Residents of any region need fresh berries, so growing strawberries in Siberia and caring for this crop have long become a common activity for summer residents. The main problems of cultivating berries in regions with harsh climates are freezing of plants in winter and damage to young shoots by frost in the spring. The work of breeders creating frost-resistant varieties helps to cope with difficulties. Gardeners also do not stand aside; they have their own ways to help delicate bushes survive the cold.

Choosing a site for a berry garden

The basic requirements for the soil and location of the site are the same in both the north and the south. Strawberries love the sun, which is sufficient in summer even in cold regions. Your task is to arrange the beds so that they are not shaded by buildings, trees and tall bushes. The plantation cannot be located on an area where nightshade crops previously grew. The soil should be loose and fertile. Make sure that the berry plant is not in a draft; strawberries do not like strong winds.

Growing in Siberia has its own characteristics: problems are created not only by frost, but also by high snow cover. In the winter cold, large snowdrifts will protect the plantings from the cold, but in the spring they will begin to melt intensively. High-water streams will run across the earth, more like small southern rivers. If such a flow passes through the strawberry bed, all the work of planting the berry will have to be done again and in a different place. Bushes do not like proximity to groundwater; they will not grow in the flood zone during floods.

In a short summer, the bushes should quickly form, bear fruit and set buds for the next season. For the northern regions, varieties with rapid growth have been bred, but for intensive development they need a lot of nutrition, and serious care is required.

In the fall, dig up the soil for the future bed and add to each m2:

• fatty chernozem - 1 bucket;
• wood ash – 0.5 l;
• complex mineral fertilizer – 30 g.

If you are going to grow large-fruited or remontant varieties, add double the amount of nutrients.

Planting strawberries

To form a good harvest, strawberries need space. In spring, the seedlings are still small, but they will grow in one place for several years and form a lush bush. Depending on the variety and expected size of the plant, planting should take place with a distance between holes of 25 to 40 cm. It is recommended to increase the interval between plants of remontant species to 50 cm. The distance between rows is 0.8-1 m; with this arrangement, planting care will be easier. It is recommended to grow strawberries in one place for no longer than 3-4 years, then the plantation is moved to a new place. In the fall, when preparing a future garden bed, you can plant winter garlic in the planned row spacing; it will clear the soil of infections.

To ensure you have berries every summer, don't replant all your strawberries at once. Every year, move a third of the plantation to a new location.

In the spring, dig holes, moisten the soil well and wait until the water is absorbed into the ground. The bed has been fertilized since the fall, but still put some humus and ash under the roots. After planting, be sure to water the soil so that it compacts and covers the roots well. Mulch the surface of the soil with compost, fallen leaves or straw. A layer at least 5 cm thick will prevent weeds from germinating and will conserve moisture in the soil. Cover the bushes with film for 10 days, this will help them take root better. It is advisable to keep remontant strawberries under cover until the berries begin to ripen.

Don't go wrong with the choice of variety

Not every plant will survive in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia. There are craftsmen who grow the most delicate varieties of strawberries in the northern latitudes, but such work is very labor-intensive and requires expensive equipment. The cold-tolerant varieties also taste great and won't require any heroic efforts to produce a harvest. If you wish, you can make a warm bed: dig a trench, fill it with fallen leaves, straw, manure, and pour garden soil on top. When rotting, the filler will release heat, and in cool spring the roots will be comfortable.

If you want to get early fruits and are going to organize the cultivation of strawberries in greenhouses or hotbeds, ask in advance whether the selected variety is suitable for indoor soil. To pick fresh berries in winter, you need to build a polycarbonate greenhouse and equip it with good heating. It is advisable to plant self-pollinating varieties in shelters, otherwise you will have to transfer pollen from flower to flower manually.

Do not bring strawberry mustaches from distant regions; they may not take root in your area. In the spring, take shoots from your neighbors or friends. To get pure varieties of berries, purchase seedlings from a nursery.

Many types of strawberries have been bred for Siberia, here are some of them.

• Berdskaya will delight lovers of sweet and sour berries. In cold regions it is recommended to grow it under film.
• Russian Darenka is a very productive variety, adapted to sudden temperature changes. This strawberry is resistant to fungal infections and pests.
• The amulet can produce up to 2 kg of berries from one bush. The variety tolerates frost well and does not get sick. The fruits have a rich sweet taste.
• Omsk early was bred specifically for cultivation in Siberia. The berries are small, sweet, perfect for compotes and jams for the winter.
• Chamomile produces large, sweet berries. The fruits tolerate transportation well.

In areas with a harsh climate, it is better not to settle on one variety, but to plant several species with different ripening periods. If frost destroys the early harvest in the spring, bushes that bloom later will help you out. Observe which varieties adapt well to your soil and cultivate those varieties. The plants themselves will show you which species are growing well on your site, and which ones are best avoided.

Caring for northern varieties of strawberries

In order for strawberries to develop well and be able to accumulate strength for a difficult winter, they need proper care. Provide the plants with sufficient watering and add the required amount of nutrients to the soil. A drip irrigation system that constantly keeps the soil moist can be of great help. All you have to do is replenish the container and adjust the intensity of the water pressure according to the weather.

In spring, strawberry bushes require special attention. Young leaves are growing, buds are developing, fruits are forming - the plants require increased care. At the beginning of the growing season, feed them with a complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen. During the flowering period, plants will need phosphorus and potassium.

