How to Break Strawberry Dormancy? A Full Analysis of the Latest Methods
When planting strawberries, the strawberry plant goes through many stages. In winter, in order to adapt to the low-temperature environment, the strawberry plant gradually enters a dormant period and begins to overwinter. Many fruit growers, in order to advance the flowering and fruiting time of strawberries, want to artificially break the strawberry's dormant period. So when we plant strawberries, how should we break the strawberry's dormant period? Below, the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look!
1. Early heat preservation
During the strawberry planting process, because the varieties differ, the depth of dormancy also differs. For example, for strawberry varieties with shallower dormancy such as Fengxiang and Nüfeng, the method of early heat preservation can be used to break dormancy. By making the strawberry lack the low-temperature factor, it cannot enter the dormant period, achieving the goals of earlier fruiting and high yield. If planting in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River region, then the first film mulching and heat preservation work should be carried out in late October. When starting film mulching, the temperature for the first three days should be kept at about 30°C, then gradually lowered to about 25°C, and the humidity controlled at about 50%.
⟦NL>2. Increase light
As with low temperature, too short a light duration is also a main factor causing strawberries to enter the dormant period. Therefore, increasing the light duration is also a main method to prevent strawberries from entering the dormant period and to break the strawberry dormant period. Strawberries are relatively sensitive to light, and even if the light intensity is not high, they will show a certain response. When planting strawberries, we can use electric lighting supplementation to extend the daily light duration, ensuring that strawberries can receive sufficient light every day. Generally, the increased light duration for breaking strawberry dormancy should be around December.
3. Gibberellin
Gibberellin can have a relatively good regulatory effect on the hormone levels in most plants. It can physiologically inhibit strawberries from entering the dormant period. For some deeply dormant varieties, it is generally necessary to provide a high-temperature and high-humidity growing environment in advance. Then, within half a month after the first heat preservation, spray gibberellin about twice, roughly once a week. This can effectively break the strawberry plant's dormant period. However, when using gibberellin, attention should be paid to maintaining a high-temperature environment, otherwise the efficacy will be affected. Therefore, about three days after spraying gibberellin, the temperature should be kept at about 30°C.
4. Plant cold storage
Cold-storing strawberry plants means artificially creating a low-temperature environment for strawberries to meet the low-temperature requirements of the strawberry variety. This allows strawberries to break dormancy naturally. Under natural conditions, the low temperature for breaking dormancy should be about minus 2°C to 10°C. It is best to keep it at about 3-5°C. If it is lower than minus 3°C, then the plants will suffer cold damage. Cold storage treatment is generally carried out in November each year. According to the temperature requirements of the variety, after the natural dormant period has passed, the strawberry plants are then transplanted into greenhouses for planting.
The above is a brief introduction to how to break strawberry dormancy. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can be helpful to everyone!