How to care for Victoria in early spring. When to prune strawberries or how to care for them after harvest

  • 20.06.2020

Spring application of organic and mineral fertilizers for strawberries is the key to healthy bushes and a large harvest. For Victoria, there are a lot of dressings that can significantly extend the fruiting period.

Article outline


Features of Victoria

A variety with the same name does not actually exist. Victoria in Russia is called massive strawberry bushes with wide green leaves and large, fragrant berries. Another quality of this culture can be called unpretentiousness: the bushes bear fruit equally well in different climatic conditions.

Compliance with simple rules of cultivation will provide resistance to diseases and temperature extremes. It is necessary to plant Victoria on bright and calm areas of the garden, the soil should not be damp. Swampy ground will cause the berries to be small and tasteless. Strawberries are immersed in the wells, after adding fertilizer to them. The main types of care include watering, loosening the earth and regular weeding.

Transplantation of young plants is carried out every four years. During this time, strawberries suck out all the nutrients from the soil and become obsolete on their own. The bush, together with a clod of earth, is transferred to a new, fertile place. The hole is preliminarily well shed with water, after which strawberries are planted. The bush is sprinkled with earth. The bed needs to be mulched with any organic substances or a special film.

Caring for Victoria in the spring is the removal of last year's dried foliage, loosening the soil and hilling strawberry bushes. When hilling, it is important not to press down the central axis of growth with earth. It is impossible to exclude the treatment of bushes from pests and diseases from the list of cases. Modern insecticides and fungicides mix well and do not harm vegetables and horticultural crops.

  • The main types of work in summer time are weeding and watering. It is necessary to irrigate the beds once every two weeks, and in the hot period of time, increase watering to once a week.
  • During fruiting, ripe berries should be collected in a timely manner. The fruits remaining on the bushes will rot, attracting fungi and insects. Bushes are regularly inspected for diseases and fungi.
  • For a comfortable wintering of strawberries, you need to trim the mustache and leaves immediately after fruiting. Before the end of the season, new leaves will still have time to grow, and the plant itself will get stronger and tolerate the cold well. Before the onset of cold weather, the beds should be covered with lutrasil or well mulched.

Strawberries are responsive to the introduction of nutrients. During the season, the bushes are processed three times: in early spring, during flowering and after picking berries. Fertilizers can be combined with the application of insecticides, fungicides or growth promoters. Feeding Victoria in the spring is the most important event of the season. It depends on it in what condition the bushes will stand all summer.


Fertilizers needed in spring

In the first season after transplantation, top dressing is not required, since the roots have enough of those fertilizers that are already in the hole. In subsequent years, it is advisable to combine the addition of fertilizers with pruning of dry foliage so as not to disturb or injure the strawberries once again.

Top dressing is applied under the bushes, which are then carefully sprinkled with earth a few centimeters. Foliar application of nutrients on young foliage is allowed. Fertilizers must contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic components. The deficiency of these substances will affect the taste of the berry.

In addition to the well-known complex fertilizers, you can use folk remedies for feeding. They are always at hand, and the effect of use will not keep you waiting. Recipes have been known since ancient times.

wood ash

An excellent replacement for phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. It contains potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, boron. clear signs lack of phosphorus are brown and darkened leaves. After making the ash, the strawberries will become strong and healthy. Only wood ash is suitable for work: coal ash contains unnecessary elements.

In the spring, such fertilizer is covered under the bushes or spilled with ash infusion. To do this, the agent is poured with a liter hot water and leave to infuse for a day. Then this gruel is diluted in ten liters of water. A liter of working fluid is required for one square of the bed. The introduction into the soil repels slugs and snails, as well as ants, wireworms and whitefish.

Ash should not be mixed with urea, saltpeter and manure: fertilizers will lose their effect. The introduction of ash is completely safe for humans: it does not leave burns on the skin, does not emit strong odors, and does not provoke poisoning when ingested.

Wood ash can be stored for a long time, but will completely lose its properties if moisture gets into it.

Urea

Modern mineral fertilizer in the form of granules, with a high nitrogen content. Such top dressing allows you to increase the yield of Victoria by 40%. Under the influence of enzymes of soil bacteria, urea is converted into ammonium carbonate, which is so necessary for the root system. Top dressing with urea is the embedding of granules under the bushes. 50 g of the substance is applied to 10 squares. After that, the soil is carefully spilled with water from a watering can. Do not mix urea with chalk, dolomite, lime and superphosphate.

It is worth noting that the earth after fertilization may become more acidic. It is necessary to add a deoxidizer immediately after the fruiting of the crop. Treatment with a solution of carbamide and blue vitriol in early spring will save strawberries from pests for the whole season. Urea performs well in all types of soils.

An excess of nitrogen content will lead to abundant formation of green mass. there will be few inflorescences on the bushes, respectively, berries in the future. Failure to comply with the norms of feeding consumption will lead to the fact that strawberries will form pale and unsweetened.

