When the leaves of strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers or other crops turn yellow, the summer resident begins to panic: the plants die, the harvest is lost, all his work is in vain! We suggest you leave your emotions aside for a while and figure out what could be causing the yellowing of the leaves and decide what to do in such a situation.
We discussed the yellow leaves of cucumbers in detail here, the yellowing of tomato tops due to a lack of minerals is here, and today we will try to find out why the leaves of strawberries turn yellow.
Yellowing of strawberry leaves (scientifically this problem is called chlorosis) can be caused by a number of reasons: pests or diseases, violation of agricultural practices, lack or excess of fertilizers. It also happens that several reasons overlap each other, and it is not immediately possible to eliminate the problem forever.
So why do strawberries have yellow leaves?
Reason one: direct rays of the sun
Direct sunlight burns strawberry leaves, causing them to yellow and then dry out. Young, fragile bushes and old plants of the last year especially suffer from excess sun. The solution to this problem is simple: arrange the strawberry beds so that they are exposed to both sun and shade during the day. You can create light shading using mixed plantings, for example, planting onions next to strawberries.
From answers to common questions
Strawberries grow poorly
Growing strawberries on a plot for more than 5 years leads to a deterioration in fruiting and an increase in morbidity.
Poor growth of strawberries is sometimes caused by dense plantings and nutrient deficiency. Necessary:
- thinning strawberry planting;
- loosening;
- feeding
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Other reasons:
- soil depletion;
- tree growth in the range of 7 m;
- degeneration of the strawberry variety.
Work is progressing in the following directions:
- rejuvenation of strawberry bushes;
- watering;
- change of soil.
Sick bushes are treated or discarded. They are easy to notice by the brown color of the leaves, which curl, or spotting. The disease is dealt with differently.
Strawberries wither and die on the vine
From time to time, strawberry bushes in the beds dry out and die. Pests in the garden explain where the trouble came from. Mice, ants, and mole crickets gnaw on the roots of the berries, causing wilting and death. Act immediately.
Spider mites cause strawberries to dry out.
With proper planting of strawberries, systematic watering and the absence of parasites, the bushes dry out - strawberries have late blight. With such an infection, the leaves are yellow and dry. To prevent the disease, the beds are sprayed with an anti-late blight agent, and diseased strawberries are destroyed.
Strawberries become dry and sour
Transient late blight is one of the reasons why garden strawberries dry out. Green and ripening strawberries are infected. The berry has a soft, rotting skin and a bitter-sour taste. Over time, the fruits become embalmed. Late blight is caused by droplets of dew or rain.
Green and ripening strawberries may become infected
To prevent late blight, strawberries are treated before flowering:
- Trichocin and Ridomil;
- Quadris and Glyocladin;
- Planriz and Metaxil.
The products are diluted with water, in accordance with the instructions, and the strawberry bushes are sprayed three times during the growing season.
Familiarity with the symptoms of strawberry diseases and control methods will help summer residents cope with plant diseases and enjoy the aromatic fruits.
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Reason two: mineral deficiency
A very common reason in our gardens. Most often, it occurs due to non-compliance with the rules of crop rotation, when a strawberry bed is planted where predecessors unsuitable for this berry previously grew. For example, you should not plant strawberries and strawberries after nightshades: peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants - they pull a lot of nutrients from the soil, and strawberries are also demanding on nutrition. Strawberries grow best after cereal green manures, legumes, herbs, garlic, onions, carrots and radishes.
Magnesium deficiency
Magnesium deficiency is more common than others. It is characterized by a change in the color of old leaves. They become yellow and sometimes brown with a purple tint. Here we call for the help of fertilizing: 15 grams of magnesium sulfate per 10 liters of water or 20-25 grams of dry granules of the same fertilizer per square meter. We carry out two feedings at weekly intervals.
Nitrogen deficiency
Sometimes strawberry leaves turn yellow due to lack of nitrogen. This problem occurs in the spring, when it is difficult for the roots to get enough nitrogen from the still unheated soil. Then the leaves become yellowish, and in particularly advanced cases they acquire a lemon color. In this case, the bushes need to be fed with ammonium nitrate - 25-30 grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
Boron deficiency
A lack of boron can cause leaves to turn yellow.
In addition, with boron deficiency, flowers become smaller, and the fruits become defective and somehow twisted. To help the summer resident, it is proposed to spray strawberry bushes with boric acid. As we wrote in the article about fertilizing strawberries: - there are two options for fertilizing with boric acid (per 10 liters of water):
- 30 drops of iodine, 1 teaspoon of boric acid, 1 glass of ash;
- 3 grams of potassium permanganate, 0.5 tsp. boric acid, 1 tbsp. urea and 0.5 cups of ash.
Iron deficiency
Sometimes strawberries experience iron deficiency, which is manifested by a characteristic yellowing of young leaves between the veins.
This usually happens on super-alkaline calcareous soils.
Iron chlorosis is eliminated with iron preparations: Ferrovit, Ferrylene, Micro-Fe, Micom-Reacom Iron Chelate. It is also recommended to pay attention to the pH of the soil. The ideal pH for strawberries is 6.0 - 6.5, that is, slightly sour. There is enough iron in acidic soils, and strawberries will not suffer from a lack of this element.
The edges of the leaves dry out
Why do hosta leaves turn yellow and what to do?
The foliage dries out due to improper care or contamination of strawberries with harmful insects and diseases. Lack of attention and inaction lead to a decrease in strawberry yields. Infected plants dry out completely. The main thing is to find out why the edges of strawberry leaves dry out and what to do.
