We grow strawberries in every plot where conditions permit. This is the most beloved and desired berry, bringing joy with its early ripening. And what a disappointment it can be when, while waiting for the imminent strawberry tasting and the upcoming cooking of strawberry jam, you have to observe the drying out of the garden strawberry bushes, as well as the ovaries and berries. What to do if strawberries dry out? First of all, it is necessary to realize that the plant is sick and begin to treat it.
The reasons for the leaves of leaves in garden strawberries 1.1 strawberry diseases 1.1.1 Vertikillage wilting 1.1.2 Fusaroid wilting (dry rot) 1.1.3 Anthracnosis (coal disease) 1.2 Underground strawberries 1.2.1 Strawberry tick 1.3 Improper care for garden strawberries 2. Reasons strawberry ovaries 2.1 Strawberry weevil 2.2 Lack of moisture 2.3 Unsuitable site 3. Reasons for drying out of strawberries 3.1 Failure to comply with the requirements for growing and caring for strawberries 3.2 Fungal infection 3.3 Pests of strawberries 3.4 Mineral “hunger”
Photo pixabay/AllNikArt: what healthy bushes and fruits of garden strawberries look like.
Why do flowers dry out?
If the ovaries of strawberries fall off, but there are no visible signs of disease, it is first recommended to look for the cause in care. Usually flowers dry out due to improper soil moisture. Berry crops love moisture, so during flowering and after the first fruits appear, it is necessary to increase watering, especially if the summer is dry and hot. It is easy to determine the lack of water in the soil - the ground cracks, the leaves become stained, the buds dry out and begin to crumble.
Overwatering can also cause flowers to dry out. Too wet soil is an excellent environment for the growth of bacteria, which provoke the development of fungal diseases and rot. The disease develops rapidly and affects the root system, which immediately affects the appearance of the bushes. Leaves and flowers begin to wither and dry out, the buds fall off.
Much depends on the right location for growing plants. Berry culture loves well-lit beds, to which there is no access to cold wind or draft. If you plant bushes in partial shade, in open areas, problems cannot be avoided.
Vitamin starvation of bushes can also lead to the ovary falling off. A lack of potassium or phosphorus will result in the fall of the ovary, affect the condition of the leaves, and cause a low yield.
Strawberries dry out: what to do - weather reasons
Weather causes often affect the development of plants: heat, lack of rain, or, conversely, excessive dampness, which provokes the development of diseases. The root system of strawberries is located close to the surface and without watering can be seriously damaged. Hot summers without rain, especially when gardeners do not have the opportunity to water strawberries frequently, can affect the quality and quantity of the harvest. Watering is most important for berry crops during the fruiting period.
When there is a lack of water, the leaves begin to wither without becoming stained or losing color. Plants can be restored if you water them regularly: per 1 sq. m. you will need 10-12 liters of water. It is important to consider how dry the top layer of soil is - overwatering can threaten the development of fungi and pathogenic bacteria. You can water from a bucket into the grooves between the bushes or from a watering can, irrigating the bushes - this is useful for plants, since water cleanses the leaves of dust, making it easier for them to absorb sunlight and oxygen, which is necessary for the growth and development of the plant. You need to water strawberries in the morning or evening so that the water has time to be absorbed into the ground and the drops of water on the leaves have time to dry, otherwise the plants will not avoid burns.
When you have to leave plantings for a long time without care, you can install an automatic watering system, although this is not the cheapest option. Some gardeners make it simpler: 1.5-2 liter bottles with holes on the sides are dug in near each plant and filled with water - there is enough water for several days. There are also many other ways to provide plants with water for a long time.
Excessive evaporation of moisture can be prevented if, after irrigation, the soil in the beds is mulched with straw or humus. Another method is to cover the soil with a dark film, which will prevent it from drying out, and if it rains, the soil will not become waterlogged.
Correcting errors in care
Experienced gardeners warn that if strawberry ovaries fall off, immediately adjust the care of the plant. Water regularly, especially when buds and first berries appear.
To avoid waterlogging, which is also dangerous for plants, add a layer of mulch. The use of agrofibre will eliminate many problems - under a layer of geotextile the soil remains moist even in hot weather.
It is also recommended to carry out watering correctly - go to the beds with a watering can in the evening or early in the morning. The hot rays of the sun can cause thermal burn of leaves, which leads to suppression of flower stalks and drying out of buds. Apply the liquid only at the root of the strawberry bushes, trying, if possible, not to get on the green mass.
Strawberries dry out: why?
Strawberries are not the most capricious plant, but they require attention, which usually consists of timely watering, removing weeds, and fertilizing the soil. Signs that not everything is all right with the plants can be the drying of leaves, flowers and berries. Therefore, when recently healthy leaves, flowers or berries suddenly begin to dry out, this is a reason to look for the causes of the changes and ways to eliminate them.
