In this article, we'll talk about how to properly cut strawberries in the fall.
Pruning Strawberry Leaves
Pruning strawberries in autumn is held in late August-September. Do this carefully, trying not to damage the sinuses of the upper leaves, because it is in them after the fructification that fruit buds are laid for the next year. Treatment of strawberries after pruning will reduce the risk of developing fungi, mold or rot during winter thaws and in the spring (before removal of shelters). It is important to remember that strawberry pests can winter not only on the bushes themselves, but also on the ground around them - this zone also needs processing.
Such tactics are well suited for young bushes, but strawberries are rejuvenated in a different way. To activate the restoration of leaf mass and rejuvenate the bush, the strawberries are cut as short as possible, almost to the ground.
In favor of the autumn pruning also says that in this way we get rid of infected and weak leaves, leaving only healthy and ripened shoots to winter.
Pruning strawberries is best done in the spring - remove all dried and dead leaves, whiskers and treat bushes and inter-rowing with disinfectants (from fungi, molds, pests).
Autumn trimmings of the mustache
Beginning gardeners do not always know when to cut the antennae of strawberries. Some even completely ignore the growth of the mustache, allowing them to expand and thicken the ranks.
The mustache develops from the kidneys located at the bottom of the bush. The peak of activity of vegetative processes is the second half of summer. With the onset of autumn cold, the whiskers slow down, and then completely stop growing.
You can trim the whiskers during the whole vegetation period, but if you want to get a high-quality planting material, propagated vegetatively, then the spring-summer mustache should not be removed. They can be prikopat, and by the beginning of August you will get young bushes, ready for planting.
Autumn pruning of mustaches is carried out together with pruning of leaves - in August-September. The dried, blackened or infected mustache must be removed.
Do not forget, after harvesting and trimming the bushes, once again feed strawberry bushes with complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.