What is important to know about when and how to mulch strawberries? Mulching strawberries Is it possible to mulch strawberries with fresh sawdust.

17.06.2019

Mulching strawberries on home gardens and summer cottages serves the same purposes as the natural mulching of natural biocomplexes. Simply put, mulching is the formation of a layer on the surface of the soil that serves as protection against hypothermia in spring and autumn, overheating and overgrowing with weeds in summer.

This agronomic technique can reduce labor costs for processing plants and increase yields.

In nature, the soil is always covered with a protective layer: in the forest it is needles or fallen leaves, in open spaces - meadow herbage, without this protective layer, erosion begins - washing out and weathering of the fertile layer, as a result - the formation of ravines. It was noticed that this protective layer - natural mulch - retains moisture in the soil, prevents weeds from multiplying, rotting, and fertilizes the soil.

The positive effect of mulch is in the following points:

The amount of water for irrigation is reduced by about a third.
Moisture is evenly distributed over the area.
Moist soil attracts earthworms, which naturally aerate the soil, loosening the surface layer.
The amount of fertilizers and pesticides for treatments is reduced.
The yield increases by 40…50%.
Berry bushes are protected from spring and autumn frosts.
Berries are protected from contamination.

The negative consequences of mulching include two points:

Possibility of rotting of the root system.
The defeat of fungal diseases.
Wet soil can attract slugs and mole crickets.

This is especially dangerous in rainy years.

Mulching materials

Materials of inorganic and organic origin are used as mulch.

Inorganics

These are materials of artificial origin, such as:

polyethylene film;
spunbond;
lutrasil;
ruberoid;
cardboard.

These materials will reliably protect against waterlogging and overheating, the spread of weeds, but do not improve soil quality. A special microclimate is created under the films (except for spunbond), which, under conditions of high humidity, can lead to fungus and rot, therefore, when using non-vapor-permeable materials, regular inspection of the root system and the condition of the soil under the film is required.

Spunbond has a different structure, it allows excess moisture to escape, and therefore its use is more appropriate, especially black spunbond, under which the growth of weeds slows down.

Inorganic materials will help strawberries survive freezing down to -2°C, and a double layer of material - up to -7°C.

The complexity is also the disposal of waste film or nonwovens: they themselves do not decompose, thrown into the garbage pollute nature.

organic

Organic materials suitable for mulching strawberries include:

cut grass;
hay and straw;
needles;
bark;
sawdust and shavings.

All of these materials are good for what they are. decomposing, they improve the quality of the soil, are breathable, and therefore will not lead to waterlogging of plantings. Another plus is the low cost, and if there is a nearby forest or a timber processing enterprise, needles, sawdust or shavings will not cost anything, like grass cut on the site.

Another plus of organic mulch is environmental friendliness, although it is not recommended to mulch one area for several years with needles or sawdust. coniferous trees, as this will lead to acidification of the soil.

Mulching Rules

Mulching is carried out in the fall, at the end of October, and in the spring, after the appearance of the ovaries.

Autumn mulching protects the berry from frost, in the spring the spent mulch is removed after the end of frost.

Spring mulching is performed in order to avoid contact of the berries with the ground. Mulch is removed after harvest.

Before filling the mulch, the soil is loosened, weeds are weeded, and fertilizers are applied. The soil is leveled and watered. The main rule is that the mulch should not get on the plant, only the soil around the bush is sprinkled.

Watering after mulching is reduced by 1/3 and carried out early in the morning so that the mulch dries out by evening. This protects against gray mold disease.

Mulching methods

Depending on the material of the mulch, the performance of the work varies somewhat. Consider different tricks work.

Film materials (polyethylene, spunbond, lutrasil, roofing material)

After preparing the site for planting a strawberry plantation, the film materials are rolled out on the surface with an overlap of 10 cm and over the edge of the bed 25 cm. The film is fixed on the ground with stones, bricks, other improvised material or special studs.

Holes for bushes are cut crosswise on the surface: the distance between rows is 50 cm, in the row between plants 30 cm. Berry bushes are planted in the slot.

On sale there are special films for strawberries with ready-made slots.