In summer, plants begin to throw out tendrils. Leave on the bushes only those shoots that you intend to use for planting; cut off the rest immediately. The tendrils take away the strength of the main bush, it weakens, it may not survive the winter well or lay few buds for next year’s harvest. It is advisable to select 2-3 plants to obtain planting material and tear off their buds, then the shoots will be strong and well developed.

Remember that Siberian weather can bring any surprise. Always have covering material ready in case of sudden frosts. In summer, feed strawberry bushes with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, they increase the frost resistance of plants. For the winter, cover the bushes with spruce branches, and if there is little snow, throw a snowdrift on the bed.

Conclusion

Growing strawberries in cold regions is possible, you just need to understand that a delicate garden crop in a harsh climate requires a special approach. In warm areas, with a lack of nutrition or poor watering, you will simply reap a meager harvest. In northern latitudes, only strong bushes will survive a frosty winter. If you do not provide them with good care, in the spring you will only see frozen rhizomes and will not see green leaves, flowers and berries.

It is advisable to buy locally selected strawberry seedlings; they are adapted to your climate. Delicate species will not survive in open ground; they require shelter, warm beds or other structures to protect them from the cold. Choose the sunniest place for your berry garden. It is desirable that this be a flat area or a gentle slope directed to the south. Avoid close proximity to groundwater, the bushes will begin to hurt.

In cold climates, spring planting is recommended so that the plants have time to get stronger before winter. Don't forget to keep an eye on the weather forecast, especially in the spring when it can get very cold at any time. If there is a threat of frost, cover the berry plant with film or non-woven insulating material. Properly feed and water your green pets well, and they will thank you for your attention and care with a rich harvest.

Both adults and children love strawberries as a garden berry. Many summer residents are engaged in growing this crop in the hope of reaping a rich harvest. However, farmers’ expectations are not always met, since even if all recommendations for planting and cultivation are followed, a poor harvest can be harvested. Most often, the problem lies in the illiterate choice of berry varieties for a specific climate, for example, Siberian.

Criterias of choice

When choosing a suitable variety of strawberries, you need to decide how long it will take for the berries to ripen and whether a remontant type of berries is necessary. Such plants give a rich harvest twice in one season. There are also varieties that produce fruit constantly every month and a half. Such varieties require careful care and preventive measures against pests. Remontant varieties of strawberries for Siberia are most effective for growing in protected conditions, where the growing season and fruiting period can be extended.

Depending on the ripening period, early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties of strawberries are distinguished. The first variety bears fruit in late spring, late-ripening fruits ripen in mid-summer. Remontant winter-hardy strawberries will delight you with their fruits from spring until the onset of frost.

Description of the most popular varieties

For Siberia, it will be useful to use primarily zoned varieties, and remontant varieties will also have good results.

Zoned

For Siberian conditions, special zoned varieties of berries were developed by Russian and foreign specialists. Let's look at those that are considered the best of them.

"Fairy"

“Fairy” has a sweet taste and subtle elegant aroma. These are very large fruits weighing up to 40 grams in the shape of a cone. A special advantage of this strawberry variety is its rich yield, since one bush can produce up to one and a half kilograms of fruit.

Plants are straight, small and not spreading. Strawberries do not require special care, but when organic fertilizers are applied, they produce a high yield.

"Festival"

“Festivalnaya” is considered the best variety because it produces tasty and large berries of a bright red hue with a delicate aroma. The berries have a round or flattened shape and weigh about 30 grams. You can see grooves on the outside of the strawberry. The ripening period is late, but the variety bears fruit for a long time.

Thanks to the rich harvest of berries, you can make various preparations for the winter. Strawberries do not spoil for a long time, so they will not lose their taste and quality for up to 5 days for further sale.

The “Festivalnaya” variety is resistant to harsh climatic conditions, so it is not afraid of any frost. Each bush has a large number of leaves. The variety has the ability to regenerate; in case of any damage, the leaves grow quickly, thereby restoring the normal functionality of the plant.

"Mascot"

The fruits are large, round and cylindrical in shape, weighing more than 20 grams. The species is mid-season, the fruits ripen in mid-summer. Strawberries bear fruit more than 1 kg per 1 m2.

This variety belongs to the semi-remontant species. That is, in the summer the fruits ripen on last year’s bushes, and in the autumn on the sprouts of this year. Due to the presence of a large number of tendrils on the bushes, we can conclude that the fruits during the second harvest will be just as plentiful. By applying additional fertilizing, you can increase the productivity of the beds.

The disadvantage of this variety is that high yield and excellent taste appear only for a couple of years.

"Lvivsky early"

The “Lvovsky Early” variety is grown in special areas by professionals and ordinary summer residents. It has been known for many years, and reviews confirm that the variety does not fail in any way. You can plant seedlings in any soil; the plants will quickly take root and bear fruit every year, as well as delight you with their rich harvest.

The fruits of the variety begin to ripen in late spring. Each berry weighs about 30 grams. The strawberry shape is a truncated cone.

This variety is distinguished by its unpretentiousness in cultivation and average resistance to frost. Therefore, to prevent the bushes from dying from the cold, it is recommended to cover them with burlap. Various diseases are not dangerous for this variety; strawberry mites pose the greatest danger to it.

"Idun"

Strawberries of the “Idun” variety are unpretentious to grow. The variety was bred in Denmark exclusively for cultivation in cold regions. It grows and produces a rich harvest on any type of soil. Requires only high moisture content.

The early ripening variety ripens at the end of spring. The shape is round and weighs no more than 25 grams. The pulp is juicy and soft. “Idun” cannot be stored or transported for a long time.

"Omsk early"

The fruits are small, weighing only about 10 grams. The berries contain a high content of sugar and vitamin C. According to reviews from farmers, this variety is rated 4.5 points on a five-point scale.

