Garden strawberries are quite simple to grow. It does not require special conditions - only timely watering and loosening of the soil. Well, of course, you should carefully consider the very process of planting strawberries - choose the right place, time and plant variety. Do not overlook the soil in which your strawberry will grow.
What kind of soil does strawberry like?
Well fruiting strawberries in the first 2-4 years after planting, after which it must be transplanted. And to ensure that over the years the plant has brought the maximum benefit in the form of large, juicy and sweet strawberry berries, before planting, appropriate soil cultivation is needed.
Usually strawberries are planted in September or October. Accordingly, the preplant preparation is carried out in August.
It is best to feel strawberries on sod-podzolic and sandy loamy soils. Therefore, if the land on the site is a loam or chernozem, before digging it should be covered with sand on top. And if the soil is too acidic, dolomite lime (0.2-0.4 kg per 1 sq. M.) Should be added to it.
Very much like the plant soil, rich in organic substances. Especially demanding for its nutritional quality is repair varieties: the soil for such a strawberry should be rich in phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. In this case, phosphorus fertilizers are usually introduced before planting, and nitrogen and potassium - will be useful when fertilizing in the process of growth and fruiting of the crop.
Soil preparation for strawberries in August
In August, two weeks before the purchase of seedlings, be sure to prepare the soil for strawberries:
- First of all, you need to dig up or loosen the soil, removing all perennial weeds. And if the weeds occupied literally every centimeter of the earth, then herbicides will come to your aid.
- Having acquainted with the composition of the soil on its site, it is necessary to optimize
it is for growing strawberries (for example, add sand or phosphate fertilizers, as mentioned above). - To enrich the earth with organic matter, when digging into it, potash fertilizers (15-20 g per 1 square meter), double superphosphate (30-40 g), well-bred manure or compost, are introduced into it.
- After digging up the area under the strawberries and getting rid of large clumps of earth, dig holes for each bush. Between the pits there should be an interval of 30-40 cm, and the distance between the rows is usually 60-80 cm. It is desirable to pour wood ash in the holes - it is also an excellent fertilizer. A good option would be humus (loose or in granules).