How to save strawberry seedlings

Types of strawberry seedlings

• Seedlings can be of two types: with an open root system (OKS) and a closed one (ZKS). The first are divided into open ground seedlings - with a root system clear of soil, and frigo seedlings.
• ZKS - planted in containers: cups, cassettes, also includes those transplanted with a lump of soil.
• Frigo is a separate conversation. In short, these are strawberry seedlings kept at sub-zero temperatures, treated with antifungal drugs, stored in cooling chambers at a temperature of approximately -2 -3 C.

How to preserve strawberry seedlings and seedlings before planting

You need to know how to preserve strawberry seedlings and what needs to be done to do this if a trip to the dacha is postponed indefinitely. Strawberry seedlings and seedlings are best preserved if the root system is in a closed container.

A significant advantage of seedlings in pots is that for those few days or even a couple of weeks, until you get to the dacha or finally prepare the soil for planting, the plants can be stored at home or on the site without any problems, without losing any quality.

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But there are no ways to preserve strawberry seedlings before planting with an open root system. It is advisable to plant it within a few hours. On hot days, the exposed root system dries out and loses its viability extremely quickly. To minimize losses during the time before planting, the root system must be wrapped in a damp cloth and sealed tightly from evaporation with a plastic bag. A bunch of seedlings should be placed in a cool, shady place; in an apartment, the bottom shelf of the refrigerator is suitable. On the site, a bunch of seedlings with bare roots can be temporarily buried in a shady place and watered abundantly. The maximum period for such storage of seedlings is no more than 7-10 days.

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How to preserve strawberry seedlings at home

Such plants bear fruit an average of 60 days after planting in the ground. Types of frigo seedlings: A class - root collar diameter 8-13 mm, A+ more than 14, WB - more than 20 cm.

Before planting, soak the strawberry seedlings in a foundation solution.

When is the best time to plant strawberries - time, timing

• In spring, the earlier, the better. In spring, greenhouse seedlings are planted in the southern regions in early April, in the northern regions - in late May - early June. So, we have decided: when to plant strawberries - approximately April 15 - May 20 in the spring.
• It is important that when planting strawberries in the spring there are no overgrown seedlings, often with flower stalks. When planting, the flower stalks are removed and the roots are treated with clay and chernozem mixture (1 part of the first and second, diluted with water). It is useful to leave the roots for a couple of minutes in a solution of mineral fertilizers of the potassium phosphate group.
• Autumn planting of strawberry seedlings is optimal in September. During this time, they will not only have time to take root, but also live through part of the growing cycle necessary for bearing fruit the next year.
• So, when planting strawberries in the fall, we gain the year necessary to build up the root system and the green part of the bush.

How - in detail about the main thing

• It is better to plant strawberries during cloudy, damp weather. A restrictive cord is pulled between the supports. Planting holes with humus 1/4 bayonet - holes, cracks are made at a distance of 25-30 or more - it all depends on the variety, and they often require completely different distances! This is partly why different varieties are planted separately. Depth - half a bayonet or slightly deeper than a regular bayonet shovel.
• Plants are pre-soaked for 5-10 minutes in a fungicide solution. If the root system is too long, shorten it by 7-10 cm.
• The seedlings are buried to the root collar so that the growth point remains free. The plant is wrapped in soil, carefully, without compacting the soil, sprinkled with loosened soil around it, filling the hole. The plant should hold firmly in the soil after planting - check for strength by slightly pulling the leaves towards you with two or three fingers - but not too much.
• Planting strawberries on film - the beds are covered with mulching black film, this is important when growing as an annual crop. The ridges are covered with material, sprinkled with straw, two perpendicular cuts are made opposite the pre-dug recesses - here is the hole for planting.
• In dry weather, water with a small amount of water so that the roots are wet to the full depth, but sparingly.

Every strawberry grower should know this

• Do not plant strawberries in late spring, i.e. do not take seedlings - tendrils with ovaries and from fruit-bearing specimens. Never.

During this period, all the plant’s forces are aimed at feeding the berries, and the seedlings are currently weak and take root slowly. But the main thing is that the yield of the first harvest is catastrophically low! It is estimated that this will reduce your harvest by almost 70%.

• It is necessary to fertilize. Humus and complex organic fertilizers are added to the holes. For more details, see the article on growing the crop.
• Seedlings are dug up immediately before planting. If it doesn’t work out, or you have purchased seedlings tied in a bunch, moisten the roots and wrap them in a damp cloth. For a short time - for a day - with polyethylene, no longer - it rots, gets hot, rots.
• If the seedlings are suspicious, soak for 5-10 minutes in a solution of foundationazole or other antifungal drug. You can also treat with acacricides if the planting material is of concern.