To find the reason for the drying of strawberries, you need to inspect the beds and the plants themselves. If the soil has dried out deeply, then the plants should be watered more; insects found may turn out to be pests; cobwebs on the stems and leaves are also a sign of pests. Dry spots on flowers and berries may indicate diseases that lead to drying out. Moles and mole crickets, breaking through tunnels, damage the roots, which leads to drying out and death of plants. Dry air and soil, as well as overwatering or an incorrectly chosen too cold and damp area in the lowlands, will lead to damage to the root system and drying out of the plant. Only after determining the cause will it be possible to begin restoring or treating the plantings.
Fertilizing, disease control
To determine the cause of bud drop, it is recommended to carefully examine the strawberries. If there are no signs of fungus or pests, fertilizing should be used - the lack of useful elements necessarily affects the condition of the ovary.
To compensate for the deficiency of useful elements, it is recommended to use ash (the leader in potassium content) and phosphate flour (it will enrich the soil with phosphorus). It is better to apply wood ash in the form of a liquid solution:
To prepare a solution of superphosphate, add a matchbox of the drug to a bucket of water and stir thoroughly. For each bush, 100-150 ml of solution is enough.
For powdery mildew, which also often leads to bud drop, it is recommended to treat the plants with iodine. Pour 10 ml of the drug into a bucket of water. Spray the bushes in the evening when there is no wind. For preventive purposes, two irrigations of plants with an interval of 5 days are sufficient. If the fungus has already settled on strawberries, it is recommended to carry out 3-5 sprayings, taking breaks of 4-5 days.
If the drying out of the buds is caused by the occupation of plants by pests, it is recommended to use chemicals. Homemade gentle remedies are not able to cope with insects, especially if the colony of mites or weevils is rapidly increasing. It is recommended to treat with Karbofos.
To prepare the Karbofos solution, combine a bucket of water and 65-70 g. drug. Mix thoroughly and use immediately - even with short-term storage, the effectiveness of the product is significantly reduced. Spray twice, leaving intervals of 5 days between treatments.
Having discovered that the ovaries of strawberries are falling off, immediately find out the cause of the unpleasant problem, otherwise there is a risk of losing the harvest. It should be remembered that it is much easier to stop the problem in advance than to try to fight diseases or pests. Compliance with the basic rules of agricultural technology, proper application of nutrient solutions, preventive treatments - this is enough to please strawberries with lush bushes and abundant fruiting.
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Why do strawberry flowers turn black and how to deal with it
Adding an article to a new collection
Usually the middle of the strawberry flower turns black or it completely changes its color and falls off. Why does this happen and how not to be left without a harvest of sweet fruits? We carefully examine the flowers of our favorite crop and look for the reasons for the blackening of the flowers.
Growing healthy strawberries (garden strawberries) is not as easy as it seems. You need to strictly follow agricultural technology, constantly improving your knowledge and relying on the experience of professionals. But sometimes not everything depends on us (for example, the vagaries of the weather affect the harvest). How to determine what exactly caused the blackening of strawberry flowers, and what to do in this case?
Strawberry flowers turn black in the center
Remember at what time the return frosts occurred this season. If the receptacle has already begun to form and it suddenly gets cold, as often happens at the end of spring, most likely the plants are simply frozen and the middle of the flower has turned black.
What to do? Blackened garden strawberry flowers must be carefully removed: they still won’t produce a harvest. If return frosts are not in a hurry to go away, it is necessary to protect the crop. There are several ways. The first and simplest is to use covering materials (spunbond, agrofibre, film) on the eve of the next cold snap. The beds are completely covered at night, and in the morning, when the frost subsides, the covers are removed until the evening. It is better to use transparent material for this so that the plants have enough light.
The second method is to water the strawberries during return frosts: after this, moisture from the soil will begin to evaporate, and this will increase the temperature around the plants. You can also use the sprinkling method, irrigating the plants with sprinklers several hours before the onset of frost.
The third method is to smoke the plants. Several armfuls of hay, straw or dry branches are laid out along the perimeter of the plantings, and wet vegetation - grass, moss or turf - is laid on top of them. The prepared material is set on fire closer to night. This method is the most energy-intensive: to prevent a fire from happening, you must stay nearby all night and monitor the fires.
Think in advance about protecting your garden strawberries to increase your yield next season. To do this, in the fall, remove all old and damaged leaves, apply organic or mineral fertilizers, hill up and mulch the soil under the strawberries. If the ground has already completely frozen and no snow has fallen, the crop urgently needs to be covered with straw, sawdust or non-woven material until the onset of spring. And don’t forget to feed the plants: this will not only help strengthened strawberries withstand return frosts, but will also help increase the yield.
The edges of leaves, buds, and berries in the beds and newly planted strawberries turn black and dry.
Pests cause no less harm than diseases. There are a large number of them, but many of them have similar symptoms and treatment methods. Therefore, we will highlight only the main “attackers”.
Strawberry mite or transparent
Microscopic insect; which feeds on the sap of the plant. It is difficult to notice with the naked eye; it becomes visible only by its yellow and curled leaves, which dry out over time.
Important! Use only healthy seedlings and do not allow moisture to stagnate. Also thin out the seedlings so that there is enough space between them.
Strawberry weevil
Slime
The shell-less mollusk also likes to eat juicy berries. Slugs are more active at night, so they can be collected and destroyed in the morning. To do this, place small pieces of slate between the beds.
