Watering strawberries during fruiting

Everyone likes fragrant and juicy strawberries - both adults and children. Of course, much tastier berries, grown on their own garden plot! To plant this plant is not so difficult, the main thing - the right care.

How often to water strawberries?

To harvest strawberries pleased with juicy berries, watering should be carried out, adhering to a certain list of rules. In the first year, when the plant begins to bear fruit, water should only be guided by weather conditions. While the strawberry does not bloom, it is better to water it with a sprinkler method. It will wash the leaves from dust and give them the opportunity to grow properly.

From the moment when the strawberries begin to bloom and to the last berry that you remove from it, you only need to water the soil, located just under the plants.Water on the bushes themselves should not fall. In addition, watering strawberries in small amounts is impossible, it can provoke the occurrence of various diseases. At that time, when it is warm outside and there is no rain, watering should be reduced to 1 time in 10 days. 15 liters of water per 1 m² will be enough until the first flowers appear on it. As soon as the first berries appear, the volume of water must be increased to 2 p.

After proper watering, the soil under the strawberry bushes should be wetted to a depth of 25 cm. If the bushes grow on small beds, then it is advisable to cover them with fruiting during fruiting and heavy rains. Before pouring strawberries, it is best to pick a ripe berry, then pour it under the root using a hose. It is more correct to leave the hose for a while in one place, then shift it to dry areas.

But you do not need to flood the plants, otherwise the immature fruits will be in the mud and start to rot. It is important to water this crop between rows, so as not to hurt the bushes. If you then impose straw on the ground, the berry will remain clean and will not start to rot. To disinfect the soil, you can water the strawberries with a solution of phytosporin 1 r. in 10 days.

Proper watering strawberries

Experienced gardeners recommend the most abundant watering in the first 14 days after planting strawberries. It is recommended to conduct it in the amount of 3 liters per 1 m.².

It is desirable to reduce the intensity of watering on hot days up to 3 days a week, and at a moderate temperature of 1 r.

Watering strawberries is best done in the morning, which will allow the berries and leaves to dry by night. Too abundant watering can cause diseases, especially fungal ones.

The best method of irrigation is drip. But whatever method is chosen, it is very important to observe the following rules:

1. Watering is carried out in the early morning.
2. Strawberries should be watered only with warm water, cold water can provoke fruit rotting and the death of the plant itself.
3. During prolonged rains, flowering strawberries should be covered.
4. To preserve moisture, it is advisable to close the beds with ordinary hay or grass.

The advantages of strawberry drip irrigation include:

• Simple maintenance required for the equipment that provides it.
• Supply water directly to the root system of plants, which reduces the consumption of moisture.
• Maintain the required level of soil moisture and dryness between the rows. Uniform distribution of water.

• Reduced soil compaction and chemical consumption.
• No need for hard physical labor.
• The ability to simultaneously perform work on the collection or weeding of plants.
• A drip irrigation was created to restore soil moisture and improve the environment for plant development. Install it best at the time of planting strawberries. But this method has some disadvantages. These include: the inability to carry out refreshing irrigation and use on those areas that are characterized by a strong slope.

In addition to drip irrigation, you can also use sprinkling or even fertigation. Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages.

During the fruiting period, strawberries are watered as needed and only on the soil, trying not to fall on the plants themselves.

See also:Garden watering systems

After watering or heavy rain, it is recommended to loosen. This will increase the access of oxygen to the root system and prevent the creation of a crust, which prevents soil ventilation. With the refusal of loosening, the yield of strawberries may decrease by 1/3.

The importance of watering strawberries is due to the fact that its root system is shallow, and the leaves evaporate moisture very intensively. Remember, in order to increase the quantity and quality of the future harvest, during the ripening of berries, especially frequent and abundant watering is required!