Where to get seedlings if you don’t have your own?

Only in trusted nurseries and agricultural companies with a good reputation, with licenses to grow this variety. From our hands - without pretense, we often take a pig in a poke.

Rejuvenating the beds

When replanting old bushes, propagating strawberries by dividing the old mother plant, the rhizome is divided into parts. The lower part, the oldest one, outdated and useless, is cut off with pruning shears, leaving its upper part - the so-called annual growth, with its young adventitious roots and rosette. Thus, the strawberries are rejuvenated - free from depleted roots that have accumulated pathogens and ready for active vegetation.

Any fertilizing begins after rooting in 2 weeks, and after planting strawberries in the fall - these are only mineral fertilizers, phosphorus-potassium group, complex. Nitrogen is not used before winter. In the spring, a period of 14 days is also maintained for the seedlings to take root and the growing season begins, then a mineral complex is added every 10-14 days. But that will be a completely different story.

If you want to grow strawberries in a greenhouse in winter and summer all year round, choose remontant varieties. And if for sale, then it is better to give preference to varieties that produce dense, almost equal in size and well transportable berries.

What good frigo strawberry seedlings should look like

We asked specialists, who have been selling high-quality planting material for 15 years, to talk about this.

Having opened the package with seedlings, you should not see any traces of mold (which indicates a violation of storage conditions) or overdried rhizomes (which indicates poor pre-sale preparation of seedlings).

To prevent the roots from drying out during transportation and shipment, conscientious sellers place them in a special moisture-intensive substrate containing agroperlite.

Pay attention to the root collar (the place where the roots transition to the above-ground part). Its diameter should be at least 8 mm, and better – 12-18 mm.

The roots of high-quality frigo strawberries are always long (up to 20 cm or more), well developed and fibrous. Several short, indistinct roots up to 10 cm long should alert you greatly.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of one or two blossoming leaves - this is a normal phenomenon for plants that have emerged from suspended animation. Just tear off these leaves so that the seedlings do not waste internal reserves on growing green mass.

Growing delicious strawberries in a greenhouse: care tips

It is very important how long the daylight hours are and how intense the daylight is. When fruit generative buds are just being laid, a short daylight hours is needed, but flowers need it to last from fifteen to eighteen hours. So, starting somewhere in mid-January and ending with the first days of March, greenhouse strawberries need lighting - especially in the north of Russia, where there is very little light in winter.

The temperature must be increased gradually and gently - otherwise flowering will be delayed.

Pollination

Two or three times a day, take a soft brush in your hands and transfer pollen from flower to flower. Air humidity should be low. And the brush is the most ordinary one, a school one. To get the pollen to other flowers, you just need to carefully brush the brush several times over each flower. You can try another method of pollination: blow on the plants from a home fan. Then the pollen

will scatter to neighboring inflorescences. However, the task can be made even easier by purchasing special self-pollinating varieties.

Modern technology

In recent years, hydroponics has gained popularity - growing berries in special units and containers on substrates with special fertilizers. For greenhouses, pots about twenty centimeters in diameter are suitable as substrates.

======================= Why do purchased strawberries take root very poorly? Often, only a couple of bushes take root from a dozen purchased in a store. All due to the fact that they were refreshed with water. Strawberries cannot be stored in water! Outwardly, they may look invigorating after such storage, but the roots have already rotted. The only thing that is allowed is to place the seedlings in water for one to two hours before planting to restore lost water supplies. And then this procedure is carried out in cold water, in the open air at a temperature no higher than +5...+10° C.

THE SECRET IS IN THE GROUND. Due to this feature of strawberries, they prefer to plant them with freshly dug seedlings.

Frigo strawberries - how to select, preserve and plant seedlings

The decision is correct. But if you remember the history of this crop, the Spaniards brought it from Chile, and the plants did not die during the several months of travel.

The secret to such successful transportation is a lump of earth. Modern traders neglect this - it is easier for them to bring seedlings with bare roots. But quite recently it was practiced to cut out the top layer of soil (with strawberry roots). This turf was used to transport strawberries for planting...

IF YOU DID NOT HAVE TIME TO PLANT. Well, what if you bought seedlings with a lump of earth, but didn’t have time to plant them? Then they can be buried in the area until spring, carefully covering the roots with soil and not covering the hearts.

