How can you increase the harvest of strawberries in open ground, the best ways

Gardeners who grow strawberries often experience deteriorating yields. Many people believe that only the weather affects strawberry yields, but this is not true. There are other factors that negatively affect the fruiting of berries. Therefore, before planting it, you need to figure out how to increase the strawberry harvest.

Is it possible to increase strawberry yields?

Some inexperienced gardeners do not know that they can independently increase the fruiting of strawberry seedlings. Most often, berry yield deteriorates due to the following reasons:

• Growing plants in the same place. Gardeners who have been growing strawberries for years recommend replanting them to a new place every 3-4 years. This will protect the plant from dangerous pathogens and accelerate the ripening of fruits. For replanting, areas with fertile soil are selected.
• Renewing plantings with old bushes. Some gardeners use old bushes when planting strawberries. This cannot be done, since such bushes grow worse and have a low yield.
• Planting a large number of varieties. Many gardeners plant many different strawberry varieties on their site. This negatively affects the yield, since different varieties of strawberries need to be cared for differently. It is recommended to plant no more than 2-4 proven varieties.

Ways to increase your strawberry harvest

There are several ways that will help improve the fruiting of strawberries grown in open ground.

Selection of high-yielding varieties

It is no secret that productivity depends on the characteristics of the planted varieties. Therefore, the most productive varieties of berries that bear fruit for a long time are selected for planting. These berries include:

• Marshal. A distinctive feature of the plant is considered not only its fruiting, but also its resistance to common diseases. Marshall is also resistant to temperature drops down to 25-30 degrees below zero.
• Holiday. This variety was created by breeders from America in the second half of the last century. Each ripe Holiday berry weighs about 50 grams; 1-2 kilograms of fruit are collected from the bush.
• Crown. Belongs to the group of dwarf berries with small bushes. The average weight of berries is 350-400 grams. At the same time, the variety has a high yield level, allowing you to harvest 2-3 kilograms of strawberries from the plant.

Compliance with crop rotation

To get a large harvest, it is necessary to maintain proper crop rotation. Strawberry bushes gradually age and therefore lose part of the harvest from year to year. Experienced gardeners do not recommend growing berries for longer than four years, as then they practically stop bearing fruit. It is recommended to regularly grow young bushes on the site that will bear fruit well.

Getting rid of unproductive bushes

Removing bushes that do not bear fruit will help increase fruiting. It is necessary to regularly inspect the beds in order to promptly identify strawberry seedlings that do not have berries. Such plants are carefully dug up and burned. You cannot leave dug up strawberries on the site.

Proper propagation of strawberries

Proper propagation of the berry helps to improve its fruiting. When growing strawberries in the garden beds, follow the following sequence of actions:

• Soil preparation. In order for the planted seedlings to take root faster and grow better, sawdust and peat are added to the soil.
• Planting. Strawberry sprouts are carefully placed in the beds so that their rosette is above the surface of the soil.
• Watering. All planted plants must be watered with warm water.

Mulching strawberry beds

To increase the yield of berries planted in the country, they mulch the beds. Humus and compost can be used as mulch.These organic fertilizers saturate the soil with micronutrients that have a positive effect on fruiting. Mulching is also carried out using peat.

Proper watering of strawberries

A high level of yield can only be achieved with proper watering of the berries. Experts advise equipping the beds with a drip or sprinkler irrigation system.

It is necessary to moisten the soil daily so that it does not have time to dry out.

Only with sufficient humidity will it be possible to increase fruiting. In early spring, it is not necessary to flood the bushes and therefore they are watered every 2-4 days.

Timely feeding of strawberries

Strawberry seedlings are fertilized during the period of active flowering. At the same time, fertilizers are applied at least three times during the season. Experts recommend adding fertilizers to the soil after rains or waterings, when the soil is moist. The most suitable substances for strawberries include mullein, urea and nitrophoska. Use 1-2 liters of solution per bush.

Removing excess leaves and whiskers from strawberries

Strawberry seedlings spend nutritional components not only on the formation and ripening of berries, but also on reproduction. Therefore, gardeners advise periodically removing tendrils and leaves from adult bushes, which slow down the development of fruits.

Protecting strawberries from pests

The berry is often attacked by pests. To protect the plant, it is necessary to periodically treat the seedlings with fungicidal agents. Also, to prevent pests, dry and damaged leaves are removed from the bushes.

Conclusion

When growing strawberries, yields may deteriorate. Therefore, it is recommended to understand in advance the main ways to increase the fruiting of strawberry bushes.