Many gardeners do not remove old mulch from their strawberry beds in the spring, and this is a shame.
Why it is necessary to remove mulch from strawberries in the spring and when it is possible not to do this, says the expert of the online publication Belnovosti, agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh .
Why You Should Remove Strawberry Mulch in Spring
If you don't remove the mulch in the spring, the awakening of strawberries will be delayed by one to two weeks.
This can be a plus if in your region strawberry blooms are subject to recurrent frosts.
If there is no such problem and the goal is to get an early harvest, the mulch must be removed or laid between the rows as soon as the snow melts.
Until the flower stalks begin to emerge, the strawberries should grow without mulch, then they can be mulched again.
Mulch can be used to regulate harvesting times. If you have several beds of early-ripening strawberries, you can remove the mulch from some to get an early harvest, and leave it on others so that they begin to bear fruit later. This way, you can stretch out the harvesting period.
By the way, mulching is not always useful. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the region. If it rains often or the beds are located in a lowland, the mulch will rot and the strawberries will be affected by mold.
To prevent fungal diseases, it is recommended to water the mulch with biofungicides containing Trichoderma or hay bacillus.
Earlier, the expert told how to get a rich harvest of juicy and tasty beets.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