Nematode
These are transparent, thin worms that are cylindrical in shape. They feed on the sap of the plant, so the leaves crowd together, turn yellow and dry out. lime.
Medvedka
This is a large brown pest. It can overwinter at a depth of 30 cm in the ground, and in the spring it can ruin crops or even inflorescences. Due to its large paws, it is able to dig tunnels and move over a large area, eating other crops.
The center of the strawberry flower turns black and dries out completely or partially
If the center of the flower not only turns black, but also gradually withers, inspect the strawberry bed carefully. Perhaps the ants have set up their “camp” somewhere under it: they really love places where their homes are more difficult to damage, and food, again, grows very close by. These insects, of course, prefer already ripe berries, but if they have nothing to eat, they will not disdain the ovary. Carefully examine the plants: most likely, in addition to ants, you will also find aphids there - their obligatory symbiotic pair.
Reason 6. Pests of garden strawberries
Strawberries bloom, but the ovaries do not appear even if the plant is affected by insect pests.
Sometimes on the bushes you can find red-brown spots or stripes on the peduncle and a dried stalk - these are traces of the presence of strawberry stem nematode. These microscopic worms are located inside the stem and clog the vessels that carry water and nutrients. As a result of the vital activity of nematodes, flowers and ovaries dry out and fall off, and bushes stop growing. There are no commercially available means of effectively controlling these pests, so affected plants must be dug up and destroyed. If a large number of bushes are affected, then you need to remove them all. You can plant strawberries in this place no earlier than after 4 years - that is how long nematodes live in the soil.
Another pest of strawberries is no less dangerous - the strawberry weevil. During the flowering of garden strawberries, the female weevil gnaws a hole in the bud and lays an egg there. Soon a larva emerges from the egg and feeds on the internal contents of the bud. As a result, the strawberries bloom, but some time after flowering the ovaries dry out and fall off.
To protect yourself from weevils, 5-6 days before strawberries bloom, treat them with any insecticides that fight this pest, for example Inta-Vir or Iskra.
Strawberry flowers turn completely black and fall off or hang on the remains of a peduncle
Before you is none other than the raspberry-strawberry weevil. It is thanks to his “efforts” that your future harvest is destroyed. The females of this beetle gnaw holes in flower buds and lay one egg in each bud. The larvae, hatching from the eggs, gnaw out the contents of the buds and fill them with waste products. As a result, strawberry flowers completely lose their color and then completely fall off. And since the pest also gnaws the peduncle at the same time, the visible consequences of this will be yet another proof that you are dealing with a weevil.
What to do? Damaged buds are disposed of, as in the two cases described above. Every year, even before the strawberry flower stalks have time to rise above the bush, treat the strawberries with your choice of one of the preparations - Alatar, Taran, Fufanon-Nova according to the instructions. If you are an opponent of “chemistry,” repellent herbal infusions with an insecticidal effect will help - from hot pepper pods, tansy flowers, tomato tops, and tobacco leaves. And the weevil can’t stand the smell of garlic - so next season plant this vegetable crop between the rows of strawberries.
Blackening of flowers, unfortunately, is not the only misfortune that strawberries can face. Previously, we wrote how to reliably protect this crop from diseases and pests.
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Why do strawberries dry and fall off?
There are several reasons why strawberries dry out and the berries fall off:
- Errors in agricultural technology;
- Diseases and pests;
- Deficiency of mineral nutrition elements.
Failure to comply with the requirements for growing and caring for strawberries
Why strawberries dry out when there is a lack of moisture: the crop has a poorly developed root system, so its seedlings are very sensitive to lack of moisture. Garden strawberries are especially demanding of water during the fruiting period. The soil around the bushes should be moderately moist. Prolonged drying should not be allowed.
A lack of moisture leads to wilting and drying out of the bushes, followed by the fall of the berries if they are set. On average, the recommended volume of irrigation water is 10 liters per square meter. During wet periods, the amount of water is reduced. Mulching promotes long-term moisture retention.
Sunburn of berries: If improperly watered during the hot day, water drops may remain on the berries, at the site of which thermal burns appear. To prevent damage to the berries by the sun's rays, you should water the bushes early in the morning, or even better in the evening.
Fungal infection (late blight, leather rot, anthracnose)
Sick and damaged plants bear fruit poorly, and the resulting berries do not fill and dry out. Measures to combat anthracnose are discussed above. Let's talk about late blight rot and the most acceptable preventive measures against it:
- Destruction of diseased plants;
- Placing beds for planting garden strawberries in well-drained areas;
- Maintaining sufficient planting density for good ventilation of the bushes;
- There are no officially approved drugs against leathery (late blight) rot yet. You can use preparations based on the Trichoderma mushroom and various folk remedies: an aqueous solution of laundry soap or whey;
- Mandatory adherence to crop rotation. Do not grow strawberries after nightshade crops, which are also affected by this infection.
Photo pixabay/fotoxronika: fruits of garden strawberries.
