Beloved by children and adults, fragrant, sweet strawberries require careful care throughout the growing season. As soon as the spring sun warms up, summer residents begin active work in the garden beds. Questions about how, when and with what to treat strawberries in the spring, so that the bushes do not get sick, the berries become ripe in time, and pests do not bother them, remain relevant all year round.
First spring processing of strawberries
In the spring, there is not much time left for preventive work on strawberry beds. Treatment should begin as early as possible, immediately after the snow melts and the soil dries out.
Strawberry beds in spring must first be cleared of old leaves.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The cover (if any) is removed from the strawberry beds.
- Last year's old mulch is removed. It must be burned, since insect pests overwinter in it and spores of fungal diseases are preserved. If possible, remove the topmost layer of soil.
- All dried leaves, old peduncles, tendrils and all plant debris are removed. They are also burned.
- Digging up and destroying dead, weak and diseased bushes. Young plants are planted in empty spaces.
- The soil around the strawberries is carefully loosened to a shallow depth so as not to damage the surface roots. This procedure improves the air supply to the root system. If necessary, bare bushes should be hilled up a little.
All plant residues must be burned
It is imperative to burn dry leaves, stems, flower stalks and dead plants, as this will significantly reduce the risk of re-infection of plantings.
After thorough cleaning and sanitary pruning of strawberry beds, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of diseases and harmful insects. For this, various fungicidal and insecticidal preparations are used (Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, Fitosporin, Trichodermin, etc.). It is very useful to spill strawberry plantings with hot water with the addition of potassium permanganate (a strong, bright pink solution).
Early in spring, strawberries are watered with hot water.
Video: first spring work on strawberry plantings
Strawberry and Strawberry Rescuer 3ml+12ml is a highly effective drug against the vast majority of insect pests, causing serious damage to agriculture and all types of diseases. Advantages:
- Pests do not develop resistance to the drug;
- Effective at normal and elevated temperatures;
- The drug has a toxic effect on eggs, larvae and adult forms of insects, suppresses the development of most fungal diseases;
- The highly concentrated phosphorus-potassium microfertilizer contained in the preparation has an anti-stress effect, restores growth and improves the quality of the crop;
- The adhesive included in the composition increases the effectiveness and duration of action.
Due to the presence of a surfactant in its composition, the wetting of the surface of leaves and plants is improved, which promotes better penetration of the active substances into the plant and reduces the consumption of the drug solution. Composition of the active substance: acetomiprid 100 g/l, fipronil 50/g, surfactant. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizer with a fungicidal effect and a pronounced preventive and therapeutic effect against most pathogens (P 2O 5 + K 2O). Directions for use: dissolve the contents of 2 packets (3 ml + 12 ml) in 8-10 liters of water. Mix the solution thoroughly and treat 2 acres.
Pest: Strawberry whitefly, green peach aphid, strawberry nematode, strawberry mite, strawberry leaf beetle, root nematodes, cockchafer (chafer), raspberry-strawberry weevil, spider mite, slobbering pennies, sowing click beetle, stem nematode, tobacco thrips.
Diseases: Strawberry anthracnose, white rot, white spot, brown spot, verticillium wilt, brown leaf spot, powdery mildew, rhizoctonia (black root rot), gray rot, late blight of roots (redness of the axial cylinder of the root), late blight (leathery) rot, fusarium wilt , black rot.
The maximum frequency of treatments per season is 2. Safety precautions: When working with the product, use personal protective equipment, do not eat, drink, or smoke. Avoid contact of the drug with the skin and eyes. After work, wash your hands and face with soap. Storage: store in closed original packaging out of the reach of children, separate from food and medicine at a temperature of -10 to +40°C.
Timing for spring spraying of strawberry beds
In order for preventive spring treatments of strawberries to be as effective as possible, it is necessary to adhere to the optimal timing for carrying out these procedures.
Stages of strawberry processing in spring:
- The first measures to combat possible diseases and pests are carried out immediately after the snow cover melts and the strawberry plantings are freed from winter shelter. Specific dates are determined by local climate and weather conditions. In the warm southern regions, strawberries wake up already at the beginning of March, in the northern regions this happens a little later (at the end of March or beginning of April).
- The bushes are sprayed again immediately before the crop blooms. In the south, strawberry bushes begin to bloom in late April or early May; in cold climates, flowering occurs no earlier than late May or early June. Much depends on the variety of strawberries.
They try to carry out the first spring preventive treatment of strawberry plantations as early as possible
All spraying is carried out only on a windless and dry day. Early morning or just after sunset is best for this.
We always plant winter garlic between the strawberry bushes in the fall. Its pungent aroma discourages weevils from settling on plantations. There is no need to bother with decoctions and sprays. Onions planted next to strawberries have a similar effect. Many summer residents plant calendula along their strawberry beds, which repels nematodes.
Can flowering strawberries be processed?
Traditionally, strawberries are processed only before flowering or after harvest. However, a number of drugs can be used during flowering, if indicated.
When strawberries bloom, use the following remedies.
The listed preparations are non-toxic; you can safely spray them on blooming strawberries.
There is no doubt that spring treatment of strawberries from pests and diseases takes a lot of time and effort - but all the costs are justified. Abundantly fruiting bushes, delighting with large berries filled with taste and aroma, are a worthy reward for your labors.
Source
Second treatment of strawberries - before flowering
Before budding begins, measures are taken to protect strawberry plantings from insect pests. You can use various specialized drugs (Fitosporin, Karbofos, Caesar, Taurus, Actellik, Actofit, etc.) of chemical and biological origin or folk remedies.