The edges of the leaves dry out
Among the reasons for strawberry leaves drying out are:
- lack of fertilizing;
- incorrect watering;
- pests.
The problem is caused by a lack of nitrogen fertilizer, but its excess also harms strawberries. Moderate watering is carried out in the evening. Chemicals will help you get rid of harmful insects.
Strawberry leaves will dry out if the plantings are dense or the bushes have a root system damaged by parasites. The crop rotation may be disrupted: strawberries have occupied the same plot for more than 5 years.
The bushes may have a root system damaged by parasites
Thickened plantings are thinned out. After harvesting, it is recommended to mow the strawberry plantation and burn the leaves. Next it is treated with colloidal sulfur. Afterwards, the beds are loosened and fertilizer is applied.
Reason three: lack of moisture
Without regular watering, strawberry roots have a hard time absorbing the nutrients they need. Therefore, it is recommended to water strawberry beds frequently, but not excessively. Excess moisture, firstly, can lead to “wetting” of the bushes and their subsequent death, and secondly, it provokes the rapid development of fungal diseases, in particular gray rot.
Strawberries are watered in the morning so that the surface of the soil has time to dry before the air temperature drops in the evening. On average, when watering, 10-12 liters of water are consumed per 1 sq.m.
To prevent the soil in the strawberry beds from drying out and requiring frequent watering, it is enough to mulch it with a thick layer of straw, pine needles or mown grass and maintain a layer of mulch throughout the season.
Lack of feeding
Each growing season requires additional feeding. Minerals and components help to compensate for the lack of nutrients. Correct application of complex compounds allows you to activate growth and speed up the fruiting process.
For example, in early April in the south they carry out organic and mineral fertilizing. Particular emphasis is placed on nitrogen. The lack of this microelement provokes yellowing of the leaf blades and slow rehabilitation of strawberries after hibernation.
In mid-June the bushes begin to bloom. When the fruit ovary is formed, all plants must be fed with compounds based on phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. Lack of phosphorus leads to reddening of the leaves. Low potassium levels are accompanied by the appearance of a yellow rim throughout the leaf blade.
Reason four: strawberry diseases
Yellow strawberry leaves cause such a dangerous viral disease as xanthosis (or strawberry jaundice).
In diseased plants, the leaves turn yellow first at the edges, then the yellow spots merge into one. The leaves become smaller, deformed, curl along the central vein, and the petioles are shortened. Few berries are produced and they become tasteless. Xanthosis spreads with vegetative planting material (it is not transmitted by seeds); the infection is transmitted from one plant to another by aphids.
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to treat xanthosis. The only thing left is to remove and burn diseased plants.
Harmful insects
One common reason is a pest attack. They can affect both planted bushes and seedlings.
Homoptera
One of the most dangerous insects for most vegetation is aphids. It can affect garden and vegetable crops and even weeds.
Pests attack leaves and columns of plants. As a result, the strawberry stops growing and weakens. Nutrients do not enter the root system, which leads to a deterioration of the plant’s immune system and the development of more serious diseases.
Aphids can be recognized by several factors:
- the leaves on the bushes curl and wither,
- a large number of ants appear near the lower leaves,
- the upper stems dry out,
- a sweetish liquid forms on the shoots,
- Small growths form on the stems.
Aphids are a serious pest that must be gotten rid of as soon as possible. The plantation should be treated with a fungicidal compound or a natural remedy that can repel insects.
Ticks
Another pest that can cause irreparable harm. It is extremely difficult to detect. As a rule, the problem is identified only after the seedling cannot be saved.
Signs of spider mites and strawberry mites:
- curling leaves
- lack of growth and development of the bush,
- a silvery coating appears on the inside of the leaf,
- yellowing and dryness of sheets,
- the berry dries out before it can grow and ripen,
- intolerance to cold and low temperatures.
Reason five: strawberry pests
The cause of yellowing of leaves can be raspberry and strawberry weevil, chafer beetle, pennies, aphids, and spider mites.
Typically, pests leave behind not only yellow leaves, but also other visible “traces” of their presence. The biological preparation “Fitoverm” is considered the safest means for pest control. Before flowering, carry out the first spraying, and then two more with an interval of 10-14 days.
To prevent misfortune, you should not plant strawberries next to raspberries - they have common pests. Also, for prevention in the spring, strawberries are often spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate: 5 grams of potassium permanganate are dissolved in 10 liters of warm water. It wouldn’t hurt to have a pest control option such as attracting predatory insects to the site: ladybugs, hoverflies, ground beetles, etc.
We wish you success and great harvests!
Inappropriate landing site
Inexperienced gardeners and vegetable gardeners often commit the wrong arrangement of beds. It is not recommended to plant strawberries in completely open areas, since direct rays of the sun will burn the leaves. If there is no other way out, then during solar activity the bushes need to be shaded with spunbond.
In addition, garden strawberries should be planted away from tulips and raspberries. Otherwise, the likelihood of the appearance of a common pest of these crops, the raspberry-strawberry weevil, increases.
Yellow spots on strawberry leaves also appear when this crop is grown in acidic soils, as well as in areas where plants from the Solanaceae and Asteraceae families were located last season.
Strawberry beds are best planted after cereals, radishes, garlic and parsley
At the same time, the bushes should not be placed too close. Otherwise, the roots do not receive the required amount of nutrients, the leaves create a shadow for each other, as a result of which weakened plants turn yellow, droop and dry out before the end of fruiting.
The distance between strawberry bushes should be at least 25 cm.