The bushes are not spreading and large in size, but have a large number of branches. This ensures rich yield of the variety. From one square meter you can harvest about 1.5 kg of strawberries.

The above plant varieties are intended for cultivation in the northern regions. No less popular types of strawberries are “Darenka” and “Amulet”. Zoned strawberries are grown both by amateur gardeners and in special agrotechnical plantations.

Repairers

The main advantages of remontant strawberry varieties are the high level of fruiting, which is ensured through several stages of berry formation and ripening. Growing in greenhouse conditions allows you to increase the growing season of plants and increase productivity. Remontant varieties of berries begin to ripen from the beginning of spring until autumn.

"Queen Elizabeth II"

The strawberry variety called "Queen Elizabeth II" is considered one of the best and is excellent for growing in cold areas. It produces a good harvest every year; about 1.5 kg of berries are harvested from one plant. These are large fruits weighing up to 80 grams, but can reach 100 grams. Has a sweet taste.

"Lord"

The Lord variety produces a rich harvest, has large berries and is resistant to cold. Mid-season strawberries weighing up to 100 grams begin to ripen in mid-summer. In August you can pick berries in the second stage. However, they will have less weight and size, but the taste will be no different.

This productive variety is easy to care for. Strawberries are grown only in places with constant sunlight; to avoid rotting of the fruits, it is necessary to mulch the soil. When adding organic matter and abundant watering, the yield from one bush can be up to 1 kilogram.

"Honey"

The strawberry variety "Honey" is a popular variety that produces a rich harvest in early spring in greenhouse conditions. On open ground, the berries ripen in May. At the end of August, the second stage of the harvest can be harvested.

The characteristic features of this variety are a rich yield of up to 1.2 kg per m2, large fruits weighing up to 30 grams and resistance to cold climates. Can be grown both in greenhouse conditions and in open areas.

All of the listed remontant berry varieties are perfectly adapted to regions with harsh climates. They allow you to get a rich harvest, but only with careful care and regular watering. To create more favorable conditions for growth and increase yield, crops can be grown in greenhouses.

In order for the plants to take root, it is necessary:

• straighten the roots of the seedlings so that they do not become crushed in the soil;
• for large roots, it is necessary to make deeper holes and pour water into them;
• before planting, spray the root system of plants with substances to stimulate growth;
• Strawberry bushes must be planted at a distance of at least 20 cm.
• It is best to plant strawberry tendrils in rainy weather.



Various diseases can leave the crop without crops. These include gray rot, which looks like a gray coating, as well as strawberry mite, which may not be visible; the mite invasion is indicated by leaves twisted into tubes. To prevent gray rot from spoiling the plants when the fruits ripen, it is necessary to water the beds with cold water and mulch.

And also once every 4 years it is necessary to replant the strawberries to a new place. This will avoid gray rot and not impair the taste of ripe fruits.

At the end of summer or autumn, it is necessary to add potassium and phosphorus to prepare the strawberries for winter. It is recommended to cut the strawberry tendrils and cover the plants with spruce branches, but some experts are against this. However, this procedure will avoid freezing of strawberry bushes during the cold period.

In the next video you will see the technology for growing remontant strawberries of the "Elizabeth II" variety in Siberia.

How to plant strawberries correctly

Strawberries. Landing dates

The best time to plant strawberries is spring (from May 1 to May 15) and summer (from July 20 to August 10). This is necessary in order to obtain developed plants with powerful roots. A possible planting time, but undesirable, is the second half of August. But usually for gardeners, the time for planting strawberry seedlings is determined by the availability of sufficient quantities of seedlings ready for planting.

Summer planting has a number of advantages over spring planting. At this time, the hard days of spring are far behind us, and the period of planting seedlings will extend for almost a month. Before autumn, plants planted at the end of July not only have time to take root and take root in the soil, but also to develop well and prepare for wintering. Such plants give a good harvest the very next year.

Planting at a later date is associated with serious problems, since the seedlings may not have time to take root and will die in the winter. Therefore, plants planted in the second half of August must be insulated with dry leaves, peat chips, etc. with the onset of cold weather.

Many gardeners plant seedlings in the spring. By this time, it has developed a good root system. But you should not be late with planting, since in the second half of May it may come under the harmful effects of hot and dry weather and will not take root well.

SEEDLING PLANTING SCHEME

There are many ways to place plants in a garden bed: carpet, single-line, two-line, three-line, individual bushes, etc.

When carpet planting, the area is completely planted with strawberries. In this case, the yield in the first year will be noticeably higher, but after a year it will drop sharply, caring for the plants becomes more difficult, and the quality of the berries deteriorates. In rainy weather, when planting this way, the berries are very sick with gray rot.

Single-line planting is more often used on large plantations. In this case, the plants are placed at a distance of 60-70 cm between rows and 15-40 cm between plants, depending on the growth of the plants. For low-growing varieties, a distance of 20 cm is sufficient, for medium-growing varieties - 25-30 cm, and for vigorous-growing varieties with strong branching - 30-35 cm. In the second year, the rows are usually thickened, leaving a small number of rosettes near the mother bushes.

Such a bed is better lit, convenient for care, processing and picking berries, the plants are well ventilated and suffer less from gray mold. But a lot of land is spent on paths.

The most widespread in gardens is two-line planting, when the distance between rows is 35-40 cm, and between plants in a row 20-25 cm depending on the variety and a path about 50 cm wide.

