Many gardeners know that strawberry planting has many advantages over spring planting in the fall. When and how to plant? The most compelling argument for autumn strawberry planting is to get berries as early as next year. If you plant strawberry bushes in the spring, you will wait for the harvest only for the next season. In addition, planting seedlings a couple of months before the onset of winter helps preserve flower buds. How to plant strawberries in the fall? After which it is possible to plant strawberries in the fall? Autumn planting (transplantation) is carried out when the cold has not yet taken over, and the weather pleases with sunny days. Thanks to heat, planting material comfortably adapts to a new place of residence, takes root, is gaining strength for wintering. Autumn planting of strawberries is also convenient for gardeners in that it minimizes the labor costs of caring for the bushes, in contrast to the alert spring-summer “duty” at the beds.
In any case, every summer resident determines a convenient time for strawberry planting independently. If suddenly for some reason you did not manage to plant this crop in the fall, you can always do it in the spring.
Autumn planting, photo:
Planting dates for strawberries in autumn
It is important to plant bushes correctly and on time. Thus, the best period in the Kuban for this process is considered to be the month of October, and for the middle lane it is August / end of September. At this time, young seedlings will not be actively attacked by pests and diseases, will be able to grow stronger, prepare for winter.
Early fall planting begins in the second week of August and lasts until mid-September. The average time for landing starts from the second week of September and lasts until October 15-17. The latest period begins approximately 30 days before the onset of the first frost. However, when determining the dates, you should always rely on the climatic features of your region.
The most abundant harvest should be expected after early or mid-autumn planting. The last days of warm August are the most acceptable period for this process. If you plan to use strawberry mustache for planting, then focus on the time from the third week of August to the second half of September. At later dates, it is not recommended to plant strawberry mustaches, because such a gentle planting material will not have time to fully adapt to a new place before the onset of cold weather.
Planting process, photo:
Soil preparation for autumn strawberry planting
No later than a month before planting (transplanting), you must prepare the soil. During this period, the earth, as they say, will “settle down” - the roots of young plants will not be exposed subsequently. Strawberry is considered a rather unpretentious crop, but, like any plant, it likes fertile soil and has its own “vagaries”. For example, she does not like sandy, peaty, clayey and sod-podzolic soil. Under such conditions, strawberry productivity is significantly reduced, and to plant it on marshy soil is not recommended at all - it will not grow at all. It should be borne in mind that even on an ideal ground for it, replanting once every three years should be mandatory. The best soil choice is chernozem, loam, sandy loam soil.
Preparing the soil for strawberries during planting in the fall consists in improving its composition and increasing fertility. This is achieved by introducing useful components, improving aeration. Also, preliminary sowing of mustard or lupins in the place where strawberries will later be planted gives good results. With the advent of spring, these siderates will need to be cut, slightly chopped and mixed with the upper layer of soil. This technique allows you to saturate the soil with nitrogen, to improve its structure. Strawberries will grow well in the place where legumes (peas or beans), broccoli or cauliflower, dill, parsley and other greens were previously grown. If tomatoes or cucumbers, as well as potatoes, previously grew on the plot, then strawberries may not like this.
The preliminary planting of green manure helps summer residents to save on top dressing, but does not completely exclude them. If the earth was preliminarily qualitatively saturated with potassium-phosphorus, organic additives, then fertilizer for strawberries during planting in autumn can be omitted. Moreover - for the first couple of years, the bushes will not need additional nutrition. Well, if siderates were previously grown at this place, and fertilizers were used to improve their growth, this environment will be ideal for growing strawberries. If no preliminary work with the ground was carried out, it is recommended to add 7-8 kg of humus per 1 square meter to the soil. You can also add humus diluted in water (chatter) right during the planting of bushes - it is poured directly into the beds. This culture loves compost, vermicompost, wood ash (the key to good growth).
The preparation of the bed does not include the introduction of nitrogen-containing fertilizing, as they reduce the immunity of plants in anticipation of cold and frost. The optimum level of soil acidity should be 5-6.5 pH, but not lower. Otherwise, the earth will have to be lime.
If your site has an increased acidity of the soil, then the introduction of lime is best done a couple of years before the intended planting of strawberries. As for groundwater, it is important that their level does not exceed at least 80 cm to the surface layer of the earth.
Pests also like to eat strawberries: strawberry nematodes, horsetail, wireworm are the most common "gourmets". If, when digging the soil, you find their larvae, be sure to treat the soil with diluted ammonia (10-15 ml per 10 l of water).
Strawberry Care After Autumn Planting
High-quality planting material is the key to a good harvest! Choose bushes with a root neck diameter of at least 5-6 mm. The roots should be well developed, at least 6 cm long. Also pay attention to the number of leaves, there should be at least 4-5 pieces. If seedlings were bought or taken from a neighbor, then you need to plant it as soon as possible. If the planting process is delayed for any reason, put the bushes where the sunshine cannot reach them, and wrap the roots with moist moss (or at least a slightly wet cloth).
