Every gardener asks himself this question one day. You want the strawberries to be at least medium-sized, sweet and certainly not watery.
But if you miss a few important points in caring for the berry bush, you will be left collecting what has grown, and there will be no time for taste.
Let's figure out what prevents us from growing a high-quality berry crop.
1. Old bushes
If the bushes are already more than 5-6 years old, then you can not expect normal fruiting from the seedlings. Here nature itself has intervened, so the berries will grow small and sour.
2. Soil moisture
Melt water in the lowlands, the rainy season and bad weather may be to blame. Or maybe the gardener overdid it with watering and flooded the bed. Because of this, the berries will grow watery or bitter. Only loosening can save a flooded bed.
3. The soil is tired
In addition to the fact that the soil must be drained and acidified, it must also be fertile. It is possible that after adding compost and sand, it will help to harvest tasty berries, but already next year.
4. Light
All plants need light and warmth. Strawberries need it especially during the fruiting and ripening process. Therefore, the bed should be illuminated by the sun for at least 8 hours a day.
5. Uneven area
If the bushes are planted on a slope, then we can talk about nutritional problems. Some plants may face a deficit of light, moisture and nutrients.
6. Dense planting
You should not save money and plant bushes close to each other. The distance between seedlings should be 20-35 cm. Between rows - 40-50 cm. Otherwise, there is a high probability of competition for nutrients.
7. Diseases
If spots or plaque appear on the leaves or fruits, it is time to start treatment. Otherwise, you can no longer count on tasty berries.
8. Planting time
It is believed that the best time for planting or replanting bushes is August or early September. This way, the root system will have time to strengthen before the cold weather. It would not hurt to add mulch for the winter.
9. Trimming
After fruiting, the foliage needs to be trimmed, especially if these are diseased specimens. This is long and necessary, but if you work with a scythe or trimmer, you can damage the growth points, and then the quality of the harvest will also deteriorate.