However, it is better to choose the time and land. After all, autumn is the best due to the high humidity and moderate temperatures characteristic of this time of year. With such a late transplantation, it is rarely possible to obtain a spring harvest, but the plants take root well, especially if they are insulated with straw, sawdust or husks...

MULCH IS THE CAUSE OF YELLOWING LEAVES. By the way, in the spring after mulch you can observe weak growth and yellowing of the foliage (mulch draws nitrogen from the soil, then it will begin to release, but in the first year it is necessary to eliminate hunger). This can be corrected by applying nitrogen fertilizers.

PLANTING IN SPRING. Spring planting is worse, because if the heat lasts for several days after it, then fallen holes will appear. Moreover, during spring planting, the plants experience such stress that, despite the supply of flower buds in the bush, they do not bloom or bear fruit.

HOW DO THE EUROPEANS DO. In Europe, cold storage of strawberry seedlings is more popular. Its main difference is that seedlings are dug up in November, often in the second half of the month. This late harvesting of seedlings is carried out due to the fact that at temperatures below +15° C there is an outflow of nutrients into the rhizomes and the formation of flower buds ends.

At a temperature of +5°C and below, plants completely stop their development and go into deep dormancy. At this time, seedlings are harvested. They are stored in plastic bags, but prepared and sorted in advance: all the leaves are cut off and selected by variety depending on the thickness of the root collar.

Then lightly sprinkle with water and, placing it in a bag, place it in the refrigerator, where it is stored at a temperature of 1-2 ° C until planting in the ground in the spring.

Yes, summer is over, the noise is gone with wild blooms. When golden colors mixed with the crimson and blue of the bottomless sky.

How to preserve and prepare strawberry seedlings

Two ways to prepare and preserve strawberry seedlings
How to preserve and prepare strawberry seedlings

The first method: folk - traditional

At the end of July, the strongest, well-developed rosettes on the mother plants are selected, they are cleared of old foliage, the roots are cut to 1/3 of their entire length and planted in garden beds in the vegetable garden with well-prepared soil rich in organic microelements (a distance of 10-20 cm in row and 20-25 between rows).

Strawberry seedlings need to be watered and fed in a timely manner, and the soil should be well loosened. In Japan, much attention is paid to removing strawberry tendrils, excess and large leaves, and underdeveloped plants. In August, it is recommended to leave strawberry bushes with 3 or 4 well-developed leaves. In winter, strawberry plants are protected from low temperatures and poor natural conditions.

In spring, dried leaves should be removed, and later also tendrils and flower stalks. In September-October, seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse. In Bulgaria, strawberry bushes are planted in June in peat pots filled with soil mixture and left there until the end of December.

Second method: Cold method of storing strawberry seedlings

It is impossible to obtain full-fledged strawberry seedlings that could produce a good harvest of large fruits at any time of the year in open ground conditions due to the climatic conditions of our country.

Therefore, it is recommended to prepare strawberry seedlings for long-term storage in special microclimate conditions, which are artificially maintained in a certain mode and parameters required for a given plant.

The cold method of storing strawberry rosettes (seedlings) differs from the traditional method in that the seedlings are not grown specifically for forcing bushes, but are prepared in finished form by separating (picking) the rosettes from the mother bush. It is important to remember that the very first rosette, which is located on the tendrils of the mother bush, during vegetative propagation of strawberries is the most complete.

It is recommended to take strawberry seedlings from young bushes of the first or second year of life. In this case (especially when using plant seedlings from the second year of life), the number of fruiting bushes on your strawberry can reach 90-100%. It is not recommended to take strawberry bushes that are more than 3 years old for seedlings, because strawberries degenerate with age, which significantly affects the yield and quality of the berries.

Strawberries are prepared for winter storage from late summer to early autumn. To stop growth before digging, you should first reduce watering of the beds and then completely eliminate them. To prevent the plants from disappearing completely, after 10-15 days you can water them with a small amount of water. Strawberry seedlings stop growing and almost all life processes in them are suspended.

It is necessary to monitor the condition of the plants more often, to prevent them from overgrowing, but also not to let them die from lack of water. Being in such a dormant state, plants (rosettes) retain their vitality. In healthy, strong plants, by autumn the leaves have thick, short petioles that adhere to the ground.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with Fertilizers for black currants when planting in autumn

In autumn, plants are dug up along with their tendrils, old, diseased leaves are removed, and soil is shaken off from the roots. It is recommended to choose strong, well-developed, healthy rosettes without signs of rot, disease, yellowing or dry leaves. Healthy rosettes are a guarantee of good development of the strawberry bush. If you plan to buy seedlings, be sure to pay attention to this.

