The question of how to fertilize strawberries in the spring is very important, because the yield depends on the application of the necessary fertilizing at the beginning of the season.
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How to fertilize strawberries immediately after winter
Immediately after winter, with the onset of the first warm days, berry crops should be fertilized. It is very important not to miss this moment and to feed strawberries before flowering.
- The snow has not yet melted, but when the temperature has already set in the afternoon, nitroammophoska can be scattered dry in the beds. The snow will melt, and fertilizers will gradually disappear into the soil.
- The first top dressing of the bushes can be made saturated with mullein infusion. To do this, dilute the material infused for two weeks at the rate of 1 liter per bucket of water. About a liter of such fertilizer is poured under each bush.
- Even after the snow melts, the berry is fed with urea, breeding 2 tbsp. l fertilizer in a bucket of water. It is enough to pour 0.5 l of the finished solution under each bush.
Fertilizers before flowering and during
All berry growers need fertilizer before budding. Strawberries gratefully accept the introduction of not only mullein, but also other organic fertilizers before flowering. If there is compost on the site, which has been overdone for 3 years, then it will also be suitable for feeding.
But it should be borne in mind that excessive introduction of organic matter can be very harmful to strawberries.
Plants will begin to "fatten", increasing green mass to the detriment of the crop. That is why organic fertilizers feed strawberries only at the very beginning of the summer season.
You can also use such organics:
- stale manure;
- grass or precast compost;
- herbal infusion, well fermented.
Manure or bird droppings are not available to every gardener, but you can make a herbal infusion or prepare a compost heap at each site.
In any gardening shop you can buy mineral mixtures for feeding berries in the early spring and then during flowering. Feeding with nitrate gives excellent results if the soil on the site is acidic. In spring, the berry is also fed with potassium sulfate and nitrophos. However, it should be borne in mind that fertilizers should only be purchased from trusted manufacturers with a good reputation.
Immediately before the start of budding, trace elements are introduced under the strawberries. This berry needs boron, iodine, zinc and also molybdenum.
Foliar top dressing is carried out with complex compounds, such as Cytovit or Polygro.
Strawberry dressing in spring with folk remedies
Not every gardener is ready to “feed” his plot with chemical fertilizers. In this case, folk remedies come to the rescue, the use of which also makes it possible to collect a rich harvest and, most importantly, 100% environmentally friendly.
Urea
One of the safest and most popular fertilizers among gardeners is urea (it is also called urea). It is perfectly absorbed by plants. But the main thing is not to overfeed the bushes, otherwise the berries can ripen very small.
The first time you need to feed the plants with urea in the spring, as soon as the snow comes off and the weather is warm. During this period, the bushes begin to grow actively and prepare for flowering.
Experienced summer residents also know that during the flowering period it is very useful to feed the berry by spraying with a nutrient solution of urea. This helps to collect a really rich crop of large and sweet berries. For foliar application of the solution, 2 tbsp. l fertilizers diluted in 2 liters of water. This composition is sprayed on the leaves in the morning or evening. In addition to nitrogen, urea contains many useful substances that contribute to the formation of large berries.
Yeast
Yeast is a natural growth stimulator and a source of beneficial bacteria that plants need after wintering.
Fertilizing the plant with yeast strengthens its immunity, as a result of which strawberries are less likely to get sick and bear fruit well.
To prepare 1 liter of solution, 50 g of live yeast must be dissolved in cold water. Then the yeast is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5. The output is 5 l of fertilizer.
You can use dry yeast, for which 1 tsp. the powder is diluted in 1 liter of warm water. Add a little sugar to the solution for fermentation. In a couple of hours, the fertilizer will be ready. It is diluted with water at the rate of 1: 5.
Spend yeast nutrient solutions of 500 ml for each copy of the culture. Plants are poured under the root.
The first top dressing with yeast is done even before flowering begins. The second is introduced already during the ripening of the berries.
Ash
Wood ash is a natural fertilizer that is perfectly absorbed by the berry.
The ash contains a huge set of trace elements that are necessary for the ripening of large fruits.
Preparing ash top dressing is quite simple: 250 g of ash are diluted in 10 liters of water. To fertilize strawberries with ash, each bush is watered with the prepared solution, spending about 500 ml.
Ash fertilizers are recommended to be applied three times per season: in spring, after picking berries, and during preparation for winter. During flowering, the bushes can be simply sprayed.
Chicken droppings
Choosing how to fertilize strawberries in the spring for a better crop, you should pay attention to chicken droppings. However, you cannot fertilize the berry with such a product in its pure form - it can even lead to the death of strawberries. You must first spread the litter in the fresh air for a couple of weeks and periodically turn it over so that all harmful substances evaporate.
After this stale droppings are poured with water at the rate of 1 liter of fertilizer per bucket. After 3 to 4 days, the concentrated liquid fertilizer is again diluted with water at the rate of 0.5 l per 10 l of water and 400 to 500 ml of each bush are shed.
Boric acid
Boric acid can also be used to feed strawberries. The first treatment of the berry with this tool is carried out during the budding period. For root dressing, 2 g of acid is diluted in a bucket of water. 200 g of wood ash can be added to the solution. The resulting composition shed bushes, trying to slightly affect the lower leaves.
It is interesting: use of boric acid for plants
Fertilizer Rules
The main rule for applying all fertilizers is to process the bushes only after watering. When the beds are well moistened, it is necessary to loosen the soil a little and “feed” each bush.
- Do not apply fertilizer in the daytime. It is advisable to feed in the evening or from the very early morning.
- You can not use concentrated fertilizers, otherwise the plant may simply “burn out”.
Strawberry is a berry crop that is very demanding to care and sensitive to fertilizing. Proper fertilization of the soil will significantly increase the yield and allow you to get large and sweet berries.