More effective is two-line planting with thickening in the first year of plant life. In this case, the distance between rows is 50 cm, and between plants in a row 20 cm. In this case, already in the first year of fruiting, a high yield of berries is obtained.

But immediately after the first harvest, every second plant in the row is removed, and the excess plants are transplanted to a new bed. But this method has not found widespread use.

If there is a significant shortage of seedlings, strawberries can be planted in rows sparsely - every 40-50 cm, followed by laying out the mustaches with rosettes in rows, lightly pressing them with earth.

In very wet areas, strawberries should be grown on beds 15-20 cm high and 80-100 cm wide. On such beds, 2 rows of plants are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other.

Attention! The planting scheme has a great influence on the size of the future harvest. The gardener who thickens the plantings is mistaken, because... such beds will be heavily infected with gray rot. This disease develops especially strongly in waterlogged, shaded areas.

The ridges should be located from north to south. Then the plants and soil between the rows warm up more strongly and are illuminated by the sun, allowing them to better fight diseases. On a slope, the beds are placed across it. If you have not one, but two varieties growing in your garden bed, then it is better to place the plants by variety not in longitudinal rows, but in blocks, without mixing them with each other.

PLANTING SEEDLINGS

The quality of seedlings affects the survival rate and subsequent growth of plants. Therefore, newly dug seedlings are prepared for planting in a shaded and cool place. It is sorted, selecting the most developed plants for planting. They should be without mechanical damage, with a well-developed and intact apical bud, 2-3 normally developed leaves, and a fibrous root system. The prepared seedlings are buried in a shaded place and watered abundantly.

And now two pieces of advice for those who purchase strawberry seedlings:

If you are a fan of “extreme” sports, then do not rush to purchase sensational varieties (Lords, Gigantellas and others) from people selling on the market. It is best to take them directly from the nursery to avoid deception. As a last resort - at a neighbor's, where you saw what kind of harvest he reaped.

Nowadays, nurseries mainly sell strawberry seedlings with an open root system, and private owners sell them with a closed root system, in disposable cups or in yogurt containers. In the latter case, counterfeit is possible, i.e. The mustache was recently planted and the young rosette has not yet had time to take root. Always try to “over-plant” one plant. If everything spills out at once, it means the seedlings have just been transplanted.

And if you do not have the opportunity to plant the purchased seedlings in the garden bed in the coming days, then they are stored vertically in boxes, leaving no voids between the plants, and burlap, moss or sawdust are placed on the bottom of the box. The seedlings are watered from a watering can and covered with burlap. Long-term storage of seedlings is undesirable.

In urban conditions, seedlings can be stored in the refrigerator for some time. To do this, wet plants, together with their leaves, are placed in a plastic bag and stored in the lower part of the refrigerator.

Strawberry seedlings are usually planted in furrows or holes. Before planting, the area is divided in accordance with the chosen planting pattern, marking the beginning and end of each row with pegs. The distance between plants in a row is marked using a marked board.

It is better to plant seedlings in cloudy weather or, in extreme cases, in the evening. Before planting, the seedlings are inspected again, roots that are too long (up to 10 cm) are cut off and dipped in a mash of soil and humus diluted with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream. It is advisable to add any growth regulator to a bucket of such talker (Epin, Zircon, Kornevin, Mikrasa, Novosil, etc.). At the same time, a large root lobe is formed faster and the seedlings take root much better.

Then, in accordance with the markings, holes are dug so that the root system can be freely placed in them. If the soil is well fertilized, then the holes are covered with the same soil. But it is better to fill the hole halfway with humus, to which granulated superphosphate has been added (for 1 bucket of humus - 3 tablespoons of superphosphate), and top it with fertile soil.

If you have seedlings from an “unreliable” source, then they must be washed with a solution of table salt and copper sulfate. To do this, place 3 tbsp on a bucket of water. spoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate and immerse the seedlings in it for 10 minutes. Then it is washed with clean water.

For good plant survival, the technique of planting seedlings is of utmost importance. Strawberries are planted along a cord stretched between pegs. Using a spatula, dig holes with a vertical wall on the side of the cord. Before planting, the holes are watered abundantly and, as soon as the water is absorbed, the seedlings are planted in “liquid mud” - this is very important.

The hole should be deep enough so that the roots do not bend upward. With one hand, press the plant against a vertical wall so that the heart is flush with the soil surface, and with the other, fill the hole halfway, pressing the soil tightly against the roots and preventing the formation of voids.

Then fill the hole completely and compact the soil around the plant. This must be done especially carefully during autumn planting. Properly planted seedlings should not be pulled out of the ground with a slight tug on the leaf.

The planting depth must be carefully monitored so that the heart of the plant is not covered with soil. For properly planted seedlings, the apical bud should have its base at the level of the soil surface.

If planted too deeply, plants do not take root well, because after the first watering the heart starts to swim. But even if the planting is too shallow, the plants also grow poorly, because... their roots constantly dry out.

Potted seedlings are easier to plant. A pot is inserted into the hole, compacted with soil, observing the correct planting depth.

After planting, the plants are immediately watered with water at the rate of 1 liter per plant and a solution of the Barrier preparation. Then the rows are mulched with humus or peat chips, and holes are made around the plants. Immediately after planting the seedlings, it is necessary to loosen the previously trampled row spacing.

When planting seedlings without holes or furrows, the plants quickly rise above the general soil level, suffer more due to lack of moisture, and in early winter they are poorly covered with snow and winter worse.

Within a week after planting, it is advisable to shade the plants with various materials (burlap, branches, dry grass), and water or spray them with water more often. When planting in hot sunny weather, some of the leaves of the seedlings must be removed. For the first 5-6 days, it is advisable to water the plants in the evening. Two weeks is enough for strawberries to take root and grow.