Boric acid solution

Victoria needs boron, especially in April-May. It increases the content of chlorophyll in the foliage. The lack of this substance can be seen on the curved edges of the leaves. Boric acid is the simplest and most readily available boron compound. It helps to increase the number of ovaries on strawberries, stimulates the formation of new growth points, and increases the sugar content in berries.

In the spring, the beds are shed with a solution of boric acid, if desired, potassium manganese is added to it. In ten liters of hot water, one gram of the substance is diluted. The substance is poorly soluble. Preliminary watering of plants with water will save Victoria from root burn. Do not allow liquid to get on the green mass. Processing is done in the evening, on a warm cloudy day.

Ammonia

Ammonia will not only saturate the earth with nitrogen, but also help get rid of most pests on initial stage cultural development. Yellowed leaves on strawberries signal that they need to be fertilized ammonia. A bucket of water requires two tablespoons of ammonia. Fertilizer is applied to moist soil. Top dressing is quickly absorbed by the root system. The pungent smell of ammonia repels birds, slugs and snails.

You can not feed strawberries during budding. When diluting the working solution, wear a respirator. Concentrated ammonia can make you feel worse, lead to a sharp increase in pressure. Mixing with other substances leads to reactions with the release of harmful fumes.

Yeast

Top dressing, which has recently enjoyed great popularity among summer residents. Unicellular fungi in yeast contain amino acids, proteins and fats. Fertilizing Victoria in the spring with yeast will provide strawberries with mineral and organic substances. A pack of yeast and a few tablespoons of sugar are diluted in a small amount of water. Strawberries will not only receive all the necessary trace elements, but will also become more resistant to diseases and attacks by harmful insects.

The gruel is poured into water and allowed to ferment for a couple of days. To prepare a working solution, you need 10 liters of water and 0.5 liters of a mixture with yeast. Fertilizer is applied under the bush.

Under the action of yeast, microorganisms in the soil begin to actively process organic matter. There is a powerful production of phosphorus and nitrogen. In addition, growth stimulants in the nutrient solution actively influence the development of the root system.

Spring yeast dressing should be applied to well-warmed soil - the active substance does not work in the cold. Only a fresh product should be used, expired yeast will only cause harm.

It is not for nothing that strawberries are considered the queen among the berries that grow in our climatic conditions. And this is due to its exquisite taste and unique aroma, which most of us like so much. The closest relative of strawberries, garden strawberries, or, as it is also called, Victoria, has special taste qualities. Unfortunately, the ripening season of this beautiful berry is rather short - by the end of the first summer month, it ceases to bear fruit. However, at the same time, it also requires considerable labor efforts on the part of the owner, and not only in spring and summer. Victoria needs care in the fall. And this, in turn, is a guarantee that next summer on your personal plot there will be a wonderful berry harvest. Therefore, we will talk about what to do with Victoria in the fall.

In general, autumn care for Victoria involves, firstly, the obligatory pruning of bushes, and secondly, feeding it with fertilizers, and, thirdly, preparing the plant for winter.

One of the most basic milestones in caring for garden strawberries is pruning. As a rule, mustaches and leaves of bushes are circumcised. The need for this procedure is explained by providing the plant with rest after active growth and fruiting, which will lead to the rejuvenation of Victoria and gain strength by next summer. In addition, such processing of Victoria in the fall will help improve the condition of each bush. It is known that different kind pests settle on the leaves. By cutting them, you will naturally heal strawberries.

Regarding how to cut Victoria in the fall, this procedure is recommended to be performed immediately in the fall in September. Use a pruner, sharp knife or scissors for this. It is important to cut the leaves at a level of 10 cm from the ground so as not to damage the growing point of the victoria.

After circumcision, experienced gardeners are advised to treat the bushes with solutions from pests and diseases. It will also be very useful for the berry to carry out weeding of the rows, loosening them and pouring fresh earth for bare roots.

How to care for a Victoria berry in autumn: top dressing

But autumn top dressing is needed for Victoria strawberries to accumulate organic, mineral substances and form new fruit and leaf buds. Victoria fertilizer should be applied in autumn after trimming leaves and mustaches, that is, in September.

If we talk about how to feed Victoria in the fall, then humus, compost, chicken manure, and a barn are excellent for these purposes. Mineral fertilizers are also used (superphosphate, potassium salt). Excellent growth for the kidneys gives top dressing, for the preparation of which it is necessary to mix 2 tablespoons of potash fertilizers and nitrophoska with a glass of wood ash, dissolving the mixture in 10 liters of water. Such a talker must be poured under each bush. After fertilizing, it is recommended to mulch the soil.

Autumn care for Victoria: preparation for winter

In areas where winter is always snowy, Victoria's cold is not terrible. But the lack of snow for plant bushes can be detrimental. That is why strawberries should be covered for the winter.

Ordinary straw is especially suitable for mulching. She needs to carefully and completely cover each bush. But if you do not have straw at your disposal, you can use other materials. Fallen leaves, peat, tree branches or corn stalks are also suitable as a covering pillow - everything that is found in your garden. In addition, quite often purchased covering material - spunbond or lutrasil - is used to prepare Victoria strawberries for winter.

Thanks to such care in the fall for garden Victoria, the plant will accumulate strength and give you a tasty and rich harvest in next year.