Good seedlings have at least three well-developed leaves on small cuttings, an intact heart (apical bud) and a developed root lobe. Particular attention should be paid to the root system so that the roots are intact, undamaged by pests and not torn.

How to preserve and prepare strawberry seedlings

The sockets are sorted, put into bundles and packed for storage. Planting material with 3-4 leaves and thick, short petioles is stored with a root collar thickness of 6 mm, roots -5 cm long (longer roots are shortened, otherwise it will be difficult to straighten them when planting and they will bend, and this will have a bad effect on the growth and development of the strawberry plant).

The bundles are placed in boxes of different sizes, covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator. The storage temperature and, in general, the microclimate during storage must be strictly observed. With skillful handling of the storage of planting material and the creation of appropriate conditions, you can preserve the vitality of plants and get a good harvest all year round. Instead of a home refrigerator, you can use any room, but the following conditions must be met.

The temperature should be constant - within 0 - 2 degrees. At lower temperatures, strawberry plants freeze, and at higher temperatures, they germinate prematurely, losing their genetic characteristics and vitality. Therefore, caring for sockets during storage involves proper adherence to technology.

Seedlings preserved in this way save their vital resources without losing their genetic characteristics of the variety and in the future give stable results in viability and productivity; they can be planted at any time.

When storing sockets, special attention should be paid to the air-gas regime indoors. Experience shows that storage will be more successful if the carbon dioxide content is greater than the oxygen content. The ideal ratio would be: carbon dioxide 5%, oxygen 2.5%. To ensure that the roots of the strawberry plant are well preserved and do not dry out or dry out, it is recommended to spread damp moss on the bottom of the box.

It is recommended to control the storage process of sockets using the simplest control devices to determine humidity, air-gas and temperature conditions. Avoid sudden fluctuations in microclimate indicators and parameters.

A few more notes on harvesting seedlings. The seedlings should not be dry. Pay attention to this when preparing. If they are grafted, to revive them, dip the roots of the bushes in water.

If the seedlings taken for harvesting cannot be immediately packed for storage, as described in the recommendation above (for example, the seedlings will be transported for a long time), then be sure to sprinkle the roots with soil and systematically water them with water, preventing the soil from becoming completely dry. This way you can save the plants for several days.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the Bystrinka cherry variety

But in general, it is better to take seedlings somewhere not far away and select them personally. This way you can control the quality of seedlings and protect them from the negative effects of long-term transportation.

If seedlings are taken from open ground, then before planting in bags they must undergo a biological rest period of 1.5-2 months according to the described cold method of storing seedlings. Then, at any time of the year, these seedlings are ready for planting in plastic bags.

On your strawberry plantation you can use both seedlings simply taken from the garden and elite specially prepared ones. You can look for such seedlings in nearby greenhouses, nurseries, and homestead farms. Check with local agricultural institutes and organizations to see if they can tell you where to find high-quality strawberry seedlings in your area.

Also, addresses for the sale of various varieties of strawberry seedlings can be found in gardening publications. For example, in the magazines “Home”, “Garden and Vegetable Garden”, “Vegetable Growing”. “Gardener”, “Summer Resident”, “Gardener” and others.

You will only have to look for seedlings for the first time to create your own strawberry plantation. Next, you will provide yourself with seedlings, harvesting them according to the method described on this page.

How to preserve and prepare strawberry seedlings

Over time, with the acquisition of practical experience and skills, this process can be mechanized or automated, and with large storage volumes, this activity can be put on an assembly line.

If you have the opportunity to store seedlings in the winter in the basement, where the temperature is stable all winter, instead of polyethylene, you can use non-woven material, in which the seedlings are wrapped in a similar way, tied with a rope and, then, the packaged bundle is covered with a suitable, unnecessary cotton mattress.

Autumn questions

How to prepare strawberries for the winter: to trim or not? In winter, the bush leaves with green leaves, completely renewed. They are more rigid, located horizontally - nature took care of the plant being under the snow.

When the green mass is renewed for the third time in a year, at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, the future harvest is laid: the rudiments of flower stalks are formed, and nutrients accumulate. By removing, we deprive the plant of not only protection: the formation of leaf and flower buds is delayed, and, accordingly, fruiting is delayed.

To trim or not is a question that worries many. Some are content with the usual cleaning of yellowed ones, while others? And others do pruning at the end of August-September.

It is in September that fruit buds form in the axils of the upper leaves, and vegetative buds form in the axils of the lower leaves, from which shoots and tendrils develop.