A plantation of fruit-bearing strawberries can be mulched with a film, after cutting it into strips 30 and 50 cm wide and laying it in the aisle and between plants crosswise, fixing it with hairpins or knots.

Cardboard

Sheets of cardboard are spread over the prepared area with an overlap of 20 cm. A layer is poured over the cardboard. fertile land 10 cm high.

The site is left for a week, then planted planting material: with a scoop or trowel, a hole is cut in cardboard with a layer of mulch, into which the root system of the berry bush is placed, sprinkled with fertile soil, compacted and watered. The cardboard will overheat in a season, new mulching will be required.

Grass, hay or straw

Before work, hay, straw or grass should be shaken to get rid of weed seeds, then the mulch is soaked and dried.

Mulch is laid out on the prepared site under the bushes with a layer of 15 cm. A hay stick passes from the rotted straw into the soil, preventing the development of fungus and gray rot of berries.

It is an ideal mulch that is environmentally friendly and improves soil structure.

Needles, cones and bark

Since the needles give an acidic reaction, ash must be added to the soil before mulching or liming is carried out, and then dolomite flour is added 2 times a year. The needles are covered with a layer of 3-5 cm. Cones or bark can be used in the same way.

Sawdust or shavings

For mulching, it is better to use sawdust from hardwood, as it contains less resin and rots faster. Sawdust mulch is used for 2 years, then replaced with fresh. A layer of sawdust with a thickness of at least 5 cm is poured onto the prepared soil.

Do not use chipboard, fiberboard and OSB sawdust - they contain phenols and others harmful substances, which, when rotting, will pass into the soil, and then into the berries.

Conclusion

Mulching is a simple procedure that brings many benefits, from easier strawberry planting to earlier ripening of berries and halving the yield.

Experienced gardeners know that mulching strawberries is a necessary process. The practice of mulching came to us from abroad. It is successfully used in large farms. The advantage of this method of growing strawberries was also appreciated by our summer residents. It is important to choose the right material for mulching, and carry out the procedure on time.

Mulching strawberries promotes the growth of strawberry bushes and a bountiful harvest.

The need for mulching strawberries

The yield of your favorite berry depends on many factors: soil moisture, the presence of sufficient nutrients, the absence of weeds, protection from diseases and pests. So, mulching allows you to:

Maintain soil moisture for a long time. A layer of mulch reduces evaporation. The number of irrigations is reduced.
Restrain the growth of weeds. The need for frequent weeding disappears. This is especially true in cases where a film or fabric is used as a mulching layer.
Keep warm. Covering material does not allow heat to escape from the soil. This is important during the period of winter and spring cold weather.
Enrich the soil with humus. Straw, sawdust or mowed grass, rotting, provides plants with the necessary substances.
Prevent contamination and decay. Mulch prevents the berries from contacting wet soil. The presentation of strawberries and their taste qualities are preserved.
Protect berries from diseases. First of all, from gray rot, which occurs from contact with the ground.

Mulching strawberries keeps moisture in the ground from evaporating.

When to Mulch

The procedure should be carried out twice a year: in spring and autumn. During these periods of time, strawberry mulch cannot be the same, as it is used for different purposes.

The first procedure is necessary when berries begin to tie on the bushes. As a mulch, you can choose any material: film, fabric, roofing material, needles, straw, hay, etc. The goal is to retain moisture and prevent contact of ripening berries with the ground. Mulch that has not had time to rot is removed either after harvest or at the end of summer.

The second mulching is carried out at the end of October and is intended to protect the plants from freezing. Sawdust, fallen leaves, straw or hay can serve as covering material during this period. In the spring, when the strawberry bushes begin to grow, the layer of mulch must be removed.

Covering strawberries with mulch helps keep the bushes warm.

Ways

The choice of mulching method depends on several factors: time of year and purpose, climatic conditions, type of soil and the availability of improvised means.

Film mulching

The advantages of this inexpensive method have been appreciated by many gardeners. With the help of a film, the soil temperature rises by a couple of degrees, the moisture does not evaporate for a long time, and the berries remain clean. It should be borne in mind that the mulching film for strawberries should be black.

