Anyone who grows garden strawberries knows that it is very convenient to have stands for strawberries. The berries are clean, as if chosen. They are free of mold and holes eaten away by insects. You can buy supports, or you can make them yourself using the materials you have at your dacha.
What are they?
Clean, dry berries are the main purpose of the support. The simplest models are sold in every gardening department. This is a small green plastic structure in the form of a loop on a pin. It must be used correctly.Install in early spring immediately after cutting off old leaves.
Stick in the support so that the circle lies on the ground around the future bush. Pull it out gradually as the strawberries grow. When used correctly, leaves, flower stalks, and berries are not harmed. It is difficult to install the structure on an overgrown bush.
Advantages and disadvantages of using supports
The use of holders, stands, and mats for strawberries brings tangible benefits. All options prevent rotting of berries and protect them from slugs and beetles. On a small ridge, installing supports is easy and inexpensive. For a large plantation this requires a lot of time and certain financial costs.
Types of supports
There are many options for supports. A disposable plastic fork is the most basic. This life hack won’t be useful on a large strawberry plantation, but for a small bed it will be just right. Each fork needs to break out 2 central tines. You need to stick such supports under each peduncle. Natural materials are suitable to protect berries from rot, dirt, and insects: straw, sawdust, peat. They are scattered (layed out) under strawberry bushes.
The berries do not touch the ground, so they remain clean, are not damaged by insects, and are less susceptible to fungus.
To protect berries, you can purchase industrial materials in the store:
- mesh;
- black film;
- black non-woven fabric;
- plastic structures.
Preparing for work
Film and black non-woven material are used for drip irrigation systems. These are multifunctional options. On the one hand, they prevent moisture evaporation and save water. On the other hand, they protect berries and bushes from dirt, slugs, and other insects.
Working with these materials is easy. They are durable. Can last for several years. Covering material (film) should be laid in the spring.First, draw a diagram of the location of the bushes on the canvas. Then make cross-shaped notches. Place the film on the bed and pull the bushes out through the notches.
Fine mesh is used similarly to film. You also need to make holes in it for the bushes. If the cells are large, this is not necessary. While the stems are small, you can simply tuck them into the hole. When the strawberry bushes grow, the net needs to be raised above the ground, tying it to pegs.
Wire can be used in several ways:
- stick pegs along the row of strawberries and stretch the wire between them;
- cut into pieces, make holders in the shape of the letter “M”, install several pieces at each bush, put flower stalks on them.
Finished plastic structures look aesthetically pleasing. Place holders under each bush. They come in different sizes. Easy to assemble. They have legs. The bushes are not damaged, since the product has latches. The holder is first placed under the bush, then given the desired shape and secured with latches.
How to make strawberry stands with your own hands?
The simplest strawberry stand is made with your own hands from wire with a cross-section of 6-8 mm. The wire should be strong, but easy to bend. Tools and devices needed for work:
- a piece of pipe (metal, plastic) with a diameter of 15-20 cm;
- pliers;
- side cutters.
Step-by-step manufacturing algorithm:
- use side cutters to cut a piece 80 cm long;
- form a loop by wrapping one end around the pipe (1 turn);
- Use pliers to bend the loop 90°.
Three simple operations, and a convenient support for a strawberry bush is ready. It's easy to use. The pin is stuck into the ground next to the plant. The ring is smoothly placed under the leaves and flower stalks.It keeps the fruits and stems away from the ground.
Making a stand for strawberries from 1.5 liter plastic bottles is no less simple. It's better if the plastic is brown. During the winter you need to accumulate as many of them as possible. The only tools you need are a sharp knife and side cutters, and additional materials are thin wire (2-2.5 mm) and tape.
Bottles need to have their bottoms cut off. Assemble them into a pipe by sticking the top of one bottle into the bottom of the other. The length of the structure depends on the length of the ridge. For ease of transportation at home, you can make short sections and finally assemble them on site. Secure the pipe joints with tape.
Cut pieces of wire and bend U-shaped brackets. Place 2 tube stands along the row of strawberries. Secure with staples on both sides. Gardeners using this design note the following advantages:
- the berries ripen earlier;
- a favorable climate is created around the bushes, there are no drafts, the air cools less at night;
- leaves, flowers, berries do not come into contact with the ground;
- dirt and water do not linger on the plastic surface;
- insects do not live under bottles.
Subsequent planting and care of strawberries
Every year you need to plant a new bed of strawberries, then there will be a harvest every year. In one place the berry bears fruit for 5 years. Therefore, at your dacha you need to have several strawberry plots:
- first year of life;
- a 2-year-old bed that produces a small harvest;
- 3-year productive;
- 4-year productive;
- 5 year old aging.
For propagation, first-order rosettes are taken from healthy, productive bushes. The planting pattern is chosen 35 x 80 cm or 50 x 80 cm. The choice depends on the size of the adult bushes. The more powerful they are, the greater the distance between the holes.
To protect strawberries from rot during fruiting, you can cover the ridges with straw and place holders under each bush. After prolonged rains, it is necessary to treat the bushes with biological products:
- “Trichofite” (200 ml per 10 liters of water);
- “Gaupsin” (200 ml per 10 liters of water);
- "Rosconcentrate" (20 ml per 10 liters of water).
Spraying protects the berries from gray rot and insects.
Additional recommendations
Strawberries can be grown not only on the ground. A bed made of PVC pipe will look original. You can place it anywhere in the garden: hang it on a fence, place it on vertical supports.
You will need 2 pipes:
- one of small diameter (40 mm) for watering, you need to drill holes in it, you can take a garden hose;
- the second is of large diameter (main).
In the main pipe, holes with a diameter of 10-15 cm need to be cut every 15 cm. After this, proceed to filling:
- pour small pebbles, this will be drainage;
- insert a hose with holes for irrigation, pre-wrap it with covering material, the holes will not become clogged with soil;
- add nutrient substrate.
Strawberry bushes are planted in the holes of the pipe. The berries in such a tube bed are always clean; they do not need additional support. They are easy to care for. Liquid fertilizers can be added to water for irrigation.
There are many options for original beds for strawberries. They build beds from used car tires. They are made from plastic bottles. The vertical bed-barrel for strawberries is very popular. During flowering and fruiting, wooden pyramid ridges become a decoration of the garden.
