipes. And although planting in such unusual containers requires special materials and preparation, the soil for strawberries is not very different from the soil substrate for pots and containers. For example, the base soil for bags and pipes is the same as for planting in pots or containers. But soil additives are excellent.
Features of soil for strawberry seedlings
Planting seeds for seedlings requires a special painstaking attitude from the gardener, so we will look at the preparation of the soil substrate step by step.
So, although the soil for strawberries needs special soil, it is not difficult to prepare such soil and is quite possible at home. You just need to clearly imagine how strawberries will continue to be grown, in open ground or closed, in bags, pots or maybe, in general, in pipes. And if you are growing strawberry seedlings, you should definitely disinfect the soil in which the seeds will be placed.