Typically, such mulching is carried out during the planting of strawberry bushes. To do this, form a bed, fertilize and moisten the soil, cover it with a black film. Round cuts with a diameter of 8 - 10 centimeters or cruciform cuts are made in the film. Prepared seedlings are planted in these holes.

It should be borne in mind that the film, with careful use, can last several years. Disposal should be considered in advance.

Mulching with fabric, spandbond, roofing material

The technique for planting finished seedlings is the same as for film mulching. The fabric or spandbond (agrofibre) must be black. All these materials are considered environmentally friendly and safe for human health. A flower bed mulched in this way requires almost no maintenance. Timely removal of the antennae is all that will have to be done regularly.

Among the advantages of this method of mulching, one can single out earlier ripening of the crop, the purity of the berries and the ease of caring for the garden.

Mulching with paper or cardboard

For this purpose, newspapers, pieces from cardboard boxes or large sheets of paper are suitable. The prepared bed is covered with overlapping sheets so that there are no gaps left. A layer of compost or humus is poured on top of the paper or cardboard layer. In this form, the bed should stand for about a week, after which seedlings can be planted. To do this, the layer of mulch must be pierced with a garden shovel. After planting, seedlings are well watered.

This method of mulching is good because it perfectly retains moisture and enriches the soil with nutrients. Usually this single watering is enough for the whole season. But if the summer turned out to be dry, strawberries can be watered again, but only under each root separately.

Needles as mulch

Mulching with needles allows you to enrich the soil with nutrients and keep it loose, saturated with oxygen. This material can be used to mulch already planted bushes, pouring a layer of needles into the root zone. The procedure is carried out at the very beginning of strawberry flowering, after loosening the soil.

Needles prevent the appearance of gray rot on fruits. She rots quickly. But this material for mulching is not recommended to be used constantly, as it acidifies the soil. It can be alternated with sawdust, straw or grass cuttings.

Mulching with sawdust

Sawdust perfectly retains moisture and improves the composition of the soil, enriching it with nutrients. Mulch from this material is placed under strawberry bushes with a layer of at least five centimeters.

For mulching, you can use chips and sawdust.

It should be remembered that sawdust is a favorable habitat for insect pests. Therefore, this material must be alternated with any other. Mulching with sawdust is also not suitable for acidic soils. Rotting, they acidify the soil even more. From this, the berries become small.

Mulching with hay or straw

In order to start mulching, hay or straw needs to be shaken, moistened and dried well. As a result of this procedure, weed seeds will quickly germinate and die, leaving only material suitable for mulching. It must be crushed and laid in a layer of at least 7 centimeters on the bed. Mulching with straw or hay can be done both in spring and autumn. After harvesting strawberries, the mulch layer must be removed. It can be burned or composted.

Grass cut mulch

Mulching with cut grass is carried out in the same way as with straw or hay. The grass must be well dried. Mulch layer - about 5 centimeters. After harvesting, it is harvested.

Straw mulching is one of the easiest options.

When choosing cheap covering materials such as grass clippings, straw and hay, remember that they attract pests and rodents, and also contain weed seeds. Isn't it better to spend money on film or fabric?

Tireless gardeners use other, less common methods, weighing the pros and cons. All methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, you need to focus on the method that is suitable for the size of your site, will increase productivity and be the least expensive.

" Strawberry

Strawberry mulching is a method of agricultural technology that makes it easier for the gardener to work and prevent crop diseases. A good knowledge of the technology and timing of laying mulch, the characteristics of materials will help solve many problems in caring for plants and increase yields. In this article we will talk about how to mulch strawberries, how to sprinkle the beds and why this is necessary.

Proper development and fruiting of plants is impossible without regular soil formation. The surface layer of the soil plays a decisive role in this. He is the one most affected adverse factors. Rains wash out minerals, wind and temperature changes lead to drying and freezing.

These conditions are unfavorable for the activity of living soil organisms, which are an important link in the formation of humus. They move to deeper layers, and the soil loses its fertility.

