How to propagate and plant strawberries in August with a mustache step by step

Garden strawberries are one of the most common berry crops in household plots. The advantage of the crop is that strawberries grow quickly, and after 1-2 years a whole plantation is formed from several bushes. Strawberries are planted with a mustache in August.

Basic principles of whisker transplantation

Strawberries are transplanted with a mustache in the spring. and in autumn. In some cases, you can plant berries in the summer. To grow mustaches, it is recommended to select several mother bushes at once. Such bushes will bear less fruit, but in the fall they will grow many mustaches with children.

You can plant mustaches without roots, when they have just begun to appear. True, such seedlings will grow longer. Only healthy bushes are suitable for planting. The leaves should not have white or red spots, holes or traces of insects. Only female bushes are used to grow mustaches. The female rosette can be distinguished by the presence of a peduncle and berries. In addition, female bushes produce mustaches several days later than male ones.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Advantages of the method:

• You can grow a large number of mustaches in a short period of time.
• Easy to grow.
• It is possible to adjust the number of mustaches.
• Layerings retain all the characteristics of the mother plant.
• High survival rate of layering after transplantation.

The disadvantages include the fact that the bushes chosen for growing mustaches will not produce a harvest. Or it will be very meager. Also, if male bushes were selected for growing cuttings, such seedlings will not bear abundant fruit.

Optimal timing

Garden strawberries are planted in spring, summer or autumn. The second half of summer is considered a favorable time for planting. In the summer, after the fruiting period, the bushes produce more layering, and this does not affect the yield.

Transplantation is carried out starting from the second half of July and ending in mid-September. The second half of summer is favorable for planting because the seedlings will not freeze and will quickly take root in a new place. And in the spring, strawberries will quickly enter the growth and fruiting phase.

In those regions where the summer is hot, it is recommended to postpone the planting of garden strawberries to the second half of September. In areas with harsh and frosty winters, spring is considered a favorable period for planting.

Methods of breeding with a mustache

There are two ways to grow a mustache. You can do this right in the garden. Or use separate pots in which the cuttings will grow.

How to propagate in pots

Propagation of garden strawberries by whiskers is carried out using plastic cups. To do this, 3 tendrils are left on the mother bush. As soon as the layering appears, it is transferred to a cup filled with soil. Repeat until 4 layers grow on one mustache. Then the mustache is pinched. When the bushes grow up, they are replanted in the usual way.

How to plant in garden beds

Reproduction in open ground is considered the easiest way. Only 2-3 year old bushes are chosen for growing mustaches. Old plants will not be able to produce healthy offspring. Each bush has 3 tendrils. If you leave a lot of rosettes on each mustache, they will grow small and weak; you should not plant such cuttings. Therefore, they leave 3-4 pieces. The rest is cut off.

Until the second half of August, the rosettes develop quickly and form a strong root system. And at the end of August - beginning of September they are cut and planted separately.

Choosing the right mother bush

The mother bush should be no older than 3 years. In addition, healthy bushes without signs of damage are chosen for growing mustaches. Sick and weak plants are not suitable for this purpose. Before choosing a mother bush, all plants are inspected, and if there are signs of disease or the presence of insects on the strawberry, it is not used for propagating rosettes.

Fruit-bearing strawberries are also not suitable for growing mustaches. You will have to wait until fruiting is over, and only then grow layering.

How to choose the right strawberry mustache for propagation

For further planting, healthy rosettes with a well-developed root system should be left. The rosettes are not separated from the mother plant until they grow 3 large leaves. The leaves must be healthy. The mustache from a fruit-bearing bush is not suitable for planting. Most of the nutrients in such a plant go to the growth of berries. The mustache of these strawberries is weak and not suitable for planting.

Preparing the landing site

When the cuttings grow up and the root system is formed, they are transplanted to a permanent place. It is recommended to plant seedlings on a hill, since strawberries do not tolerate excess moisture in the soil.

Strawberries are also demanding on soil composition and lighting. The main place where the bed will be located should be in the sun most of the day. Loamy or sandy loam soil is suitable for planting. If the conditions for growth are optimal, then strawberries can grow in one place for up to 5 years.

The best predecessors for strawberries are:

• onion;
• celery;
• garlic;
• cabbage
• legumes;
• carrot.

It is not recommended to plant strawberries after raspberries, cucumbers, potatoes, and tomatoes. It is also undesirable for spreading trees to grow nearby. A dense crown will create shadow, and this will not have the best effect on the yield of garden strawberries.

