Detailed Explanation of Key Scientific Cultivation and Management Techniques for Strawberries

Every year when the Chinese New Year approaches, strawberries start appearing on the market. On weekends, gathering a few friends to go pick strawberries together is a very pleasant thing. Faced with such delicious strawberries, do you know how they are grown? Let's take a look below!

Scientific Cultivation and Management Techniques for Strawberries

1. Hilling: If the ridge surface is not covered with black film, then in late September, carry out a thick hilling combined with loosening the soil and weeding, to encourage the seedlings to develop more roots and prevent the roots of old seedlings from being exposed.

2. Mulching for overwintering: By mid-to-late October, when the temperature drops to a daytime maximum below 15°C or a nighttime temperature below 8°C, build a greenhouse as soon as possible, with a width of 6-9 m and a center height of 2.5 m. The covering material is 0.08 cm thick polyvinyl chloride film. From late March to early April of the following year, as the temperature rises, begin to uncover the film on both sides of the greenhouse to lower the temperature inside and increase ventilation and light penetration. The daytime temperature inside the greenhouse should be kept within 30°C; after flowering, the daytime temperature should be 20-25°C, and at night not lower than 5°C.

3. Flower thinning: The flowers on the third and fourth order branches of the inflorescence often fail to set fruit or only form ineffective fruit. Before flowering, when the flower buds begin to separate from each other, these buds should be thinned out. The latest time for bud thinning should be no later than the opening period of the first flower. For farmers with the conditions, it is best to start from the beginning of the strawberry flowering period and place a colony of bees in the greenhouse to facilitate pollination during flowering and increase the fruit-setting rate.

4. Topdressing: After the strawberry berries form, apply 10-15 kg of urea or compound fertilizer per mu, plus 5 kg of Jinbaobei microbial fertilizer, to accelerate plant growth, help new leaves unfold, and promote flowering and fruiting. In addition, 0.3%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be sprayed on the leaves 2-3 times. When the fruit expands to about half its final size, apply 10 kg per mu of ternary compound fertilizer (containing 15% each of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), applying once every 15-20 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications.

5. Careful harvesting: Harvesting begins in early December, picking once every 1-2 days. The harvest period of a single variety can generally continue until the end of May. During the day, the suitable time for picking is in the morning, after the dew has dried and before the heat arrives. Fruit picked while the dew has not dried or in the rain is prone to rot and should be avoided as much as possible.

Key Management Points for Strawberries During the Flowering Period

1. Flower thinning for fruiting. During the bud separation stage, and at the latest no later than the opening of the first flower, thin out the weak inflorescences emerging from the lower part of the plant and the small high-order buds, keeping only 2-3 robust inflorescences per plant, to enlarge the fruit size, promote ripening, concentrate the harvest period, and also prevent premature aging of the plant. Inflorescences after fruit harvest should be removed promptly to promote the emergence of new inflorescences.

2. Topdressing. When strawberries enter the bud stage and early flowering stage, timely topdressing helps improve the fruit-setting rate and fruit quality and increase yield. This topdressing should focus mainly on phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, with an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer as well. Generally, apply 8-10 kg per mu of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, or spray on the leaves 0.3% urea, 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.2% calcium sulfate, or 0.05% manganese sulfate, etc., 2-3 times.

Precautions After Sowing Strawberries

1. After strawberry planting, water frequently in small amounts and place in a cool place to retain moisture. It should not be too dry or too wet; keep the soil in the pot moist at all times. In summer, water in the morning or evening. Placing the pot in a cool place is beneficial to strawberry growth.

2. Potted strawberries experience large temperature fluctuations, with the key points being the low temperatures and high temperatures of winter and summer. In northern winters, the pots can be moved indoors to raise the temperature. In summer high temperatures, the pots should be moved to a cool place to lower the temperature.

3. After strawberries have been planted for 2 years, they can be replaced with new seedlings. Or repot from a small pot to a large pot and replant. Refill the pot with nutrient soil, then plant the seedlings in and water.

4. During flowering, air humidity should not be too high, as it affects fruit setting and fruit quality. Potted strawberries can be planted in all four seasons, but transplanting in autumn from September to October has the highest survival rate.

Precautions When Picking Strawberries

1. When picking strawberries, small scissors can be used.

2. Use the method of holding a wine glass to hook the strawberry's calyx, give it a gentle twist, and the strawberry can be picked, which is both easy and does not damage the surface of the strawberry.

So it turns out that growing each delicious strawberry is not so easy either! After reading all this, do you have a deeper understanding of strawberries? Next time you pick strawberries, you will also be able to understand how they are grown.