Mulching is the covering of the soil surface under plants with organic and inorganic materials. This protects her from all adverse factors. Increases the reproduction of living organisms, earthworms and beneficial insects, which together with organic acids form a fertile layer.

Mulch blocks out sunlight, making it difficult for weeds to grow. The denser the material and the higher the layer of mulch, the more effective protection from weeds. The thermoregulatory property of mulch protects plant roots from freezing, overheating and the effects of frost.

A layer of mulch reduces the evaporation of moisture from the soil, which reduces the need for watering. It complicates the entry of viruses and fungal spores to strawberry roots, reducing the incidence of root late blight, rhizoctoniosis, and verticillium. Ripe berries do not come into contact with the soil, the percentage of decay is practically eliminated.

As the organic mulch decomposes, all the nutrients needed for strawberries are formed. They slowly enter the soil throughout the growing season, maintaining the mineral exchange between the roots and the aerial part of the strawberry.

Before choosing a material for mulch, you need to decide on the purpose of the event. Depending on the material chosen, mulch can be a source of nutrition for strawberries, protection from diseases, or simply create a favorable environment in the soil.

Mulching time for strawberries

The soil under the plants should not all year round be under a high layer of mulch. In the spring, she needs to warm up. Otherwise, the vegetation of the crop will be greatly delayed. Mulch strawberries only after the appearance of flower ovaries.

Mulching can also be done during the summer. Regardless of the period, the soil and plants must be prepared before laying the material:

loosen the soil;
remove weeds, diseased leaves, extra whiskers;
water abundantly;
apply seasonal fertilizer.

The term for the winter mulching of strawberries is the end of September, when the plant is preparing for rest. During this period, mulch is used as a thermostat. This is protection against severe freezing of the soil in a snowless winter, damage to the roots during thaws.

Mulch is not enough to lay, in the summer you need to monitor its condition. Organic materials need to be turned up regularly and rotting areas changed. The material should not fit snugly against the stems of the bushes, there must be a gap of 1-2 cm for aeration of the roots.

Selection of materials and mulching rules

This review presents materials that have all the necessary qualities for mulching strawberries. After evaluating their advantages and disadvantages, you can choose the optimal mulch for individual conditions and purposes.

Straw

Straw is the recognized leader of all materials suitable for strawberries. For mulching use only dry material.

Straw contains cellulose that is difficult to decompose, which protects it from rapid decay. For the same reason, it is a poor source of nutrition, in addition, it draws nitrogen from the soil. To compensate for the loss of the mineral and provide the bushes with nutrition, straw is combined with compost or rotted manure.

Straw attracts rodents as a refuge and is blown away by the autumn wind. Therefore, during the autumn work, it is collected and disposed of, and winter mulching is carried out with a suitable material.

The optimal layer of straw for loose soils is 15-20 cm. In a few days, it will settle to 5-7 cm. On heavy clay soils, chopped straw is used, laid in a layer of no more than 3-5 cm, updating the surface every 15 days.

How to mulch strawberries with pine needles?

The advantage of needles is the high content of phytoncides and bactericidal substances. It is a powerful defense against diseases and pests. Substances contained in coniferous materials improve the taste of strawberries.

The tannins of the needles gradually acidify the soil. Therefore, it is used in slightly acidic soils or slaked lime (50 g / 1 m2) is applied before laying the mulch.

In regions with hot summers, it should be noted: needles poorly protect the soil from overheating. Needles lie on the ground in a loose layer through which weeds easily germinate. In practice, it has been proven: to protect against weeds, you need to lay a 30 cm layer. This is difficult and impractical.

For mulch, weathered and slightly yellowed pine needles are used. They are laid in a layer of 3-5 cm. In the spring, the old mulch is renewed or buried in the ground during weeding.

Hay, fresh grass and green manure

Is it possible or not to fill the berry with hay or fresh grass? These botanicals contain easily decomposed fiber and provide strawberries with abundant nutrition. But only for a short time.

Rapid decomposition leads to the depletion of a thin layer of mulch and rotting of the lower layers of a high one. When rotting, plant waste causes strawberries to be poisoned by rotting products.

