The Latest Technical Guide to Strawberry Management in the Mid-to-Late Growing Period
After the Spring Festival, the first flush of fruit in the greenhouse strawberry crop has been harvested, and strawberry production enters the mid-to-late period. In terms of management, besides strengthening pest and disease control and keeping temperature and humidity well regulated, the most important task is doing a good job of fertilizing and watering in the later stage. The following are problems that easily arise in production and suggestions.
Uneven irrigation
The reason is that, to save water and reduce humidity in the greenhouse, some farmers use drip irrigation. This method, when irrigating, does not cause the greenhouse temperature to drop too quickly and reduces the occurrence of strawberry diseases, thereby increasing strawberry yield. However, due to water quality, in the later stage some drip outlets often become clogged, causing uneven irrigation and affecting the flowering, fruiting and swelling of the strawberries.
Management measures Based on practical experience in recent years, for later-stage irrigation, switching from drip irrigation to large-flow flood irrigation under the film is a relatively reasonable method. The specific operation for under-film irrigation is to lift the film between two beds, place the nozzle directly into the furrow under the film between the beds, and irrigate with a large flow until thoroughly soaked. Irrigating this way allows water to be drawn upward from the base of the strawberry roots, reducing soil compaction caused by irrigation, and under-film irrigation can also relatively reduce the number of irrigations, saving both labor and effort. Generally, for clay soil, watering and fertilizing once every 15-20 days is sufficient; for sandy soil, once every 10-15 days.
Strawberry nutrient deficiency
After entering the second fruiting stage, some strawberries show signs of nutrient deficiency. If nutrient supply is not strengthened at this time, it can easily affect the yield and quality of the second flush of fruit. Moreover, the flowering period is not suitable for foliar feeding, which adds a certain degree of difficulty to fertilizing.
Management measures Along with irrigation, apply high-efficiency strawberry-specific trace element fertilizers such as Strawberry Pioneer, Penshibao and monopotassium phosphate to increase soil organic matter content, replenish missing trace elements such as manganese, molybdenum, zinc and calcium, and add supplemental high-efficiency phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. The application method is to evenly apply the diluted high-efficiency fertilizer with the water during irrigation, generally applying 25 kg of special fertilizer per mu.
Severe pest infestation
As temperatures rise, pests such as aphids increase relatively, seriously affecting strawberry quality.
Management measures Prevent in advance by hanging one sticky insect board every 2 m in the greenhouse, which can reduce the occurrence of aphids. Plots where damage has already occurred can be fumigated with aerosol after picking the strawberries to kill the pests. During the specific operation, note that the bees used for pollination must first be moved outside the greenhouse to prevent harm to the bees. All ventilation openings must be completely sealed, and the aerosol fumigant ignited in the evening, then ventilate and exchange the air the next morning.