Mulching improves the structure of the soil, makes it looser and more fertile, thereby increasing the yield of many crops.
Strawberries are no exception. However, not all materials are good for this purpose. Some options, on the contrary, can worsen the quality of the harvest.
Bad mulch option
Wood chips acidify the soil. In an acidic environment, strawberries grow and bear fruit worse, get sick more often and in some cases may die.
The plant needs an alkaline environment. Therefore, instead of wood chips, gardeners use sawdust of deciduous trees.
Preparing strawberries
Before mulching, it is necessary to prepare the bushes. Three procedures must be carried out:
- remove old and diseased leaves;
- remove the grass;
- hill up the plants (2-3 cm layer).
After this, gardeners boldly mulch strawberries with sawdust. But not everyone chooses only them. For example, the soil in the strawberry patch is covered with straw, hay, peat, humus.
