How to prepare strawberries for winter - the main steps

Post-harvest care

Only plants with a healthy leaf apparatus can resist frost. That is why preparing strawberries for winter consists in pruning old leaves. In early fall, you should cultivate the strawberry plantation and cut off any old leaves. Do not spare the extra mustache, anyway, by the winter they will not be able to have time to give a decent outlet. All they can do in the fall is to weaken the mother bush. You can leave only the first outlet from the mother plant, since it can be used for transplanting, all other mustaches must be cut off without regret.

Use scissors to trim the whiskers and leaves, then you can do everything neatly without damaging the plant or its root system. In no case should you tear off the mustache, because they are stronger than the bushes themselves. You can also trim the berries with a pruner.

Not all gardeners agree that plants can be pruned. Some argue that this procedure is not only unnecessary, but also detrimental to strawberries. Of course, there is some truth in this, because by cutting a bush, we deprive it of its main vegetative organs. Leaves are the organ through which strawberries breathe, because they are needed for photosynthesis. But, on the other hand, old leaves are a favorite habitat for a wide variety of diseases and pests. Therefore, most are fully confident that strawberries need to be cut for the winter.

You probably yourself have noticed that the leaves can maintain an attractive, aesthetic appearance for no more than two months. Then spots, "rust" appear on them. Such a leaf, of course, needs to be cut off so that a new healthy one can grow in its place.

In the fall, the garden must also be fertilized. Many gardeners believe that after the last berry was picked from the bushes in the summer, it is no longer necessary to feed. But during the fruiting period, strawberries managed to waste all the nutrients from the soil. And if you do not want the berries to go weakened for the winter, they need to be fertilized.

For feeding, it is best to use organic fertilizers such as humus or mullein.

Hilling and mulching

Important stages in preparing a plant for winter are hilling and mulching. When should you start loosening? This can be done at the beginning of autumn, because immediately before the onset of frost, it is not necessary to loosen the ground, as this can cause damage to the root system. The roots will not have time to regain their strength, and this can adversely affect their stability in winter.

Hilling is a mandatory procedure that must be done before the onset of frost. This is due to the fact that adventitious roots grow on the shoots of strawberries, which form the upper tier of the root system. The roots grow from above, but so that they do not dry out and receive nutrition, they need soil. You can huddle with earth or compost, or mix it with peat. When hilling, make sure that the growing point is not covered with earth, because this can cause oppression of the bushes.

You can also mulch the soil around the bushes with humus or peat. They perform a double function: they feed the plants, and they also warm the strawberries in frost.You need to mulch carefully in the fall so that humus or peat does not get on the bushes.

Shelter

Snow serves as a natural insulation of bushes in winter. But we cannot predict the vagaries of the weather. What to do when the winter is snowless? Indeed, under the influence of severe frosts, plants can simply die. But you need to think about this in advance. In order for the strawberries to be prepared for the winter, they need to be insulated with plant materials in the fall. As insulation, you need to use straw, spruce needles, spruce branches, leaves.

However, remember that these materials absorb and accumulate moisture too well, so in some weather conditions they can be more harm than good. Berry shoots will only be rebuked under such a shelter. Do not forget also that straw and hay are a favorite habitat for rodents, the proximity of which will adversely affect the root system of plants. So when choosing an organic shrub cover material, consider all of these factors. The best option is warming with coniferous needles or dry raspberry branches. Spruce branches can also come in handy, because when frosts come, it will perfectly protect the berries from freezing.

Inorganic materials such as agrofibre can also be used as cover for bushes. It not only prevents excess moisture from entering, but also provides excellent protection against frost. Having covered the bushes under such material, you can not worry that it will be exposed to an invasion of rodents or insects, so the wintering of strawberries will be successful.

Plants will be able to return to normal life after winter only if you strengthen and also heal them before the onset of frost. For this, it is very important to know how to prepare strawberries for winter in order to avoid irreparable mistakes. Remember that prepared plants are not afraid of frost. If they are healthy, the cold will only make them stronger and hardened.

Video "Nuances of growing strawberries"

By watching this post, you will learn how to prepare strawberry bushes for winter.