Strawberries, like any other culture, need activities aimed at maintaining its development, one of which is spring treatment for diseases and pests. For this procedure to succeed, you must use the appropriate tools, as well as familiarize yourself with the basic rules for their use.
Why process strawberries in spring
Spring processing of strawberries is more supportive and preventive in nature, since during its implementation it is not recommended to use potent toxic drugs so as not to spoil the future crop. However, this event should not be neglected, because the treatment not only prevents the appearance of diseases, but is also partially fertilizer for strawberry bushes.
Spring strawberry products
There are a large number of means with which you can carry out preventive treatment of strawberries in the spring.
Ammonia
Ammonia is popular among gardeners and is often used as a prophylactic against various pests (May larvae, ants) and fungi.
Ammonia can be used not only for the prevention of strawberry diseases, but also as a fertilizer
The composition of the solution: laundry soap (1 piece, 72%), a bottle of ammonia (40 ml) and water (10 l). Preparation is as follows:
- Rub soap on a grater and pour a small amount of boiling water.
- Mix the soap so that it completely dissolves.
- Pour a thin stream of soapy solution into a bucket of water, constantly mixing. Soap flakes should not remain in the water.
- Add ammonia to soapy water and mix everything.
The prepared solution must be used immediately, because ammonia quickly evaporates. They pour not only strawberry leaves from the watering can with a spray nozzle, but also the ground to remove pest larvae.
Precautionary measures
Since ammonia is a toxic substance, be careful when working with it so as not to harm your health:
- Protect your face with a mask or respirator, and hands with rubber gloves. Try not to leave exposed areas on the body;
- if possible, carry out all preparatory work outdoors. When working indoors, open windows to maximize ventilation. If you process strawberries in a greenhouse, then also do this with the doors open;
- if ammonia gets on your skin, wash the affected area with soap and water. If ammonia gets inside, then drink a glass of milk. Consult a doctor if necessary.
Preventive treatment
Treatment with a solution of ammonia is carried out in two stages.
Before applying any fertilizer, generously moisten the strawberry bed with warm water.
Perform the first treatment from mid to late April, immediately after the snow has melted:
- If you did not remove the garden bed in the fall, then clean it of old leaves and mulch, as well as cut the bushes.
- Treat them with prepared solution. For spraying, it is advisable to use a sprayer with wide openings so that the solution pours out faster and the alcohol does not have time to evaporate.
The second processing is carried out from late May to early June, immediately after the flowering of strawberries. For the solution, a lower concentration of ammonia is needed - only two or three tablespoons per 10 liters of warm water. The procedure is recommended in the evening or in cloudy weather, so as not to burn the leaves. Please note that at the time of ripening berries, it is not recommended to use such a solution, so do not hesitate to re-process it.
Blue vitriol
Copper sulfate is an affordable and effective tool that has been successfully used in the prevention of various diseases of strawberries (scab, gray rot, powdery mildew, spotting), as well as in the control of pests. For prophylactic purposes, a one percent solution is used. Processing must be carried out in early or mid-April, until leaves appear on the strawberries.
Copper sulfate crystals have a bright blue color.
The composition of the solution: 100 g of copper sulfate, 10 l of water. This amount of ingredients is enough to prepare a solution designed for processing 25-30 strawberry bushes. Make the drug this way:
- In a small amount of hot, but not boiling water, the powder is diluted until completely dissolved.
- The resulting mixture was diluted with warm water so that a 10 l solution was obtained.
Use the solution immediately after preparation. If necessary, spray the strawberries again after 2-3 weeks. Processing is carried out in the evening or in cloudy, calm weather, so as not to burn the emerging leaves.
Inkstone
Vitriol is also successfully used by many gardeners in spring gardening. As a rule, it is used as a disinfectant for soil on strawberry beds. With the help of this drug, the appearance of anthracnose, gray rot, false and powdery mildew can be prevented.
The crystals of iron sulfate are pale green.
The composition of the solution for soil treatment: 400 g of powder, 10 l of water. With this solution, you need to process the bed 5-7 days before planting strawberry bushes on it, pouring 4-5 liters per 1 hole. The tool is prepared as follows:
- Powder is diluted in 1 liter of hot water until the granules are completely dissolved.
