You just need to know how and when is the best time to trim strawberry mustaches. We'll talk about this further.
When does a strawberry's mustache start to grow?
Strawberry whiskers can be seen after the first flowering. They are not limited in quantity, so there can be a huge number of them. You can immediately get rid of them, as they say, as they grow. Gradually. Or wait until there is a massive influx of mustaches and cut them all off at once. The peak of the appearance of whiskers occurs at the end of fruiting of the berry.
How to trim strawberry mustache
It is best to trim the mustache in the spring, when the plant has not yet bloomed, and in the fall, when the last berries are collected. The weather should be dry and windless. The most suitable time is early morning or late evening, since strawberries do not like being handled in hot or, conversely, rainy weather. For some reason, many people think that the mustache of strawberries needs to be cut off, although in fact they need to be trimmed. The difference is that if you tear it off, you can damage the root system of the bush, but if you carefully trim it with scissors or light pruners, you will not cause any harm to the plant. And you can rest assured about next year’s harvest.
When not to trim strawberry mustaches
As we have already said, the mustache is not cut off if it is necessary to propagate strawberries. In this case, the mustache should not be cut off, but should be rooted even deeper into the ground. However, you will still have to cut off some of the tendrils, leaving 2-3 rosettes to prevent the main bush from withering. This should be done without much regret, since too many tendrils can cause irreparable damage to the main bush, which can even lead to the end of fruiting.
The best strawberry rosettes are considered to be those that were taken in the first order from the mother bush.
It is better not to use the following orders of rosettes at all as planting material; such strawberries will still not yield a good harvest.
How to prepare strawberries for winter
After harvesting, it is not enough to trim the tendrils; you also need to remove all the fading leaves. Perhaps even completely cut off all strawberry foliage for the winter, leaving only bare stems. Strawberries easily endure harsh winters, so even under the snow they feel good, and in early spring they already delight us with their green leaves.
If you do not dare to prune strawberries at the roots, then you need to treat the bushes with preparations that will protect your plant from various pests and diseases. After which the ground around the bushes is loosened and wood ash is added to the soil. And to make the strawberry even more comfortable, you can cover it on top with covering material or cover it with pine needles.
What not to do when growing strawberries
If you want to preserve a good harvest for next year, do not allow excessive amounts of strawberries to grow.
There is no need to trim the strawberry mustache to the very root. It is better to leave the stems approximately 10 centimeters from the ground.
Trim the mustache not with your hands, but with special devices (scissors, pruners).
Save the mustache when you need to propagate strawberries.
In rainy or, conversely, sunny, dry weather, you should not pick off the strawberry mustache.
Strawberries are not only tasty, but also a healthy berry that is liked not only by adults, but also by children. What a joy it is to pick your own strawberries. Therefore, it is important to learn how to care for strawberries correctly so that they delight you with their rich, ripe harvest every year.
Strawberries and wild strawberries are two delicious friends that also have many beneficial properties. Thanks to these gifts of nature, a person receives the necessary vitamins and microelements (phosphorus and calcium, carotene, manganese, etc.). And eating strawberries also brings great pleasure. The sweet berry melts in your mouth, leaving behind a pleasant taste and a strong desire to eat a couple more.
Strawberries can quench your thirst in time and have a beneficial effect on digestion. Masks made from this berry are widely used in home cosmetology. Unpretentious in care, it reproduces well, but over time it ceases to bear fruit well.
In order to have a stable (or increasing) harvest, you need to replant the strawberry bed from time to time. Some varieties need to change their place of residence every two to three years, while others simply need to plow the soil and replant.
Strawberries need to be well watered; they do not like dry soil. Cold can also be harmful. It is better for bushes to overwinter under a good layer of snow (or cover). Avoid fertilizers that contain chlorine, which is harmful to this sweet berry. To drive away uninvited guests: slugs, centipedes and other pests, you can sprinkle coarse sand on the soil prepared for planting.
Alba. An early strawberry variety with weak-leafed, medium-sized bushes. The color of the berries is bright red. The shape is regular conical. The fruits are large in size, which remains the same throughout the harvest. The variety is resistant to pests and diseases and, when grown under cover, produces an early harvest. It has good transport characteristics and is therefore beneficial for industrial breeding.
Zenga Zengana - the variety was bred in Germany, late ripening, high yield. The bush is tall, but compact, the leaves grow densely, are of medium size, dark green. Strawberries are smooth, large, round-conical in shape. The color of the berries is dark red, the berries are shiny, of good taste. The variety is resistant to powdery mildew and spotting.