During flowering, strawberry bushes are treated only if absolutely necessary. It is advisable to carry out all spraying 5–7 days before the first buds open.
The second treatment should be carried out 5–7 days before flowering begins.
Experienced gardeners practice spraying strawberry beds with the universal product Strawberry Rescuer, which destroys insect pests and prevents their appearance, protects against various diseases, and is also an environmental growth stimulator.
Strawberry Rescuer is a universal means for processing strawberries
If a weevil was noticed on strawberry bushes last season, then before flowering we always spray the plants with Actellik. This allows you to significantly increase the yield, since harmful bugs gnaw out the very center of the flowers. You need to carefully and carefully process each leaf and all flower stalks, and also try to get to the center of the bush.
When and how to carry out the first treatment?
Spring throughout almost the entire territory of Russia means warm weather with frequent heavy rainfall. Whatever activities are carried out at the dacha in order to protect garden and vegetable crops as much as possible from diseases, low strawberry bushes are always at the greatest risk.
In early spring, when strawberries are still dormant, it is possible to treat them with chemical fungicides and insecticides. Firstly, soil treatment will not harm the plants, and secondly, biological products do not work at low temperatures.
Before starting to cultivate the beds, they are cleared of debris, old leaves, last year’s mulch, the soil is loosened, and bushes are hilled or raised.
The first stage is hot watering (with water at a temperature of 85-95 ° C). In this way, they get rid of pests that overwinter in the ground - adult individuals and larvae that rise to the surface of the earth, closer to the warmth of spring.
The simplest antiseptics, which can be purchased at any pharmacy (iodine, manganese), added to hot water, will complement the effect by destroying fungal spores sleeping in the soil, and also have an effective effect on spider mite eggs. Take enough manganese so that the water turns pale pink; 10-15 drops of iodine per bucket are enough. Adding soda (1 tbsp per 10 l) is also effective.
The second stage is disinfection of the soil with dry antiseptics, which simultaneously repel a number of pests, including slugs. You can process strawberries after winter:
- tobacco crumbs;
- mustard powder;
- ground hot pepper;
- wood ash.
All “seasonings” are useful to use in the form of infusions for spraying strawberry bushes during the period of growth and bud formation, as well as after fruiting.
Using wood ash to protect strawberries from pests and diseases allows you to simultaneously feed them without the risk of exceeding the permissible doses of fertilizers.
The third stage is treatment with fungicides and insecticides. It is required if last season the strawberries suffered from fungal diseases or were subject to massive pest attacks.
Until the temperature sets in (above +15°C), chemicals are used - Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, urea. When the temperature rises, you can use biological products - they are environmentally friendly, have a wide spectrum of action (they destroy pests and pathogens). The latest generation products are simultaneously capable of feeding plants.
Composition of the drug
Lifesaver for tomatoes is a drug with triple action.
Its active components have a detrimental effect on the life and reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, harmful insects and activate the active growth of vegetable crops.
Each element included in its chemical composition has a special property.
- Acetamiprid causes convulsions and paralysis associated with a negative effect on their postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors in the central nervous system. The insecticide has an intestinal, contact and systemic effect, penetrating the cellular composition of the plant and making it toxic to the pest. The effect occurs already 1 hour after treatment. Protection lasts 3 weeks. It helps well in the fight against aphids and whiteflies, thrips and lepidoptera. It is permissible to use from the first days of emergence. It has a detrimental effect on adults and larvae.
- A systemic fungicide, belonging to the group of pesticides, neutralizes the active activity of fungal pathogens and prevents the appearance and further development of their spores. The fungicide acts as a preventive measure against fungal diseases and is used to disinfect seed material.
- Organic compounds from vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides and peptides are characterized by increased biological activity. They have a stimulating effect, causing an intensive increase in vegetative mass, prolonging the duration of fruiting and increasing productivity.
Folk remedies
To combat strawberry diseases, the following means are used:
- Tansy infusion . 75 g of dried grass or 0.5 kg of raw crushed tansy is poured into a bucket of water. Leave for 24 hours, then boil for 20 minutes. The solution is filtered and diluted with water 1:5. The product is sprayed on bushes to combat strawberry mites and powdery mildew.
- Mustard infusion . Helps against gray rot. 10 g of mustard powder is diluted in 1 liter of boiling water and kept in a dark place for 2-3 days. Next, dilute it with water 1:2 and water the bushes.
- Wood ash . Strawberry bushes and soil are sprinkled with ash powder (70 g per 1 m2) when fighting rot.
- Hay infusion . 1 kg of rotted grass is poured with water (3 liters) and left for 5-6 hours. The infusion is used to water the beds when fighting powdery mildew.
Advice! It is better to add grated laundry soap to each solution. This way the infusion will stick better and last longer on the strawberry leaves.
Means for increasing strawberry yield
Fitoverm for strawberries
Agronomists also recommend the use of Epin for strawberries. It is not a fungicide or herbicide, but it increases the crop's immunity to diseases and pests. Consumption: 1 ampoule per 5 liters of water. It is usually used for spraying young plants, but can also be used to treat seeds.
Another popular growth regulator is Immunocytophyte; it is also widely used for strawberries. It is released in tablets. Consumption rate: 1 tablet per 1 tablespoon of water. In order for it to dissolve, it must be thoroughly mixed for half an hour, then further diluted with water in a volume corresponding to the type of treatment of the plant.
Another popular growth regulator is Immunocytophyte
Succinic acid can be used as a growth biostimulant for strawberries. Its aqueous solution is used - 0.01%, that is, 1 g per 5-10 liters of water. For the same purposes, the use of sodium monophosphate is recommended.
