How often should strawberries be watered during berry ripening and fruiting?

In order not to make a mistake when figuring out how often and abundantly to water strawberry bushes, you should know the rules for caring for this crop. In addition to using water, it is possible to use liquid fertilizers and growth stimulants. The periods of flowering and fruiting require the opposite approach while observing the drinking regime. The climate zone and time of year also influences. Understanding these subtleties is extremely important.

Rules for watering strawberries

To ensure a regular supply of juicy, aromatic strawberries to the table and to obtain a stable harvest, you need to properly water the bushes. The culture is specific, with a unique structure of the root system and water regime.

Most gardeners are aware that strawberries “drink” a lot of water, but few know that overwatering is more dangerous for them than drought.

The roots are divided into superficial, absorbing moisture from shallow layers of soil, and long, located in the lower horizons of the soil. Both of them eat separately.

The summer resident’s task is to ensure a uniform supply of liquid along the height of the earthen pie, avoiding waterlogging and stagnation.

How often and what to water strawberries for a high yield

Watering watering is different. There is a drinking regime for strawberries in dry weather, but there are also rules for the rainy seasons. The plant experiences a special need for liquid from May to September, during the period of active growth and fruiting.

Until the heat sets in, at the beginning of the growing season, the frequency of watering is once every 7 days. An upward change in temperature requires adjustment of “water procedures”: 2-3 times a week. The type of soil, in turn, also affects the frequency and amount of moisture for feeding strawberries. Strawberries on sandy soils with high drainage need to be moistened every 2 days in the summer. With the arrival of autumn, watering is gradually reduced so as not to cause putrefactive processes in the soil and underground part of the plant.

If it rains, the soil receives enough natural moisture; additional feeding is not needed.

Particular attention is paid to water temperature. Watering with cold liquid stimulates the development of rot and leads to the death of the bushes.It is recommended to settle the water in barrels or tanks, and only then carefully “water” the strawberries, avoiding dripping on the leaves. There is no time to painstakingly water each bush from a bucket or watering can - you can adapt a watering hose to a storage container, it’s not difficult.

Features of irrigation by vegetation stage

There are several stages of watering, aimed at different periods of bush development:

1. Immediately after landing. Planted strawberries will not be able to produce flower stalks if there is no required concentration of liquid in the soil mixture.
2. At the beginning of flowering. The formation of inflorescences, ovaries, and fruiting depend on compliance with the “drinking regime.”
3. When berries appear and bear fruit. If there is not enough watering, there will be no harvest. This is an axiom.

The stages differ in the amount of moisture distributed and the doses for each day. It is allowed to combine fertilization and watering, but you cannot experiment freely. It is very important to give the strawberries as much water as they need, not a milliliter more or less.

Watering at the beginning of the growing season

As soon as the bush is planted in the ground, it immediately needs watering. It is important to choose the right dose of liquid. Most often, strawberries are planted in spring or autumn, in moderately warm weather, so you should not be too zealous with water. Be sure to direct the stream at the root, not at the top. The recommended dose is 500 milliliters per bush for 14 days. The water should be warm.

Subsequently, the strengthened seedlings receive up to 12 liters of nutrition per square meter of planting.

The type of soil (sandy, loamy) also affects the maintenance of humidity levels and the amount of water the bush receives. It is important to maintain drainage in the soil.This requires loosening, allowing the root part of the plant to receive moisture and air. At the same time, they get rid of weeds.

Bloom

The flowering period should be accompanied by dosed watering. Otherwise, general depletion of the plant and problems with fruiting cannot be avoided. The average displacement per square meter of plantation is up to 25. The specific amount varies depending on the type of soil, climatic zone, and weather. The average depth of moisture penetration into the ground is 25 centimeters.

Mulching placed between the rows of strawberries will help retain nutrient fluid in the soil. This step helps solve 2 problems:

• avoid the development of weeds;
• isolate inflorescences, buds and fruits from contact with moisture (prevent rot).

In August and autumn, watering is gradually reduced. If the weather is rainy, with regular precipitation, then the amount of moisture is proportionally adjusted. But you cannot completely abandon watering so that the plant continues to develop. After all, right now a new mustache is being released.