Garden strawberries, often called Victoria, have gained wide popularity and distribution in the gardens of various regions of the country. This is due to the simplicity of its reproduction, the precocity of the culture, the convenience of protection from the harsh weather conditions of winter, and the high dietary and taste qualities of the berries. Many gardeners receive high yields of Victoria every year, having mastered its agricultural technology well.

Soil and landing site for victoria

It is necessary to plant a plant on a piece of land with a slight slope to the west. The place must be protected from the winds. Indeed, in winter, Victoria is covered with snow from frost, which means that in no case should it be blown away by the wind. A bare berry can freeze and die. It is desirable to choose sandy soil rich in humus.

Others are added to it fertilizer. It is better to apply fertilizers in the fall, spreading them evenly and digging them with a shovel. In the spring, shallow loosening is necessary in order to level the surfaces and close the moisture. For one square meter soil where strawberries will be planted, you will need:

  • twenty grams of potassium chloride;
  • twenty grams of ammonium nitrate;
  • twenty-five grams of superphosphate;
  • six kilograms of humus.

It is best to alternate landing Victoria with vegetable crops. The best predecessors for this berry are: green spaces (dill, parsley, lettuce), legumes, garlic, onions, root crops. And it is not advisable to plant it after potatoes, as the plant can get sick with a nematode.

Reproduction and planting

By the middle of summer, antennae grow in adult Victoria plants, on which nodules are located, giving roots and leaves in the future. With the help of such antennae, Victoria breeds. Three sockets located at the mother plant are considered to be of higher quality. When four to six leaves appear on such a rosette, it should be separated from the mother plant for planting in a permanent prepared place. In order for the plant to take root quickly and well, it is necessary to dig sockets with a clod of earth.

Many gardeners plant strawberries in beds eighty to one hundred centimeters wide and up to fifteen centimeters high. The edges of such beds can be edged with boards, and the aisles can be covered with sawdust.

Victoria is planted during the entire vegetative period from the beginning of spring to the middle of the last month of summer. Landing dates are determined by the readiness of the sockets.

For the spring period, sockets are grown on seedling beds or added dropwise near the mother bush. In this case, Victoria will bear fruit already this year, albeit slightly.

Very common tape two-row landing pattern. In this case, the distance between the rows in the tape is about forty centimeters, between the tapes themselves up to eighty centimeters, and between the plants from twenty to thirty centimeters. In this case, up to ten plants are placed on one square meter.

Planting density depends on the Victoria variety and growing conditions.

Before planting seedlings, you should dig grooves or holes up to ten centimeters deep and water them well. Then plant seedlings in them and water them well again.

It is best to plant in cloudy weather or in the evening. This improves survival.

In order to properly care for young seedlings of Victoria, you should not forget it on time. water. During the first two weeks, watering should be especially regular. If the weather is dry, then watering should be daily, and only then once every two or three days.

How to care for mature victoria bushes

Spring chores

  1. After the snow melts and the upper layers of the soil of the beds with Victoria dry up, all debris and dried leaves should be removed from them. Old mustaches and petioles of leaves are best trimmed with secateurs. Victoria bushes that did not transfer winter frosts, should be removed along with the roots. Weeds that have managed to grow in late autumn are also removed. All these plant residues are composted with manure or burned off site.
  2. After the soil dries up in the beds and between the rows, it is loosened to a depth of about four centimeters, then the surface is leveled, crushing lumps and dusted with ash.
  3. Now you can apply fertilizer. First of all, when caring for Victoria in the spring, organic fertilizers are applied, for example, sawdust or straw. To do this, they are first crushed and sprinkled a little around the bushes. You can also add peat chips or humus.
  4. Preferably in mid-April, and if it doesn’t work out, then in May, treat Victoria from pests. It will be enough to water the plants with a weak solution blue vitriol. After such watering, the first buds will begin to bloom on the plant.
  5. Although Victoria is a moisture-loving plant, excessive moisture affects it negatively. When caring for a plant, it is advisable to combine its watering with pest protection and fertilizers. Some gardeners do the first spring watering hot water.
  6. After harvesting, watering and sprinkling with organic fertilizers, victories are required nitrogen fertilizers. They are applied only after the first leaves appear on the plant. To do this, combine cowshed and ammonium sulfate, dilute with water and water Victoria.
  7. V morning hours plants should be watered once a week in spring warm water . Before flowering, watering can be done by sprinkling. When Victoria blooms and when there are already berries on it, watering is done carefully so that water does not get on them.
  8. Already in the spring will have to deal with weeds. If the aisles are mulched with sawdust, then there will be no weeds, and water with fertilizers will pass directly to the tubers.