Honeoye - American variety. Grown since 1979. A typical dessert variety with early fruit ripening - 7-10 days earlier than Zenga Zengana. The variety is especially suitable for growing under the accelerated method under cover. The fruits are mostly large and medium-sized. The skin is intensely red and shiny. The fruits are medium elastic, the pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, aromatic. Fruits are only slightly affected by gray mold. The leaves of this variety are characterized by good immunity. The plants, however, are not resistant to verticillium. A variety with sufficient winter hardiness. Due to the early flowering period, flowers may be partially damaged during late frosts.
Beauty of Zagorje - a variety of domestic selection, medium ripening period. Strawberry productivity is good. The bush is low, spreading, leaves with slightly convex lobes. The berries are large, oblong-oval, ribbed, bright red shiny. The berries taste good. The strawberry variety is bisexual, self-fertile, and in especially rainy years it is severely affected by spotting and gray rot.
Mascot- a variety of strawberries (garden strawberries) imported from England. Medium ripening period, high yield. Strawberry bush is medium-sized, compact, densely leafy. The berries are large, round-conical in shape, compressed from the sides and at the top. The berries are red, shiny, and have high taste. The strawberry variety is self-fertile and quite resistant to gray rot and powdery mildew.
Koralka (Victoria) - one of the oldest varieties of strawberries (garden strawberries). In ancient times, the variety was very popular; it was one of the first to become widespread as a house plant. The berries of this strawberry variety were larger than existing varieties, which is why many gardeners still call large-fruited strawberries Victoria. The variety has a medium ripening period, although the berries are average, but the yield is not high. The bush is not big. Frost resistance is high. The berries are medium in size, round-conical in shape, taste sweet and sour with a weak aroma. The variety is self-fertile and disease resistant.
Zarya- a variety of strawberries (strawberries) of domestic selection. An early ripening variety, it begins to ripen in May. The quality of the fruit is excellent, the yield is high. The bush is strong, the leaves are large, the leaves are densely spaced. The flowers of the variety are bisexual, the variety is self-fertile. The variety is frost-resistant, resistant to powdery mildew and spotting. In wet years it is affected by gray mold. The strawberries (strawberries) of this variety are bright red, with a regular round-conical shape. The size of strawberries is medium, the taste is high, good for fresh consumption and for processing strawberries.
Marshall's - a variety of strawberries (strawberries) was bred at the Research Institute named after. I. V. Michurina. Medium ripening period, with high yield. The bush is tall, the leaves are thick. The berries are large, orange-red in color, shiny, and good in taste. The variety is self-fertile and has good winter hardiness.
It is very convenient to have varieties of remontant strawberries (strawberries) on your plot; they will delight you with delicious berries all summer and autumn. Many people will already forget the taste of strawberries, but you always have fresh berries.
Currently, there are many varieties of small-fruited remontant strawberries with berries of varying colors. Some of them form mustaches, others do not. In addition to its nutritional value, remontant strawberries are highly decorative. Large-fruited remontant strawberries, unlike small-fruited ones, have two or even three periods of fruiting. It produces the first harvest at the usual time, which coincides with the fruiting of early non-repairing varieties, the second - from August until frost.
Ada - a variety of wild strawberries (strawberries) is widespread in home gardening. The berries begin to ripen in early June and end in September. The variety has good yield. The strawberry bush is medium-vigorous; fruiting occurs on the main bushes and on the tendrils. The berries are relatively large, the color is bright red with shine. The taste is good. The variety is self-fertile.
Sakhalinskaya is an excellent variety of strawberries for growing on a plot or in a country house. The bush is low, spreading, the convenience is that it produces very few mustaches. Fruiting occurs on the main bush and tendrils of the first and second order. The berries are large, light red, rounded conical in shape, of high taste. The variety is self-fertile.
Albion Albion is a California variety bred in 2004. Fruits from spring to autumn. The advantage of this variety is the special quality of the fruits - large, persistent, and have an excellent taste. The fruits are oblong and regular in shape. Albion (Albion) is resistant to verticillium (verticillium) and leathery rot of strawberries (Phytophthora), relatively resistant to anthracnose. In the second half of summer, it often requires protection from horse flies that deform the fruits. Like most remontant plants, Albion also needs protection from frost in snowless winters.