On the other hand, rejuvenation and pruning of strawberries is necessary. It is necessary to get rid of diseases and weakened shoots, which will certainly appear during the season. After the last fruiting, we clean the rows, literally and figuratively. And most importantly, along with the destruction of old, diseased bushes, the spores of pathogenic fungi overwintering in the leaves are destroyed. Thus, by pruning we prevent re-infestation.

It is possible in September-October, before the end of the growing season. But there is a subtlety: the more time it takes to “take root,” the more abundant the harvest.

In August-September for long-day varieties, at the end of September-early November for neutral-day varieties, we carefully cut out everything that is damaged, yellowed, sick, unnecessary mustache and burn it. At the same time, we plant them: we transfer new rosettes from the old mother bushes to a new bed.

For strawberry bushes for each m2 of land you will need:

• organic fertilizers in the form of humus or manure 10 kg;
• superphosphate 60 g;
• potassium sulfate about 20 g.

Currently, you can find many varieties of complex fertilizers that already contain all the necessary microelements. You just need to choose a fertilizer specifically for strawberries.

After fertilizing the soil, it should settle. It is advisable to cover the prepared area with agrofibre to prevent moisture from evaporating. After 2-3 weeks, the soil will settle and be ready for planting. The soil must be well moistened.

If the weather has been dry, you need to water it well with warm water before planting. It is better to water the land regularly while it settles if there is a drought. This will help the applied fertilizers to be better absorbed into the soil.

Regardless of what time of year the plants will be transferred to a new location, it is important to follow the basic general rules that are suitable for all cases of transplanting strawberries:

1. You need to choose young and healthy seedlings. She will have enough strength to recover and begin to produce a good harvest.
2. Young mustaches should be used for transplantation only from bushes 3-5 years old. In this case, the whiskers should be the first, since the subsequent ones will not be as strong and will die in the winter.
3. It is important to monitor new bushes; they will be ready for replanting as soon as they take root.
4. The most suitable place is considered to be where leguminous plants grew, and the most undesirable place is considered to be the beds after the nightshade family. You definitely need to take this factor into account when choosing a new place.
5. It is advisable to moisten the soil a day before planting. At the time of planting, you also need to water if necessary.
6. It is best to choose a cloudy day or evening for planting. This is due to the fact that the scorching rays of the sun can dry out the leaves of the plant, which will negatively affect its further condition. And after planting in the evening, the strawberries will have the whole night to recover.

Taking into account the climatic characteristics of each region, spring arrives differently everywhere. Therefore, the timing for transplantation will be different everywhere. You can start replanting strawberry bushes when the snow has completely melted and the plant itself has revived from hibernation and started to grow. It is necessary to choose a time when severe frosts are no longer expected, because in this case the still fragile plant may die.

In all regions where the snow has already melted in April, replanting begins in the middle of the month. These terms are most suitable for early varieties of strawberries. For late varieties, as well as in regions where the snow melts much later, replanting is possible in early May. But it is important to ensure that the berry does not start to bloom.

A feature of the spring period is the need for painstaking care of the plant, regular watering and fertilizing the soil. The advantage of this period will be good rooting of the bushes before winter, but this year you should not wait for the berries to ripen.

Need to feed after pruning

So that the plants gain leaf mass faster. Feed, loosen, rake the soil to the roots. There are many options. We choose from a fairly wide range:

We insulate

And it’s better than covering strawberries for the winter. Translated from English, stawberr means straw berry, or growing on straw. We draw conclusions: back in the old days, the British used mulching as an integral part of caring for berry gardens.

Firstly, an insulating layer is necessary in case of snowless winters, and secondly, phytoncides of natural material do not allow pathogenic microorganisms to develop, which in the future, next year, does not provide a great guarantee of resistance to diseases.

Of course, you can’t rely on straw alone - if large areas are contaminated with phytoncides alone, it won’t cope; chemistry will go into battle, unfortunately. But this factor is also worth taking into account.

What is the optimal layer thickness? From 10 to 20 cm, then it will settle to 6-10 cm.

An alternative option is tyrsa.

Just dry shavings, perfectly insulating and warming. There are disadvantages: firstly, it is more difficult to remove than straw, which, by the way, when decomposed, nourishes the soil, and secondly, when wet, it burdens the plants with its weight. Microorganisms do not live very comfortably in it, but there is no benefit from the tyrsa, other than insulation.