How to care for Victoria in the summer

  1. Weekly watering of plants.
  2. Weeding beds with Victoria from weeds.
  3. Mandatory inspection of plants for diseases and pests.
  4. When the first berries begin to tie, be sure to add straw or sawdust. Then the fruits will not get dirty and rot.
  5. Mandatory removal of damage to parts of the Victoria or the damaged bush itself so that other plants do not become infected from it.
  6. Before flowering, top dressing with a solution of nitrophoska or potassium sulfate.
  7. Berries must be collected regularly, along with the stalk.
  8. After harvesting Victoria, until the tenth of August, the bushes should be fed with wood ash and nitrophoska.
  9. Cover the beds with foil during heavy rains so that diseases do not develop and the berries do not become watery.
  10. The antennae should be removed from the fruiting Victoria in a timely manner in order to prevent the rooting of rosettes. The tendrils are left only if seedlings are needed to resume planting. Leave them near the uterine outlets.
  11. After harvesting, the soil is loosened, and if the roots are bare, then the bush is spudded.

Autumn work or preparing Victoria for winter

  1. The soil must be after flowering mulch. Do it wood chips, straw or dry moss. This allows you to protect the berries from gray rot. The same procedure is repeated by mid-autumn, but already using peat or grain production waste. The thickness of the layer should be from five to eight centimeters. Leaves should not be covered.
  2. To prepare Victoria for winter, not only mustaches are cut from the bushes, but also leaves at a distance of ten centimeters from the ground. This should not be frightening, since new leaves will appear before winter, and the plant will get stronger.
  3. Cropped bushes should be sprayed against diseases and pests.
  4. Feed the plants with mineral fertilizers. This is necessary in order for Victoria to accumulate them for the formation of new leaves and berry buds.
  5. In areas where winters are not very snowy, Victoria takes shelter. You can use ordinary straw, tree branches, fallen leaves. Often, some special covering material is used for this purpose. You can also cover with a film, but be sure to remember to remove it in the spring no later than the beginning of May.

Protection from pests and diseases

An important role in the care of Victoria is its protection from diseases and pests. Of the pests of Victoria, the most common are strawberry mites and nematodes. And from diseases: gray rot of berries, powdery mildew and white spotting of berries. But how to care for Victoria to prevent this? To prevent such diseases and pests, you should:

  • plant seedlings only healthy;
  • use varieties that are resistant to diseases and pests;
  • prevent bushes from thickening;
  • during the ripening of berries, limit watering;
  • remove berries and leaves that are damaged;
  • soak seedlings from healthy mother plants for fifteen minutes in hot (forty-six degrees) water to destroy the nematode and strawberry mite;
  • in the aisles of Victoria bushes, to combat the nematode, it is recommended to plant calendula, onions, marigolds, garlic, immortelle.

Previously, only strawberries were grown in Russia - a fragrant and tasty berry, but small and not very productive, so today this plant is almost never found on garden plots. It was replaced by large-fruited strawberries, brought by sailors to Europe from America. One of its varieties called "Victoria" began to spread with particular speed, and soon all strawberries began to be called Victoria. To get a rich harvest of tasty and healthy berries, you need to know the rules for planting and growing Victoria in open ground.

Victoria landing time

The best time to plant strawberries is spring or autumn. In the spring, plants are planted as early as possible - immediately after warm weather is established and the threat of return frosts disappears. In autumn, Victoria should be planted from the second half of August until September 15, and then in the next planting season they will be pleased with the first berry.

Seedlings with a closed root system, purchased in cassettes or containers, can be planted as early as mid-July. The main thing is to choose a cloudy day for planting and moisten the soil well. Seedlings planted in summer will have time to take root well before winter and will give a full harvest next spring.

Some gardeners grow planting material with their own hands, although this is a long and laborious process. Indeed, to obtain a full-fledged independent plant, it will take at least three years. Therefore, experts advise buying seedlings in well-known nurseries, and preferably in cassettes or containers. It is the most reliable and fast way crop cultivation.

Site selection

The site designated for Victoria must be sunny and have flat surface with a slight slope to the southwest. It is not worth choosing steep slopes for planting this crop, from which the wind blows snow in winter, and spring waters carry away part of the fertile layer. Lowlands and depressions, where melt water is kept for a long time, are unsuitable for strawberry cultivation.

The soil on the site should contain a lot of organic matter. Light loams, black soil or gray forest soil are best suited for growing this berry in open ground. ground water should lie no closer than 1 m to the surface of the earth.

Victoria is growing well after herbs, cereals, onions, garlic, petunias, marigolds. You should not plant a berry on the beds where tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers previously grew. After 3-4 years, the plants are transferred to a new place.

spring planting

For spring planting Victoria soil must be prepared in advance, even before the start of winter. The site must be carefully dug up, weeds removed and the following fertilizers applied to each square meter of area:

  • humus - 9-10 kg;
  • superphosphate - 100 g;
  • potassium salt - 50g.

Seedlings for planting in the spring should be selected strong and healthy. Before planting in the ground, it should be hardened for several days by placing it in a cool place.

Between plants located in the same row, leave 25-30 cm. To ensure ease of care, the beds are separated by passages 40-50 cm wide.

Before planting, the roots of the plant are cut to 10 cm and holes are dug to such a depth that the root system fits vertically. Particular attention when planting Victoria should be paid to the location of the neck of the bush.

The neck of the bush should be flush with the soil surface. With a high planting, the roots can dry out, and with a very strong penetration, the plant can rot.

