How to increase the harvest of strawberries in the open field: methods and rules of care

Strawberry gardeners often experience deteriorating yields. Many people think that only the weather affects the yield of strawberries, but this is not so. There are other factors that negatively affect the fruiting of the berry. Therefore, before planting it, you need to figure out how to increase the yield of strawberries.

Is it possible to increase the yield of strawberries?

Some inexperienced gardeners do not know that you can independently increase the fruiting of strawberry seedlings. Most often, berry yield deteriorates due to the following reasons:

• Growing plants in the same place. Gardeners who have been breeding strawberries for years recommend transplanting them to a new place every 3-4 years. This will protect the plant from dangerous pathogens and accelerate the ripening of fruits. For transplantation, areas with fertile soil are selected.
• Updating plantings with old bushes. Some gardeners use old bushes when planting strawberries. This cannot be done, since such bushes grow worse and have a low yield.
• Planting a large number of varieties. Many gardeners plant many different strawberry varieties on the site. This negatively affects the yield, since different varieties of strawberries need to be looked after differently. It is recommended to plant no more than 2-4 proven varieties.

Ways to increase your strawberry harvest

There are several ways to improve the fruiting of outdoor strawberries.

Selection of high yielding varieties

It's no secret that the yield depends on the characteristics of the planted varieties. Therefore, for planting, the most productive varieties of berries that bear fruit for a long time are selected. These berries include:

• Marshal. A distinctive feature of the plant is considered not only its fruiting, but also resistance to common diseases. Marshal is also resistant to temperatures down to 25-30 degrees below zero.
• Holiday. This variety was created by breeders from America in the second half of the last century. Each mature Holiday berry weighs about 50 grams, 1-2 kilograms of fruits are harvested from the bush.
• Crown. Belongs to the group of dwarf berries with small bushes. The average weight of berries is 350-400 grams. At the same time, the variety has a high yield level, which allows you to collect 2-3 kilograms of strawberries from a plant.

Compliance with crop rotation

To get a big harvest, you need to observe the correct crop rotation. Strawberry bushes gradually grow old and therefore lose part of the crop from year to year. Experienced gardeners do not advise growing berries for more than four years, since then they practically cease to bear fruit. It is recommended to regularly grow young bushes on the site that will bear fruit well.

Getting rid of barren bushes

To increase fruiting will help the removal of bushes on which fruits are not tied. It is necessary to regularly inspect the beds in order to timely identify strawberry seedlings that do not have berries. Such plants are carefully dug up and burned. It is impossible to leave dug up strawberries on the site.

Proper propagation of strawberries

Proper reproduction of the berry helps to improve its fruiting. When cultivating strawberries in the beds, the following sequence of actions is followed:

• Soil preparation. In order for the planted seedlings to take root faster and grow better, sawdust with peat is added to the soil.
• Planting out. Strawberry sprouts are carefully placed in the beds so that their rosette is above the soil surface.
• Water. All planted plants must be watered with warm water.

Mulching strawberry beds

To increase the yield of berries planted in the country, they are engaged in mulching the beds. As a mulch, you can use humus with compost. These organic top dressings saturate the soil with micronutrients that have a positive effect on fruiting. Mulching is also carried out using peat.

Proper watering of strawberries

A high level of yield can only be obtained with proper watering of the berries. Experts advise equipping the beds with a drip or sprinkler irrigation system.

It is necessary to moisten the soil daily so that it does not have time to dry out.

Only with sufficient humidity will it be possible to increase fruiting. In early spring, it is not necessary to fill the bushes and therefore they are watered every 2-4 days.

Timely top dressing of strawberries

Strawberry seedlings are fed during the period of active flowering. At the same time, fertilizers are applied at least three times during the season. Experts recommend adding fertilizer to the soil after rains or watering, when the soil is moist. The most suitable substances for strawberries include mullein, urea and nitrophoska. 1-2 liters of solution are spent on a bush.

Removing extra leaves and whiskers from strawberries

Strawberry seedlings spend nutrients not only on the formation and ripening of berries, but also on reproduction. Therefore, gardeners are advised to periodically remove tendrils and leaves from adult bushes, which slow down the development of fruits.

Protection of strawberries from pests

The berry is often attacked by pests. To protect the plant, it is necessary to periodically treat seedlings with fungicides. Also, to prevent pests, dry and damaged leaves are removed from the bushes.

Conclusion

When growing strawberries, yields may deteriorate. Therefore, it is recommended to deal with the main ways to increase the fruiting of strawberry bushes in advance.

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