Needles

- light, rich in phytoncides that resist the proliferation of fungal spores, relatively easy to remove in the spring. Disadvantages - according to those who used this method, the hard needles of the spruce tree remaining in the summer pierce the flowers and the first berries - you must admit, you can’t sweep the pine needles out from under the bush with a broom. But it has a beneficial effect on the soil and insulates normally.

Dry corn stalks are another option for winter shelter. The downside is that they are moisture-intensive, swell from dampness and water, and become heavy.

Film or agrofibre

What's better? The question is far from rhetorical. The difference in cost is significant, especially when it comes to large areas, and you don’t want to have a negative experience.

Film materials are cheaper, but: lighter, which means they require reinforced fastening at the edges; - quickly becomes unusable: depending on the thickness, the material lasts 1-2 seasons - if you're lucky.

The main thing: under the polyethylene the soil rots without air, the leaves and roots feel disgusting without access to oxygen.

In a warm, airless space, active processes of rotting of the mulch layer begin. No matter how the adherents of this method argue, you cannot argue against the laws of nature, biochemistry, chemistry and others like them.

As a result, if there was a large amount of melted snow in early spring, the roots may rot. And also - the development of brown and gray rot. Spring preventive root treatment is not an option. Even if it is mandatory, it is better to be a preventive measure, namely prevention, not treatment.

Agrofibre with a thickness of 60 microns is undoubtedly the best option for covering strawberries; with a reinforcing mesh it is doubly better.

The optimal thickness is indicated based on the correspondence between the thermal insulation properties and the weight of the material: it retains heat perfectly, does not weigh it down, and will not be blown away by the wind. Fastening at the edges is mandatory. And in the spring - in the spring there are other worries. Again, cleaning winter leaves, spring disease prevention, feeding - a cycle, eternal, tireless, necessary. But that will be a completely different story.

Question from our subscriber:

How can you dig up strawberries and wild strawberries at home for the winter and store them in a seedling box until spring? Our winters are cold; frost in the ground can reach 50 degrees. If possible, please tell me. I’m specifically interested in digging up seedlings and how to preserve them until the next harvest.

My strawberry seedlings (small-fruited strawberries from seeds) spent the winter before last in the basement. Conditions were spartan, but most survived. Closer to spring (around the end of February), I lifted it from the basement into the house, transplanted it into separate pots, and grew it along with other seedlings - under artificial light. In the spring I planted it in the ground. It is growing and thriving to this day. But we have a milder climate, after all, and the seedlings were not dug up, but rather grown from seeds - they did not have time to plant them in the ground in time, so they had to be left at home for the winter. A practitioner with many years of experience told us how to preserve and grow garden strawberries at home - but there we were talking specifically about cultivation (up to and including fruiting), and not about preserving seedlings. Although, I believe, many nuances are relevant in your case. From my experience: the most difficult thing is to provide the seedlings with optimal lighting and temperature at home. Her apartment is dark and hot, so all sorts of ailments attack her, the plants stretch out and weaken. If it is possible to create the conditions (and they are written well and in detail in Oksana’s article), then the seedlings will safely overwinter, I think.

Conditions and rules for preserving mustaches

In some situations, after trimming the mustache, there is no possibility of planting in the soil. In such a situation, there is a need to store planting material. This can be done for 2 months. However, it is better to plant the mustache right away. Thanks to this, they take root much better.

For 2-3 weeks

Cut seedlings should be dipped in a solution of a growth stimulator. If you cannot plant the plant right away, it is recommended to leave it in water for 2-3 weeks. During this time, beautiful roots are formed. Then the crop should be moved to open soil.

Up to 2 months

There is a way to store strawberry mustaches for up to 2 months. To do this, it is recommended to sprinkle the seedlings with soil and store them at home. It is important to constantly monitor soil moisture. This is how experienced gardeners store plants for sale. It is recommended to cover the bottom of the container with foam rubber or damp moss.

How to store seedlings in winter until spring?

When storing strawberry seedlings, certain conditions must be observed. The temperature should be +2-6 degrees. Humidity parameters should not fall below 90%. Optimal conditions include an excess of carbon dioxide content by 2 times compared to oxygen.

If the air humidity in the room is too low, it is worth hanging wet towels. If the room, on the contrary, is too humid, it needs to be ventilated. At this point, it is recommended to insulate the seedlings.

Strawberries can be stored in the following places:

• basement;
• fridge;
• insulated balcony.

If the seedlings are stored indoors, the bushes should be planted in boxes. Boxes with a double layer are suitable for this. The root zone should be covered in several layers with moss or sawdust. From time to time it is worth assessing the condition of the seedlings. They should be watered if necessary.