The planted plant is abundantly watered and covered special material to protect against frost or sunburn.

Planting in autumn

Autumn planting of seedlings of strawberries is considered optimal, since in the spring of next year a full-fledged harvest can be harvested from young bushes. Plants planted in early spring will also begin to bear fruit the following season, but they will have to be cared for all summer.

Front autumn planting to process and prepare the site should be in early spring, making the necessary fertilizers. If every piece of land is valuable in the garden, these beds can be temporarily occupied by onions, garlic or celery, that is, early ripening vegetables.

Before planting seedlings in open ground, the roots should be treated with a fungicide (fungicide) and the young plants should be kept in a cool place for several days.

Victoria cultivation

In the first year after planting Victoria in the ground, do not strive to get big harvest. On the contrary, in order for the plant to strengthen and grow the root system, it is necessary to remove the tendrils and flowers that appear.

Caring for adult plants involves a number of activities.

  1. Processing a plot with strawberries. In early spring, as soon as the growing season begins, it is necessary to collect old mulching material from the beds and aisles, remove dry and damaged leaves, and loosen the soil between the plants.
  2. Watering. Large juicy fruits cannot be obtained without proper, balanced watering. Moisture should be enough for normal growth plants, and at the same time, strong waterlogging of the soil can provoke rotting of the root system. Victoria is watered 1 time in 10 days at the rate of 10-12 liters per 1 sq. m from mid-April. In the summer, with the onset of heat, the frequency of watering can be increased up to 4 times a week. In autumn, in August and September, the number of waterings is reduced to 2 times a week. It is better to carry out watering work in the morning, trying not to get water on the leaves and flower stalks. During flowering, drip irrigation is used.
  3. Loosening. After the next watering, the earth around the plants and between the rows must be carefully loosened, trying not to damage the adventitious roots lying near the surface of the earth. This is necessary in order to make the soil breathable and facilitate the flow of oxygen into the root system.
  4. Weeding. Planting care involves the regular removal of weeds from the beds and passages. Weed grass not only depletes the soil, taking most of the moisture and nutrients, but is also a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and a refuge for pests. To stop the appearance of weeds, you can cover the area with plantings with mulching material: sawdust, wood chips, dry needles - or cover it with agrofiber.

These are the main activities that should be regularly carried out by every gardener involved in growing Victoria in open areas.

Care during flowering

The appearance of the first flower stalks falls in mid-May. It is during this period that the future harvest is laid, the quality and quantity of which depends on the correct care. To feed the plant during this period, potash fertilizers, humus and ash are introduced into the soil. You can increase the number of inflorescences with a solution of boric acid, prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. on a bucket of water, which is sprayed with green bushes.

It is especially important to weed and loosen the site, preventing the emergence and growth of weeds. To get a large berry, you need to use a pruner to remove all the extra tendrils and leaves that absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.

Feeding Victoria

Care for Victoria is impossible to imagine without feeding this plant. Fertilizers should be applied at least three times per season.

  • In early spring, after processing the area allotted for the berry, nitroammophoska is introduced into the soil. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are part of this fertilizer, are the most necessary substances for plant development.
  • During budding, potassium is added to the soil, a large number of which is contained in the ashes, infusion chicken manure, potassium nitrate. After picking the berries, the plants are again fed with nitroammophos, dissolving 2 tbsp. l. in 10 liters of water.
  • And the last time Victoria is fed in August with urea. This contributes to the formation of new flower buds and more abundant fruiting next year. The solution is prepared at the rate of 30 g of urea per 10 liters of water.

There is a complex fertilizer on sale, designed specifically for strawberries and increasing yields by 30%.

Growing Victoria is an incredibly useful and interesting activity, although it requires certain skills and knowledge. Having studied the advice of experts and providing proper care for plants, it will not be difficult to get a decent harvest of this delicious berry.

The taste and size of Victoria strawberries depend on care and top dressing. It is an undemanding and large berry.

It resists diseases well, but you need to choose the right place for landing. If necessary, correct the soil, because on heavy soils with clay impurities, the absorption of nutrients is impaired. Fertilizer for Victoria can be selected from those available on the farm organic matter or use store-bought mixes made specifically for strawberries.

If additives are not used additionally, not all characteristics of the variety will appear. The longer the plant is in the garden, the more it takes nutrients and the worse it grows and bears fruit: sour small berries, small bushes.

You can start caring for strawberries in the fall. If the seedlings have not yet been planted, you need to prepare the beds and apply some fertilizer - preferably organic, so that the young bushes immediately begin to grow.

Landing site preparation

How to feed Victoria for the future harvest - can be found in the household:

  • compost;
  • chicken manure;
  • manure;
  • green manure;
  • mineral mixtures.

But first you need to choose the right bed:

  • it should be on the sunny side;
  • be protected from the winds a good option- put a fence on both sides of the garden, so that the bushes are in shelter;
  • do not choose areas where water stagnates;
  • not very good if the bed is near potatoes, tomatoes, peppers;
  • do not plant under trees.

You can plant Victoria in the holes and add fertilizer to each. If water stagnates in the soil, then it is better to plant on the "comb".

