How to organize strawberry watering to get a good harvest? Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, large, sweet, juicy and fragrant berries need well-moistened soil to grow. In this article, we will consider the features of its watering, depending on the seasonality and stages of plant development.
Basic rules for watering
The root system of strawberries is superficial, and cannot lift water from the depths of the soil, and foliage easily evaporates moisture.
There are basic rules that are important to adhere to when watering:
- Water only with warm water - cold water is not absorbed by the plant.
- Do not overmoisten - otherwise fungal diseases will appear.
- Combine watering with loosening to provide access to the roots of moisture and oxygen.
- After watering, to preserve moisture in the mail, mulch the bushes.
- In wet weather, during flowering and ripening of berries, cover the strawberries with agrofilm to avoid fungal diseases.
- Water early in the morning or late in the evening, as the daytime watering will quickly evaporate moisture before it can be absorbed by the plant.
- Drops on leaves in sunny weather, acting as a lens, can cause plant burns.
- Calculate the watering time so that at least 30 minutes pass from morning watering to sunshine.
Seedling
When growing seedlings, there is a risk of black leg disease on strawberries. Therefore, monitor the soil moisture and, if necessary, adjust the frequency and intensity of irrigation:
- Water with a syringe or a small enema.
- Water the seedlings every 2-3 days.
- Use settled water at room temperature.
- Do not allow drops to fall on the leaves of seedlings, in order to avoid the appearance of spots.
- Do not overmoisten - this leads to the appearance of a black leg.
- Do not overdry the seedlings - then its growth slows down.
- Water in the early morning or late evening.
- for the purpose of prevention, carry out 1-2 waterings with an interval of 1-2 weeks with fungicides (Trichopol, Trichodermin or Planriz).
After landing
When transplanting into the ground, fill the wells with water and let it soak, then plant strawberry bushes in the moist ground. Or plant the bushes first and then water them well.
Next, irrigate as follows:
- Water with enough water so that it is completely absorbed and does not stagnate in the hole, otherwise it will be difficult for the bush to root. For 1 square. m you need no more than 1 bucket of water.
- After planting, water the plants often, but little by little, so that the surface of the earth remains constantly wet - this is necessary for the strawberries to grow new young roots.
- In the first weeks, irrigation on the leaves helps plants to take root, it is carried out 1 time a week early in the morning from a watering can.
- In the second decade, increase watering in volume, but decrease in frequency. After 20-50 days, the plants will be ready to survive the winter.
During flowering
In favorable weather, you can not water at all, but if watering is still necessary, then you need to make sure that the water gets to the roots, and at the same time does not harm the flowers - pollen should remain on the pistils. Features of watering during this period:
- Under favorable conditions, water once every 10-12 days.
- During this period, water only in the morning, as slugs appear on the moist, cool soil at night, so the ground under the bushes should remain dry at night.
- In rainy and cloudy weather, stop watering, and cover the plants with a film to protect them from precipitation.
- On hot and dry days, water every 3-4 days.
- Apply drip irrigation or a watering can under the bush, make sure that the water does not expose the roots and in no case should it get on the flowers.
- Use warm, settled water.
- The norm of water during flowering is about 20 liters per 1 sq. m (1 liter per 1 plant). But it is advisable to pay attention to the type of soil:
- Loose earth and good moisture permeability - 1 sq. m need 10-12 liters of water.
- Clay soil - you will need 2 liters more water.
- The water should penetrate to a depth of 25 cm.
If the soil is overdried, the pollen will become sterile, and if it is waterlogged, it will be inconvenient for bees to pollinate wet plants and the berries will not grow.
During fruiting
At this time, regular irrigation with furrows or with drip irrigation is important.
Features of watering:
- Watering frequency - once every 1-2 weeks, the rate per 1 sq. m - about 30 liters of water.
- In dry weather, water more often, because with a lack of moisture, the berries will ripen dry, small and hard.
- If it is rainy, do not water to prevent the berries from rotting.
- To keep moisture in the ground, mulch the strawberries with sawdust, chopped straw or black covering material.
- Walk through and harvest the ripe fruit before watering. So you will save the berries from pollution, and if it is hot, then from moisture evaporation, you will get a kind of double boiler and the fruits will start to deteriorate.
- After harvesting, the plants lay flower buds for the next year, and builds a mustache. Therefore, do not ignore the bushes. Water rarely, but abundantly - over the leaves, washing away dust and pests.
In winter, the soil is almost dry so that the strawberries do not dry out, before frosts, moisten the planting well.
What should be the water?
For proper watering, so as not to harm the plants, the quality and temperature of the water used plays an important role.
Water requirements are as follows:
- The water must be clean, warm and well-kept.
- Pour water from the well into the tank in advance, defend it for a day and only then use it for irrigation.
- The use of cold water directly from the well provokes the appearance of diseases and rot in strawberries, and also from cold water the quality of the fruits deteriorates and their quantity decreases, the growth of the plant slows down.
- In the hot summer, there is a danger of strong heating of the water in the tank - if its temperature exceeds 40 degrees, it is also not worth watering, it can result in a thermal burn of strawberries.