24.11.2017
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When to trim the mustache of strawberries in the summer - timing and technology
Not every gardener knows when to trim the mustache of strawberries in the summer, but to get a rich harvest of berries you need to know whether this procedure can be carried out during flowering and fruiting, how to carry out the procedure for propagation, when to prune for and how quickly to do it...
Why trim strawberries during flowering and after fruiting?
Strawberries are a rather demanding berry to care for, and to obtain a rich harvest, the gardener must strictly follow the rules for caring for them. One of the important aspects of growing is to find the answer to when to trim strawberry tendrils - in summer, spring or autumn, and how to do it correctly. 
Strawberry tendrils are fully formed, as a rule, by mid-July, and at this time the gardener already needs to decide what to do with the shoots - remove and dispose of them, or use them as planting material.
If you want to grow a rich harvest of large berries, mustaches on bushes should be removed, – it is optimal to do this twice a season. It is better to carry out the procedure for the first time in the spring, when the strawberry bushes begin to grow - this will help the plant transfer all the nutrients to the developing fruits.
If you don’t know whether you need to trim the mustache when strawberries bloom, experts recommend doing this, otherwise you shouldn’t count on getting large berries. Of course, the bushes will bear fruit, but the berries will grow small and unsweetened.
When the strawberries finally stop bearing fruit, the mustaches on the bushes will appear again, and they should be removed again, and they should be cut from the very root of the plant, using a garden tool - pruning shears or garden shears - you should not tear off the mustaches with your hands, because they are too strong, and there is a high risk of damaging the entire bush.
Some plot owners do not trim strawberries, including during the period when they bloom, but they completely renew such plantings every 3-4 years.
When to trim the mustache of strawberries in the summer and how to do it correctly
Many gardeners use strawberry mustaches to form new bushes of this berry, but not everyone knows when to trim the mustaches of strawberries for propagation and how to do it correctly. Experienced site owners claim that this procedure is quite simple and does not cause difficulties. You should start pruning the mustache after the plant has stopped bearing fruit - as a rule, this happens in the 2nd half of July - early August, depending on the region. During fruiting, you should observe the bushes and mark those that brought the richest and largest harvest - whiskers should be taken from these bushes for further propagation.
Having decided on the bushes, they move on to the 2nd stage - direct pruning, select the longest and strongest tendrils, where two or three leaf rosettes are visible - they are transferred to another bed and dug into the ground. You should choose those mustaches that grew closer to the center on the main bush - they will survive better and begin to bloom and bear fruit earlier. Those mustaches that are not suitable for planting should be removed from the main bush.
Another way, how and when to trim the mustache of strawberries in the summer, involves a certain scheme - the strongest mustache is cut off from the mother bush and planted in a special peat cup for seedlings, which, if necessary, can be replaced with a regular plastic one by making a hole in it for drainage. There is no need to bury the seedling in the ground, just sprinkle it lightly with soil, and place the container in a warm, well-lit place in the apartment or take it to a greenhouse, not forgetting to water it regularly.
rooting strawberry mustache - in the photo
When the mustache is firmly rooted, it can be taken out into open ground, as a rule, this is done in the second half of August and before the second half of September on cloudy days or in the evening - in this case, the strawberry bushes will take root faster.
Working with mustaches growing on strawberry bushes is not a particularly labor-intensive procedure, but it has features and nuances that should be observed:
- The bush should not be overgrown with mustaches, as this will negatively affect the quantity and quality of the strawberry harvest;
- It is not recommended to cut the mustache too close to the root of the bush; you should leave about 10 cm from each shoot;
- You should also not cut off the mustache - there is a high risk of pulling out the entire bush, so for pruning you should use a sharp tool - scissors or pruners;
- You should not remove mustaches on hot sunny days or in rainy times - it is better to choose a cool day without precipitation.
Prevention of strawberry bushes after trimming the mustache
Regardless of what time of year the mustache is trimmed, the plant after this procedure must be treated with special preparations - the best option in this case would be, and from chemicals prepared independently, a solution of copper oxychloride and liquid soap, taken 15 g per bucket of water, is suitable . Bordeaux mixture does a good job of disinfecting, and among the products used by people, the most popular option is ash, which should be used to treat the entire area with strawberries.
If you are new to growing strawberries and do not yet know when to trim your strawberries - in the summer, spring or autumn months - carefully study the information above, and you will definitely find answers to many of your questions.