Hay is suitable for temporary. To create a favorable environment in the soil, they will have to be laid out in a layer of 7-10 cm and replaced with fresh mulch every 15 days. This is very labor intensive. Before laying, the cut grass is dried, plants with abundant ripened seeds are removed. The optimal layer is 3-5 cm.

tree bark

For mulching strawberries, pine or larch bark of small or medium fraction is used. They contain few tannins, so there will be no acidification of the soil. This is the most durable material for mulch, also suitable for winter mulching. It will last up to 5 years.

The bark protects the soil well from overheating and freezing, gives an aesthetic appearance to the garden bed, but retains moisture relatively worse. More frequent watering will be required. The required layer of mulch is 5-7 cm.

Mulching with tree bark

Sawdust

Sawdust decomposes slowly, so it is not worth considering them as a source of nutrition. For the same reason, sawdust can last up to 3 years. The rough surface of such mulch complicates the movement of slugs and snails, they become smaller.

Sawdust strongly absorbs moisture, until this happens, there will be no water flow to the roots of the plant. Therefore, the volume of watering should be increased, but the need for this rarely arises.

For mulching, newsprint is overlapped on the surface of the soil, and sawdust is laid out on top with a layer of 5 cm. The sawdust is suitable for use in summer and before winter.

How to use cardboard correctly?

To regulate the optimal environment on the soil surface, cardboard can be used. To do this, in the spring, large pieces of cardboard are overlapped between the bushes, leaving holes only around the bushes. The edges and joints of the cardboard are fixed with heavy objects.

Watering and top dressing is carried out through the holes. To feed strawberries during the summer, a 3-5 cm layer of compost can be laid out under the cardboard.

Spandbond as mulch

It is a geosynthetic material produced by special technology. It does not transmit light, maintains temperature and moisture in the soil. Spandbond can be used for irrigation and fertilization.

Well-known firms:

Agrin (Ukraine);
Agrotex (Russia);
Lutrasil (Germany);
Aguile (France);
Plant-Protex (Poland).

For mulching strawberries, a black material with a density of 60 g / m2 is chosen.

Before planting strawberry seedlings, it is spread on the surface of the beds and cuts are made in the places of future holes. The edges of the spandbond are fixed with hairpins or heavy objects. For mulching already planted plants, agrotextiles are spread between rows, covering the soil surface around the bushes as much as possible.

Spandbond can be used all year round. It is resistant to putrefactive bacteria, mechanical stress and low temperatures. Service life 3 years.

How to mulch a berry with a film?

For mulching strawberries, a black film with a thickness of 30 microns is used. Service life of a film till 3 years. For one season, thinner material can be used. For hot regions, manufacturers offer a film with a white surface and a black backing. It simultaneously reflects the sun's rays and retains moisture.

The technology of laying film mulch is similar to spunbond. Only watering in this case is organized micro-drop under the film or watered locally through the holes.

A mixture of different mulch materials can be of great benefit to strawberries. To do this, you can combine dry plant residues, bark and sawdust with green parts of grasses, compost or rotted manure. Such mulch simultaneously creates a good environment and nourishes the plants.

Mulching with black film on an industrial scale

The benefits and harms of mulching in spring or autumn

Mulching strawberries causes heated debate among gardeners, during which diametrically opposed opinions can be heard. There are claims of unusually high yields after mulching and also of its negative impact for strawberries. Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages will help you better understand mulching.

Advantages

Depending on the material used, mulching can help solve many gardening problems.
This is:

prevention of soil overheating in summer and hypothermia in winter;
retaining moisture in the soil;
reduction in the number of weeds;
protection against pathogens entering the soil;
soil erosion prevention;
protection against decay of ripe berries in rainy summer;
preservation of looseness of the soil;
the formation of more adventitious roots;
reduction

This impressive list includes high costs labor and money when performed separately.

Strawberry grown under mulching

disadvantages

One of the disadvantages of mulching gardeners call the reproduction of slugs and snails.. For them, the moist inner layer of mulch becomes a refuge on dry summer days, and decaying organic matter becomes food. Conditions for pests are really attractive.

