Complete Guide to Winter Strawberry Growing Techniques: Master These Points and You Won't Worry About No Fruit

Strawberries are a fruit we often eat in winter, and the strawberries on the market are getting more and more expensive, with increasingly higher quality. Farmers who grow strawberries run into problems every year such as no fruiting, no flowering, or other growing issues. Here is a summary of strawberry growing techniques for everyone. There is no need to panic when strawberries fail to fruit; this article has all the answers. Let's take a look:

I. Strawberry Growing Techniques

1. Site Selection

Strawberries should not be planted in low-lying areas with uneven, pitted ground. Soil with strong drainage and irrigation capacity, fertile and loose texture, good fertilizer and water retention, and good permeability is most suitable for growing strawberries. Strawberries are suited to slightly acidic or neutral soil; too alkaline will hinder strawberry development. For the previous crop in the soil, choose legume or cucurbit crops as much as possible.

2. Land Preparation

After choosing the land, all weeds in the field must be cleared, then the land should be prepared and disinfected. After sunning for 3-5 days, apply sufficient farmyard manure. The amount of base fertilizer depends on the land area, generally 5000 kg per mu, then mix in a small amount of superphosphate and potassium chloride. After applying the base fertilizer, plow again to mix the base fertilizer evenly with the soil and improve soil fertility. Finally, make the beds to facilitate strawberry growth and later management.

3. Planting

The planting method will have a great impact on the later growth and management of strawberries. When planting, make sure the flower clusters of every plant grow in the same direction, and no more than one plant per hole. Master the planting depth; it must not be too shallow or too deep. Reasonably control planting density; the planting density depends on the planting area and the level of soil fertility, and it should not be too dense or too sparse.

4. Watering

Strawberries like water. After planting, water thoroughly to set the roots, then water about once every 5-7 days to ensure the soil does not dry out. During growth, ensure sufficient water to promote plant growth. The flowering stage is the period when strawberries need the most water. If they are not watered in time, serious flower and fruit drop will occur in later growth, reducing yield.

5. Topdressing

Strawberries need a relatively large amount of nutrients for growth, especially during the flowering and fruiting stage and before it, so we need to apply sufficient base fertilizer. Then during growth, apply appropriate topdressing according to actual conditions. For example, the flowering and fruiting stage, the fruit enlargement stage, and the final ripening stage are all peak periods of fertilizer demand. We can appropriately apply fertilizers such as diammonium phosphate and monopotassium phosphate to increase yield. When topdressing, ensure comprehensive nutrition and a reasonable mixing ratio to effectively promote growth.

6. Temperature

Strawberries are a temperature-loving fruit and are relatively sensitive to temperature changes, so during the growing process we should reasonably control the growing temperature around the strawberries. Strengthen temperature management; the most suitable temperature for strawberry growth is around 22-25°C. Beyond the range of 5-30°C, strawberry growth will be greatly hindered. Therefore, we must keep the surrounding temperature balanced so that strawberries can grow better.

7. Management

Frequently patrol the orchard, promptly remove old leaves, dead leaves, and diseased leaves, clean up fallen flowers, fallen fruit, and some diseased fruit, and take them out of the orchard for centralized treatment. Control plant growth to prevent excessive vegetative growth. Do a good job with orchard drainage and irrigation: water in time during drought, and prevent water accumulation in the orchard on rainy days. Minimize orchard humidity as much as possible to prevent root rot and fruit rot, which affect yield.

II. What to Do If Strawberries Do Not Fruit?

1. Give them more sun. Generally, strawberries grown on indoor balconies do not bear as much fruit as those grown in the open, and one reason is insufficient light. Be sure to give them more sun. Both winter and spring need sufficient sunlight. Only then will they be encouraged to bloom and fruit more.

2. During the growing period, before flowering or when flowering, you can ignore them in summer, but in autumn and spring be sure to fertilize more, preferably with organic fertilizer. Less fertilizer means less fruit. These are roasted sunflower seeds; you can put a few on top, or bury them in the soil. I put in a bit too many here.

3. One point to pay special attention to is that strawberries should not be planted too deep; it is better to leave some of the stem at the base of the leaves exposed. The reason for this is hard to explain clearly, but those planted deep do not grow as well as those planted shallow. Usually, you can also use runners to propagate more strawberry plants.

The above is a summary of the problems that commonly arise in strawberry growing techniques. We hope it is helpful for your planting.