After fruiting, the strawberry plant stays active for a long time - that's when the next year's crop is established. If you take good care of your strawberries after the harvest, the following year's yield will increase by 30%. The rested and extra-nourished bushes will produce tastier, juicier, and sweeter berries. Strawberries can be cared for throughout the summer months of July and August after fruiting. You will learn more about The Strawberries Care After Fruiting by Bubgo article.
In July, after fruiting, it is necessary to trim the beard, remove dry leaves, weed in the flower beds, feed, water, and weed the plants. It is not necessary to cut or trim all the strawberry leaves in July. Only unnecessary leaves and whiskers should be removed. However, if you find nematodes on your strawberries, dig them up and destroy them without regret. Spraying will keep you safe from strawberry mites. Timely fertilization and watering will help the plant regenerate and regain its strength.
Immediately after harvesting, it is best to weed the beds to remove all weeds. At the same time, you can remove some beards, especially those sticking out of the bed, and also cut off any dried leaves that are starting to turn red.
Cut leaves should be burned as soon as possible. Do not compost them or use them as a layer of mulch or mulching material. Leaves may be contaminated with disease or pests.
Once all unnecessary leaves have been removed, the old mulch layer (if any) should also be removed. Then you can start loosening the soil, watering, and fertilizing.
You can cut the leaves by combing them with a rake, weeding them, or cutting them off with a garden knife or scissors. It is highly recommended not to cut the leaves: pulling them will pull the shrub or part of it and damage the root system. A damaged shrub will take a long time to recover, it will get sick, and the next season's yield will be reduced.
For those with small plots, the best option is to remove unwanted foliage with sharp garden shears or pruning shears. You can prune the foliage, but be careful not to damage rosettes or healthy leaf clusters.
When dealing with garden strawberries, I suggest you pay more attention to the leaves. If you notice that some have become rippled, then they are probably under attack by strawberry mites. If you notice this, you must treat the plants with any approved miticide (anti-miticide) preparations, strictly following the instructions on the package.
Sometimes the central leaves of strawberry plants suddenly begin to turn yellow and the petioles become noticeably thicker and shorter. This means only one thing - the bush is infested with nematodes. It is difficult to get rid of it, and it is much easier to remove the bushes from the site and to dislodge the soil they are growing in with boiling water.
Try to hoe only between the rows and avoid getting too close to the bush so as not to damage the root system. Between two rows, the tip of the hoe can be inserted 3 inches (7.5 cm), which is sufficient. Once the rows are loosely spaced, the shrubs can be covered with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of fresh soil.
Try to hollow out first those shrubs that for some reason have bare roots (usually 2-3-year-old plants), making sure that the soil does not get into the center of the shrub.
In July, use a mixture of compost and mineral fertilizer. The application rate is 20-25 grams per 11 square feet (1 square meter). If using ammonium nitro phosphate, sprinkle it on the soil, either dry or dissolved.
How to fertilize strawberries Fertilizer for dry strawberries should be applied in a certain order.
1. Loosen the soil.
2. Water - one bucket of water for every 11 square feet (1 square meter).
3. Spread the fertilizer on the surface.
4. Cover the top with dry soil.
Alternatively, you can dissolve dry mineral fertilizer in water - 0.5 tablespoons per 0.26 gals (1 liter) of water and apply it to the soil under the shrub, using 0.52-0.8 gals (2-3 liters) per 11 square feet (1 square meter) of soil.
Note: Fertilizers containing chlorine, such as potassium chloride, should not be applied to strawberries. Strawberries react very badly to chlorine: growth will be stunted or fruiting will be compromised.
Tips: Pay attention to water-soluble mineral fertilizer complexes. Water-soluble complex mineral fertilizers potassium dihydrogen phosphate and monopotassium phosphate are part of the strawberries nutrition system.
Dosage of preparations for fruit and berry crops.
1. 10-15 g / 2.6 gals (10 liters) of water, the solution is consumed at the normal rate of watering.
2. Time, the characteristics of the application.
3. 1st feeding - after flowering
4. 15-20 days after the first feeding, the second feeding
5. 3rd feeding - mid-September
Feeding of strawberries with chicken manure after harvesting In July, strawberries can also be enriched with organic matter. Near the end of the month, apply poultry manure diluted with 15 times water to strawberries. Do not apply poultry manure dissolved in water under the plants or on the leaves - it can cause severe burns.
In general, try to water and apply manure in the evening or early morning.
Watering can be combined with fertilization. If it does not rain, water again 2-3 days after fertilizing, 2 buckets per 11 sq ft (1 m2 ), and cover the surface with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of humus. Humus is good for the soil: it prevents crusting, prevents water evaporation, inhibits weed growth, and improves the structure of the soil matrix.
The soil in the strawberry garden should be kept slightly moist throughout the season and until the end of the season, and should not be allowed to dry out. Water according to the weather outside. If the weather is cool and it is raining, you do not need to water. If the weather is dry and hot, you will definitely need to water at least once a week.
Use two buckets of water for every 11 square feet (1 square meter) of the strawberry seedbed. When watering, it is best to use water that has settled for the day and has been heated to room temperature in the sun.
Drip irrigation for strawberries with your own hands drip irrigation is ideal: it saves both water and valuable time. The ideal way to drip irrigates your own garden is to install a drop tank under the roof. Place it on a slightly higher level and put a few drip heads directly onto the beds. To prevent leaves or large pieces of debris from the roof from clogging the drip holes, cover the surface of the tank with plastic mesh with the finest holes. Water will pass through these holes, but debris and leaves will not.
The second stage of post-harvest care of strawberries in the orchard is in August. This is the time to continue removing dry leaves, watering, fertilizing, and removing beards. This is also the time to start preparing the plants for winter.
You should cut off all wilted and beginning to redden leaves on your strawberries. First, focus on the early varieties, then move on to the middle mature varieties, and finally cut back the leaves of the later varieties.
Next, pay attention to the whiskers; if they are needed for propagation, they should be used, but if they are not needed, they should be removed and discarded permanently.
Treatments to prevent fungal infections (fungicides) and against mites (acaricides) can be applied in August. Use only approved products, the list of which is updated annually.
A more environmentally friendly 1% lime and copper sulfate solution can also be used to control infections. This will prevent plant rot and spotting.
To improve the immunity and winter hardiness of the strawberries, you can repeat some fertilizer applications in August. I do not recommend using nitrogen fertilizer in August because strawberries do not need too much growth in autumn.
You can use potassium salt solution (1 teaspoon per 1 square meter) and the same volume of calcium superphosphate solution. Calcium superphosphate does not dissolve well in cold water, so it is better to use water heated to 95-104 °F (35-40°C).
Around the middle of the month, you can loosen the soil in your strawberry patch and water at a rate of 1.5 buckets per 11 square feet (1 square meter) and cover the surface with a 1 inch (2.5 cm) layer of humus. Remember to water more often during the month as well, and do not let the soil dry out too much or for too long.
At the end of the month, I recommend that you start preparing for winter. To do this, you should stock up on mulching materials such as straw or buy non-woven mulching materials such as a spun bond.
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