Strawberry planting site
In order to grow good bushes and get a good harvest from them, as well as offspring, you must initially plant them correctly. Therefore, we will dwell a little on how to choose a landing site. Good drainage is required. It is necessary to provide protection from cold winter winds. The most important thing is that the landing site does not form a hollow in which cold air will stagnate. A location that slopes to the south is ideal, so the plantings will warm up faster.
Soil for growing garden strawberries
A little later we will get to the point of when to trim strawberries, while we need to decide on the conditions in which the plants will grow well, bear fruit and produce viable shoots. Homemade strawberries grow and bear fruit well on black soil, so if your soil is too light, you need to fertilize it well. The best composition for strawberries is light loam, which allows for a normal air supply to the root system and retains moisture in sufficient quantities. It is very important that the water does not stand close to the surface. That is, if the site is located in lowlands, then it is important to make a high bed and provide drainage.
Strawberry seedlings
Wherever you purchase seedlings, the first thing you need to do is treat them against nematodes and mites. Heat treatment is very suitable for this. Even when you have to trim the strawberries personally, before transplanting them to a new bed, it is very advisable to place them in a bathtub with water heated to +35 degrees for 3 minutes. Then they are transferred for 15 minutes to a bowl in which the water is heated to 48 degrees. After such therapy, the plants are placed in cool water, +20 degrees, for an hour. You can disinfect new plants using the following solution. To do this, dilute three tablespoons of table salt and one teaspoon of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water. Soak the sockets in the solution for 10-15 minutes.
Strawberry care
It depends on the goals pursued by the summer resident. That is why it is difficult to answer unequivocally when to trim the mustache of strawberries. In a fruit-bearing planting, it is necessary to remove all old, dried leaves in early spring, in dry weather. In the summer, if your goal is only berries, you need to remove all developing whiskers, and there will be a lot of them. Before the berries ripen, the soil is cultivated 3-4 times. In this case, the loosening depth is 3-5 cm. During the period of berry formation, it is very useful to mulch the soil with straw and other materials.
After harvesting, it is necessary to loosen again. The last time (before the onset of autumn) the soil must be loosened again and the plants must be hilled up at the same time. It is very useful to completely mow the green part after harvesting. In this case, care must be taken not to damage the core. The growth and development of plants next year depends on this. The foliage is removed and the ground is loosened with hoes. The most important thing is to carry out this procedure in the summer. In just two weeks the garden bed will turn green again. If you prune plants just before the cold weather, they will not have time to grow and will die.
When will the mustache appear?
Strawberries of any variety are sure to produce mustaches. And more than once during the summer. Today we will talk about when to trim the mustache of strawberries. It should be taken into account that if seedlings are required for propagation, then you should not remove the whiskers; you need to give them the opportunity to take root and grow a strong rosette. However, if you do not need seedlings, then be sure to remove them regularly, otherwise you risk your harvest.
Usually in the spring the plant produces only a few tendrils, so the summer resident can decide at his own discretion whether to trim them now or wait until they appear en masse in order to trim them all at once. This most massive release of whiskers occurs at the end of fruiting. However, we must remember that a bush burdened with many powerful shoots will not be able to produce the required number of berries, or they will be much smaller than they could be.
Choosing a day and time for pruning
We continue to expand on the topic of when to trim strawberry mustaches. To do this, you need to choose the right day and weather to start working. It is advisable that the day be dry and warm. If possible this should be early morning or late evening. Be sure to equip yourself with quality garden shears. Do not pull the mustache, as it is very strong. Pulling too hard can damage the main strawberry bush.
Mustache as planting material
If we have more or less figured out how to trim shoots from fruit-bearing bushes, then what kind of strawberry tendrils are taken for propagation remains open for now. If you need planting material, then from the very beginning of active growth of the bush in the spring you do not remove the mustache. During the period of their massive regrowth, it is necessary to carry out an “audit”. In order not to oppress the mother plants, you should select 2-3 of the strongest rosettes from each bush and root them. All others must be ruthlessly removed. The best choice for growing strong plants that take on all varietal qualities are “children” of the first order, that is, those that are located on the runner closest to the rosette are the strongest. It is strictly not recommended to take all the others (second and third order) for seedlings.
Now it becomes a little clear what kind of mustache is taken from strawberries for reproduction. After you have rooted them, you should give them time, with the support of the mother plant, to strengthen their own root system. After the new rosette has 3 or more pairs of leaves, the plant is ready to separate. This is usually done either in the fall or next spring.