- The resulting mixture is mixed with hot water so that a 10 l solution is obtained.
If you want to process already planted bushes, then you will need a solution of a lower concentration. It is important to have time to process before the appearance of green leaves on the strawberry, so this procedure is carried out from the beginning to the middle of April.
Composition: 30 g of powder, 10 l of water, the method of preparation is the same. Water the earth around strawberry bushes.
Boiling water
As gardeners note, the use of boiling water is a reliable way to combat ticks, nematodes and fungal spores.
Strawberries are treated with boiling water during the period from late March to mid April, when green leaves have not yet appeared on the bushes:
- Heat the water almost to a boil.
- Then pour it into a cold watering can with a shower head.
- Watering the plantings. 0.5 l of water is enough for one bush.
Do not be afraid that you will burn the plant: when water gets on it, its temperature will be 65-70 aboutC, upon reaching the roots - 30 aboutFROM.
Urea
Urea is better known as mineral fertilizer, but it can also be used to treat the aerial parts of strawberries in order to get rid of aphids, tinnitsa, weevils, and also protect bushes from spotting and scab.
Urea is used as a protective agent against pests and diseases of strawberries
The composition of the solution: 30-40 g of urea, 10 l of water. Urea is diluted in water until completely dissolved. Spraying is usually carried out before the appearance of green leaves - from the beginning to the middle of April.
Iodine
Iodine is used by more than one generation of gardeners as a prophylactic against powdery mildew and May larvae. Processing is carried out from mid-April to early May, always before the flowering of strawberries.
Use iodine when processing strawberries with caution so as not to harm the plant
The composition of the solution: 10 drops of iodine, 1 liter of milk, 10 liters of water. Processing is best done in the evening or in cloudy weather.
Some sources warn that the use of iodine can negatively affect the composition of the soil. Its toxic fumes also accumulate in the plant itself, including the fruits, so do not carry out iodine treatments and top-dressing often and do not use a highly concentrated solution.
Video: Strawberry iodine treatment
Boric acid
Typically, a boric acid solution is used to prevent diseases such as root rot and bacteriosis. In addition, gardeners using this tool claim that it helps increase yields.
The use of boric acid increases strawberry yield
The composition of the solution: 1 g of boric acid (powder), 10 l of water. Make a solution as follows:
- Heated water to 60-70 aboutC - granules do not dissolve in cold water.
- Granules of boric acid are poured into the container and mixed thoroughly.
- Shrubs are watered under the root (300 ml of solution is enough for one plant) and sprinkle the earth with a thin layer of ash.
Processing can be carried out from mid-April to mid-May.
Do not get carried away using this tool: experts note that frequent processing and top dressing can lead to the death of strawberry root and damage to the leaves (they turn yellow and become convex in the center).
Straw pests and control measures
Spring processing of strawberries will help to cope with most garden pests.
Weevil
Weevil is a widespread strawberry pest. This small gray-black bug is capable of causing significant damage to the crop: experts say that shrubs affected by the weevil give 40% less berries than healthy ones.
Weevil strikes strawberry flower buds, so its presence on the bed can completely deprive the crop
Weevils do not affect the berries themselves, but flower buds, so even ovaries may not appear on the infected shrub.
To combat this pest often use the following tools:
- mustard solution (100 g of mustard powder is mixed with 3 l of hot water);
- ash-soap solution (40 g of laundry soap, 3 kg of ash and 10 l of water are mixed);
- special preparations (Karbofos, Atellix, Metaphos).
You need to carry out processing two times:
- The first time is in the spring, 5 days before the beginning of flowering (usually this occurs in late May or early June).
- The second time - in the summer in the first two weeks of June.
Video: weevil processing strawberries
Mite
Strawberries are often affected by strawberry and spider mites.
Strawberry mite
This pest is very small, so you are unlikely to notice it on strawberry bushes. The following symptoms testify to its presence: wrinkling of leaves and their acquisition of a yellow tint, decreased yield. In addition, the affected bushes lose their hardiness and may not survive the winter.
