Strawberries are one of the most delicious and beautiful summer berries.
However, it is picky enough to care and in order to get a high yield of this crop, it is necessary to observe several important rules in the growing process.
Why cut strawberries?
Strawberry pruning refers to the removal of all leaves from the berry in early August or in the middle of it, so that all the energy goes to strengthen the roots.
Gardeners never came to a consensus on whether to prune strawberries. Someone claims that this will create the necessary amount of stress for the bushes, which, in turn, will only benefit and increase the yield of the berry. According to others, intervention in the natural cycle will not lead to anything good and it is better to refrain from this procedure. One way or another, you can decide for yourself which side to join by the experimental method: leave strawberries in one garden with leaves and cut the berries in another. After which the result will become apparent.
Trimming strawberries is necessary if signs of berry disease are visible. Three weeks after fruiting, the leaves must be removed. After that, disinfect the berry and pour it with mineral or organic fertilizers.
In general, in strawberry pruning, there are several main pros and cons. You can build on them, but it is better, of course, to test each of the methods on your own crop in order to arrive at the most objective solution.
Arguments for cutting strawberries
Thanks to the pruning of strawberries, the roots are rapidly strengthening. There is an explanation for this: losing the stem, all useful substances and trace elements rush into the root system, saturating it with vitamins and helping to develop.
Pruning strawberries helps get rid of pests that live on diseased leaves and branches.
After about two months after the beginning of flowering, the leaves of the berry change color, covered with strange, unnatural spots. This is nothing more than evidence of the presence of diseases in strawberries. In this case, it is worth immediately cutting the leaves, thereby preventing the spread of the sore.
Many gardeners claim that after pruning, strawberries become more resistant to frost. The statement is very doubtful, but this opinion has a right to exist.
Arguments against strawberry pruning
Since it is in the autumn period that the buds are set, from which the crop is formed in spring, it is likely that when cutting strawberries, generative and vegetative buds will be damaged. This, in turn, will cause a meager harvest.
There is an opinion that stress arising from pruning a berry will lead to a slowdown in strawberry growth and the late formation of fruits.
After trimming strawberries, all pests that previously live on the berry fall down to the ground, and then climb onto newly grown leaves.
With the help of leaves, an important process takes place - photosynthesis, due to which plants breathe. By removing leaves, strawberries partially overlap partial access to oxygen.
When to cut strawberries?
There is no consensus on this issue either. Some gardeners argue that the best time for pruning leaves is after June 20, while others consider spring to be the most suitable time of the year, someone says with confidence that the procedure should be performed exclusively in the fall. Consider each of the times separately.
According to experienced gardeners, pruning leaves in the summer after June 20, the natural cycle is not violated, and the result will be very noticeable. For the better, of course. You need to choose a warm and dry day, morning or evening time.
Someone claims that the most favorable period for strawberry pruning is spring and, having completed the procedure at this time of the year, gardeners will receive the most abundant harvest.
Autumn is rightfully considered the most dangerous time for pruning leaves. At this time of the year, vegetative and generative buds are formed and their growth can be easily disturbed by cutting the leaves.
After trimming strawberries, you need to perform several important procedures. Without fail, loosen the soil, pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate and fill it with insulation, which is good ashes. Do not forget to feed the berry with mineral or organic fertilizers.
When should strawberries trim the mustache and should it be done?
Regardless of the strawberry variety, mustaches will appear on the berry. By this word is meant long processes that open in all directions from the bush and are devoid of leaves. Before turning to the question of when to cut a mustache, you should find out for yourself - is it worth it at all?
In this matter, gardeners from around the world, finally, came to a consensus: to trim mustaches from strawberries must be mandatory. In no case do not bring the berry to a state where all of it literally "drowns" in the shoots - in this case, you can safely forget about the abundant harvest. They are left only if it is necessary to obtain new seedlings of the same variety of berries. In this case, you must leave the mustache located first from the bush.
If cropping a mustache is still necessary, then when to do it? The mustache of the berry appears at the very beginning of its flowering. Some gardeners prefer to prune the shoots immediately, as they grow, while others wait for each strawberry to have a mustache and do it in one approach. There are no specific dates for trimming: you can complete the procedure both on the twentieth of July or earlier, and in the fall. However, many gardeners recommend performing the procedure in the summer, because it is during this period, after trimming the mustache, the strawberries will quickly grow in the necessary greens. The main thing is that by winter, the strawberry mustache was already trimmed and the shoots managed to grow. To trim, select a dry, calm day, morning or late evening. Rainy or, on the contrary, too sunny, the weather is not suitable.
It is best to refrain from directly pulling out the mustache - they are strong enough and, tearing out the processes, you can easily damage the bush itself. Instead, arm yourself with a sector or as sharp scissors as possible and carry out the necessary procedure.
Gather the mustache in one big bunch and cut them. However, this should not be done at the very root. It is best to leave a stalk about 8-10 cm long - this way, the so-called "growth point" of the bush will be preserved, due to which a rich harvest will grow at the end of the season.
Do not think that you cut off your mustache once and this can be done. The processes continue to appear and the procedure will have to be repeated several times during the season. You should not forget about pruning, because, otherwise, the strawberries will spend all their energy on forming a mustache, forgetting about strengthening the root system and planting flower buds, which will lead to a poor harvest. Moreover, strawberries that “sink” in the appendages are much more difficult to care for.
After completing the mustache pruning process, treat the bushes with special means from diseases and pest protection, having carried out a kind of disinfection. Then fill the ground near the strawberries with a heater. As it is well suited ashes. After these procedures, continue to care for the berry, water it until the leaves appear. Some gardeners after trimming their mustaches recommend regularly loosening the topsoil, which, in their opinion, will make the berry frost-resistant and will lead to a plentiful harvest at the end of the season.
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How to prune strawberries without harming them?
Some gardeners are afraid to touch the berry bush, believing that with one awkward movement they will break the plant’s natural cycle and harm it. However, in reality, everything turns out to be much simpler and, following some rules, strawberry pruning will be easy and fruitful.
The first step is to remove the stems frozen over the winter, as there is no further sense from them. This can be done with pruners, scissors or just with your hand. Then find on the berry damaged, or even partially damaged, leaves and feel free to get rid of them. This should be done immediately - these areas require a lot of nutrients, which are much needed for young shoots.
After all unnecessary strawberries are cut, you need to thoroughly loosen the soil to provide air for the bushes and then water the berries. It will not be superfluous to use fertilizers that can easily be purchased at the store.