Some gardeners leave strawberries to overwinter right in the garden bed. To do this, the soil should be moistened, fed and covered with insulation. The material should be secured to the bed so that it does not blow away. If storage rules are violated, strawberries may freeze.

It is permissible to keep sprouts in the refrigerator for 7 months. Plants should be placed in a bag without soil. It is recommended to sprinkle it with water and place it on the bottom shelf. The temperature should be +1-2 degrees.

Another popular storage method is the Frigo method. To do this, cut off all the leaves from the seedlings and place them in a cold place. Thanks to this, it is possible to select the strongest plants, get rid of weak crops and achieve excellent yields.

See also

Is it possible to plant different varieties of strawberries next to each other and will they cross-pollinate?

Read

Preserving seedlings by snowing

To use this method, strawberries must be prepared in advance. 1 month before this, it is worth reducing the amount of watering. 2 weeks before sheltering, it is recommended to completely stop moistening the soil.

After which the bushes should be watered once to prevent them from drying out. During this time, strawberries' life processes slow down.

Then you should do the following:

1. Select an area that is constantly covered with 15 centimeters of snow.
2. Transfer the dug up seedlings to it.
3. Cover the bed with straw.
4. Cover the top with spunbond.
5. Lay a layer of snow 10 centimeters thick.
6. Lay down another layer of straw, which helps prevent snow from melting and traps heat.

Selection and preparation of seedlings

An important factor when growing strawberries is choosing healthy seedlings.

Seedlings must meet basic quality criteria:

• fibrous root system up to 7 cm long;
• leaf blades are dark green, evenly colored, pubescent or leathery;
• rhizome is wet;
• horns with a thickness of 0.7 cm;
• the rhizome entwines an earthen ball (when purchasing seedlings with a closed root system);
• absence of dark and light inclusions, spots, rot and plaque on the leaves.

Further preparation of seedlings depends on the type (closed or open ground) and the chosen storage method. The general rule for all methods is treatment with fungicides. To disinfect plants from fungal infections, the bushes are treated with “Fitosporin” or another acceptable drug according to the instructions. It is also important to check the moisture of the root system. Do not store bushes with dried out rhizomes.

Where is the best place to store?

Agronomists name several ways to store seedlings in winter.

Acceptable options include:

• in the basement or cellar (in boxes with moss);
• in peat substrate in containers (for residential storage)
• in the refrigerator (according to the Frigo system).

Storage in open ground is also allowed - many gardeners dig in seedlings until spring.

A method for preserving strawberry seedlings in winter.

Strawberry! Perhaps the most beloved, most labor-intensive, and easiest to grow plant. From year to year, depending on the vagaries of our almost snowless winters, at least cover with a blanket, sometimes with such difficulty, new, rare varieties of strawberries. In the spring we discover with great disappointment that it did not survive the winter. Frozen out.

Well, what method of preserving strawberry seedlings in winter should I use and will it be effective? So for many years I have experienced such bitter disappointments. Until I started experimenting with how to preserve it until spring. I read a lot of information about frigo, this is when a plant is dug up and stored at a temperature of 0 to -4 degrees.

I tested this method of preserving strawberry seedlings in winter in three versions.

1. I dug up and sorted the adult plant from the children. I cut off the old roots and leaves. Leaving 2-3 small ones.
2. I placed 50–80 pieces in transparent packaging bags. She closed it silently. Adults separately, children separately.
3. I put them in grape baskets.

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In the first option, I placed the boxes on a cold, unheated veranda. When persistent cold weather set in, it was insulated with polystyrene foam on all sides. The result is that the strawberries overwintered 100%.

Second option. In the basement, I put all the bags in an iron barrel and covered it with a lid. Result - 100%

Third option. In an unheated greenhouse, I placed boxes with bags of strawberries in three rows on polystyrene foam and covered them with foam plastic, because... The temperature difference in the greenhouse at night and during the day is significantly different. Result - 80% survived, only the packages in the top row of the box froze.

Spring has come, I take out bags of overwintered strawberries, soak them for 2 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of Kornevin, plowed, dug, selected weeds, fertilized, and in a thickened planting we plant full-fledged roots in one bed, children in another. All care is to periodically pull out emerging weeds.

The essence of this method is to preserve rare varieties of strawberries and get rid of weeds, making seedlings healthier.