When hot or cold weather sets in, newly planted seedlings may begin to turn red on the leaves, which is a physiological process and does not require treatment with protective agents.

PLANTING SEEDLINGS ON NONWOVEN MATERIAL OR FILM

In recent years, planting seedlings on beds covered with film or non-woven material has become increasingly common. To do this, ordinary low ridges are formed in the designated area. The soil fertility in such a bed must be taken care of in advance so that the plants do not lack nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus for about 3 years.

The prepared ridge is covered with black film or spandbond. Its edges are sprinkled with earth or pressed down with boards. Then lightly sprinkle earth over the film so that it fits tightly to the soil.

The main thing is to correctly mark the distance between plants. In the film, according to the markings, cross-shaped slits are made with a sharp knife or round holes with a diameter of no more than 5 cm are cut out. Then the resulting corners of the film are folded inward. The distance between holes in a row is 25-30 cm, between rows - 45-50 cm.

The seedlings are planted in these holes, helping yourself with a narrow scoop or teaspoon. This must be done correctly, under no circumstances deepening the heart or bending the roots. If the seedlings have long roots and they bend strongly, then they need to be trimmed a little.

Without a certain skill, planting seedlings in a small hole is quite difficult, but everything comes with experience, you just need to practice. This hole can be made larger, but then weeds will crawl out of it, and pests will easily find refuge at the roots, so under no circumstances should you do this. Then you need to water the plants abundantly.

And then the black film will “do” everything else for you. It will retain moisture and warmth, which is especially important in the spring. Therefore, fruiting in such a bed occurs much earlier than usual.

The film will not allow weeds to grow, the soil under it will always be loose, and the berries on the film will be clean, and the loss of berries from gray rot will be sharply reduced. The very labor-intensive work of weeding and loosening the soil in the garden bed is eliminated.

And if after a year the plant becomes cramped, then the diameter of the hole can be increased by 1-2 cm. Well, if you need mustaches from these plants, then everyone is looking for a way out on their own. The author believes that the easiest way is to place mayonnaise and margarine jars on top of the film and root the seedlings in them.

Caring for such a bed involves timely trimming of the tendrils and watering as needed. After 3 years, the covering material is removed and disposed of, and the land is prepared for another crop.

And the costs of purchasing black film or spunbond are quickly recouped by an increase in yield and due to a sharp reduction in the labor intensity of caring for strawberries. And when weeds appear in the aisles between the beds, they are destroyed manually.

V. G. Shafransky

How to plant strawberries correctly

How to plant strawberries correctly to get a good harvest? I offer you four effective ways to plant strawberries, which have long proven themselves among gardeners.

PLANTING STRAWBERRY WITH SEPARATE-STANDING BUSHES

Strawberry rosettes are planted one at a time at a distance of 45-60 cm. To prevent the plants from intertwining, the tendrils are regularly removed, thereby allowing the bushes to develop intensively and bear fruit abundantly.

Disadvantages of this method: it is labor-intensive, it requires frequent loosening of the soil, weed control, mulching and cutting off the mustache.

Advantages of the method: the berries are large due to the small number of bushes, each plant is ventilated, which reduces the likelihood of putrefactive diseases, planting material is saved.

PLANTING STRAWBERRY IN ROWS

In this case, the bushes are planted at a distance of 15-20 cm in one row, and a 40 cm wide strip is left between the rows so that you can freely approach the plantings. As with growing strawberries in individual bushes, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove tendrils and weeds.

Disadvantages of this method: the same as the first.

Advantages of this method: strawberries planted in rows grow well and bear fruit for 5-6 years in one place.

PLANTING STRAWBERRY IN NESTS

With this planting method, one plant is planted in the center of the future nest and six more around it. The result is a hexagon with a distance between plants in a nest of 5-8 cm. The distance between nests in one row should be 25-30 cm, and between rows 35-40 cm.

Disadvantages of this method: a lot of planting material is required.

Advantages of the method: five times more plants are planted than with traditional planting methods, which ensures a large harvest.

CARPET PLANTING OF STRAWBERRY

This is the easiest and cheapest way to plant. Its essence is that the mustache of strawberry bushes does not break off, thereby allowing the berry to grow independently over the entire allotted area. With this compacted method of placing bushes, a special microclimate arises in the surface layer, and a layer of plant mulch is also formed on its own. This inhibits the growth of weeds and keeps the soil moist.

Advantages of the method: convenient for those who do not often visit the dacha; berries less often require watering, loosening and fertilizing due to natural mulching.

Disadvantages of this method: over time, the berries may become smaller.

HOW TO PROPERLY PROPRIATE STRAWBERRY WITH A MUSTACLE

How did our grandmothers propagate strawberries? After the strawberry bushes fruited, they “started” the bed, that is, they did not tear off the mustache. And at the end of August, the strongest rooted rosettes were selected and moved to a new location.

But if you want to get high-quality seedling material, if you want to preserve all the varietal qualities of strawberries, if you need an excellent harvest year after year, you need to act a little differently.

WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE WHITES FROM FRUIT-BEARING BUSHES?

The correct approach to propagating strawberries is this: the bush should produce either berries or tendrils. One out of two. If a gardener takes tendrils from freshly fruited strawberry bushes, he gets inferior seedlings. The plant has already spent the bulk of its nutrients on ripening the berries, which means its mustache will be much weaker than we would like.

