Strawberries frozen after winter are a common occurrence. With the arrival of warm weather, you can tell from the bushes that the climatic winter has not passed without a trace.
Why a crop can freeze, how to recognize it, and what a gardener can do to save it, this is covered in the article.
Frozen strawberries: signs
An affected plant can be identified by several signs:
- the bush is brown in cross-section;
- lack of green mass in spring;
- black or dark brown roots;
- absence of kidneys.
The bush definitely failed to survive the winter if the root system has acquired a dark color, including the cut of the "horn". There is no point in reviving such a plant. But if the bush has a couple of buds, the leaves look dry and brown, but the bush is green in the cut, then it makes sense to fight for it.
Causes of freezing
There are a number of significant reasons why a completely winter-hardy crop freezes:
- strawberry varieties selected without taking into account the climate of the region;
- dense plantings without air circulation;
- depleted soil, improper fertilizing;
- winter with extremely low temperatures and no snow, thaw in early spring;
- everbearing strawberry;
- old age of bushes.
Unsuccessful winter and what to do with bushes
Bushes that have frozen completely must be removed. The remaining ones must be cleared of dry leaves and debris, the tendrils must be cut off, and the soil must be loosened to the exposed surface root system.
When hilling, you need to try not to harm the plants. Afterwards, it is important to remove weeds that interfere with restoration. Now, on a clean area, you can do restoration work.
The first thing to do is to create the most comfortable and safe conditions over the bushes using canopies made of spunbond and arches. They will protect the plants from the sun, temperature changes and wind, helping the buds and leaves to germinate faster.
After that, you need to move on to fertilizing. But not nitrogen, since weak roots do not accept it well. Let it be a tablespoon of ammonium nitrate diluted in 10 liters of water. It can be replaced with mullein. After that, the bushes can be mulched, for example, with compost. It will additionally warm them and become a nutritious raw material.
Replenishment of lost bushes
If a gardener is transporting a rare variety of strawberry or it does not produce runners, then dividing the bushes can be used to fill the voids after freezing.
When the temperature outside warms up to at least 10 degrees, you need to dig up a good wide bush, put it in water. As soon as its root system moves away from the earth ball, it needs to be carefully divided with a knife.
Each planting material should have a “horn” and a bud, several fresh, strong and healthy leaves.
After dividing, you need to treat the roots with potassium permanganate and transplant them into a hole with compost laid out in advance. After planting, the bush can be watered with a growth stimulator.
Strawberries that freeze over the winter are not uncommon. But if possible, they can be revived and a harvest can be obtained from them.
