When Is the Best Time to Plant Strawberries? Planting Time and Fertilization Tips
Strawberry is a fruit with a unique appearance, sweet taste and rich nutrients, and is deeply loved by consumers. Especially during strawberry season, people like to go to strawberry farms to pick strawberries themselves, which not only brings great fun but also lets them eat fresh strawberries. So when are strawberries generally planted? What are the key points of fertilization tips?
I. When are strawberries generally planted?
Greenhouse strawberry cultivation is generally divided into forcing cultivation and semi-forcing cultivation. For forcing cultivation, the planting time should be early, and planting can be done 5-10 days after flower bud differentiation of the terminal inflorescence. In warm regions such as Shanghai and Zhejiang, planting is generally done from mid-September to mid-October; in Beijing, Hebei and other places, planting is done from mid-to-late August to early September; if using transplanted seedlings, it can be delayed until mid-September.
The planting period for semi-forcing cultivation is roughly divided into two periods: one is planting before flower bud differentiation, that is, around late August to early September; the other is planting after flower bud differentiation, roughly in early October. In general, planting before flower bud differentiation is suitable in northern regions, because northern regions are cold and low autumn temperatures arrive early, and planting too late will affect the recovery of the plant root system. Southern regions mostly plant after flower bud differentiation, because autumn in southern regions is warm, and after planting there is still a relatively sufficient growth period; after the seedlings recover, the young plants grow well, which is conducive to flowering and fruiting.
II. Fertilization Tips for Strawberries
1. For open-field strawberries with one planting per year, before planting, organic fertilizer should be applied in combination with deep plowing and land preparation. Per mu, 4-8 tons of barnyard manure can be applied (roughly equivalent to 20-40 kg nitrogen, 8-16 kg phosphorus, and 25-50 kg potassium), together with 80-100 kg of superphosphate. For acidic soil, about 100 kg of lime should also be applied per mu.
2. Topdressing for strawberries is generally done 1-3 times. In fields with sufficient base fertilizer and good soil fertilizer retention, topdressing can be done once before strawberry flowering, mainly with phosphorus and potassium plus an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer. If applying 3 times, topdressing should be done once before flowering and once before early spring sprouting, generally applying 10-15 kg of 45% compound fertilizer per mu, or 8-10 kg of urea, plus a certain proportion of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, to promote regreening growth and inflorescence development. Another application is made 2 weeks before harvest, or 2-3 weeks after flowering.
2. In protected cultivation of strawberries, the plants accumulate less stored nutrients, and flower bud differentiation and development time is short. Therefore, less base fertilizer is required than in open-field cultivation, and the number of topdressings should be increased; drip irrigation fertilization is best. Generally, organic fertilizer is used as base fertilizer, 3-4 tons per mu, together with about 80 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer. For protected cultivation of strawberries, topdressing can be divided into 5-7 times, with the amount about 1/3-1/2 of the base fertilizer nutrient amount. The 1st to 4th topdressings should be applied from sprouting to before the first batch of fruit colors, mainly with nitrogen and combined with phosphorus and potassium; the 5th to 7th applications should be applied in stages after the first batch of fruit is harvested, mainly with phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium, with an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer, to supplement the strawberry's nutrient needs. Fertilization of protected-cultivation strawberries should be combined with irrigation to reduce salt obstacles.