In addition, by forcing the bushes to “work on two fronts,” the summer resident risks losing them ahead of time. Strawberries are depleted faster, the berries become smaller, the bushes are more likely to be exposed to diseases, and the yield of the beds is reduced by 20-30%.

PROPAGATION OF STRAWBERRY USING QUEEN BUSHES

Proper propagation of strawberries begins with the selection of so-called mother bushes. To do this, in the first year after planting, absolutely all the whiskers are removed from absolutely all strawberry bushes and wait for fruiting. The bushes that survived the vagaries of the weather best, did not get sick and produced the largest berries are marked with a sticker, a stick, a string - whatever you like, as long as it is noticeable. These are your future mother bushes. For convenience, you can even transplant them into a separate bed according to the scheme: 40 centimeters between bushes, 80 centimeters between rows.

Next year, all buds are removed from selected mother bushes, preventing flowering and, accordingly, berry set.

Thus, unable to produce seeds, plants will put all their energy into vegetative propagation, that is, into runners. Already in the first month of summer, the uterine bushes will begin to produce mustaches, on which rosettes will subsequently be tied. You need to leave only the largest, most powerful mustache, and mercilessly tear off all the little things. The best option is to shorten the strawberry tendrils, leaving only one rosette on each, the one closest to the mother bush. But if you need a lot of seedlings, then you can use the second sockets.

When the first roots appear on the rosettes, two options for further action are possible:

1. Pin the rosettes to the ground, dig them a little into loose soil, and then water and care for them as you would any other seedlings.

2. Without separating the rosettes from the mother bush, plant each one in a separate pot, where it will develop its own root system.

Strawberry seedlings are planted in a new location at the end of July - beginning of August, so that before the onset of the first frost the plants have time to take root and get stronger. Therefore, two weeks before planting, the tendrils connecting the rosettes to the mother bush are cut, giving the young plants time to get used to feeding from their own roots.

Mother bushes can serve as a source of high-quality seedling material for two to three years.

Moreover, two- or three-year-old strawberries produce much more whiskers than first-year ones. Well, after three years, it is recommended to replace the mother bushes with young ones, carrying out the entire selection procedure again.

TIMELINES AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PLANTING STRAWBERRY

The time has come to get to know the technology directly. When should you plant strawberries? How to plant it correctly so that each bush takes root and overwinters? How to water and feed newly planted seedlings? Do young plantings need to be mulched? Today our goal is to find answers to these and some other questions.

TIME FOR PLANTING STRAWBERRY

For a future excellent harvest of berries, first of all, high-quality seedlings are necessary, and the best tendrils and rosettes appear in early spring or late summer, when temperatures are low and there is plenty of moisture.

Therefore, the optimal dates for planting strawberries are considered to be the periods from April 25 to May 15 and from July 23 to August 10. Strawberries planted after August 10th bear fruit poorly the next year, while strawberries planted in September before the 5th take root well, but do not bear fruit the next year.

When is it better to plant strawberries: spring or autumn? In most areas and in most cases, the best option is to plant young strawberries in the last week of July. During this period, the gardener has more time, a lot of planting material, and the weather, as a rule, is favorable for young bushes to take root, take root in a new place and survive the winter safely. But in open, windswept areas in areas with harsh winters with little snow, it is better to be careful and postpone planting to spring. Then the young bushes will have the whole summer to get stronger.

PREPARING THE BED

It is recommended to plant strawberries in well-lit areas where garlic, onions, root vegetables or legumes used to grow. It is very good if the bed for strawberries was chosen in advance and sown with green manure in the spring, which by August had already been mowed, and the bed was watered with a solution of EM preparations. The best green manure for strawberries is lupine.

In any case, before planting seedlings, the area must be cleared of weeds and the soil must be mixed. Strawberries are a rather “gluttonous” berry, so in addition to soil, to prepare the soil you will need compost, rotted manure or vermicompost, and ash.

The holes for strawberry seedlings are made deep and wide. The distance between the holes is 30-50 cm. The distance between the rows is 40 cm. The soil removed from the holes is mixed with the rest of the soil components in the following proportions: 1 bucket of soil, 1 bucket of manure, 1 bucket of compost, 2 cups of ash. A small mound is made from the soil prepared in this way in the center of each hole.

STRAWBERRY PLANTING TECHNOLOGY

Like any other crop, it is preferable to plant strawberries on a cloudy day or in the evening.

An hour before planting, the seedlings need to be watered; it would be even better to soak the seedlings in water or a biogrowth stimulator for a couple of hours. Some gardeners keep the bushes in garlic infusion (150 ml of garlic infusion per 10 liters of water) before planting to prevent pest attacks.

A good strawberry seedling should have 3-4 healthy leaves (it is advisable to remove the rest) and well-extended roots 10 centimeters in length (extra centimeters should be cut off).

So, we have prepared young bushes, holes with “mounds” and the remains of the soil mixture. All that remains is to install each bush on the mound so that the growth point (the so-called “heart”) is flush with the surface of the bed, and the roots are spread along the slopes of the mound.

Then, holding the bush, you need to fill it with soil prepared in advance and at the same time spill it with water. This is done to ensure that the contact between the roots and the ground is closer.

It is imperative to ensure that the growing point is not too deep or too raised above the soil.

CARE OF A YOUNG STRAWBERRY BED

If you planted strawberries in the spring, flower stalks and tendrils may appear on the young bed. Cut them off without mercy! Now the main task of seedlings is to take root in a new place, and fruiting and reproduction can and should be postponed until the next season.