Planting a mustache in spring
Let's look at one of the most popular options when trimming strawberries for planting. To do this, the bed is not cultivated during the summer season, that is, 2-3 strong tendrils are left on each plant, which take root and form young plants. This is how they go to winter, without separating from the mother plants. With the onset of early spring (as soon as the bed warms up enough and buds begin to appear on the bushes), they are planted. In this case, the mother plant, after awakening, will grow and give a good harvest, the strengthened seedlings will quickly take root in a new place and, most likely, will produce the first berries.
Summer residents who have started their garden often ask when to trim the mustache of strawberries in the summer. If you do not plan to leave the plants for seedlings, then this can be done at any time, as soon as you notice new growing cuttings. Moreover, the sooner you complete this procedure, the less strength the plant will lose, which means it will produce more berries. It is spring planting that is very convenient if you buy seedlings at the market. Planting in the ground early increases the chances that your runners will take root, survive the winter safely, and produce runners of their own to grow the bed to the size that suits you.
Transplanting strawberries in autumn with a mustache
Autumn is the most favorable time in terms of when to trim strawberries for propagation. This option will provide you with a berry harvest next summer. At the same time, it is important to separate the mother bushes from all the others that will produce berries. If you have enough time, then take your time to take the mustache from the newly planted bushes. Wait until the first summer and watch as you remove all the mustache. See which ones took root best and produced the largest berries. Mark them with a ribbon or simply move them to a separate bed, they will be your mother bushes for next summer.
Rule No. 1: you can’t take mustaches from fruiting bushes
This is one of the most important rules that gardeners forget about. Indeed, in addition to choosing when to trim strawberries for propagation, it is also necessary to determine from which bushes they should be taken. The bush can produce either tendrils or berries. If you try to have both, the result will be minimal success. If a gardener takes seedlings from bushes that have just borne fruit, then as a result he receives inferior seedlings. Some of the nutrients have already been used up to ripen the berries, which means the mustache will be much weaker than you would like.
In addition, there is another danger in forcing the bushes to work on “two fronts”. Since the life of plants is limited, the summer resident runs the risk of losing them ahead of time. Strawberries are quickly depleted, the bushes become small, and the yield drops.
Why trim your mustache?
We have probably already answered this question. Speaking about when it is better to trim the mustache of strawberries, it is necessary to remember once again that it all depends on what tasks the gardener faces. Strawberries produce a lot of tendrils, on which the plant spends its energy. Therefore, in order to save them, it is necessary to remove the tendrils from early spring until late, with the exception of those intended for seedlings. The more mustaches there are on a bush, the more energy it spends on them, which means the less is left for berries. There is another reason. It is necessary to remove the mustache so that the bed does not thicken. It is much more difficult to care for such plantings, and their effectiveness will be much less.
Reproduction using mother bushes
We have already touched on this topic a little, let's now talk about when you can trim the mustache of strawberries in order to get strong, strong seedlings that have taken on all the varietal qualities as much as possible. For these purposes, mother bushes are used. The first summer will take you to select the strongest and most prolific bushes and plant them separately; to do this, remove all the tendrils from all the bushes and see which ones gave the best harvest. They now have their own mission - to produce good seedlings. The next year, the mother bushes are treated differently. All buds, flowers and ovaries are removed from them. But check your mustache periodically. Of these, you need to leave the most powerful and strong ones, and tear off the little things.
Now a few words about when to properly trim the mustache of a strawberry. When they take root well and produce a powerful outlet. To do this, it is recommended to shorten the mustache. Only the first rosette, which is closer to the mother plant, is used. The rest are cut off. However, if you need to get a lot of seedlings very quickly, you can use the second and third sockets. The bushes that grow from the first rosette will be much stronger and stronger, but after a while the rest will catch up with them.
Propagation of remontant strawberries
As you know, remontant strawberries are good because they bear fruit all summer. Moreover, the first harvest is only 5% of the total for the season. However, if you need seedlings, you should clarify in advance when to trim the tendrils of remontant strawberries. The ovary of these varieties is also formed on the rosettes of the mustache, but in order to get strong seedlings, you need to sacrifice the harvest. It is permissible to collect only the very first berries; the rest of the ovary will have to be destroyed. The technique of using mother bushes is justified, and it is necessary to leave no more than 5 tendrils on each plant. In this case, it is necessary to follow the planting pattern 80*40, otherwise it is necessary to reduce the number of mustaches by half. The tendrils can be separated from the mother plant in the fall, in the morning.