Fertilizing Victoria in the spring

Strawberries respond very well to organic fertilizers. For spring dressings of Victoria, you can use an infusion of chicken manure. Use chicken fertilizer carefully, as it is the most concentrated of all animal fertilizers.

To begin with, a third of the bucket is filled with litter and poured with water. Wait 4 - 5 days until the excess ammonia disappears from the mixture. Further, each liter of infusion is diluted in 20 liters of water. Water under the root in the hole so that the fertilizer does not spread.

The best option is compost based on manure or chicken manure. But at home, it ripens for a long time, and buying is expensive.

The substance is prepared as follows - they are laid in layers in the collar:

  • priming;
  • manure;
  • plant residues;
  • kitchen waste.

For the first time, Victoria's nutrition is enough. After rooting, after about 2 to 3 weeks, foliar spraying of strawberries with a solution of urea diluted two times can be carried out. This will stimulate the growth of greenery and shoots. During fruiting, strawberries should not be sprayed.

Flowers appear in mid-May.

It's time to think about how to feed Victoria to replenish potassium and phosphorus. It is not advisable to use nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as this causes increased growth of shoots, but it has a bad effect on the formation of fruits: you can get large beautiful strawberry bushes with one peduncle.

Ash solution - unique folk remedy, which has been used since time immemorial and always works well. To do this, you need to burn the wood and save the ashes. Many in the country grill barbecue using firewood.

Hardwoods are more suitable, especially oak. Oak ash contains 20% potassium and 75% calcium. There is more potassium in young shoots, and it is also found in weed ash. Preparing the ash solution is simple:

  • take 300 g of ash;
  • pour a bucket of water;
  • wait 3-4 days.

It can be watered at the beginning of the fruiting period for better ripening of berries and their sweet taste.

Video: The first feeding of strawberries in the spring

It is important to do regular weeding and clipping of strawberries, because in order for them to grow, the plant consumes additional nutrients that must be used to form fruits. It is recommended to cut the first flowers so that the rest are larger.

In the spring, you should especially protect the plant from fungal diseases that can damage the berries. Proper and regular feeding helps to maintain the immunity of the plant.

Victoria's summer top dressing

Potassium and phosphorus are the substances that need to be fertilized with Victoria in the summer during the period of active fruiting. You can continue to use the ash solution. If the ash is over, then apply mineral fertilizers. It is advisable to use those mixtures that are specifically designed for berry crops.

Conventional fertilizers for flowers and vegetables are not suitable, as they have an incomplete composition of trace elements. Experienced gardeners advise to use potassium nitrate- 1 teaspoon of granules diluted in 10 liters of water. Watering boric acid helps to increase the number of inflorescences - Mix 1 teaspoon in a bucket of water.

If rainy weather lasts for a long time and there is little sun, then we should expect the appearance of a fungus on a strawberry plantation. To avoid this, you need to mulch the soil between the rows and under the bushes. The berries will be dry and less likely that the fungus from the soil will get to them.

Important! During the fruiting period, it is impossible to use chemistry against pests. Plants should be sprayed in advance for prevention.

In summer, watering is especially important when strawberries are gaining weight. Nutrients must dissolve in water and so enter the berries. If there is not enough water, then the assimilation of dressings will be inferior, and the berries will be tasteless, or rather sour. In the absence of rain strawberries it is recommended to water 3-4 times a week so that the soil is moistened to a depth of 10-12 cm.

Autumn top dressing of Victoria strawberries

How to fertilize Victoria so that next year's harvest will please? Before embarking on autumn events, you need to think about how long strawberries grow in one place. If it is 3 years old, then it needs to be transplanted, otherwise the berries will shrink and the yield will decrease. And in the fall, phosphorus mixtures are usually added. Phosphorus binds to the soil and remains in it until spring.

Superphosphate - a good choice. It can be buried in the ground in a dry form, making furrows around the bush or diluted with water and poured over the recesses, and then sprinkled with earth. Superphosphate dissolves for about a day, so it is first soaked and stirred periodically, and then watered.

Potassium is needed in order for the bush to winter well. Potash fertilizers for Victoria can also be applied in September. If you use wood ash for this purpose, then at the same time you can achieve looser soil and reduce soil acidity. This is an economical means, since it maybe once every 3 years.

Important! You can not add nitrogen before winter, because it stimulates the growth of green mass and the plant will die from the cold

For the winter, strawberry bushes are mulched and, depending on the winter in the region, wrapped in polyethylene or spruce branches.

conclusions

To get a good harvest of Victoria strawberries, it is enough to follow simple rules use of fertilizers, watering and transplanting plants.

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Are you satisfied with how many strawberries can be harvested from the garden during the season? If the answer is yes, you can be congratulated as an experienced gardener! In most cases, the cultivation of this capricious berry brings only frustration: it is difficult to weed it, you constantly have to trim your mustache, remove old leaves, the berries are either small, or watery, or do not ripen at all. But all this can be overcome if you know the basic rules on how to care for strawberries during the spring-summer season.