Be sure to mulch freshly planted strawberries. The best mulching material for this berry is pine needles - it prevents diseases from developing and repels pests. But straw, dried grass, leaves, rotted sawdust, etc. are also suitable.

Two weeks after planting, the young bushes are fed. As a top dressing, you can use an infusion of vermicompost (sold in stores), an infusion of bird droppings, or an herbal infusion. All these fertilizers are organic and contain a large amount of easily digestible nitrogen, which promotes the rapid growth of young strawberries.

PROCESSING STRAWBERRY IN SPRING

Spring processing of strawberries is one of the first tasks of a summer resident upon returning to his favorite plot after a long winter. However, not everyone knows how to properly process strawberries in the spring in order to save their own energy and increase the future harvest.

Do I need to remove old dried leaves? Should I remove the top layer of soil? How to treat strawberries against pests and diseases? What should be the first spring feeding of strawberries? The questions have been asked, so we will answer...

After the snow has melted and the first warm days have arrived, old-school gardeners, armed with a flat-cutter, hoe and shovel, begin the standard processing of strawberries “according to the textbook”: they remove the top layer of soil (after all, formidable pests live there), pick off dried leaves (because the bushes should look beautiful), feed, loosen and add soil, spray the bushes against pests.

As a result, they end up with bare beds, which become crusty after the first hot sunny day. And the crust needs to be loosened again, etc. etc.

So you can't do that? Why is it possible? But such processing takes a lot of time and effort.

For those who feel sorry for the wasted effort, we offer a slightly different method of processing strawberry bushes.

So, here is a list of the main activities that need to be carried out in the spring in the strawberry bed:

1. Raking mulch that has not rotted over the winter;

2. Adjusting the sides of the bed;

3. Fertilizing with mineral or organic fertilizers;

4. Initial treatment of strawberry bushes against diseases with chemicals or biological products;

5. Mulching.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE OF THE "MARAFET"

We are sure that you mulch your strawberries with one of the suitable organic mulching materials, which means that after winter there are plant residues left on the beds that have not had time to rot. They should be placed in the compost heap. The point of this procedure is that the soil covered with mulch warms up more slowly, and in order for the strawberry bushes to start growing faster, the soil must be warm. After getting rid of last year's mulch, you need to straighten the sides of the ridges.

SPRING FEEDING FOR STRAWBERRY

To stimulate the appearance of fresh green leaves, strawberry bushes can be fed. If you are not opposed to the use of mineral fertilizers in the garden, then choose one of the options for complex feeding:

1 tbsp. l. ammonium sulfate and 2 cups of mullein per 10 liters of water;

1 tbsp. l. nitroammophoska per 10 liters of water.

Supporters of organic farming feed strawberry beds with mullein infusion (1 part manure to 10 parts water) or chicken droppings (1 part manure to 12 parts water) or nettle infusion (a bucket of young nettles is poured with warm water and left for 3-4 days).

Fertilizer of strawberries is applied directly under the bush, avoiding the solution getting on the leaves.

TREATMENT OF STRAWBERRY FROM PESTS AND MULCHING

In early spring, before strawberries bloom, it is recommended to treat the bushes against pests. Those who are not afraid of chemicals spray plants with Taurus or Caesar. For adherents of biological products, there are “Fitoverm” and “Acrofit”. Just do not forget that drugs of biological origin are effective at temperatures above +18°C.

Some gardeners prefer to control pests with plain water. The water must be heated to a temperature of 60-65°C and pour it over the strawberries using a watering can with a fine strainer. The main thing is that the water does not have time to cool down ahead of time and that it falls on the leaves more or less evenly. “Water procedures” not only help get rid of pests, they also stimulate growth and contribute to the enlargement of berries.

When the soil has warmed up well and the threat of return frosts has ceased to hang like a sword of Damocles over the summer cottage, the strawberry beds need to be mulched again. Spruce and pine needles are best suited for this purpose. The fact is that such mulch plays the role of a kind of antiseptic - with it, strawberries are not afraid of any diseases. Straw mulch is also good, as it allows moisture to pass through well and prevents the berries from rotting. True, slugs and other “voracious bellies” can take root in straw, so pine mulch is considered number one for strawberries.

Growing strawberries in Siberia in open ground became possible thanks to the tireless work of breeders and gardeners, who do everything to ensure that the plants successfully survive the winter and manage to produce a harvest in a short summer. Weather conditions and climate impose particularities not only on the choice of variety, but also on the conditions of planting and care. This is the only way to get a harvest of fresh and tasty berries in Siberia.

General information about culture

Fresh berries are eaten in all regions; gardeners try to grow them themselves. Strawberries are cultivated in Irkutsk; even the Siberian and Novosibirsk regions are not afraid of their cultivation. True, in winter the shoots of the plant often freeze, and in the spring they are affected by frost. That is why breeders are trying to adapt early frost-resistant varieties to a given climatic region, and gardeners are inventing simple ways to help bushes survive the cold.

Wild varieties of strawberries were found everywhere, and Altai was no exception. However, people were able to appreciate the taste of healthy berries only in the 18th century. At the Paris Botanical Garden, Chilean and Virginia strawberries were randomly crossed. The result was a plant whose berries, in terms of taste and aesthetic characteristics, eclipsed all previously known varieties. In Russia, people became interested in strawberries during the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who first began to grow this crop in his own garden.

Strawberries in the garden

Varieties of suitable strawberries for Siberia should differ in the following characteristics:

• increased frost resistance;
• the ability to quickly regenerate leaves and stems to replace frozen plants (the beardless variety is not suitable);
• increased immunity to diseases and pests;
• good transportability.