Landing rules

Planting is carried out on a dry, warm day. It is advisable for the weather to remain this way for several days before and after planting. When planting during hot weather, the leaves will begin to dry out. If the cuttings were grown in soil, they are cut off from the whiskers.When grown in peat cups, the mustache is also cut off, the cups are dug up and replanted with them.

How to plant layering step by step:

• Dig up the soil several weeks before the intended planting.
• Mix with rotted manure.
• Remove weeds.
• Make holes 20 cm deep and 25 cm wide.
• The distance between the holes is left up to 35 cm.
• Leave a distance of up to 65 cm between the rows.
• The seedling is dug up along with part of the soil.
• Place the seedling in the hole and cover it with soil.
• Lightly compact the soil.

At the end of planting, water the holes abundantly with water. Only warm water is used for irrigation. Watering with cold water promotes the development of fungal diseases. It is recommended to plant strawberries only in fertile soil.

Further care

After the seedlings have been transplanted, you will have to organize care. Regular care will increase productivity and increase immunity to diseases. Mandatory procedures include watering, weed removal, fertilization and mulching.

Watering

After transplanting, strawberries need frequent watering. Irrigation is carried out in the evening after sunset. If you water your strawberries while the sun is shining, the leaves may get scorched.

For this purpose, warm water heated in the sun is used. The first weeks water the seedlings every day. As cold weather approaches, the amount of irrigation is reduced. 2 weeks before the onset of frost, watering is completely stopped.

The amount of moisture depends on the month in which the seedlings were planted. In spring, the amount of watering is greater than in autumn.

Mulching

It is necessary to mulch the soil so that moisture does not quickly evaporate and the root system does not freeze in winter.Peat, straw, and sawdust are used as mulch. The mulch layer should be at least 15 cm. Mulching is carried out in the fall, before the onset of frost. In spring, mulch is not removed.

Weeding

If the seedlings were planted in the fall, the soil is not weeded. The procedure at this time is dangerous because during it there is a chance of damaging the roots, and during the winter they will not have time to heal, and such seedlings may die.

Strawberries planted in spring and summer are weeded once every 2 weeks. During the procedure, weeds are removed. Weed the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm. It is best to do this before watering. With water, the soil will be saturated with oxygen, which will have a beneficial effect on the growth of strawberries.

Hilling

Hilling is carried out in August. By autumn, the beds should already be hilled. Such timing is due to the fact that during the procedure the root system may be injured, and this leads to freezing of the strawberry roots in the garden winter.

Trimming

Saplings are not pruned before the onset of winter, just like adult plants. In adult bushes, dry and yellow leaves, as well as leaves with signs of damage, are removed for the winter. Mature strawberries are trimmed carefully so as not to cut off healthy leaves.

Top dressing

During different growing seasons, strawberries require different nutrients. In the first half of the season, when the active growth process is underway, nitrogen and organic fertilizers are added to the soil. Nitrogen accelerates growth and increases the number of ovaries. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied if strawberries were planted in the spring. During summer and especially autumn planting, the introduction of nitrogen is prohibited. By the end of summer, the growth rate of strawberries slows down, and the bushes prepare for winter.

At the end of summer, fertilizers are applied rarely and in small quantities.Complex mineral compositions are used as fertilizers. They are scattered on the soil and then watered with warm water.

Another fertilizer is wood ash. It is diluted in water and poured over strawberries. Or they sprinkle ash on the soil and then water the beds. Bone meal is suitable for feeding. Bone meal is poured with water.

After planting, superphosphate is added to the soil. It contains nitrogen and calcium. Nitrogen enters in low concentrations, without having any effect on growth. Superphosphate stimulates the growth of the root system and accelerates rooting in a new place. Before adding superphosphate, add water for a day, stirring occasionally. In this form, it will penetrate the strawberry tissue faster.

Shelter

They begin to prepare strawberries for cold weather several weeks before its onset. Sawdust, dry raspberry branches, fallen leaves, spruce and pine branches are used for shelter. The beds are covered with branches, and when the first snow falls, they shovel it onto the bed. Agrofibre or agrotex is used from artificial material. These materials retain heat well in winter, preventing the ground from freezing.

What mistakes do they make?

Mistakes when growing strawberries in the garden:

• Thicken the plantings and do not thin out the beds.
• Leave strawberries in the same place for a long time.
• Do not weed or loosen the soil.
• Plant seedlings after crops with which strawberries have similar diseases and require the same nutrients.
• Ignore care.
• Do not apply organic and mineral fertilizers.

The most common mistake is not replanting strawberries. With prolonged growth in the same place, the soil is depleted, and the yield only gets worse every year.