Sometimes gardeners do things wrong when caring for this crop. This especially concerns mowing strawberry bushes after they have borne fruit.
Experienced gardeners do not advise doing this, because there are reasons for this. But they also do not leave strawberries unattended after picking the berries.
Should I mow my strawberry bushes?
Some summer residents mow strawberry bushes in the summer after harvesting. They think that this helps the roots grow better and the plant produce new shoots.
They also believe that this can get rid of all kinds of pests. But these are erroneous and unfounded opinions.
In fact, mowing is very stressful for the plant, which affects its development and fruiting for the worse.
What to do with strawberries after fruiting
In the summer, after the berries have been picked, you need to selectively prune the strawberry bushes, rather than mow them.
This will take longer than mowing, but will provide more benefits.
Selective pruning of bushes should be done only with garden shears or pruning shears.
Only those leaves that grew several years ago should be removed. Diseased and infected bushes should be immediately uprooted, not cut off.
After pruning, you need to clean the strawberry bed: burn the leaves and dig up the soil between the rows.
You also need to treat the strawberries with a solution of malathion, and after two weeks feed them with a complex fertilizer.
