Strawberries (garden strawberries) require from the summer resident proper and regular care to obtain an excellent harvest. But over time, the berries become smaller, lose their taste and deteriorate. To avoid this, the bushes of the plant must be updated. Read more about this procedure in our article.
How often does the strawberry “age” and when do you need to renew the bushes?
Garden strawberry is a very whimsical culture. The peak yield for her falls on 2-3 years after planting. Then, growing in one place, it begins to age - fruiting decreases and the berries from year to year become smaller and tasteless.
To maintain high yields, strawberry bushes need to be replanted every 3-5 years, depending on the variety.
In the realities of a small suburban area, a complete transplant is often impossible. In this case, it is necessary to partially renew the plants every year, using mustaches from the strongest and most delicious bushes to rejuvenate. Flimsy and painful bushes are recommended to be removed from the beds to free up space.
It is preferable to transplant at the end of August or September, so that the mustache has time to take root before the winter cold.
How to determine that a strawberry is “aged”?
To understand when your plants need a transplant or update, you need to pay attention to the following factors:
- the presence of diseases or pests;
- size of berries;
- signs of aging bushes.
Old plants differ from young ones in the presence of a short thick stem, a large number of leaves and several growth points.
Garden strawberries have their own life cycle:
- In the first year after planting, the bush grows green mass and gives strong shoots - a mustache. There are few berries.
- In the second and third years there is a peak of fruiting. The berries are large, sweet and in large quantities.
- From the third and fourth year the degeneration of the bush begins, its natural aging and wilting. Fruiting is sharply reduced. This strawberry needs to be changed.
The berries are small
Small berries on the bushes appear for three reasons:
- Aging plants. In this case, chopping of the fruits is observed with each new season.
- Incorrect landing site. Strawberries love flat, sunny areas with loose and well-fertilized soil. In the northern areas and in the shade of large berries on the bushes you will not get.
- Precursor plants in a given area of soil. When planting strawberries in place of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and other nightshade, a rich harvest is not worth the wait. Strawberries are recommended to be replanted in beds after various greens, salads, carrots, onions and garlic.
Strawberry disease
With age, various diseases and pests often stick to strawberries. The older the bush becomes, the more attention needs to be given to prevention.
The most common diseases of garden strawberries are as follows:
- powdery mildew;
- white and gray rot;
- root rot;
- brown and white spotting, etc.
You can understand that strawberries are sick by a number of signs:
- rotten or dried berries appeared;
- white plaque formed on the fruits;
- the bush turned yellow;
- spots appeared on the leaves (white or brown).
To combat infections and pests, the bushes must be sprayed with special solutions at the first sign of disease. If spraying did not help or a lot of plants were affected, they must be removed from the garden and burned.
Sick plants should not be thrown into compost, as infections from them can infect other cultures in the future.
For the prevention of diseases, it is recommended to regularly thin out the plants and properly care for them.
Old strawberry rejuvenation procedure
If the area of the summer cottage allows, it is better to transplant strawberries to a new place every 3-5 years, using young and strong shoots. It is reasonable to renew old bushes in the conditions of a small land plot.
You can rejuvenate the bushes in several ways:
- pruning plant leaves;
- transplantation of young antennae;
- removal of dry roots.
Strawberry pruning spend twice a year. In spring, dry leaves and mustaches are cut off, which have not survived the winter, thereby making room for the growth of new leaves.
At the end of fruiting (in August-September), some gardeners abundantly cut strawberry foliage with secateurs without affecting the core. Place the sections dusted with ash and sprinkled with straw or coniferous litter.
Rejuvenation of the bush by transplantation of antennae quite a popular method. Held in April or August. With him:
- Old and barren bushes are removed from the beds.
- The earth is loosened and fertilized.
- A strong young mustache with roots is selected.
- Plant them in the place of the former bushes.
Removing old roots
It is better to carry out such an update in September-October, so that the sprouts have time to grow stronger before wintering.
For this procedure, the old bush is dug up with roots, then examined and all dry and dark roots are cut with scissors or secateurs, leaving only fresh young roots. After this, the rejuvenated bush is planted back on the bed and go to the next plant.
After rejuvenating the root system, the plant is regularly watered until the first cold weather and covered with straw or pine needles for the winter.
Transplanting old strawberries
Bushes of garden strawberries over 4-5 years old are better not to transplant. They are not able to give a good harvest. But with them you can take strong young shoots for planting.
In spring, the first decade of April is a suitable time for transplantation. During this period, an active growth of the root system and strawberry bush is observed. For the plant, the procedure will go without harm if the transplant is completed before the flowering of the berry.
With a spring transplant, the berry will give a full-fledged harvest only for next year.
The best time to transplant berry beds is autumn. Thanks to rains, plant care is minimal. The soil moisture at this time is sufficient to satisfy the needs of young animals.
Advantages of plant transplant in autumn:
- the ability to adapt to the first wintering;
- getting the first crop in the spring, with the arrival of warm weather.
The first crop will not be very plentiful, but the berry will be good.
About strawberry rejuvenation during transplantation, see here:
How to choose a new place?
To make strawberries happy with a good harvest, you need to choose the right place for it. The main parameters when choosing a site:
- Illumination - sunny, well-lit segments are preferred;
- soil - light, loose with low acidity;
- moisture - the soil should not dry out and water should not stagnate.
Before planting, it is necessary to fertilize the earth well, providing the plant with the necessary trace elements for several seasons. Digging of beds is made with fertilizer from: chicken manure, humus or rotted compost.
Garden strawberry is a finicky berry requiring competent care and considerable labor costs. Timely thinning, pruning and transplanting will allow you to collect an abundant crop of large and sweet strawberries for many years.