Competent feeding of strawberries in the fall before winter is an important step in the care of the berry plant. You can get a rich harvest for the next year only if you know all the rules for fertilizing during this period. Further in the article we will explain how to properly and how to feed garden strawberries, as well as carry out preparation for the winter.
Table of contents
Why and when is the autumn feeding
Strawberry is not a very whimsical plant. She is able to grow and bear fruit for some time without much care. But all the same for the full development of the bushes are necessary nutrients that the fruit crop receives from the soil.
Over time, the soil is depleted, which is significantly reflected in the state of the perennial plant. Without useful elements the bushes become weak, the quantity and quality of the crop decreases.
Strawberry requires special attention after fruiting, as garden culture will thaw all forces on the development of berries. To restore the spent stocks and get a good harvest for the next year it is necessary to feed strawberries in the fall. The application of fertilizers during this period helps the plant:
- improve immunity;
- will accumulate resources for abundant fruiting for the next season.
Nutrients contribute to the preservation of moisture in the soil, which significantly increases the frost resistance of the culture.
Planted young seedlings of strawberries also need an autumn dressing.The application of fertilizers helps the seedlings to take root and safely endure the winter period.
The exact period depends on the plant variety, the climatic conditions of its cultivation and the type of fertilizer.
For early development cultures, nutrients can be added to the soil early in the fall. Late and remontant varieties can finish fruiting only in October. Plants that give their last harvest in mid-summer are well fertilized twice. The first fertilizer application falls on August or the beginning of September, and the second fertilizing is carried out in a month and a half.
How to fertilize strawberries in autumn in September
For feeding strawberries after harvesting use:
- Organic fertilizer. Such substances contain all the nutrients necessary for the plant. They significantly improve the structure of the soil, increase its breathability, allowing maximum moisture retention. To enrich the soil add organic matter such as bird droppings, compost, manure, humus, and wood ash.
- Mineral fertilizers. For the autumn feeding of the fruit plant, fertilizers are used, which include phosphorus and potassium. These substances contribute to the maturation of the shoots, helping the crop to prepare for wintering. Also, phosphorus-potassium minerals increase the number of budded buds for the next season.
Feed berry bird droppings
Most often, as an organic fertilizer for autumn feeding, chicken manure is used. The capacity of nutrient compounds, it is not inferior to minerals. Litter restores the acid balance of the soil and improves its microflora.
This fertilizer is placed between the rows after pruning and transplanting. The amount of chicken manure should not exceed two kilograms per square meter. An overabundance in the soil in autumn can lead to an increase in nitrogen in the ground, which is unacceptable before wintering.
The main effect of bird droppings occurs in early spring. When the snow begins to melt, the fertilizer gradually penetrates the soil with moisture. Strawberries begin to grow rapidly, receiving the necessary nourishment.
Manure for garden strawberries
For dressing strawberries use well-rotted manure. It can be placed in the aisle when digging or make a slurry around the plant. To prepare a liquid organic solution, you need:
- one liter of manure;
- eight to ten liters of water.
Processing the mixture insisted for two days takes place with the calculation of five hundred milliliters per bush.
Watering slurry should be done very carefully, since the solution, if it hits directly on the leaves and root part of the bush, can harm the plant.
Proper use of manure as an autumn dressing helps to improve the physical qualities of the soil, improve its exchange absorbency.The plant will receive all the necessary components that will help improve the immune defense and create all the conditions for obtaining a bountiful harvest next year.
Manure can show its activity for three years, and on clay soil twice as long.
Compost and humus treatment
Submerged compost and ready humus saturate the soil with many of the components necessary for improving plant life. Such organic fertilizers in the fall are used as mulch to conserve moisture and improve soil structure.
These useful substances sprinkle the bushes, creating a nutrient layer of protection against frost.
How to feed ashes
Wood ash contains many beneficial trace elements. Fertilizer is saturated with a large amount of potassium and phosphorus, which are necessary for strawberries in the autumn.
One square meter uses one hundred and fifty milligrams of organic ash. In its pure form, it is scattered around the bushes or used as mulch, connecting with humus or compost.
Mineral feed for good harvest
For dressing strawberries in the fall using granular or powdered potash-phosphate fertilizers. They can be scattered between the rows of the berry crop or used as a solution.
To prepare the liquid mixture must be diluted in a ten-liter bucket:
- ten grams of superphosphate;
- twenty grams of potassium salt.
Watering is carried out exclusively in the inter-row area. The solution in contact with the bushes can burn the vegetable part.
Mixed fertilizers in October before winter
For the most effective recovery of a plant before wintering, mixtures of organic fertilizers with minerals are often used. Such compounds contain the maximum number of useful elements.
Successfully used by many experienced gardeners such a solution:
- ten liters of water;
- one hundred grams of wood ash;
- tablespoon nitrofoski;
- ten grams of potassium sulfate.
The mixture can be used for watering the bushes. Under each plant no more than five hundred milligrams of such fertilizer is applied.
When planting strawberries in the fall, it is good to add to the pits the combination of useful components:
- three kilograms of humus;
- twenty-five grams of superphosphate;
- five grams of potassium chloride.
The land around each young plant for the winter is mulched with humus or compost. It is also good to water the plants with a 3% solution of ferrous sulfate. Processing is carried out only in cases berry disease diseases. Instead of copper sulfate, it is desirable to use a bord mixture.
However, in order to have a good harvest, it is necessary to take care of the berries not only in the autumn, but also in the spring, and throughout the whole season. Proper feeding of strawberries in the autumn helps to preserve all strawberry bushes after wintering and increase their further productivity.