This is not a reason not to mulch.

In areas with an increased pest population, sawdust or pine needles can be used. To create a natural biocenosis that will restrain the number of mollusks to a harmless threshold.

Another minus of mulch is the rotting of the lower layers in a rainy summer or when laying on heavy clay soil. This task is easily solved. It is necessary to focus on the regional climate, not to lay a high layer on clay soils, regularly monitor the mulch throughout the season.

Mulching strawberries with long-term materials can play a bad role in returning frosts. In this case, all the heat will remain in the soil, increasing the negative impact of freezing on the aerial part of the strawberry. Keeping track of the weather forecast will help cover the plants in time.

The disadvantage of mulching is also called the attraction of rodents, insects and birds. However, it is difficult to consider this as a specific disadvantage. garden plot with an abundance of vegetables and fruit crops itself is attractive to their potential pests.

Experts are sure that poor knowledge of the characteristics of materials, the soil on the site and the regional climate lead to a bad experience. It is important to note that mulching does not at all exclude other types of strawberry care, so it cannot be treated as a solution to all problems.

A garden without strawberries is not a garden. Stop growing this delicious berry very difficult. But to get good harvest clean and large berries will have to work hard. Watering, fertilizing, timely removal of mustaches and rejuvenation of plantings - all this is basic, but not far from full list measures necessary for the cultivation of strawberries.

There is another procedure that I own experience I consider it very important. Its positive impact on strawberry beds is almost impossible to overestimate. We are talking about mulching - and now I will tell you about all the intricacies of this event, which I have been able to identify over many years of strawberry cultivation.

This is the name of an agricultural technique that can not only significantly alleviate the hard work of gardeners, but also prevent the development of crop diseases. Literacy in observing the technology and timing of laying the mulch layer will allow you to solve a lot of problems in caring for crops and increase their yield.

Full development, and even more fruiting, involves the regular formation of fresh soil. Moreover, its surface layer plays a major role, because it is he who most often finds himself under the influence of negative external factors. Precipitation leaches the minerals contained in it, temperature fluctuations and winds dry up and freeze it.

All this has an extremely negative impact on the vital activity of all microorganisms in the soil, without which the formation of humus is simply impossible. In search of a “better life”, they move to deeper layers, as a result, the soil becomes infertile.

Mulching means backfilling the soil under the crops growing on it with materials of various origins. This procedure allows you to protect it from any negative factors, activates the reproduction of organisms, worms and other beneficial insects involved in the formation of humus.

Now we will analyze the mulching of strawberry beds directly.

Why mulch strawberries

Firstly, the mulch layer is not able to pass the sun, so weeds cannot fully grow and develop. At the same time, the denser the mulching material, the thicker its layer, the more effective weed protection.
It has mulch and thermoregulatory properties, which allows it to protect the strawberry root system from overheating, freezing and the effects of frost.
A layer of material under the plants, regardless of its origin, significantly reduces the amount of watering.
It also reliably protects plantings from fungal spores and viruses getting on plant roots, thus reducing the risk of strawberry infection with late blight of the root system, verticillium, rhizoctoniosis and many other pathologies.
Mulch protects ripening berries from contact with the soil, that is, their decay is practically excluded.
Decaying, the organic layer gives strawberries all the nutrients they need. Moreover, they enter the soil gradually during the entire growing season, due to which the mineral exchange between the leaf apparatus and the roots is preserved.

Before giving preference to one or another material for mulching strawberries, decide on the main purpose of this procedure.

After all, depending on what you want - mulch can play a role additional source nutrients, means of protection against diseases, or simply improve the quality of the soil and create favorable conditions in it.

When is the best time to start mulching?

To begin with, remember - the land under the plants should not be under a thick mulch layer all year round. She needs to warm up from the natural spring heat, otherwise she will thaw for a very long time, which cannot but negatively affect the growing season.

Strawberries fall asleep only after the formation of flower ovaries. It is allowed to cover the soil with mulch and throughout the summer.

Whenever you decide to mulch strawberry plantings, the soil needs special preparation:

The soil must be well loosened;
Pull out weeds, mustaches and affected strawberry foliage;
Moisturize well;
Fertilize according to the season.