Let's sum it up
Strawberries are the most favorite garden plant for most gardeners. The aromatic berry is great for summer desserts and winter jam. Its cultivation does not involve any great difficulties; in addition, it is very profitable to take varietal plants. You will only need 2-3 bushes that can be used as mother plants, and in a year you will have a small bed with your first harvest. Reproduction by whiskers is very quick and easy and does not require special knowledge or effort. The need to remove mustaches that are not needed will require much more effort from the gardener. And this will have to be done throughout the season.
Strawberry mustache is a method of vegetative propagation; the plant strives with all its might to continue the existence of its kind. Strawberries form tendrils on any type of soil and in any growing conditions, and usually, the worse the conditions, the more tendrils form.
The first strawberries shoot out immediately after the first wave of flowering; there are few of them and they grow quite slowly. The most rapid growth of the mustache begins immediately after the mass ripening of the berries. By the time almost the entire harvest is received, each bush can have at least 5-7 daughter rosettes. Many of them already have a fairly powerful root system.
The problem is that the plant spends energy on procreation; the mother bush gives them a lot of nutrients. The distribution of nutrition is descending - from the mother bush - the first daughter rosettes on the antennae are the strongest, the second are smaller. Although, to a certain extent, this depends on the time of germination - the first rosettes to the mother bush formed earlier.
The second reason why you need to prune strawberries is to thicken the area. The denser the plantation, the worse it is blown by the wind, the longer the very high humidity remains after rains, and the berries are affected by gray rot.
For the same reason, you need to remove old leaves while the bush is growing. Leaves are a source of energy and nutrition, and they also give nutrients to new growth (ripening of horns, ripening). But they gradually turn yellow, the dying foliage becomes covered with fungal spots, and whole colonies of spore-bearing fungi gradually develop on them. The pathogens overwinter on old leaves and next spring there is a new wave of growth.
When to trim strawberry leaves
Leaves should be trimmed not according to calendar dates, but when the need arises - as they age. They begin to turn yellow with the end of fruiting. But if you pay attention, they turn yellow gradually, slowly, over about two weeks. At this time, it is better not to touch the leaves, but to continue to feed and water the strawberries - the ripening of future growth and the formation of buds is taking place invisible to the eye.
Then the leaves turn yellow, dry out, become stained and become useless - this dying foliage needs to be cut out.
Strawberries are usually pruned at the end of July or beginning of August, no later, since after pruning the plants quickly grow new young leaves.
By autumn, the bushes pruned at the end of July had acquired new leaves.
There are no strict days and signs for pruning strawberries - massive yellowing and drying have begun - you can start at any time convenient for you, but dry weather on a not hot day is favorable for the plant (the petioles remaining from pruning should dry out quickly, in wet weather they simply begin to rot from the cut point).
Only timely pruning of strawberry bushes will allow it to gain strength for fruiting. Such an event will not weaken the bush, but, on the contrary, will make it stronger and healthier.
Do I need to prune strawberries?
There is still no consensus on whether strawberries should be pruned or not. Very often, due to the summer-autumn hassle, strawberries remain unkempt; they go into winter with all their leaves and tendrils and produce a wonderful harvest in the spring. Other gardeners prune the bushes completely, new greenery grows by winter, and in the spring the strawberries also bloom and bear fruit beautifully. So who is right?
Let's look at the positives and negatives of fully pruning your strawberries.
Table: Pros and Cons of Full Trimming
If your plantation consists of several beds, then it is best not to remove all the leaves, but to select only the old, diseased ones. When there is no need to increase the plantation, it is better to remove the mustaches with rosettes immediately.
If you do not remove the mustache, the strawberry bed will quickly become overgrown
When is the best time to prune strawberries?
Strawberries require constant care. In the spring, sanitary pruning of bushes is carried out after wintering. During the fruiting period, excess tendrils are cut off, and after harvesting, revitalizing pruning is carried out, cutting off the leaves completely or partially; in addition, reddened or diseased leaves can be cut off in the fall.
Pruning strawberries in spring
On our very first visit to the dacha in early spring, we inspect the strawberries. If there is no more snow, then you can do sanitary pruning: remove withered, damaged and red leaves. It is best to collect them by hand or use a fan rake, since the root system of strawberries is superficial, delicate and ordinary rakes can damage it. Immediately after such pruning, you need to feed the strawberries: add 5-7 HB-101 granules under each bush and sprinkle with a bio-cocktail. This way you will help the strawberries wake up and start growing.
