What to Do When Strawberries Suffer Severe Frost Damage? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Remedies
Strawberry frost damage generally occurs when temperatures drop sharply during autumn, winter and early spring. Some leaves are partially frozen and dry up, and sometimes the pistils and stigmas become swollen and shriveled after freezing, with the pistils turning black and brown and dying, and the fruit becoming mummified. So what should be done when strawberries suffer severe frost damage? Let's take a look together.
1. Symptoms of frost damage
When seedlings suffer frost damage, the two leaves first lose their green color, then slowly develop white edges. After transplanting and establishment, the true leaves turn dark green first when frozen, then gradually lose water and wilt. When the growing tip of the seedling is frozen, the growing point turns black and gradually dries up and dies. When the root system is frozen, the lateral roots and root hairs turn from oily white to yellow and then brown, and their ability to absorb water and nutrients weakens. Some leaves dry up after freezing, and after the pistils and stigmas freeze, the stigmas bulge upward and shrivel, the pistils turn black and brown and die, and the young fruit stops developing, dries up and becomes mummified.
2. Preventive measures
First, suitable varieties should be selected and planted at the right time. In early spring, do not remove the coverings too early. Before the early flowering stage, add film or burn smoke to prevent frost damage before a cold wave arrives. In late autumn, chlormequat can be used to suppress excessive growth, and before winter, irrigation with overwintering water can improve cold resistance, with coverings for cold protection during overwintering. At the same time, promptly repair damaged greenhouse film. If conditions permit, smoke agents can be burned to lower air humidity and prevent frost damage, and antifreeze agents and foliar fertilizers can be applied to improve the plant's cold resistance. Promptly remove frozen flower clusters, fruits and other organs and dispose of them in a centralized way, so as to avoid greater damage caused by rot.
3. Mitigation methods
After frost damage occurs, irrigation can be used to keep warm, prevent the ground temperature from dropping, and stabilize the atmosphere at the soil surface, which helps the temperature rise steadily and allows the frozen tissues to recover their functions. In addition, manual spraying of water can increase the humidity inside the greenhouse, stabilize the greenhouse temperature, and at the same time inhibit the evaporation of water released from the frozen tissues, prompting the tissues to absorb water. After the frozen tissues recover, apply organic fertilizer as a supplementary treatment, apply less nitrogen fertilizer, and also spray foliar fertilizer to form a protective film on the leaves and control transpiration. To avoid mold on the frozen parts and trigger secondary diseases, promptly remove frozen flowers, fruits and chemicals, while reducing the plant's nutrient consumption. A shade shed can also be set up inside the greenhouse to prevent the frozen strawberries from being exposed directly to sunlight, which would cause the tissues to lose water and shrivel.
The above is an introduction to what to do when strawberries suffer severe frost damage. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.