Pests that cause strawberries to dry out and fall off
When bushes are damaged by mole crickets or moles, full access of nutrition to the fruit is disrupted, as a result of which the berries dry out and fall off.
The slimy mollusk (slug) also harms the plant. Mucus-covered berries dry out. It attacks the plant at night.
Methods of dealing with mole crickets and moles
To combat mole crickets, various bait traps are laid out on the beds, which are well known to all summer residents. The mole crickets caught there are destroyed. Gardeners often encounter this omnivorous pest and have a variety of control methods available. The situation is similar with moles.
Diseases and pests of strawberries: possible problems, control and prevention measures
Strawberries or garden strawberries are one of the most popular berries in the garden plots of Russian gardeners. Breeders have developed many different varieties that are distinguished by excellent taste, productivity, and cold resistance, but none of them have protection against most diseases typical of the crop. Strawberries are also loved by pests, which can deprive the gardener of a significant part or even the entire harvest. Therefore, you need to know how to recognize the problem, cope with it and what to do for prevention.
Strawberries dry out: causes, control measures, berry care
Strawberries dry out: causes, control measures, berry care. This article will be useful to gardeners, since strawberries grow in almost all areas. Methods for saving strawberries from wilting are discussed here.
Strawberries and strawberries belong to the same species - green strawberries. These are very tasty, juicy and aromatic berries that have a positive effect on the digestive system and heart function. It should also be noted that strawberries have a rejuvenating effect and act as an aphrodisiac, and also fight viral and various bactericidal infections. Strawberries are not only healthy, but also delicious. That’s why the children look forward to her harvest with such impatience. But such a plant is very capricious, so gardeners often encounter problems, for example, drying of the leaves and the seedling itself. It is this task that will be considered in this material.
A lot of frustration comes from a situation in which the owners of a strawberry bed observe that their plants simply dry out. Gardeners and gardeners, according to their observations, share tips and methods for preventing such a situation. But in order to avoid a similar problem with strawberries drying out, you first need to know the reasons for this phenomenon.
Possible problems when growing strawberries
Strawberry diseases and pest damage manifest themselves in a variety of ways. The same symptom may indicate completely different problems. The first warning sign is a change in the appearance of the plants. Sometimes this is due to certain errors in care, and the situation normalizes when they are corrected. But there may be other reasons. Most common symptoms:
Photo gallery: symptoms characteristic of common diseases and pests typical of strawberries
Measures to combat blackening and yellowing leaves of strawberries and wild strawberries
Improper care involves either using soil that is poor in minerals or improper watering.
What to do with fading, drying strawberries, wild strawberries, and Victoria strawberries, if the reasons are unknown: Diseases and insects cannot affect the entire crop at once. Although not quickly, they will attack gradually. If there is not enough moisture or fertilizer, then, yes, it will affect the entire area at once.
Strawberries need to be replanted only before flowering. Even before the ovary of inflorescences. Since the plant will take root (which is only 10%), the fruits will already be lost. By the way, the bushes themselves often die.
Typical diseases for the culture and ways to combat them
Most diseases affecting strawberries are caused by fungi. There are also viruses that are dangerous to the plant (mosaic spotting, “witch’s broom”, and so on). It is impossible to cope with the latest modern means. All that remains is to dig up the affected plants from the garden beds and burn them, thus eliminating the source of the infection.
White rot
Vague light spots appear on the leaves and fruits. Gradually, these fabrics dry out (if it is hot outside) or rot (in humid, rainy weather). In especially severe cases, the fruits and leaves are covered with a thick layer of white coating, similar to cotton wool. You can't eat these strawberries. Most often, strawberries grown in open ground suffer from the fungus. The risk is significantly reduced when it is cultivated in a greenhouse, on vertical beds, on black film.
White rot extremely rarely affects strawberries growing in a greenhouse, as well as in vertical beds
To combat white rot, Derosal, Horus, Bayleton or Switch are used. The number of treatments and their frequency are in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The use of any chemicals is strictly prohibited during fruiting and for at least 15 days before. This is also very undesirable during the flowering process.
To prevent white rot, garlic or onions are planted between the rows of strawberries. Once every 8–10 days, the bushes are sprayed with an infusion of mustard powder and ground red pepper. The soil in the garden bed is sprinkled with sifted wood ash. If most of the bushes in the garden have been affected by the fungus this year, 2–3 weeks after harvesting, the plants and soil should be sprayed with any of the recommended preparations.
Gray rot
The fruits are covered with a thick layer of gray “fluffy” coating. If you touch them, clouds of “dust” of the same color rise into the air. The disease spreads quickly, especially with direct contact of diseased fetuses with healthy ones. If nothing is done, the fungus can destroy 50–90% of the entire crop. Early-ripening strawberry varieties are less susceptible to gray rot, especially Ruby Pendant, Novinka, Druzhba, Pocahontas. Its development is facilitated by a lack of light, dense plantings, high air humidity, and excess nitrogen in the soil.
Gray rot of strawberries spreads from diseased berries to healthy ones very quickly
For prophylaxis, immediately before flowering, strawberries are treated with infusion of onion or garlic arrows, preparations HOM, Thiram, Figon. It is watered from the moment the buds appear, only at the root; the soil must be mulched so that the berries do not come into contact with the ground.