The most time-consuming will be the care of strawberries in the spring, but it is he who will have the greatest impact on the harvest. After a thorough spring tidying up of beds with strawberries in the summer, you just have to make sure that the plants remain healthy and the earth is moist and clean of weeds. Well, after harvesting strawberries will need to be prepared for wintering. Consider all the stages of care in more detail.

After harvesting, strawberries will need to be prepared for wintering.

Clean the thawed strawberry bushes from dry dead leaves, immediately remove the frozen plants. Upper layer the soil with which you mulched strawberries in the fall should be removed (up to 3 cm) - this way you will further reduce the number of pests that wintered in the mulch, and in addition provide the root system with warming from the sun. Do not make a common mistake by adding a thick layer of earth from spring, otherwise the root system will not start growing for a long time, which means that the ripening of berries will be delayed for more late deadline. If you don’t want to remove the autumn bedding, then thoroughly loosen the ground between the rows of strawberries to a depth of up to 7 cm.

Video about the proper care of strawberries

Strawberry care in springtime necessarily includes mulching and plant nutrition:

  • after loosening, sprinkle the beds with sawdust, fine straw, peat crumbs or ordinary humus, while feeding the plants with nitrogen fertilizers;
  • when fresh leaves appear on the bushes, under each plant you will need to add a solution of mullein with the addition of ammonium sulfate;
  • in early May, feed strawberries with complex mineral fertilizers.

To prevent the occurrence of diseases, strawberry bushes and the ground around them will need to be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate even before bud break.

water strawberries followed once a week in the morning with warm water. Before flowering, watering by sprinkling is allowed, and with the advent of flowers and berries, it is recommended not to get water on the plants themselves. Make sure that weeds do not appear on the beds: mulching with sawdust is convenient because the weeds simply cannot grow through the caked layer of sawdust, but water and fertilizers will freely pass to the roots of the strawberries.

Strawberries should be watered once a week in the morning with warm water.

Summer strawberry care includes:

  • constant weeding of beds;
  • watering once a week;
  • careful inspection of plants for pests or signs of disease;
  • timely removal of damaged parts of plants and the strawberry bushes themselves;
  • adding sawdust or straw when tying the first berries so that the ripe berries do not get dirty and rot;
  • top dressing before flowering with water with the addition of potassium sulfate and nitrophoska;
  • regular collection of ripe berries along with the stalks;
  • top dressing after harvest until August 10 with water with nitrophoska and wood ash.

With heavy rains, you can cover the strawberry bed with a film

With heavy rains, you can cover the strawberry bed with a film to prevent waterlogging of the plants during flowering and fruiting, otherwise diseases may develop, and the berries will become watery.

Preparing strawberries for winter

Having collected the last berries from the strawberry bushes, you can do it in order to prepare the plants for a comfortable winter. For each bush, all leaves are cut off at a distance of 10 cm from the surface of the earth, as well as all mustaches. As a result, only the stems should remain from the strawberries, but don’t let that scare you - fresh leaves will still appear before winter, and the plant will get even stronger and better endure the winter cold.

Video about pruning strawberries

One mustache coming from a strawberry bush can be left for reproduction by digging a socket into the soil. It will make a good new bush next year, from which you will immediately get berries. By replacing strawberries every two years in this way, you can achieve a consistent harvest, and if you also know how to properly care for strawberries, the productivity of your strawberry plantations will increase by at least 15%.

Spray cropped strawberry bushes with preparations against pests and diseases, and then feed the plants with mineral fertilizers. Prepared strawberries in late autumn will need to be re-mulched sawdust, or with peat with a layer of 5 cm. Do the backfill carefully, trying not to fill the bushes. You will remove this autumn bedding from the garden in the spring, providing the strawberry roots with warming up in the spring sun.

In fact, caring for strawberries in the fall is a guarantee good harvest next summer. Trim and remove old leaves, loosen, feed and cover berry bushes for the winter - this is the autumn care for strawberries.

Let's take a closer look at how to care for strawberries in the fall, it consists of several stages and work with strawberries begins immediately after fruiting.

Care for strawberries, strawberries, victoria after fruiting in August

When and how to process strawberries in the fall? As soon as strawberries have ceased to produce a crop, you can begin to process berry bushes. Care for strawberries in August after harvesting is as follows:

  • weed and loosen the aisles,
  • pour fresh nutrient soil to the rhizomes, while not falling asleep heart.

The strawberry rhizome gradually comes out and becomes bare. If it is not spudded, then the plant will not be able to give adventitious additional roots and the fruiting of berry bushes will decrease.

You can start caring for strawberries after harvesting at the end of July, do not wait until August or the onset of autumn. Then, by autumn, the berry bushes will grow young foliage, which will winter under the snow, and caring for strawberries in the fall will be simplified, you only need to feed the bushes.

Processing strawberries in the fall includes mandatory pruning and removal of old and diseased leaves of berry bushes - this is the next step in autumn strawberry care. They cut strawberries in August, cut off all the leaves (you need to cut not at the root, but only the leaves themselves so that the stems remain) and mustaches, with the exception of those mustaches that you leave for subsequent transplantation. In this case, the mustache is rooted, but only the first outlet from the bush. The remaining sockets are removed, as the planting material from them will be weak.