A sign of damage to a strawberry bush with a strawberry mite is the presence of bulges on the leaves
Spring treatment from this pest in various ways is carried out from early April to mid-May:
- Boiled water is treated in early or mid-April. Optimum water temperature - 65 aboutC, flow rate - 0.5 l of water per bush.
- Spraying with concentrated onion infusion is carried out from late April to mid-May, when leaves appear on the strawberries:
- soak 200 g of onion peel in 1 liter of boiling water and insist for 5 days;
- then add 9 liters of warm water and spray bushes from the spray gun, paying special attention to the inside of the leaves - the tick most often hides there;
- after processing, cover the bed for several hours with a film;
- repeat the treatment 2-3 times every 10 days.
- Processing with special preparations (for example, Karbofos) is performed until the strawberries begin to bloom:
- prepare the drug according to the instructions and process the shrubs, including the inner side of the leaves;
- for greater efficiency, the bed is also covered with a film.
Spider mite
Like other ticks, the spider mite is small and therefore almost invisible. Signs of damage to the bush by this pest are the presence of white spots on the inner side of the leaves and a spider web that runs from the stem to the leaves. In addition, the plant weakens and loses its ability to resist other diseases. This is especially dangerous because the spider mite is the carrier of infections (in particular, gray rot).
Due to the spider mite, strawberries lose their ability to resist infections
Spring processing is carried out from mid-April to mid-May and includes the following procedures:
- Spraying with a one percent solution of copper sulfate.
- Processing onion or garlic infusion:
- finely chopped 100-200 g of onions or garlic is poured 10 l of heated to 70 aboutFrom water;
- insist during the day;
- then sprayed bushes from the spray gun;
- cover for several hours with a film;
- repeat the treatment 2-3 more times every 10 days.
- Spraying with a solution of onion husks (prepared in the same way as for processing against strawberry mites).
- Infusion treatment with red hot pepper:
- chopped 100 g of dried pepper, pour 1 liter of boiling water and insist for 2-3 hours;
- then dilute 9 liters of warm water;
- process the shrub;
- cover the bed for several hours with film;
- carry out processing 2-3 times with an interval of 10 days.
- Use of a special preparation Karbofos (recommendations are the same as against strawberry mites).
Video: processing strawberries from ticks
Pennitsa
If foam appears on your shrubs, similar to spitting, this is a sign that strawberries are affected by pennies. The pest is not considered too dangerous, but its presence also leads to a weakening of the plant and a decrease in its yield.
In the foam mass are penny larvae
You need to process the bushes in the period from early April to mid-May. Such tools are suitable:
- potassium permanganate solution (dissolve 5 g of powder in 10 l of water heated to 70 aboutFROM);
- garlic infusion (prepared and used according to general rules);
- special preparation Karbofos (use according to the instructions).
Try to pay more attention to the back of the leaves, as the pennies are hiding there.
Chafer
Strawberry shrubs often suffer from the May bug. The larvae of this insect live in the soil and feed on the roots of strawberries, so the plant weakens and withers, which means it decreases its yield.
May beetle larvae live in soil at a depth of 50-60 cm and spoil strawberry roots
To prevent this, from late April to mid-May, it is necessary to process the beds. For this event, use the following tools:
- Ammonia. Prepare a solution (0.5 tablespoons of ammonia + 10 liters of water) and spill the garden well.
- Onion peel:
- pour 100 g of onion husks 1 liter of boiling water, dilute in 9 liters of warm water and insist for 3-5 days;
- before processing, dilute the solution in half with water and pour the bushes under the root;
- Zemlin, Barguzin and other drugs containing diazinon - the only soil insecticide - according to the instructions.
- Mulching. For mulch, use sawdust or leaf litter with a layer of at least 5 cm. But note that mulching is carried out exclusively for preventive purposes. If there are pests in the soil, then you must first destroy them, and then pour the mulch.
Video: control of the Maybug larvae
Spring processing of strawberries is an important event that will help to avoid many problems with the health and development of your plants. If you follow all the tips and advice you will ensure yourself a quality crop.