To cope with the fungus, you need to regularly remove the affected berries and thin out the plantings. Watering is sharply reduced, allowing the soil to dry thoroughly. After this, for 2–3 weeks, ordinary water is replaced with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. With each loosening, add a little wood ash and ground chalk powder to the bed. It is also advisable to carry out foliar feeding - 2 g of boric acid and 20 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water.
Video: ways to combat gray mold
Root rot (rhizoctoniosis)
Most often, strawberries suffer from this disease when crop rotation is not observed, as well as when planted in a bed where any Solanaceae previously grew. The roots (especially young ones) quickly turn black and become slimy to the touch. They dry out and break easily. Then similar damage appears on the leaf petioles and “horns”. The bush can be removed from the soil almost effortlessly.
It is almost impossible to cope with this disease. It manifests itself quite clearly only when the disease has gone too far. The best prevention is competent agricultural technology. Before planting, it is recommended to soak the roots of new bushes for 2–3 minutes in hot (40–45ºС) water or for 10–15 minutes in a solution of Fitosporin, Maxim, Previkur.
Symptoms characteristic of the development of root rot appear on the aboveground part of the plant when the process has already gone far enough
If root rot has affected only a few plants, they are immediately dug up and destroyed. The soil in this place is shed with a 3% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. The bed is well loosened, while adding Alirina-B and Trichodermin granules to the soil. Excessive watering is strictly contraindicated. It is better to replace the water with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Powdery mildew
The disease is easy to recognize, but dealing with the fungus is quite difficult. A white coating appears on the leaves, petioles, berries, and stalks, similar to spilled flour. Gradually, these areas grow, the plaque “thickens” and darkens, changing color to brownish-brown with a purple tint. Affected berries crack and leaves dry out. You can't eat these strawberries.
The development of the disease is facilitated by cool, damp weather, sharp temperature fluctuations, dense plantings, excess nitrogen in the soil, and improper watering (both moisture deficiency and excess). The varieties Olivia, Polka, Pandora, Ruby pendant, Sparkle, and Galichanka are resistant to the pathogenic fungus.
Powdery mildew seems like a harmless coating that can be easily wiped off the leaves, but in fact it is a dangerous disease.
To prevent the development of powdery mildew, strawberries are dusted with colloidal sulfur 3–4 times during the growing season, and the soil in the garden bed is spilled with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. The procedure is carried out as soon as the first leaves appear, before flowering, immediately after it and 15–20 days after the end of fruiting. During the growing season, you can use folk remedies by spraying strawberries every 10–15 days with a solution of soda ash (40 g per 10 liters of water), wood ash, or foam of household, green potassium soap. Foliar fertilizing with boric acid, copper sulfate and zinc sulfate is also useful, as it has a positive effect on plant immunity.
Strawberry diseases and their treatment
Strawberries are withering
If strawberry bushes quickly lose turgor and wither, the reason may be insufficient or infrequent watering. Most often this is noticeable during the period when strawberries grow green and after fruiting. Water your strawberries in the morning or evening and don’t skimp on the water. But if the strawberry does not lack moisture and nevertheless withers, this may be the result of damage to the root system - mole crickets or moles, making passages in the ground, undermine and gnaw the roots of the strawberry, and sometimes even push the bushes out of the ground. This is what causes strawberries to wilt.
We wrote about the fight against moles in an article devoted to apple tree diseases. In the fight against mole crickets, insecticides are used, placing them in the hole when planting strawberries. If you haven’t thought of doing this, dig trapping holes up to 50 cm deep in the area and fill them with not completely rotted horse manure, and sprinkle earth on top - mole crickets accumulate in this hole over the course of the season, intending to spend the winter in it. In late autumn, manure is used to fertilize the site, and the mole cricket is destroyed.
Strawberries that have contracted Fusarium, Phytospora or Verticillium wilt also wilt. The same symptoms attract attention when strawberry roots are affected by rot.
Why do strawberries dry out?
Sometimes drying is the next stage after wilting, the causes of which we described in the previous section, but more often strawberries dry out as a result of damage to fungal diseases: spotting, late blight or gray rot, verticillium wilt, powdery mildew. Carefully inspect the area with strawberries: if only a few bushes are affected, remove and burn them, but if the infection is more extensive, treat all plants in the area with fungicides.
There are times when strawberry greens look juicy and healthy, but the berries suddenly begin to dry out. This happens when the bushes are affected by gray rot at an early stage of fruit formation - this is why the berries of strawberries dry out and do not rot. Make it a rule to carry out spring and autumn treatment of strawberries against diseases and pests, and you will not have to wonder why strawberries dry out and how to save strawberries from diseases.
Strawberries are rotting
Why do strawberries rot? There are various reasons for this. Strawberries rot when they are affected by rot - root, black or gray, caused by fungi and provoked by too high humidity. For information on how to deal with these diseases, see the appropriate section. Sometimes strawberry bushes suffer from cramped conditions and poor ventilation, and with high humidity this leads to rotting of the berries. Remove fruits affected by rot, and for preventive purposes, as soon as ovaries appear on the strawberries, mulch the strawberries over the area with sawdust so that the ripening fruits do not come into contact with the soil and do not rot.
