Bright red, juicy-sweet strawberries can only be harvested by hobby gardeners who take all the important aspects of care to heart. So that no central factor escapes your attention, we have put together the following overview.

How are strawberry plants properly watered?

Regulating the water balance of strawberry plants is all about balance. Fluctuations in one direction or the other do little to benefit fruit growth. You should pay attention to this:

  • water regularly when dry
  • do not water the plants over flowers and leaves
  • ideally water in the early morning or late evening

Which fertilizer is recommended?

In the right location with nutrient-rich and humus-rich soil, two doses of fertilizer are sufficient for magnificent growth. Since chemical preparations have no place on strawberries, compost is considered the ideal supplier of nutrients. Apply the organic fertilizer in the spring and immediately after the harvest in a dosage of 3-5 liters per square meter of bed area.

Should strawberry plants be pinched?

If you handle it correctly, you will promote the fruit size and the harvest yield through targeted pinching. On twice-bearing strawberry varieties, break out the first flowers that thrive after planting. As a result, harvest two or three of the largest fruits and then break out the remaining bud sites again. This will force the rebloom and volume of the next strawberries.

All flowers on hanging and climbing strawberries are pinched out by the end of May/beginning of June. Then let the flowers run free and be rewarded with a never-ending harvest from July to October.

When and how is the pruning done?

If you cultivate perennial strawberry varieties, it makes sense to cut them back after harvest. Before planting buds for the next season, all tendrils and dead foliage should be cut off radically. Only the heart bud is spared. Under no circumstances should this aspect of care be postponed until next spring, because inhibitors will have spread through the plant by then.

What protection against cold and dirt is there?

Since the fruit dangles so close to the ground, they are threatened by splashing dirty water. With a mulch film you protect plants and strawberries effectively. Since the industrially manufactured material is not popular in a natural garden, the following alternatives are available:

  • mulch the soil with straw and hay
  • alternatively spread a layer of sawdust or bark mulch
  • in the flower box (€16.99) a layer of expanded clay (€19.73) protects the strawberries
  • Cover bedding plants with a mobile foil tunnel (€11.46) until mid-June
  • optionally cover with garden fleece overnight

tips and tricks

Among the diseases, it is particularly the fungal infections that afflict strawberry plants. One of the most effective preventive measures is airy, generous planting spacing. It is better to reduce the number of strawberry plants so that the entire culture is spared mildew and the like.

Category:

Vegetable garden