Young seedlings that were grown from seeds are pre-dipped with roots in a clay solution, and only then they are buried in the soil. This technique prevents the drying of the root system, helps the bushes to take root more comfortably.
Sapling roots, photo:
Preparing strawberry seedlings for planting:
- Plants should only be planted in moist soil. It is preferable to do this on a sunny day, closer to the evening.
- It is better to shorten long roots to 6-8 cm.
- The roots of the bushes can be placed in a tank with a growth stimulant diluted in water (for example, “Kornevin”), about an hour and a half before the moment of penetration into the soil
- On the recommendation of experienced gardeners, you can also soak the roots in a water-garlic tincture. This technique will improve the immunity of plants, scare away harmful insects.
- Excess leaves on the planting bushes are best removed.
Wells for seedlings should be relatively deep and wide, the distance between them should be at least 30 cm. For each bush, a small mound of earth is poured in the hole, after which a seedling is placed on it, trying to combine the growth point with the surface of the bed. The roots are neatly spread on the sides of the knoll, sprinkled with soil, poured with water.
Care for strawberries after planting in the fall consists in loosening the soil - this provides high-quality moisture access to the root system of plants. Then the soil around the seedlings can be sprinkled with a mixture of dirt with humus or sawdust. It will be nice if the bushes planted for the winter are covered with foliage or coniferous spruce branches - this way you will insure strawberries during frosts, and snow masses will remain on the beds. Periodically, the snow will thaw and thereby moisten the earth. You can also cover strawberries with agrofibre or straw.
Mulching with straw, photo:
Planting strawberries in autumn is associated with some conventions: a growing mustache should be removed immediately, as well as peduncles. At first, freshly planted bushes need to be watered, but not too abundantly (the top layer of the soil should remain moist). After 8-10 days, the frequency of irrigation is reduced, but the volume of water, on the contrary, is increased. After about three weeks, your seedlings will be adapted to winter conditions. We should not forget that strawberries do not tolerate drought very well, so before the onset of frost, abundantly saturate the earth with moisture. When spring comes, it will be possible to remove the protective mulch, to clean the bushes from old and damaged leaves. You can also play it safe and remove the upper layer of soil (2-3 cm) for better penetration of sunlight, removing possible pests.
Planting strawberries in the autumn on agrofiber
The fact that the bushes can be covered with appropriate material has long been known to everyone. However, you can do the opposite. A rather interesting method is planting seedlings on covering material.
Benefits:
- The lack of weeds.
- Protection of berries from contact with the soil - they remain clean, practically do not rot.
- This material is not an obstacle to air or water.
- The temperature of the soil is higher, as it is “warmed” by agrofibre.
Initially, a suitable place on the site is selected, it should be flat, sunny, with a minimum slope. This is followed by the preparation of a bed for planting strawberries in the fall - we dig the earth, remove everything superfluous (weeds, roots of trees or bushes), fertilize with humus or other appropriate fertilizing (mentioned above). After that, carefully level the soil, outline the beds, lay the agrofibre on the ground. The color of the material is not so important, but for some reason, in the recommendations of experienced gardeners, you can often see tips on choosing a black agricultural canvas.
Agrofibre bushes, photo:
The canvas needs to be overlapped (approximately 20-30 cm), taking into account the shape and size of the site. We lay heavy objects (stones, bricks) around the perimeter and proceed to fix the agrofibre on the ground. This is best done with a wire pre-cut into pieces 50-70 cm long. We bend the wires in the middle, make a hairpin, as it were, with which we pin the material to the ground. This process can be done by eye or in a checkerboard pattern - as you prefer.
The following is the landing on agrofiber:
- We outline places for bushes: the distance between them should be at least 40 cm.
- We make cross-shaped incisions with a sharp knife.
- Bend the corners of the incision.
- We place the bush in the hole formed.
- Bend the corners back.
- Do not bury the seedlings too much into the soil.
- After planting, water the seedlings well.
If your plantation for strawberries is large, then we recommend using a marker when marking the cut points on agrofibre. It is not difficult to do it yourself.
Further care is minimal and consists only in timely watering of plants. This can be done using a hose with a special nozzle for irrigation. Thus, under the agricultural will always be wet. Before the onset of cold weather, strawberries are covered with a protective mulch on top, as described above. In addition to all the advantages of this method, agrofibre will protect the berries from pollution, which is especially important during the rainy season.
Planting strawberries in the fall is not some kind of innovation; this technique has long been successfully used in gardening. If you know when and how to plant strawberries, you will do everything correctly, you will get a generous harvest of early juicy berries. Try this method as well, especially since it does not present any particular difficulties and the use of new technologies.