Strawberries turn yellow
There is no clear answer to the question of why strawberries turn yellow, since there are always several reasons. Sometimes strawberry leaves turn yellow due to a lack of nitrogen and magnesium in the soil. If there is a lack of magnesium, add magnesium sulfate to the soil in dry form, followed by watering the area or in the form of a solution for several weeks in a row, since there is only 10% magnesium in this fertilizer. Dolomite flour is also a source of magnesium. If there is a lack of nitrogen, add nitrogen-containing mineral or organic fertilizers to the soil, and in the future, fertilize strawberries with nitrogen fertilizers every spring, and start doing this even before the strawberries begin to grow.
Strawberry leaves turn yellow, even to a lemon tint, in the case of strawberry disease with non-infectious chlorosis, when the roots sitting in unheated soil are not able to supply the leaves with as many nutrients as required for the growing season. This reason can be eliminated by foliar fertilizing of strawberries with iron-containing preparations and watering the area with warm water.
Another cause of yellow leaves is the viral disease xanthosis (mosaic, jaundice), spread through infected planting material or aphids. There is no cure for it, so in this case preventive measures are of particular importance - spring and autumn preventive treatment of the area with a one and a half percent solution of nitrafen or two to three percent Bordeaux mixture.
Strawberry leaves are turning red
If strawberry leaves turn completely red closer to autumn, then this is an absolutely natural process, but if redness appears in the form of spots, then this is a sign of the fungal disease septoria, or white spotting. Sometimes this is how strawberries react to too acidic soil - add dolomite flour to the soil, and the problem will disappear.
Why doesn't it bloom
And there are several answers to the question “why strawberries don’t bloom.” If extreme heat lasts longer than two weeks, strawberry flowering is noticeably reduced. Strawberries may not bloom if you replanted them at the wrong time - rooting the bush takes time and effort, and there is no time for flowering. An overdose of strawberries with nitrogen fertilizers leads to the fact that they are intensively overgrown with green mass, but alas, to bloom! - doesn’t want to.
There is another reason: strawberry varieties have appeared with properties similar to weeds. The bushes of these weeds look strong and healthy, but do not bloom; in addition, by reproducing vegetatively, they choke and crowd out fruit-bearing bushes. If you notice that a bush is taking too long to bloom, remove it ruthlessly.
Spots on strawberry leaves
When reddish-brown spots form on the leaves, and then the strawberry leaves lighten and only the border around the spot remains red, you are dealing with septoria, which we will write about in more detail in another chapter. Brown-brown spots without a clear outline, in the early stages of the disease, similar to opaline marks - this is brown spotting. Read about how to deal with leaf spots in the next section.
- Autumn planting of seedlings - why you shouldn’t rush and what the optimal timing is
Spotting
All strawberry diseases can be divided into three groups:
- leaf spots;
- fruit rot;
- withering.
In this chapter we will introduce you to the first risk group. White spot, or septoria, appears as dark red spots that turn white in the center over time. Sometimes white spotting of strawberries and wild strawberries is called another disease - ramularia, the symptoms of which also look like white spots with a purple border, which merge with each other over time, and the whitish parts of the leaf crumble, and holes appear in their place. And, finally, brown spotting - the edges of the leaves affected by this disease seem to be scorched, then the “burns” spread over the entire leaf and leathery dark-colored pads are formed on the upper side of the plate - mycelium.
All these spots are of fungal origin, so the methods of dealing with them are identical. As a preventive measure, spring treatment of the area with phytosporin or other fungicide is used. As a treatment, strawberries are treated with copper oxychloride or one percent Bordeaux mixture during the period of leaf growth, before flowering and after picking the berries. A prerequisite is to treat not only the upper side of the leaves, but also the lower side. Don't let the strawberries grow too much - the fungus spreads faster in dense plantings. Remove weeds and strawberry weed varieties from the site in a timely manner.
Gray rot
This fungal disease can destroy up to 80% of the crop in one season. First, fast-growing dense light brown spots, covered with a fluffy coating, form on the berry, then the affected fruit and strawberry stalk dry out, and the leaves become covered with dark gray or brown spots without clear outlines.
Strawberries also suffer from black rot, which is very similar in symptoms to gray rot, but the strawberry leaves turn black rather than gray soon after spots appear on them.
The fight against gray rot, as well as black rot, begins with the spring preventative treatment of strawberries with a two to four percent solution of Bordeaux mixture. All parts of the plant affected by rot must be removed. If the plant is severely affected, remove it entirely. Do not use the plant residues of these plants to prepare fertilizers, but burn them so as not to spread the fungus throughout the garden. Maintain crop rotation, do not allow strawberry plantings to become overgrown, regularly pull out weeds, and before fruiting, mulch the soil in the area with sawdust or straw so that the ripe berries do not touch the ground. In the fall, carry out another preventive treatment of the area with strawberries with Bordeaux mixture.