Bio-cocktail recipe: for 1 liter of water, take 2 granules of the “Healthy Garden” preparation + 2 granules of “Ecoberin” (homeopathy for plants) and 2 drops of liquid HB 101 (immunostimulant).
This is what strawberries look like after winter: you need to remove all dry and damaged leaves, as pests can hide under them
After a week, you can fertilize with liquid organic or mineral fertilizers. For example, use liquid vermicompost “Gumistar” in accordance with the instructions. After warming up the soil, pour compost, vermicompost or granulated horse manure into the rows or under each bush separately - this will serve as food for the strawberries at the time of forcing flower stalks. It is very useful to mulch the soil with straw to prevent rapid drying out.
Photo gallery: means for feeding strawberries
Gumistar is diluted in accordance with the instructions. Orgavit can be sprinkled dry with a few granules under each bush, so during the season the nutrition will slowly be released into the soil. Biohumus is an excellent fertilizer for strawberries
Pruning strawberries after harvest
Immediately after harvesting, when the last berry is removed from the bush, you need to trim the old leaves. Using pruning shears or garden shears, cut off damaged and diseased leaves, remove the tendrils if you do not need rosettes for propagation. There should be 5-7 young leaves left on the bush in the center. Immediately water and feed the strawberries with organic or mineral fertilizers. By winter, a lush and strong bush will grow.
After harvesting, you need to trim off the old leaves, leaving 5-7 young leaves in the center
Pruning strawberries in autumn
Very often you can see the following picture: in mid-August, all the leaves are cut off, leaving the stumps, while at the same time the young rosettes are planted in a new place. Unfortunately, by completely pruning the bush later than mid-July, you simply deprive yourself of part of the harvest, since flower buds are laid in August for next spring. When you completely cut off the leaves of a strawberry, the plant experiences stress and the normal movement of juices from the roots to the foliage stops. Then the strawberry, instead of planting the future harvest, spends its energy growing new leaves. That is why it is recommended to remove foliage immediately after harvesting, and not when replanting bushes in August.
Such pruning at the end of summer or autumn will greatly weaken the plant.
Autumn pruning (September-October) can be done selectively, removing reddened or diseased leaves or bushes.
Photo gallery: leaves that must be removed
The redness of the leaves indicates their age, they are not sick, but they do not participate in photosynthesis either - remove without a doubt Leaves on old bushes often suffer from brown or white spotting Curled leaves damaged by strawberry mites must be removed We remove leaves covered with a white coating - powdery mildew
Strawberry mustache trimming
Some varieties of strawberries form many tendrils during the growing season, from which rosettes of young plants then develop. If you do not remove them in time, the bed will become overgrown very quickly. Instead of pouring berries, strawberries will grow young bushes, so it is advisable to remove the tendrils immediately after they appear, while they are still thin and fragile.
It is better to cut off strawberry tendrils right away so that the plant does not waste energy growing rosettes.
But most often the mustache is removed when the bush is completely pruned, after collecting all the berries.
If you need rosettes to increase the plantation, then during the fruiting period, mark those bushes where there were the most berries. In the future, take mustaches from this bush, even if the rosettes are not the most beautiful.
Caring for remontant strawberries
Nowadays there are more and more varieties of remontant strawberries, the berries of which are distinguished by their excellent taste and size. Each bush can reach up to 50 cm in width and grow up to a kilogram of delicious berries in one season. Such fruiting is possible only with proper care and constant feeding. Therefore, traditional pruning for remontant bushes is not done, since the formation of flower stalks and ripening of berries occurs throughout the season, and complete pruning of leaves will weaken the plant.
Remontant strawberries bloom and bear fruit all summer, so they are pruned selectively
Periodically trim off diseased, dry and damaged leaves, as well as tendrils, if you do not need them for propagation.
Since remontant strawberries are very intensive in growth and fruiting, new bushes are planted every 2–3 years, unlike ordinary strawberries, which are replanted every 4–5 years.
Video: pruning strawberries and caring for them after harvest
Pruning strawberries is an important event for maintaining the health of the plantation and laying the future harvest. But only timely pruning will make it possible not to deplete the bushes, but to make them healthier and stronger.