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When and how to trim strawberries?

Strawberries are one of the most popular berries on the site. Growing a strawberry plantation requires the gardener to know all the maintenance procedures, including pruning. On the timing and intricacies of the manipulation, detailed below in the article.

What is strawberry pruning for, types of procedure

Many beginners in gardening are wondering whether it is necessary to cut off the mustache and leaves of the plant, and whether such an action will damage the bush.

The removal process aims to achieve a specific result, namely:

remove dry parts of the plant;
improve airflow when the bush is too large;
for reproduction (mustache with a socket);
for even distribution of nutrition and moisture;
as a prophylaxis against diseases and pests.

Did you know? The largest supplier and producer of strawberries is California, USA. About a billion tons of sweet berries are grown here annually. According to the purpose and final result, pruning is divided into types:

sanitary;
preventive;
anti-aging.

Optimal timing

According to most gardeners, pruning is carried out as necessary, throughout the season. However, the spring procedure has more specific time periods, and they differ depending on the climate in the region:

in the south - the second or third decade of March;
in the middle lane - closer to the end of April;
Siberia, the Urals - early to mid-May.

Learn how to treat strawberries from pests and diseases.

Seasonal pruning features

In the spring, as soon as the soil dried out from the meltwater, the bushes should be examined. All sick, rotten leaves are removed, trying not to damage the kidneys. The mustache, for the first time, is also cut in order to obtain larger berries - in the spring. This causes the bush to direct moisture and nutrition to fruit ovaries.

The summer procedure is carried out in July-August, after harvesting. After about 2 weeks, the foliage begins to turn yellow slowly, during the same time a new growth is ripening for next year. Therefore, the leaves are cut off after they are completely dry. For the remaining time, before frost, young foliage will appear, which will have time to make a supply of food for the winter.

Summer mustache removal is carried out after the collection of berries. At the same time, if the mustache is needed for reproduction, they must be taken from those bushes that brought the highest quality crop.

In autumn, pruning is carried out in extreme cases, for example, if the bushes become sick: since the plant’s immunity is reduced during the late procedure. After this, the strawberry bed should be covered with a thick layer of mulch (peat, straw).

Important! In the case of repair cultivars, in the fall, late peduncles must be cut off - they will take away food and moisture from the plant.

Step-by-step instruction

For proper trimming, you must first prepare the necessary tools. Pruning shears or clippers must be sharpened so as not to soak the stem. Treat the cutting parts with an antiseptic. For your own convenience, it will not be superfluous to immediately prepare a container for collecting plant scraps.

Technology procedure.

Moving along the row, carefully remove the selected parts of the plant.
You need to trim to the very root, leaving a minimum of escape.
Try not to catch the point of growth of the bush, so as not to lose it.
Do not pull on the leaf or mustache, as you can pull the entire bush from the ground.
After trimming, the soil in the aisles and near the plants needs to be loosened, irrigated.
After watering, it is advisable to dust the planting with ash for prevention.
Collected plant debris, if healthy, place in a compost pit; if sick, dispose of it.
If diseased plants were detected during the procedure, the soil should be shed with a potassium permanganate solution after removal of the diseased specimens.

Did you know? In Belgium there is a museum dedicated to strawberries and their cultivation, stories about berries and how to eat them.

What will happen if you neglect the procedure

If the pruning process is excluded from the care of strawberry planting, growing problems will not be long in coming. Effects:
Old, drying leaves are a hotbed of disease, because the vitality and protective forces of such leaf blades are depleted. The same parts of the plant in summer can be chosen by insects for brood, and in autumn - larvae for wintering.
Too thick bush is poorly ventilated, creating a humid environment, which is an ideal place for the development of fungi.
Old plant whiskers will draw moisture and nutrients onto themselves, thereby depriving the bush of the ability to lay healthy kidneys.
If you do not thin out the planting, do not rejuvenate it for a long time, then no matter how you try, the crop will be smaller from year to year.
Without thinning, the fruits will not receive enough sunlight and heat to ripen, which will make them acidic and hard.

Important! Landings where whiskers are not trimmed are updated every 3-4 years.

When growing strawberries and wanting to get large berries, pruning is an essential procedure in planting care. And in order not to harm the culture during the process, you need to follow simple rules.