Fusarium wilt
Fusarium disease manifests itself as necrosis on the edges of the leaves, gradually covering the entire leaf blade and petioles, as a result of which the rosette falls apart, the leaves droop, and the bush dies in one and a half to two months.
Phytospora wilt, or redness of the axial cylinder, can be chronic or transient, but one way or another the bush lags behind in development, the leaves acquire a dirty gray tint and curl up in the shape of a bowl. The fibrous roots of strawberries are dying. The death of the bush occurs within 2-3 years.
The difference between verticillium wilt and fusarium or phytospora wilt is that the old leaves wither first, and only then the younger ones and the entire bush. Verticillium affects the root system, as can be seen from the petioles of the leaves - their base acquires a red-brown tint. Plants that receive nitrogen fertilizers in excess are most easily affected by Verticillium wilt.
In order to avoid these troubles, it is necessary to comply with agrotechnical requirements, in particular, observe crop rotation and not grow strawberries in areas where crops that are not resistant to wilting previously grew. Before planting, treat the strawberry roots with a solution of biological preparations such as agate 23k at a concentration of 7 g of the drug per 1 liter of water, and if signs of disease are detected, treat the strawberries through a drip irrigation system with preparations such as quadris, metaxyl, ridomil. Do not neglect preventive treatment of strawberries at the beginning of the growing season and when preparing the site for winter.
Common Pests: How to Identify and Control Them
Strawberries appeal not only to people, but also to many pests. Moreover, most of them are dangerous not only in themselves, but also as carriers of pathogenic fungi, viruses, and bacteria.
Raspberry-strawberry weevil
It affects not only strawberries and raspberries, but also most plants from the Rosaceae family. Both adults (small black bugs) and larvae damage plantings. The first ones feed on the juice of the leaves. The females then lay eggs in the flower buds, while gnawing on the peduncle. The hatched larvae eat them from the inside, destroying the fruit ovaries. The buds turn black and fall off.
Both adults and larvae of the raspberry-strawberry weevil cause damage to strawberries.
For prevention, onions, garlic, marigolds, and nasturtiums are planted between the rows of strawberries or along the perimeter of the bed. Crops that may be affected by the weevil should be placed as far apart as possible. Folk remedies also help prevent the appearance of weevils - infusions of wormwood, tansy, hellebore, walnut shells, mustard powder, onion peels. Strawberries are sprayed approximately once every week and a half, and in the budding and flowering phase - every 2-3 days.
In the event of a massive pest invasion, the bushes are regularly shaken vigorously in the early morning, after having spread newspaper, oilcloth, and covering material under them. Homemade traps - bottles filled with sugar syrup with the addition of yeast - also have a good effect. The inside of the necks is lubricated with vegetable oil so that pests cannot get out. The bushes and the soil under them are sprayed with Novaktion, Iskra-M, and Kinmiks. Treatment must be carried out after harvesting in order to destroy the larvae overwintering in the soil.
Strawberry mite
One of the most common and dangerous pests for crops. It is impossible to see it with the naked eye. The leaves become covered with small brown dots and acquire an unnatural yellowish tint. Their surface becomes corrugated, young leaves do not unfold completely. This will most likely not kill the strawberries, but the yield will decrease significantly (by 50–60%).
The strawberry mite is one of the most common pests of strawberries.
For prevention, after harvesting, plants must be sprayed with Karbofos. During the growing season, the soil is dusted with colloidal sulfur 3–4 times. From it you can prepare a solution for treating bushes. Folk remedies - infusion of onion or garlic pulp, dandelion leaves. Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are immersed for 2–3 minutes, first in hot (40–45ºС), then in cool (15–20ºС) water.
If the pest has multiplied en masse, use Fufanon, Kemifos, Novaktion, Actellik. The Zenga-Zengana, Torpeda, Vityaz, and Zarya varieties are resistant to strawberry mite damage.
Strawberry leaf beetle
Small brown bugs settle mainly on the underside of leaves. They feed on leaf tissues, gnawing them from the inside. Females lay eggs on petioles. The hatched larvae also feed on leaf tissue. They become thin, translucent, and sometimes holes appear. As a result, the bushes stop developing and fruiting stops.
Verticillium wilt
Another name for the disease is wilt. The cause of the disease is the fungus Verticillium. It spreads through the earth. It may remain in the soil for 10 years and not show itself in any way. But as soon as a suitable culture appears, he immediately pounces on it. The disease starts from the roots. It is through the root hairs that the fungus penetrates the plant body. When the Verticillium pathogen finds itself in the root system, it begins to actively multiply, capturing the root collar and stems. The bush stops receiving nutrition because the roots are blocked by the fungus.
Pathogen spores may end up on the site completely by accident. For example, they are brought by the wind, they end up on purchased seedlings, equipment, or end up in the soil with water from a contaminated source.
Note! Verticillium wilt does very well when there is a sudden change in weather conditions, if it rains or the soil is watered too often and abundantly. In addition, the fungus appears where there is no normal air circulation. We are talking about too thick strawberry plantings.