Fruiting

The beginning of fruit harvesting occurs in June, but this successful development of events may stop if growth stimulants and regulated watering in the open ground are not used. The secret to successfully obtaining not one, but several harvests is to follow the rule of “25 liters of water per square meter.”

But it works for hot weather with low levels of humidity in the atmosphere and soil.

The last indicator is set depending on the type of soil: in mixtures with sand - 70%, in loamy substrates - 80%. The need for moisture in flower rosettes increases during the formation of ovaries.Creating a special “channel” between the rows will help conserve water, preventing the inflorescences from coming into contact with it while the berries are ripening.

After harvest

Strawberries are one of the crops whose watering does not stop after fruiting. This is what caring for the berries consists of. Together with fertilizing, it allows you to organize the results and continue harvesting in the future.

First, pruning is carried out, old fragments are removed, and the plant is formed. Then fertilizer is applied. Watering should be infrequent, but regular, so that the soil on which the bushes grow does not dry out. The more young leaves that appear during this period, the better for the strawberries: they will protect the bush during wintering and help the plant withstand the cold.

Drip systems

For those who do not want (or cannot) systematically water each bush, dosing the amount of liquid received, there is an alternative solution. We are talking about drip irrigation technology.

The undoubted advantage of the method is the following:

1. Strawberries receive the required amount of moisture.
2. There is no dry layer of soil on the ground around the bushes.
3. There is no waterlogging.

Drip irrigation, so called because water is supplied to the plant in precisely calculated quantities (drop by drop), is recommended for beginners and experienced gardeners. It’s easy to make either from ready-made kits or on your own.

The basis of the system is a pump that pumps water through a network of capillaries. Another advantage is the delivery of life-giving moisture to where it is needed (to the roots). Leaves and inflorescences remain dry. The pollen is not washed off and the plant does not get sunburned. This installation allows you to quickly and efficiently manage the feeding of strawberries, almost without human intervention.Fresh seedlings, buried in the ground and protected by covering material from temperature changes, will be able to receive adequate nutrition and will grow faster if drip irrigation is provided.

The design of the system is simple, but extremely effective. It is enough to familiarize yourself with the principle of its operation once to create the same one on your personal plot. Moreover, the components (hoses, pump, adapters) are easy to buy in a store or on the market.

Irrigation systems with sprinklers

Every guide to growing strawberries, experienced gardeners place special emphasis on watering. This aspect covers timeliness, fluid volumes and distribution area. It is equally important to find a balance between “overfill, let it rot” and “underfill, allow an airtight crust to form.”

The task is made easier when using irrigation systems. These include drip irrigation, designs with water spraying over the area of ​​analysis. To understand the difference and common features of these options, just compare them:

In essence, a sprinkler is a special nozzle that creates a thin, almost imperceptible stream of water. This minimizes consumption and ensures uniform distribution of liquid over the area of ​​the strawberry plantation. It is easier to assemble such a system with your own hands than others. In the future, you can add automation to the design to free yourself from the need to worry about watering strawberries, getting a stable harvest of berries.

Newbie mistakes

No one is immune from mistakes. But most often they happen to beginners. This is natural, since there is a lack of experience and knowledge, and sometimes attentiveness and understanding of the essence of phenomena. Mistakes happen when choosing a place to plant strawberries. This is a low, marshy place, poor (poor permeability) soil, lack of nutrients that the seedling will need to grow.

Depending on the severity of the problem, different solution methods are used: replanting, replacing the soil mixture, using organic (mineral) fertilizers.

The next mistake concerns the incorrect watering regime. There are 2 options here - excessive and insufficient. In the first case, the bushes will begin to rot, the berries will disappear, turn gray, and the harvest will be spoiled. In the second, the strawberries will dry out and begin to develop poorly. The third mistake involves neglecting to trim strawberries. And completely in vain. The abundance of released tendrils draws juices from the bush, strawberries are deprived of essential nutrients, minerals and moisture.

Another mistake is due to placing high hopes on irrigation systems: they are automatic and will handle everything themselves.Both drip and sprinkler structures must be adjusted and configured depending on the weather, season, and specific situation. Only in this case will they supply the strawberry bushes with life-giving liquid, preventing waterlogging.

And one moment. The water should not be cold. It is better to use a special container (sump) in which the liquid for watering strawberries is naturally heated.