What causes strawberry plants to stop growing? How should it be solved?
During cultivation, strawberries may show poor plant growth, which is not conducive to flower bud differentiation. In production terms, this is called "stopping growth" (xie yang), and this phenomenon is extremely unfavorable for strawberry production. So what causes strawberry plants to stop growing? Let's take a look together.
I. Causes of stopping growth
1. Weak seedling root system
The quality of strawberry seedlings directly affects strawberry growth. Generally, qualified seedlings have more than 12 roots and 4-5 functional leaves, and are free of pests and diseases, while low-quality seedlings take a long time to recover after planting and grow weakly.
2. Improper fertilizer and water management
Applying organic fertilizer that is not fully decomposed at the early stage damages the strawberry root system, and the root absorption capacity is reduced in summer, thus affecting the normal growth of the plant. Fertilizer and water management during the fruiting period is equally important. Too long a watering time will affect normal growth, and too much watering will cause the soil temperature to drop too low, which is also unfavorable for root growth.
3. No fruit thinning
Many farmers, in order to increase yield, ignore plant growth and are often reluctant to thin fruit, leaving too many fruits, which causes the plant load to be too heavy. Many farmers even keep deformed fruits, so reproductive growth and vegetative growth are seriously imbalanced, causing the plant to grow weakly with small leaves, and in severe cases even premature aging.
4. Untimely harvesting
If mature fruits are not harvested in time, they will weigh down the plant, which only consumes too many plant nutrients. Moreover, when fruits mature, many farmers generally dare not water in order to prevent fruit rot. At this time, strawberries are in flower bud differentiation and have a high demand for water and nutrients. If a large number of mature fruits cannot be harvested in time, watering and fertilizing cannot be done, which hinders strawberry growth and makes the plants weaker.
5. Improper pesticide use
Strawberries are relatively sensitive to triazole-type pesticides. Frequent use of this type of pesticide during the strawberry growing season can easily cause strawberry plants to become dwarfed and yellowed, and increase the rate of deformed fruit. In addition, excessive use of swelling agents can also cause strawberry plants to stop growing, causing the leaves to be dull and lusterless, and in severe cases causing premature aging.
II. Solutions
1. Strengthen fertilizer and water management
During continuous cloudy days, low temperatures and cold wave weather, try not to water, so as to avoid a drop in soil temperature that is unfavorable for strawberry growth. When fertilizing, do not apply only high-potassium fertilizer. Before fruit swelling, apply balanced fertilizer, and in the late fruit-swelling stage, use low-nitrogen high-potassium fertilizer.
2. Timely harvesting
When the temperature is relatively low in winter and spring, the fruit can be harvested when ripeness reaches 85%. After early spring, when the temperature rises again, harvesting can be appropriately advanced. Before harvesting, pick as much as possible and do not let the fruit weigh down the plant. Keep harvesting time in the morning, and do not harvest under direct sunlight.
3. Temperature management
The suitable growth temperature for strawberry roots is 15-20, while the suitable growth temperature for strawberry plants is between 20-25 degrees. The suitable temperature for flower bud differentiation is between 2-25 degrees. Below 5 degrees or above 25 degrees, flower bud differentiation does not occur. The suitable temperature during the flowering period is 20-25 degrees, which is favorable for pollen and flower buds, and 14-21 degrees is favorable for anther dehiscence.
4. Fruit thinning
Generally, for robust plants, keep 7-9 fruits; for plants with average growth, keep 5-6 fruits; and for weak plants, keep 2-3 fruits. If the plant is too small, generally adopt measures to thin flowers and fruits to promote plant growth. In production, flowers and fruits should be thinned in time to reduce nutrient loss. Generally, first thin the higher-order flower clusters, then thin deformed fruits, and finally determine the number of fruits to keep according to plant growth.
The above is an introduction to the causes of strawberry plants stopping growth and the solutions. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.