Signs of verticillium wilt
Wilt can develop rapidly, or it can develop gradually. In the first option, the gardener notices the rapid drying of the bush. At first the bush looks drooping. Then the lower leaves begin to turn brown. The color change begins gradually. The tip of the leaf blade darkens. Then the entire plate begins to turn red or yellow. If fruiting has already begun, then the berry and flower rot and dry out. If the disease is rapid, then literally in 5 days the entire bush dries out. Typically, this type of disease is observed on soils where sand predominates.
Signs of verticillium wilt
The gradual development of verticillium wilt can take quite a long time. This form is called chronic. Garden strawberries can dry out for 1.5 years or more. Dry leaves are visible on the bush; it stops developing. After some time, it stops bearing fruit and turns into a dwarf. After 1.5-2.5 years the plant dies. If you look at the insides of the roots of a diseased plant, they will turn out to be dark, black, and brown. In the final stage of the disease, the root dries out and rots.
Treatment
If the strawberry bushes dry out, what should a summer resident do? If a gardener has identified verticillium wilt, it is important for him to understand what stage the disease is at. If it is just beginning, then it makes sense to fight it with drugs. If the plant is almost completely dry, it would be wiser to get rid of it. The bushes are dug up and burned.
Important! In the initial stages, the fungus can destroy the biological preparations Agat-25K and Trichocin. Agat-25K will not only help remove the pathogen, but also stimulate root growth. It should be diluted in 1 liter of water. For this volume take 7 grams. facilities. Root treatment is carried out once. Agata's price starts from 50 rubles for 3 ml.
Trichocin is diluted in proportions of 10 g. drug per 1 liter of water. The drug can be used 2-4 times. A break between waterings is made for 14 days. The cost of Trichocin is about 150 rubles per 6 grams.
Biological product "Trichotsin"
Working with the drugs is quite simple. The advantage of Agate is that spraying is carried out only once, and also at a cheaper price. Even a novice gardener can treat with Agate and Trichocin.
You can save a garden strawberry plantation using the medicinal fungicide Fundazol. It has a low level of toxicity. 10 gr. fungicide is placed in a 10-liter bucket of water. Mix well. The bushes are sprayed completely. The procedure should be carried out twice a season. The first time is before the flowers appear. The second time is after the harvest. According to reviews, this antifungal agent is one of the most effective. However, experienced gardeners assure that it is recommended to use Fundazol only on mother bushes. The cost of the smallest pack of fungicide (10 grams) is about 30-50 rubles.
Note! It is impossible to treat the disease in its final stages. The bushes are removed. The soil must be disinfected with copper sulfate or a hot solution of potassium permanganate.
Prevention measures
- Among the preventive measures is purchasing only high-quality seedlings.
- Strawberries are planted sparingly. The optimal distance between bushes is 35-45 cm.
- Before placing the roots in the ground, they are treated with Agat 25K or Gumat K. You can simply dip them in one of the solutions. Agate is diluted in the following proportions: 7 g. products for 1 liter of water. Gumate K take 15 g. for 1 liter of water. The cost of Humate is less than Agata. 25 grams of Humate can be purchased for 25 rubles. The price of Agate starts from 60 rubles.
Strawberries are planted sparingly
Preventive measures
It is much easier to prevent any problem than to deal with the consequences later. This also applies to strawberry diseases and pests. Bushes that are properly cared for are much less likely to suffer from fungi, viruses, bacteria, or be attacked by insects. There is nothing complicated in prevention:
Following agricultural practice recommendations is the best way to get a bountiful harvest of strawberries and protect them from diseases and pest attacks.
Strawberries are grown not only in open ground, but also in greenhouses. A closed environment where moist, stale air stagnates is very suitable for the development of diseases and pests. If the plantings are thickened, any problem spreads much faster than in open ground.
Growing strawberries is not that difficult. Even a novice gardener can get a harvest. Subject to certain rules and recommendations regarding agricultural technology and the availability of competent prevention, the risk of diseases and pests is minimized. Nevertheless, plantings should be regularly inspected for suspicious symptoms. Having discovered them, you need to correctly identify the problem and know what to do in each specific case.
Source
Strawberries dry out: what to do - pests and diseases
Drying strawberries can be caused by diseases and pests. Diseases are often a consequence of weather conditions: cold and damp. Insect damage occurs when planting plants from other areas where pests were found or, conversely, when changing location, when bushes are transferred to new beds with soil that has not undergone preventive treatment. It is dangerous to plant strawberries next to plants that share common pests and diseases.
Drying of different parts of the strawberry bush is caused by diseases such as powdery mildew, late blight, gray rot, brown spot, and verticillium. Gray rot can be identified by brown spots on the leaves and a gray coating on drying berries. The disease spreads during the period of fruit formation, it is difficult to fight it, since bushes with berries cannot be sprayed with chemicals - the plants must be removed and burned.
Strawberry leaves dry and curl due to powdery mildew , they also become deformed and acquire an unpleasant smell and taste of the berry, although the flowers may have a normal appearance. Powdery mildew appears most quickly when the soil is excessively damp and warm.