Yes, it’s labor-intensive to dig up and process! But you can adjust the timing of planting. Make the first under the arches, the second planting at the beginning of May, the third in the middle or at the end of May. The result is that there are no initial weeds, strawberries will delight you with a harvest for a longer time. I do not grow remontant varieties of strawberries; it is enough to have varieties of early, medium and late ripening. This is my experience and I have been using it for many years. Demidova Tatyana

Strawberry storage technologies

Seedlings with open and closed root systems are stored in various ways. For seedlings with a closed rhizome, the storage method in boxes with moss or in peat soil is suitable. Bare-rooted bushes can be stored in the refrigerator until planting.

With open root system

It is difficult to preserve seedlings with an open rhizome for the winter before planting. The only suitable option is storage using the Frigo system. The method consists of placing seedlings in temperature conditions of +1. +2°C. Before storing strawberry bushes, remove excess leaves. If self-grown seedlings are used for planting, they are dug up in the last ten days of November.

At this moment, the bushes fall into winter sleep and stop actively developing. At the same time, generative buds have already formed on the plant. Before planting, the bushes are gradually defrosted. The first leaves grow 5 days after planting in a permanent place. After 2–2.5 months you can expect the beginning of fruiting.

With closed root system

The easiest method for storing rootless plants is in a cool room in pots with peat soil. With this storage, the seedlings can bloom and be ready to bear fruit by the time of planting. A more professional method involves storing seedlings in boxes with moss.

Containers are placed in basements or cellars. The optimal microclimate parameters are humidity 80–90% and temperature +2. +6°С. Self-grown strawberries stop being watered in late August and are dug up at the end of September. Thus, the seedlings stop actively developing and stop the development process.

How to select and prepare planting material

To achieve success in growing strawberries, it is recommended to pay attention to the selection and preparation of plants.

Mustache selection criteria

In the first year after planting in the ground, it is worth removing all the mustaches from strawberry bushes. This manipulation allows you to obtain strong crops with developed roots. In addition, all flower stalks are removed from annual plants. Thanks to this, they will not waste energy on producing fruits.

On the mother strawberry bush it is possible to form mustaches of 1st, 2nd, 3rd order. More powerful tendrils are located closer to the plant. These are the ones that are recommended to be used.

Strawberry bushes 2 years old and older provide the appearance of new shoots.

At the beginning of the season, it is recommended to select the strongest and largest plants. They should be marked with a sign or some other method.

Pruning rules

In mid-July, it is recommended to trim the mustache and plant it nearby. By the end of summer they will take root and begin active development. Before the arrival of winter, all crops should be harvested and moved to a cool room. By this time, the mustache has its own roots and can survive the winter.

See also

Characteristics and description of Roxana strawberries, planting and care

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How to preserve seedlings before planting

The technology for placing seedlings for storage depends on the type of bush and the chosen method.

To store plants in boxes with moss, follow these instructions:

1. Prepare boxes with lids.
2. Place moss on the bottom of the boxes.
3. Lightly shake the earthen ball from the roots.
4. Moisten the roots.
5. Place the seedlings in boxes.
6. Cover the containers with a lid.
7. Transfer the containers to a basement or cellar with the optimal microclimate described above.

Frigo technology for seedlings with an open root system involves the use of a refrigerator. Before placing the seedlings, adjust the temperature in the device.

Prepare the plants themselves according to the following algorithm:

1. Prepare clean plastic bags.
2. Sort the seedlings by size.
3. Lightly moisten the plant roots.
4. Place the bushes into bags according to sorting.
5. Place plastic bags with seedlings in the refrigerator.

Autumn seedlings can be stored in this way from the end of September until April.

How to preserve strawberry/frigo strawberry seedlings?

Under no circumstances should the resulting plants be placed in the refrigerator. Strawberries and frigo strawberries of class A+, according to technology, were stored in refrigerators and cannot be re-cooled. In order for crops to “survive” until planting, it is necessary:

• release the seedlings from the packaging material and let them lie at room temperature;
• plant in peat pots;
• place containers with plants in a cool room without access to sunlight (it is preferable to choose semi-dark rooms);
• periodically water the soil moderately (overwatering is many times more dangerous than underwatering);
• As soon as the weather allows, transplant the strawberries using the transshipment method to a permanent place.

Tips for Beginners

Experienced farmers advise paying special attention to root moisture. Beginners often neglect this rule. In no case should the rhizome be overdried - the plant may freeze or may not begin to grow when planted. During basement storage, professional agronomists try to control not only air humidity, but also its quality.

It is desirable that the air contains 2.5% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. Regardless of the choice of method, study the recommendations of agronomists and professional farmers. Adhering to technology and taking into account the nuances of the process, the gardener will successfully preserve strawberry seedlings until spring planting.