If you want to mulch strawberries for the purpose of thermoregulation, to protect planting from soil freezing in winters with little snow or root damage during the thaw period, then proceed with the procedure at the end of September, when the culture enters a dormant phase.

Mulching strawberries: the secrets of the procedure

Just laying mulch is not enough - it needs to be monitored throughout the summer period. If organic matter was used for shelter, then it must be periodically loosened, removing rotten parts.

Any mulching material should not be too close to the bushes so that the root system breathes normally, there should always be a gap of a couple of centimeters between them.

What material to prefer

I decided to describe several materials at once that are ideal for mulching strawberries. Having carefully studied their pros and cons, you can easily choose the most optimal option for yourself.

straw mulch

Straw can be called an ideal material for mulching strawberries. Only dry straw is used.
It is good because it contains poorly decomposing fiber, which prevents its early decay.

However, straw is not at all suitable as a source of nutrition; moreover, it draws nitrogen from the ground. Therefore, you will have to compensate for the loss of the element and additionally feed the bushes, this is easiest to do by combining straw with rotted manure or compost.

It is also bad that straw is often used by rodents as a shelter. Due to its lightness, the material scatters from gusts of wind.

Therefore, in the fall it is raked and destroyed, and more suitable materials are used for winter mulching.
For light soil, a layer of straw 15-20 cm thick is sufficient, after a few days it will settle almost three times - up to 5-7 cm.

Mulch from hay, green manure and fresh grass

All these plant materials are a rapidly decomposing fiber that can provide strawberry bushes with excellent nutrition. However, this effect is short-lived.

Accelerated decomposition after some time leads to the depletion of the mulch layer, as well as rotting of its lower layers. As a result, strawberries are poisoned by decay products.

Hay is great for short-term mulching-fertilizing strawberry bushes. To recreate a comfortable environment in the soil, you need to lay it out in a layer of 7-10 cm, replacing it with a fresh layer every 15 days, which is quite difficult.

sawdust mulch

Wood sawdust is a material that takes a long time to decompose, for this reason it is meaningless to consider it as food. However, due to the same property, they can serve as a covering material for about three years.

Their uneven, rough surface is unpleasant for slugs and snails, as a result, the number of pests is significantly reduced - this is also an important fact.

Sawdust has the ability to absorb water well, until they are completely saturated, the roots of the plant do not receive moisture. For this reason, the amount of water for irrigation should be increased, but the number of irrigations can be reduced.

To mulch the soil with sawdust, spread newspapers overlapping on its surface, and sprinkle about 5 cm of sawdust on top. This material is well suited for mulching, as in summer time, and before winter.

Pros and cons of mulching strawberries

Depending on the material used, some problems that summer residents face can be solved.

soil protection in summer heat from overheating, and in winter frosts - from hypothermia;
Preservation of water in the soil;
Reducing the number of weeds;
Preventing the entry of pathogens to the surface of the earth;
Prevention of soil erosion;
Saving ripe berries from rotting in a rainy summer;
Maintaining looseness of the soil;
Formation of many adventitious roots;
Reducing the ripening period of berries.

Cons of mulching:

The main disadvantage of mulched soil is the active reproduction of snails and slugs, because high humidity and the coolness in the inner layers of the mulch attracts insects in the summer heat, and rotting organic matter serves as a food source for them.
However, because of this, mulching should not be abandoned. If these pests have already been noticed on your site, just use sawdust or pine needles. These materials will be able to contain the active movement of harmful insects.
During the rainy summer months, or when mulching areas with heavy loam, the bottom layers of the shelter often rot. Dealing with this problem is not at all difficult. When planning the procedure, be guided by the characteristics of your climate, as well as the type of soil. In case of high risks of rotting, cover the mulch with a thin layer, and also check its condition regularly.
The use of long-term materials can cause freezing - during returning cold weather, heat is stored in the soil, increasing the negative effect of frost on the strawberry bush. The timely shelter of strawberry beds can save the situation, so keep an eye on the weather forecast.