- The optimum temperature for watering is 18-20 degrees.
Seasonal watering: when, how and how much to water?
Novice gardeners take care of strawberries only before harvesting, and then forget about the plants. In fact, after picking the berries, the next crucial stage begins - the formation of whiskers, flower buds and the preparation of the plant for winter. And the crop next year depends on how good and timely watering the plant will receive. Let's dwell on the features of watering in different seasons.
Spring
Schedule for preparing and conducting spring watering:
- Remove old mulch from strawberries before watering.
- Check the ground for dryness - if the winter was little snow, then watering is necessary.
- A couple of weeks after the snow melts, pour hot water on the strawberries - pour boiling water from a watering can from a height of 1 m on the strawberries and the earth between the bushes. From this height, the water will have time to cool down a little (about 60-70 degrees) and will not cause strawberries any harm.
1 bush requires about 500 ml of water, at a depth of 10 cm, at the roots, the temperature will already be about 30 degrees. Pests hibernating in the upper soil layer will be destroyed. After a week, this treatment with boiling water can be repeated.But this is done only in early spring, while the strawberries have not started to grow, since young shoots from hot water can get burns.
- Since these plants have a superficial root system, from the moment they wake up, they need water. Therefore, the earlier you start watering, the better the strawberries will develop.
- From late April to early May, strawberries are watered once every 6 days.
- In total, 2-3 abundant watering will need to be carried out in the spring.
- For spring watering, while there are no flowers on the bushes, the sprinkling method is suitable. In this case, all dirt and dust is washed off the leaves.
In the video below, the gardener talks about watering strawberries in spring:
Be sure to weed the weeds, otherwise they will block the strawberry roots from accessing water. And after watering, mulch the plants.
Summer
Watering is carried out as usual, during the fruiting period - abundantly 1-2 times a week.
By July, the temperature rises, and watering is increased up to 3-5 times a week.
Fall
Once the crop is harvested, the strawberries should recuperate before winter. To do this, water it in the fall 2-3 times before the onset of cold weather.
For 1 square. m requires at least 20 liters of water. In the last watering, it is important not to overmoisten the soil, since with a sudden freeze, excessive moisture will lead to frostbite of the roots and the strawberries may die.
Combination of watering and top dressing
It is advisable to add additional top dressing at the same time as watering; in liquid form, they are better absorbed by plants:
- For the first spring watering, add nitrogen by diluting ammonium nitrate with water.
- Also, in one of the spring dressings, pour strawberries with organic fertilizers - compost or humus. 2 tablespoons without a slide of nitrophoska and 1 spoon of potassium can be diluted into 10 liters. For each bush, 0.5 liters of such a solution.
- Spend the second top dressing before flowering, potassium sulfate.
- When pests or diseases appear, feed with potassium permanganate or iodine, but not more often than 2 times a month.
- When watering during flowering, add complex instant fertilizers. For the season, 4 such top dressings are enough.
Read the article on how to feed strawberries in the fall.
In the video presented, a plant cultivation expert talks about the correct watering and feeding of strawberries:
Irrigation methods
There are several ways:
- Manual - carried out from a watering can or a bucket, it is good in small beds, but with this method the most labor costs.
- From the hose - less effort is spent, but the water flows unevenly, the stream can damage and erode the bushes, spread fungus from the infected berries throughout the area.
- Drip irrigation:
- Moisture is immediately supplied to the roots, the aisles remain dry - the number of weeds is reduced.
- Maintains soil structure.
- Significant water savings (about 2 times less than with other types of irrigation).
- The ability to adjust the degree of irrigation - to reduce or increase the amount of water supplied, depending on the situation.
- Plants receive water around the clock (this is convenient if you need to leave for a while and the strawberries are left without care).
- Together with water, plants can be given fertilizers diluted in it.
- Plants and land remain clean.
- The drip system is easy to assemble yourself at home.
- Wind does not affect the distribution of moisture.
- Not at all suitable for anti-freeze irrigation.
- Sprinkling - special spray nozzles are used, water is supplied by the pump from the storage tank.
- Allows you to moisten the earth to the desired depth without disturbing its structure.
- Improves the microclimate of the site.
- Can be used in areas with rough terrain.
- A wide range of nozzle sizes allows you to adjust the intensity of the water pressure.
- Additional costs for electricity.
- Loss of water at the boundaries of the site.
- The problem of compaction of the outer layer of the soil and the formation of a crust on it.
- Furrow irrigation - they are made around each hole at a distance of 25-30 cm from the center of the bush, and filled with water.
- Allows you to quickly saturate the earth with water.
- Pre-alignment of the site is required.
- Roots may be blurred.
- Compared to irrigation, water loss is 10% lower
- Salinization of the soil between furrows is possible.
- The end section gets less water.
For proper care of strawberries, it is advisable to combine several different types of watering.