Perhaps, after pruning, it will be a pity for you to look at your beds - only the stems will stick out. This is not scary, in a couple of weeks the bushes will rest and new young leaves will appear that will endure the winter perfectly.

In September, it’s not worth cutting the bushes so drastically, it’s enough just to remove the diseased and old leaves. This is more painstaking work than removing strawberry leaves all in one fell swoop.

Loosening. Strawberry aisles are usually loosened with a shovel, sticking it shallowly into the ground so as not to damage the roots. Then, using smaller gardening tools such as choppers, shovels, hoes, we loosen the soil around the strawberry bushes and remove all weeds.

How to feed strawberries after harvest

You can feed strawberries both in spring and autumn, but it is always better to feed berry bushes immediately after fruiting or, if you don’t have time, then in autumn. Feeding strawberries after fruiting is possible with organic fertilizers - infusion of chicken manure or mullein. How to do this I wrote in the article

They also add wood ash, which perfectly replaces superphosphate and potassium salt (I am not a supporter of mineral fertilizers). From mineral fertilizers, superphosphate already mentioned above is applied in autumn ( ) and potassium salt. Do this only if you do not have any organic fertilizers at the moment.

How to feed strawberries in the fall after pruning

Autumn pruning is a necessary step in growing berries, and after pruning, potassium humate can also be added as a top dressing (see ⌛). Then loosen the soil, cover the bed and do not touch it until spring (see).

What to do with strawberries in September:

  • In the aisles, it is necessary to carefully loosen the soil to a depth of 10 cm. Be careful not to loosen near the roots, they can be easily damaged, since they are located superficially. You can also slightly poke the bushes so that the new adventitious roots growing at this time are under a layer of soil.
  • In September, berry bushes are gaining strength for subsequent fruiting, so if you did not fertilize strawberries earlier, then you need to do it now;
  • Until the end of the season, you need to water the bushes well and deeply, avoid surface watering, water should penetrate deep inside to the very roots.

How to prepare strawberries for winter?

It is necessary to carry out important works with strawberries in autumn - prepare for winter. Bushes need to be covered for the winter. For strawberries, frosts on bare ground without snow are very dangerous. And it happens to us quite often. Therefore, the main goal of any “strawberry” shelter is not so much warming as snow retention. Straw is ideal for this. Read more about sheltering strawberries: → ““. By the way, straw also serves as organic top dressing.

If there is no straw (), then in the fall, you can slightly poke strawberry bushes, but not very much so that the growth point does not fall asleep. Pour peat, compost under the bushes, which will simultaneously play the role of fertilizer. Or a mixture of peat and compost. Literal translation English name this berry strawberry - “straw berry”.

Victoria is the most popular berry among gardeners. Its cultivation requires certain conditions to be met in order to ensure good fruiting. Summer passes with its hot days and bright sun. All season for plants on suburban area constant care was required: regular watering, weeding, pest control. Then gardeners have new worries.

It is very important in the fall, as during this period the foundation is laid for the next harvest in the next season. The soil is being prepared for new plantings. Agronomists advise to apply fertilizers per square meter: (20 g), manure or humus (6 kg), superphosphate (25 g), (20 g). A great option is to breed Remontant Victoria, which not only has an excellent taste and aroma, but also produces several crops during the season: from June to October. Since garden Victoria is very fond of water, care in the fall includes maintaining soil moisture. After the time of flowering and fruiting comes to an end, the ground around the berry bushes should be sprinkled with straw or wood shavings. Moss will work too. These measures will help to avoid rotting and prevent the growth of weeds. A layer of mulch is poured 5 centimeters thick. In this case, care must be taken not to close the leaves of the plant. They must be clean.

Proper care for Victoria in the fall is the removal of weeds, loosening the earth around the sockets. For greater efficiency, it is recommended to carry out these operations in the summer, immediately after harvesting. Mullein is suitable as a fertilizer at this time. Bushes should be treated with pesticides and wood ash should be added to the soil.

In addition to the above measures, caring for Victoria in the fall consists in removing fading leaves and trimming mustaches that grow intensively after harvest. It is imperative to remove them. Keep whiskers for vegetative propagation as planting material. Pruning shears or scissors are used to trim leafless shoots. Carry out this operation in dry and calm weather in the morning or evening.

In order to successfully endure the coming cold weather, caring for it in the fall involves plant protection. If the strawberries have bare roots, you need to spud them. They are located close to the surface and therefore very sensitive to frost. Berry bushes are covered with spruce branches, dry needles and foliage; brushwood or straw is also suitable. This will protect the plants from freezing and rodents. Covering material (for example, raspberry branches) is not crushed so as not to impede the penetration of air. After the snow falls, it is necessary to trace how evenly it lay down, whether the strawberries are well covered with it. It depends on how the plant will endure wintering.

Undoubtedly, caring for Victoria in the fall is an important stage in the gardener's calendar. Therefore, it matters how prepared the summer resident is, which one has information about the subject and experience in cultivating a crop in order to ensure its safety and a rich harvest in the future.