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To trim or not to trim strawberry leaves after fruiting: 3 good reasons “against”
13.07.2024 19:30
There are as many opinions as there are people, including regarding the trimming of strawberry leaves after fruiting.
Today we are going to reveal to you the secrets of why experienced gardeners prefer not to touch the leaves in their strawberry beds.
Old leaves give off nutrients
When vegetation begins, the plant roots provide the above-ground part with nutrients necessary for growth. When the leaves age, they return everything accumulated back.
In addition to the root system, they supply nutrition to new foliage, young rosettes and future buds that form a season before flowering and fruiting. In case of pruning, the latter will not receive enough nutrients, which will certainly affect the yield.
As a result, summer residents notice that the bush is not coping and begin to use fertilizers. However, this is irrational, since not all preparations act instantly.
Young leaves are dependents
It is unclear who decided that old leaves are parasites and young ones are “workers”.
Old leaves, as we have already found out, contain many useful substances and use them in small quantities for photosynthesis. Young leaves need more nutrients because they consume more. As a result, old foliage shares all the accumulated elements with young ones, since they cannot provide for themselves.
In addition, as long as the plant has leaves, they perform many other functions: photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration.
Removing old leaves will not solve the problem of diseases and pests
Unfortunately, not a single gardener has yet boasted that after pruning the foliage on a strawberry patch, powdery mildew and brown spotting disappeared from his plot, taking the weevil with them.
It is not possible to get rid of plant diseases by removing leaf blades, since spores are present not on individual leaves, but on all bushes.
