Detailed Guide to Red Beauty Strawberry Cultivation Techniques: Growing Methods and Management Essentials

Prepare a plot of sandy loam rich in organic matter that has never been planted with strawberries, then deep-plow, fertilize and form ridges. From mid-to-late August to early September, plant the strawberry seedlings in the holes at a row spacing of 30*22cm, then cover with soil. After successful establishment, carry out basic management tasks such as watering and fertilizing, pest and disease control, temperature control and intertillage loosening of the soil, and the strawberries will bear fruit.

I. Key management points for Red Beauty strawberry cultivation techniques:

1. Planting techniques

Red Beauty strawberry is a large-plant-type variety. The standard for cultivating strong seedlings is: more than 5 expanded leaves, a root crown diameter of 0.8-1.0cm, more than 10 root hairs of over 8cm, and sturdy virus-free elite seedlings that are short and stocky, with a well-developed root system and no pest or disease damage.

The planting time for greenhouse strawberries is generally between the end of August and September 10 (seedlings from temporary planting can be used until before the end of September). One week before planting, prepare the land and apply fertilizer. Along with plowing, apply 3-5t of fully decomposed farmyard manure per mu, and 50kg of NPK compound fertilizer or strawberry-specific compound fertilizer, deep-plowing 30-35cm and mixing thoroughly with the soil.

Form ridges and beds: ridge height 25-30cm, large ridge spacing 85-90cm, ridge surface width 50-60cm, double-row planting, small row spacing 25-30cm, plant spacing about 17cm. One week before planting, carry out disease prevention on the seedlings. When transplanting strawberries, choose an overcast day or a clear evening. Water the nursery thoroughly before lifting the seedlings, and plant with as much soil around the roots as possible to minimize transplant shock. Because Red Beauty strawberry plants are tall, dense planting is not suitable, and the number of plants set per mu should be kept within 9000. After planting, a shade net should be put up and management strengthened.

2. Fertilizer and water management

Red Beauty strawberry has shallow dormancy, and greenhouse insulation is generally started around mid-October.

After the greenhouse is insulated, strawberry growth gradually becomes vigorous and flower bud differentiation is rapid. Topdressing should generally be applied once before laying the plastic film, and then once every 15-20 days thereafter, each time applying 5-10kg per mu of effective-silicon macro-element water-soluble fertilizer, either the balanced type (20-20-20) or the high-potassium type (14-6-33). During the bud stage and the flower and fruit stage, to prevent calcium deficiency and the formation of malformed fruit, foliar fertilizer containing calcium chloride, superphosphate and boron should also be sprayed once every 15-20 days.

In addition, to improve the photosynthetic efficiency of strawberry plants and increase the CO2 content in the greenhouse, CO2 gas fertilizer should be added. CO2 slow-release granules can be used, or the currently widely promoted straw bio-reactor technology and the construction of biogas generators inside the greenhouse can be adopted, to improve the plants' living environment, enhance plant resistance and improve fruit quality.

3. Temperature and humidity management

After the greenhouse begins insulation, the daytime temperature should be maintained at 25-28°C, and the nighttime temperature at 10-12°C, not lower than 8°C; after entering the flowering stage, the daytime temperature should be controlled between 23-25°C, and the nighttime temperature at 8-10°C. Too high or too low a temperature affects pollination and fertilization, leading to malformed fruit; during the fruit expansion stage, the daytime temperature should be 20-25°C, and the nighttime temperature not lower than 5°C. In order to achieve scientific temperature control according to the growth needs of the plants, automatic greenhouse temperature control systems are now being promoted and applied. Humidity control in the greenhouse is mainly achieved through scientific irrigation and ventilation. Water demand is relatively small during flower bud differentiation and relatively large during fruit expansion; during the flowering stage and before fruit harvest, water should be properly controlled to prevent high spatial humidity from affecting pollination, fertilization and fruit quality. To reduce greenhouse humidity, straw can be spread in the furrows. In addition, ventilation should be maintained every day; even on overcast days, ventilation should be carried out for about half an hour at noon.

4. Plant management

After the strawberry is covered with the greenhouse film, diseased, old and residual leaves and newly emerging runners should be removed at any time.

Red Beauty strawberry has a strong ability to produce inflorescences. In the early bud stage, depending on the actual growth condition, either no spraying is needed or only one spraying of 5mg/L gibberellin solution is needed. After the inflorescences emerge, straighten the inflorescences onto the ridge sides and place straw under the fruit, which is beneficial for early coloring and early ripening, reduces pests and diseases and facilitates harvesting; during the bud stage, remove the small flowers of higher order, and during the green young fruit stage, thin out diseased, pest-damaged and malformed fruit. The main inflorescence generally retains 5-6 fruits, and the side inflorescences retain 4-5 fruits, which can enlarge the fruit size, improve quality and increase yield and commercial value.

In addition, bees should be introduced to assist pollination. Move the hives in 3-4 days before flowering, feed them artificially in the early stage, and release the bees when 10% of the plants have their first flowers. The number of bees released should preferably average one bee per strawberry plant.

5. Light management

Strawberries have a relatively high demand for light during the growth period. In winter, the nights are long and the days are short, and natural light cannot meet the growth and development needs of greenhouse strawberries. In addition to hanging reflective film on the back wall, using greenhouse film with good light transmittance and frequently cleaning dust off the film surface, electric light supplemental lighting technology should also be adopted from November to February of the following year to make up for insufficient light.

The above is a detailed introduction to Red Beauty strawberry cultivation techniques. We hope it is helpful to everyone.