The following varieties most accurately meet these requirements:

• Amulet;
• Berdskaya early;
• Darenka;
• Kama;
• Maryshka;
• Omsk early;
• Tanyusha;
• First-grader, etc.

Amulet is a variety with medium ripening periods. Strawberries at the stage of technical ripeness have a dark red color, the shape of the berries is cone-shaped. A distinctive feature is the rich sweet taste, which is sure to please all family members, and a very strong classic aroma. The fruits are used universally; they are suitable for transportation over long distances.

Berdsk early strawberries differ from competitors in their increased resistance to the negative effects of pests or pathogens. Frost-resistant variety, undemanding in care. The yield is not too high, but the fruits are of excellent taste, aromatic and early ripening. When strawberries of this variety begin to ripen, they acquire a matte scarlet color. The berry has a cone shape.

Berdskaya early

Tanyusha strawberry bushes grow powerful and grow green mass well. The description of the variety indicates that the plant is undemanding in care and tolerates drought and extreme cold well. The berries are rich red in color, with a glossy shine, excellent taste and medium ripening.

Strawberry Kama received the popular name Black Prince. One bush produces up to 1 kg of berries. The fruit is large, weighing about 40 grams, with high marketability and taste. The disadvantage is susceptibility to gray and brown rot. A very winter-hardy species, which, with timely preventive treatment, will certainly please you with a harvest.

Optimal planting dates

In the climate of Siberia, strawberries are planted in autumn and spring. In the spring, they try to complete the work before the fourth ten days of May. Autumn planting in this region is considered to be the sending of seedlings to the beds from the end of July to mid-August. This is necessary so that the young strawberry has time to take root well and become stronger before the onset of persistent cold weather.

Choosing a landing site

At the time of planting the bushes in the garden bed in the spring, the air temperature during the day should be at least +8°C. The bed is located in a sunny and well-lit place. The soil is preferably loose, rich in humus. Strawberries do not tolerate excess moisture, so you should prepare good drainage for them in advance. The beds should not be located in areas with high groundwater levels and the likelihood of flooding. The moisture level in the soil should not exceed 78%. We can say that the ideal place for growing strawberries will be hills and plains. The area must be protected from drafts and winds. The North and the Urals require a particularly scrupulous attitude in this matter, since otherwise the bushes will not survive the winter.

strawberry Tanyusha

Attention! To increase the plant's resistance to diseases, do not plant strawberries after nightshade crops.

Early strawberries, which require some attention and effort to grow and care for in Siberia, are planted in beds prepared in advance. The best time to prepare the soil is autumn. At this time, compost, any humus or organic fertilizers are added. Wood ash is an excellent tool for fertilizing and disinfecting soil. The acidity of the soil should not be higher than 6.5 pH.

2 weeks before the expected planting of strawberries, the plot is dug up and compost or rotted manure is added. Immediately before planting, the soil is loosened to a depth of about 18 cm.

Features of planting and care

To plant strawberries, choose cloudy weather or evening hours. First, moderately moisten the soil, make holes at a distance of 70 cm from each other, and leave at least 15 cm between plants. The rhizomes should be positioned vertically, and the root collar should be at the same level with the soil. After planting, the soil is mulched. A material such as torus or humus is suitable for this. In the spring, it is necessary to use covering material, which is removed a couple of weeks after planting the strawberries.

First grader

Planting young bushes requires regular, but not too abundant irrigation. The guideline is the drying of the top layer of soil. Gardeners have different opinions regarding whether strawberries need fertilizing. Some are convinced that the fertilizers applied during planting are enough to provide the plantings with the necessary supply of nutrients. Others tend to think that due to the difficult climate, plants require additional fertilizers at the time when they begin to bloom and form fruits. For these purposes, complex mineral fertilizers or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used, which are especially relevant during flowering.

Proximity to weeds is detrimental to strawberries, so the beds must be constantly weeded and the soil loosened. The antennae formed over the summer are removed. Several of the strongest bushes are left for seedlings. Strawberries require periodic transplants, which are carried out once every 3-4 years. In spring and autumn, the beds are cleaned and covered with spruce branches. If little snow falls in winter, then an additional snowdrift is thrown on top of the spruce branches with a shovel.

Features of strawberry varieties for Siberia

If the farm has its own greenhouse, then remontant strawberries can be cultivated in harsh conditions.

Crimean Remontantnaya

There is also a remontant variety of strawberry, which is propagated by sowing seeds. As a rule, the north does not allow this procedure to be carried out directly in the open ground, so plants are grown in seedlings. The seed is sown in cups or peat tablets, and then, when spring comes and warm weather sets in, they are planted in the garden bed.

It is these remontant strawberries that have earned great popularity among gardeners, the best varieties of which for Siberia are:

• Baron Solemacher;
• Rügen;
• Ruyana;
• Alexandria.

Some farmers who have large areas of land or good greenhouses make a good business in growing strawberries. With proper care, garden strawberries produce abundant harvests, and their fruits in Siberia are quite expensive even at the height of the season.

When the strawberry harvest begins to ripen, Siberians also open the harvesting season. Berries that cannot be consumed fresh are sent for processing. If you follow the conditions of agricultural technology and choose the right variety, even from a small garden bed you can collect a decent amount of fruits that are beneficial to the body. Even an inexperienced novice amateur gardener can cope with growing garden strawberries, since there is absolutely nothing complicated in this matter. After all, if you have your own garden plot, even in Siberia it is impossible to resist the temptation and not plant at least a few strawberry bushes there. When she starts to sing, the whole family will enjoy the aroma and taste of the berries.