The delicious fruits of strawberries are irresistibly delicious for young and old. Of course, the joy is twice as great when they come from your own garden. However, to ensure that the perennial plants continue to deliver high yields next year, you should care for the strawberries after harvest.
August, just after the end of the harvest season, is the right time to care for your strawberries. The care measures also include fertilizing. Since the plants start forming buds in September, you should plant them all in Augustprovide necessary nutrients.
Which fertilizer can you use for strawberries: Horn shavings, diluted nettle manure and liquid fertilizer for vegetables are ideal
You can use organic fertilizer from the garden center or simply mix cattle manure or horn shavings with homemade compost and work it into the bed. If kept in a container, an organic liquid fertilizer for vegetables is recommended. You can also make nettle manure yourself and then dilute it with water. Fertilization is carried out early in the morning by pouring the manure directly into the root area.
These fertilizers are not suitable for strawberries: blue grain, chicken manure and guano
What not to use: Blue corn, chicken manure and guano contain minerals that in high quantities can damage plants. Coffee grounds do not contain all the necessary nutrients and therefore cannot promote flower formation. If the plants do not receive adequate nutrients by September, they will produce fewer flower buds and bear less fruit next year.
Mulch strawberries after harvest
A thin layer of mulch can retain moisture in the soil, especially during long periods of heat. Straw is particularly suitable.
Water strawberries properly after harvesting
The strawberries should also be watered thoroughly after harvest. Check regularly whether the soil is moist – it should never dry out. Water the plants with rainwater or leave the water in a container (bucket, watering can without a lid) overnight. Always water the strawberries with lukewarm water and always carefully from below. Make sure that theLeaves dryremain. Wet leaves can easily burn under the strong rays of the sun and are more susceptible to fungi and pests. Water the plants early in the morning. You can then water the plants if necessary in the fall after bud formation.
Mow down strawberries instead of just cutting off the leaves
As a rule, the leaves of strawberries are cut off after the end of the harvest season. In recent years, mowing has become established as an alternative. Mowing proves to be really helpful, especially when the strawberries are overgrown or when offshoots grow around the plants. Simply set a lawnmower as high as possible and drive over the plants. This means they can then form new, healthy leaves and are less susceptible to fungi and diseases.
Strawberries planted this year should not be mowed down. However, you can cut off individual leaves and thin them out. If the growth is too dense, the plants cannot dry and diseases such as powdery mildew then spread quickly.
By the way, you can easily compost healthy leaves.
When to plant new strawberries?
Early strawberry plants are planted in the ground at the beginning of August. Young plants can bear fruit in the same year, but with proper care you can only expect high yields in the next two to three years. From the fourth year onwards, flower and fruit production decreases. However, the strawberries are sensitive to reproduction and have to change locations every three to a maximum of four years. So the new plants need a different place in the garden; they cannot be grown in the same bed.
Planting strawberries: step by step instructions
First you should weed the bed and check the garden soil for pests. Then you can add slow-release fertilizer to the garden soil or work compost into the soil. The pH value of 6 proves to be optimal for the strawberries. If the values in your garden are in the alkaline range (between 7 and 14), you can incorporate coniferous compost and thus lower the pH value. It is best to measure the pH of the garden soil before planting. Then you canPlace young plants in the ground, leaving a distance of 70 cm between rows of strawberries and 30 cm between each plant in a row.
Strawberries after harvest: summary
Directlyneed after harvestThe strawberries need a lot of care so that they bear plenty of fruit next year. Fertilize them with organic fertilizer, compost and horn shavings are ideal for this. Water them regularly andmulch themwith a thin layer of straw during long periods of heat. Then mow down the old leaves in August, even if they look fresh and healthy. You can plant new plants in the ground immediately after harvesting.
