Strawberry Spring Planting Tips: How to Extend the Harvest Period
Strawberry is a very popular fruit, and its price is relatively high. At present, the economic benefits of growing it have improved somewhat. To strengthen the management of strawberry crops, strawberry growers should promptly learn spring planting tips for strawberries, which can improve strawberry yield and quality. Below, let us take a look at strawberry spring planting tips and management methods for extending the harvest period.
I. Strawberry Spring Planting Tips
1. Intertillage and soil moisture management
After spring arrives, carry out intertillage, weeding and loosening of the soil in a timely manner. Hoe shallowly to avoid damaging the root system and to prevent clods from covering the crowns; intertillage should be combined with clearing ditches and managing soil moisture, promptly clearing drainage ditches, bed ditches, waist ditches and surrounding ditches to eliminate waterlogging damage; after strawberries begin to grow, promptly cut off dry old leaves and diseased leaves, and carry them out of the field for centralized composting to prevent reinfection by diseases.
2. Flower and bud thinning
The flowers that open first on a strawberry inflorescence bear good fruit, with large fruit and early ripening. Therefore, after strawberries bud, thin out thin and small flower buds to reduce nutrient consumption, so that the fruit is large and uniform, ripens early and has good quality. Thin out 20%-25% of the late and weak flower buds.
3. Timely topdressing
In mid-to-late March, apply a plant-establishing fertilizer once together with watering, applying 10-15 kg of urea or 20-30 kg of compound fertilizer per mu; in mid-April before flowering, apply a pre-flowering fertilizer again, using 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu; in addition, during the flowering and fruiting period, spray 0.3% monopotassium phosphate solution on the leaves 2-3 times, which helps improve yield and quality.
II. Management Methods for Extending the Strawberry Harvest Period
1. Reasonable flower thinning
When strawberries bloom their first flush of flowers, you cannot simply keep however many flowers appear. Reasonable flower thinning can reduce the burden on the plant. Otherwise, if too many flowers bloom, they will consume a great deal of nutrients, which instead easily leads to premature aging.
If flower thinning has not been done well, fruit thinning can also be carried out later. Fruit growth uses entirely nutrients, so if fruit thinning is to be done, it must be done as early as possible to avoid wasting nutrients. Generally, about five or six fruits per inflorescence is enough. Of course, specifically it still depends on the plant's growth condition; for example, if the plant itself is relatively weak, then fewer fruits should be kept.
2. Leaf thinning
Leaf thinning is also a very important task, and its main purpose is to allow better light penetration. If good light cannot be received, then strawberry growth will be affected. Of course, too many leaves cannot be removed, because nutrient production and nutrient transport still depend on the leaves. If too many are removed, it may not only affect the plant's growth vigor, but also may lead to excessive vegetative growth.
3. Root management
If you want the plant to grow well, the root system is very important; this is the most fundamental thing. As long as the root system is well maintained, strawberries can actually have a very long harvest period.
Especially during the period after the first flush of fruit is harvested, you must pay close attention and quickly apply some water-soluble fertilizer to let its root system recover better. This is also the time when new and old roots alternate. Only when the roots are good can nutrients be absorbed better, making the plant grow more robust and bloom well for the second flush.