Detailed Explanation of Strawberry Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

Strawberry, also called red berry, foreign berry, ground berry, etc., is a red flower-fruit. Strawberry is the general term for plants of the genus Fragaria in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is a perennial herbaceous plant. The strawberry has a heart-shaped appearance, is fresh, red and tender, with juicy flesh and a special rich fruity aroma. Strawberries have high nutritional value and are rich in vitamin C, with the effect of aiding digestion. At the same time, strawberries can also strengthen the gums, freshen the breath and soothe the throat. In spring, people's liver fire tends to be rather strong, and eating some strawberries can help suppress it.

In addition, strawberries are best eaten after a meal, because they contain a large amount of pectin and cellulose, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, aid digestion, improve constipation, and prevent hemorrhoids and colon cancer. The nutritional ratio of strawberries is very reasonable; among them, the vitamin C content is about 10 times that of an equal amount of watermelon, grapes or apples. In addition, strawberries are rich in iron, fructose, glucose, citric acid, malic acid, etc. For the lung-heat cough, sore throat and boils that easily appear in spring, the nutrients contained in strawberries can all play an auxiliary therapeutic role. At the same time, because they contain iron, friends with anemia can also eat them regularly. However, doctors also remind us that although strawberries are a very good appetite-stimulating fruit, they are cool in nature, so in early spring, do not eat too many at one time; especially for people with weak and cold spleen and stomach, those prone to diarrhea, and those with excessive stomach acid, the amount of strawberries eaten must be controlled even more.

Production and Cultivation Overview

At present, most countries in the world cultivate strawberries. The United States has a strawberry cultivation area of 23,000 hectares and a output of 567,000 tons, accounting for about 28% of the world's total output, with an average output of 24.6 tons/hectare. Japan has a cultivation area of 11,000 hm2 and a output of 218,000 tons, accounting for 11% of the world's total output, with an average output of 19.3 tons/hectare. Europe is a major strawberry producing area, accounting for about 50% of the world's output. Poland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Romania and the United Kingdom have relatively large cultivation areas, with output generally at 9.5-18.3 tons/hectare. China is the country with the richest wild strawberry resources in the world, and began using wild strawberries very early, a practice that has continued to this day. Large-fruited strawberry cultivation in China began in 1915, but in the past it did not receive attention and developed slowly. Since the 1980s, strawberry production has developed rapidly. China currently has a strawberry production area of about 70,000 hm2, ranking first in the world in area, with the main producing areas distributed in the eastern coastal regions such as Anhui, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang. In recent years, Sichuan, Anhui, **, Beijing and other regions have also developed quickly. Key strawberry producing areas include Sihong in Jiangsu, Hefei in Anhui, Dandong in Liaoning, Baoding in Hebei, Yantai in Shandong, the suburbs of Shanghai, Shuangliu in Sichuan, and Lianyungang in Jiangsu, among others. Among them, Changfeng County in Hefei currently has a strawberry planting area of 145,000 mu, with an annual output of more than 200,000 tons of strawberries and a total output value of more than 1 billion yuan. By 2012 it will expand to more than 200,000 mu, and the only national-level virus-free strawberry science and technology park in the country will be built. Every year, promotion conferences are held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, and matchmaking meetings between distributors and strawberry growers are held at the Beijing Xinfadi Market, the Tianjin Hongqi Market and the Shenyang Fruit Wholesale Market. Its production scale has already risen from formerly first in Anhui Province to become the largest strawberry county in the country, and Changfeng strawberry has become a China Well-Known Trademark.

Growth Conditions

Strawberries are suitable for planting in soil with plenty of sunlight and good drainage. The soil depth should be about 8-10 inches. For large strawberry plants, the row spacing should be 12 inches, and the plant spacing should preferably be about 18 inches. The runners of the plants should be removed in time to favor strawberry fruiting. Strawberry yields are cyclical, so it is best to cultivate some new plants in the first few years of planting. If you do not like managing strawberries, you can plant one strawberry every 18-24 inches, so that the strawberries can spread freely. Of course, it will look a bit messy, and the strawberries will not be large. If you want to avoid this situation, you can appropriately remove some runners. In autumn, spread a layer of soil over the plants to prevent frost damage. After the soil freezes, you can spread 3-4 inches of dry straw over the plants. By the spring of the next year, after new leaves grow, remove the dry straw. After the weather turns warm and stable, remove the covering soil on the surface of the plants. But leave some dry straw between the rows to prevent weed growth and maintain soil moisture.

Planting Techniques

In world small berry production, strawberry ranks first. Strawberry is an economic crop with quick fruiting, early maturity, easy propagation, a short cycle and high benefits.

1. Preparation of the Propagation Seedling Plot

1) Choose paddy fields that are convenient for drainage and irrigation and not prone to waterlogging, with relatively high fertility, or vegetable garden soil (soil blocks where the previous crop was grown and where chlorsulfuron herbicide has been used). Apply sufficient base fertilizer (cake fertilizer, farmyard manure, human excrement and urine, phosphate fertilizer), spread it after it is fully decomposed, and at the same time apply 1 jin of 50% phoxim or 3 jin of 3% carbofuran per mu, mix with 25 jin of fine soil and spread it, then turn the soil and make beds. The beds should be 1.5-1.8 m wide, in a turtle-back shape to prevent waterlogging, and the soil should be broken up fine.