Why strawberries bloom but do not bear fruit: causes and treatments

Strawberries, as a relatively unpretentious and high-yielding crop, are grown almost everywhere. There are many varieties of it, most of which are resistant to adverse environmental factors. But there are situations when it is not clear why strawberries bloom profusely, but do not bear fruit. To deal with this problem, you need to familiarize yourself with the main causes of such negative consequences and methods for their elimination.

Possible reasons why strawberries may not bear fruit

To achieve the desired results when cultivating strawberries on the site, you need not only to adhere to the correct agricultural practices, but also to know what causes the absence of fruits with sufficient flowering.

Late boarding

One of the frequent prerequisites for the appearance of such an ailment as the cessation of fruiting is planting seedlings late. The optimal time for determining plants for a permanent place is the second half of summer (the last days of July-beginning of August). When growing strawberries in mid-latitudes, planting work is recommended in early September.

Before the onset of cold weather, seedlings will have enough time to adapt to new conditions and lay fruit buds for the next season.

In the case of planting strawberry bushes at a later date, you should not expect the appearance of berries in the summer. The plant will accumulate all its forces, and direct them to the development of the vegetative mass, and it will have neither the strength nor the time to form buds. So it turns out that it will be possible to expect a harvest only next year. In such situations, gardeners are advised to pay more attention to planting, enhancing care.With the right approach, strawberries will bloom and give a rich harvest.

Wrong planting depth

If mistakes were made during planting, then strawberries will not bloom either. The heart of the berry culture must not be allowed to be either too deep or very high. It is more correct if it is located on the same level with the ground. With a deep landing, the heart should be freed from the ground, and with a high landing, it should be sprinkled with soil.

Nitrogen overdose

Excessive content in the soil of such a chemical element as nitrogen leads to the absence of fruits on strawberries. An excess of fertilizer provokes only an increase in deciduous mass by a bush, as a result, it turns out that garden strawberries are fattening. To remove excess nitrogen, it is necessary to abundantly water the berry plantation with clean water, and then add a phosphorus-potassium composition to the soil.Strawberries will be able to recover only in a year.

Nutritional deficiency

Lack of nutrients in the soil, especially nitrogen, potassium, manganese, boron and iron, in most cases, becomes a source of trouble in the form of poor strawberry fruiting. It is recommended to apply fertilizer mixtures according to the following recommendations:

1. In early March, nitrogen and peat are added to the soil, it is better if chicken or manure is used for these purposes. The method of their application is embedding into the soil. Applying a nitrogen-containing fertilizer after the end of the flowering phase is the key to an intensive growth rate, but you should not overdo it - the quality of fruiting will suffer.
2. At the beginning and at the end of the season, feeding strawberry bushes with wood ash will be effective.
3. During the active growing season, strawberries are recommended to be fertilized with a mixture of ammonium molybdate, urea and boric acid.

Weed strawberries instead of garden strawberries

If the strawberries on the site are sufficiently fertilized, moistened, have a he althy appearance, but do not bear fruit, then the reason should be sought in the presence of weed strawberries among the plantings. These plants include Dubnyak and Suspension, which are distinguished by a rich green color of the leaf mass and the absence of fruits. If they form berries, they are small and deformed. Once such plants are discovered, they must be removed from the garden, otherwise cultural plantings will suffer.

Weed varieties also include Zhmurka, distinguished by short stature of bushes, and Bakhmutka, distinguished by tall stature, abundant flowering and pink berries.

Hypothermia

If the winter is frosty and with little snow, the bushes will be without protection, and the open heart will simply freeze. It is not worth rushing to extract such specimens from the ground - during the summer season they will be able to recover and bloom next year.

To avoid such negative consequences, it is recommended to cover the strawberry bushes with fallen leaves, agrofiber or spruce branches. Additional protection for garden strawberries will also be required in case of spring frosts.

You can determine frost damage to the heart by its darkening. Increase the likelihood of strawberry freezing errors when choosing a place for a berry plantation. It is not advisable to plant plants in a lowland where cold air accumulates.

Degeneration of remontant strawberries

If strawberries bloom, but there are no large berries on it, the reason may lie in its age. A remontant culture is not able to bear fruit abundantly in the same place for 5 years. Such strawberry bushes are distinguished by poor flowering and small fruits. It is recommended to update the berry plantation by planting young plants.

Diseases

Diseases such as powdery mildew and leaf spot can provoke a lack of harvest on strawberry bushes. In order to prevent the development of such ailments, it is necessary to loosen the soil, remove dried leaf plates from the site, as soon as the snow melts, treat with Bordeaux liquid 3% (in spring), before the flowering phase - 1% solution.

In addition, it is necessary to collect and destroy the buds infected with weevil larvae. After harvesting, it is also effective to use Bordeaux mixture for processing strawberries.

Pests

Another reason for the lack of ovaries on strawberry bushes is the vital activity of such a small, but harmful, insect as a weevil. The buds do not have time to fade, as they already fall off. The parasite lays its eggs in buds, which complicates the fight against it. It will be possible to fight the weevil diluted according to the instructions with the drug Fitoverm, Admiral or Iskra-Bio.

Treatments should be done in the morning and a week before the start of the flowering phase.

Lack of sun

Since strawberries belong to heat-loving plants, you need to choose a place for planting in clearings that are well lit and protected from through winds. If planted in the shade, then due to the slow development of plants, flowering is excluded. The way out will be a transplant to a more suitable place.

When strawberries, with proper care, should begin to bloom

Early ripening varieties begin to bloom from mid-May, and late ripening varieties from the end of May. The flowering phase lasts almost 3 weeks.

What if the reason is not clear?

If it is impossible to identify the reason for the absence of fruits on strawberry bushes, you need to take care of comfortable growing conditions for them.Loosen the soil regularly after each watering to prevent oxygen starvation of the roots, remove weeds from the site, which only take both moisture and nutrients from the ground.

Timely apply fertilizer formulations to the soil, carry out treatments against harmful insects and diseases. This approach will allow the plants to recover and begin to bear fruit.

Prevention measures

In order to prevent a decline, or even a lack of harvest, it is necessary to take the following preventive measures:

1. Remove diseased plants from the plantation.
2. Perform processing at the strawberry flowering stage. At the stage of active vegetation, the bushes are mulched with organic matter or agrofiber is used for this purpose. Before the flowering phase, it is good to use special products against harmful insects and fungal diseases.When the ovaries appear, phosphorus should be added to the soil, and after flowering - a complex composition.
3. Spray bushes with agrochemicals. Those plants that grow in one place for a long time are more likely to suffer from fungal and viral diseases. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out treatments with Bordeaux liquid with the addition of soap and fungicidal agents 4 times per season. Karbofos and Metaphos are highly effective against parasites.

For the successful cultivation of strawberries, it is necessary to choose only high-quality planting material and not ignore the elementary rules of care. Only with this approach, strawberries will be tied up and delight their owners with an unsurpassed taste and aroma.

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