Drip irrigation
The principle of drip irrigation is a tube system to which thinner tubes with droppers are attached using tees. In which, in small portions, water is supplied pointwise under each bush. This option is convenient when planting plants under a black covering material - moisture is retained in the soil and therefore frequent watering is not required.
Necessary materials:
- Water tank... It is advisable to take a volumetric one, from 100 liters.
- Pump for supplying water to the tank - selected depending on the source of water supply.
- Drip tape... There are holes with different intervals through which water is supplied (from 10 to 30 cm) - select them in accordance with your growing scheme. The belts must be able to withstand the pressure drop.
- Main hose.
- Crane- to shut off the water if necessary.
- Filter–For water purification.
- Connectors with seals.
- Plug at the second end of the main hose and at the ends of the drip tapes.
Installation Instructions:
- Place the water tank at a height of about 2 m. This will provide sufficient pressure to supply fluid to the system.
- Make a hole in it, slightly stepping back from the bottom of the tank. So that sediment accumulating in the tank does not get into drip tapes.
- Attach a tap to the tank to open / close the water supply.
- Install a filter to clean water from small debris.
- Attach a main hose and run it perpendicular to the strawberry beds.
- Connect the drip tapes to the main hose perpendicularly using connectors (fittings), and the droppers themselves to them.
- Plug the ends of the drip tapes with plugs.
- Check all connections carefully for leaks.
With proper care, the drip irrigation system will last for more than one year. In winter, the system must be disassembled, dried well and cleaned, and in the spring before reassembly do a second cleaning.
In the following video, you will see a simple drip irrigation scheme:
Necessary materials
To install a sprinkler system you will need:
- Sprinklers (nozzles-sprinklers) - give the opportunity to water sectors from 90 to 270 °. The most commonly used nozzles are 1.2 cm and the pressure on the spray is about 9 kg / cm2.
- Hoses or lightweight plastic pipes, it is advisable to choose pipes from HDPE (low pressure polyethylene), designed for a pressure of about 10 atm.
- A pump to provide the desired water pressure (or connection to a central water supply).
Sprinkling
With this method, water is supplied under pressure to the sprinkler nozzles, and through them is thrown into the air - the water scatters into small drops and, falling on top of the leaves and the ground, moisturizes them like rain.
Sprinkling systems are:
- stationary - when water is supplied through pipes hidden underground to a depth of 40 cm or mounted on the ground, and only sprinklers come to the surface.
- mobile - hoses for irrigation with sprinklers are located on the ground surface and can be moved around the site.
Installation instructions
Sprinkling is good for use in areas with rugged relief and with a close occurrence of groundwater.
Installation sequence:
- Lay the hose (pipe) in the right place. If there are several hoses, connect using tees in the line. If you use one hose, then it is enough to simply unwind it while watering.
- Attach the nozzles, positioning them so that the irrigated area is completely covered by jets of water. Sprinklers are usually placed at the corners of a square or triangle.
- When watering a small area, mini-units with a hose and a spray gun are suitable.
- The optimal droplet size is from 1.5 to 2.5 mm. You can adjust the pressure of the jets and the size of the drops by changing the water pressure.
- Install mesh filters to keep out fine debris and sand.
- Install a storage tank for settling and heating water (with a volume of about 1-1.5 cubic meters for every 5 acres).
- Connect the entire system to the pump.
- Adjust the watering so that the rate of water supply does not exceed its absorption, otherwise the water will not have time to be absorbed into the soil, puddles will appear and the soil will float, that is, air will be displaced from it and a dense crust will form on the soil surface. Also, too intense pressure and large drops can nail strawberry leaves to the ground and cover them with dirt.
Useful Tips
Here are a few more helpful tips for growing strawberries:
- Despite the fact that it is not recommended to water the bushes with cold water, sometimes this option can also come in handy. In areas with high heat, such watering through sprinklers that turn the flow of water into many tiny drops will save the plants from drying out. Since mist not only moistens the ground, but also reduces the air temperature to an acceptable level.
- To prevent strawberries from picking up the fungus during watering, you can use straw as an antibacterial pillow - it blocks the path of fungal disease and takes away excess moisture. And the berries, thanks to the straw, will remain clean.
The amount of water during irrigation depends on factors:
- Soil composition. On loamy and clayey soils, more rare watering is sufficient (several times a week), while additional loosening is required. Sandy loam soils are more demanding on moisture, and you need to water every day or even several times a day.
- From the plant variety.Different varieties of strawberries require different amounts of water.
- From weather conditions. In hot and dry climates, water evaporates faster, so you need to water more often. In cold and cloudy weather, irrigation should be reduced.
- From the landing site. Strawberries growing in the shade need less soil moisture than open, well-lit and ventilated beds.
- From the growth period. According to this criterion, strawberry irrigation rules are the same for all varieties.
- From the climate of your region. In the middle lane in the spring and summer, watering is enough 3 times a month, and in August and September - no more than two waterings per month.
One of the main conditions for obtaining a tasty and good harvest is timely watering of the plants. If, on hot summer days, do not allow the soil to dry out, water, loosen and fertilize the strawberries, then you can harvest the delicious berries up to three times per season.