Tag: Strawberry

It all depends on the age of the plants, the variety, their health, their density, the water supply during fruit setting and growth, the abundance of nutrients in the soil, the presence of bees at the time of flowering, etc. etc. But, naturally, to some approximation, one may be tempted to make such an estimate. If we assume that a good yield from a production plantation, where e.g. 50 thousand plants grow on 1 ha, is e.g. 25 tons/ha, it means that on average 0.5 kg of fruit is collected from 1 plant. Therefore, if we plant 500 strawberry plants on the area of 100 sq. m, use healthy seedlings, do not let our crop get weedy or dry, do not forget about fertilizing and protection (preferably using biological preparations), then theoretically we can count on the yield of 250kg. In practice it can be even higher, but if we neglect some important element, it can be even lower

Annual legumes (peas, beans, but also lupins, broad beans and vetches), root vegetables (carrots, celery, parsley, beetroot) will be a good forecrop; larger plantations should be planted with. After cereals, faba bean, rapeseed or mustard. Ideal forecrops (for phytosanitary reasons) are velvet and buckwheat. We do not recommend planting strawberries after strawberries. It is advisable to plant after tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, cucumbers, raspberries and brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli). It is also not advisable to plant strawberries after maize, which is the host of nematodes damaging the root system, and, because of the possibility of the presence of large numbers of larvae of swellings, scab and wireworms,after perennial legumes (clover, lucerne) as well as after pastures.

Yes, I am convinced that this convenience is worth putting into practice and I strongly encourage you to do so. Black agro-fiber is practically all advantages: zero weeding – the black agro-textile is impenetrable for weeds (we don’t have to weed the strawberries),Thanks to the fact that the fleece is black, the soil underneath it warms up faster, and the strawberries begin vegetation earlier, as well as bearing fruit earlier,black agro-textile easily permeable to water from rainfall or from the hose and limits its evaporation from the soil – under the non-woven fabric, the soil retains moisture longer, and the plants feelmore comfortable in terms of temperature and moisture, Strawberry fruits are never mangled, they may not be washed before consumption

Let’s not look for the one and only best variety, because we won’t find it. If we have already decided to play at being a grower, we should choose at least a few varieties. If you are closing strawberries in your house to jars (jams, juices, preserves), you won’t find a better variety than Senga Sengana (the sweetest, darkest on the whole cross-section, easy to de-stalk, its smell and aroma even after taking it out of the freezer are wonderful). If you are not interested in preserves, but only in the taste and beauty of the fruit, your garden must not lack one of the typical dessert varieties such as Polka, Korona or Elsanta. Or maybe you would like to have strawberries in autumn? In this case, Ostara or Selva. By planting several varieties next to each other, we will prolong the harvesting period, minimize the risk of failure due to, for example, frost or fungal infections (some varieties are more resistant, others less), and also experience the extraordinary diversity, the nuances and flavor notes with which different varieties of strawberries differ.

If our post-harvest strawberries look OK, i.e. you don’t see a lot of disease or pests (especially spider mites) on the leaves, the strawberries aren’t overly weedy, they seem to be in good shape,I don’t think there’s much point in mowing the leaves.However, if the plants do not look good, i.e. the leaves are heavily infected by powdery mildew, white spot or spider mite (microscopic green spider mite), it is undoubtedly better to cut them down. However, for this to make sense it should be done as soon as possible after the harvest and the cut leaves together with the weeds should be removed from the plantation immediately. Early mowing of the leaves will give the strawberries more time to regenerate, i.e. to recover their leaves by autumn. Mowed plant parts can be a source of infection for newly emerging leaves. Therefore, the sooner we remove this source, the better it will be for our crop and the easier the eventual weeding willbe.

It has been proven that there is a correlation between the forecrop and the height and quality of strawberry yields. Some varieties of strawberries are easily infected by the fungus Verticillium dahliae , the culprit of a dangerous root system disease – Verticilliosis.Strawberries should not therefore be planted after plants which, because of their susceptibility to the pathogen, can cause soil accumulation, such as blackberries, raspberries, currants, potatoes,tomatoes, cucumbers, brassicas and, of course, strawberries.A good forecrop will be legumes (lupine, peas, beans, vetch), onions, as well as root vegetables (carrots, parsley, celery, beet). And excellent forecrops are cereals, rapeseed, mustard andattention: velvet. Especially mustard and velvet, thanks to the phytosanitary effect on the soil effectively combat pathogenic fungi, including not only Verticillium, but also Phytophtora and Fusarium, as well as very dangerous soil nematode

The first step is the effective removal of troublesome perennial weeds, such as perennial grass, thistle, horsetail, etc. If we do not do this, or do it carelessly, we may have a huge weed problemin the following years. If we don’t do it, or if we do it carelessly, we may have a huge weed problem in the following years. Our strawberry plants will have to compete with weeds for water, nutrients and sometimes even light. It’s not difficult to imagine how it will affect the height and quality of the crop, not to mention difficult harvesting and aesthetic considerations. Permanent weeds must be eliminated at least a few weeks before planting strawberries using a readily available herbicide. The next step (if you didn’t do it before sowing the forecrop) is to spread organic fertilizer, e.g. manure. After the plot is dug up, we level it with a rake and after a few days (let the soil settle a bit) we can start planting strawberries.Sometimes, e.g. when the soil pH is < 5.5, the soil may need to be limed. This can be done by spreading chalk (preferably granulated)

Horticultural practice suggests that summer planting, i.e. in July and August, has the most advantages. This applies, of course, only to traditional varieties (not repeaters). Strawberries planted at this time have enough time before winter to form a strong root system and to generate a large number of flower buds (it is worth mentioning here that the amount of buds that form during the so-called short day, i.e. in autumn, is decisive for the spring yield). Summer planting of strawberries makes it possible to harvest a full crop of strawberries the following year, i.e. to achieve the maximum yield for a given variety under the given conditions. It’s worth noting that the summer planting date reduces to a minimum the so-called investment period, i.e. the time during which wehave to incur expenses related to the cultivation of the planted plants (irrigation, fertilisation, protection, etc.). We are pleased to observe that, thanks to reliable information from various researchcenters and advisory institutions, as well as positive experiences of the practitioners themselves, in recent years there has been a growing group of conscious, professional growers, but also allotment holders who appreciate the advantages of summer strawberry planting. The spring term of planting strawberries, which is often practiced, also has its advantages and is certainly better than the late autumn term (e.g. November). In spring, there’s usually no shortage of well-rooted strawberry seedlings of all kinds on the market, there’s a wide choice of varieties,and there’s usually enough moisture in the soil (the seedlings take up easily).The same is true for autumn planting dates. Seedlings planted at the end of September or in October will have too little time before winter to form a strong root system and induce a sufficiently large number of flower buds. Therefore, inevitably, the yield they will give the following year will not be as high as that from a spring or summer planting

There is no simple answer to this. Strawberries, like any other plant, should be watered when they need it. So it all depends on the weather pattern. Strawberries need the most water afterflowering, at the time of strong growth and fruit ripening (usually from the end of May through June). A shortage of water during this period always results in small fruit and a strong drop in yield.Of course, after the end of fruiting, there are also periods of drought. Therefore, when necessary, it is worth ensuring soil moisture for strawberries throughout the growing season, even until lateautumn. It is worth remembering that the whole autumn up until the end of the growing season is the period in which the flower buds for next year are formed. There is a simple relationship: thebetter the condition of the plants in autumn, the more flowers will form in spring. Hence, our advice: water them as often as necessary, on hot summer days even every day