What to fertilize strawberries?

All your favorite berries are very popular in the garden areas. To grow really big and sweet fruits, the plant needs to be constantly fed up. There are many disputes about what better to fertilize strawberries, and every summer resident has its secrets. In this article we will consider the most popular methods of growing garden strawberries.

What kind of fertilizer is needed for strawberries?

Conditionally it is possible to divide all kinds of top dressing into two types: mineral and organic. Both types are necessary for successful growing and each should be applied in a certain period.

During the growing season, the plant constantly absorbs nutrients. This is especially active when laying flower buds in spring and in the summer-autumn period. It is at the stage of fruiting and flowering that the plant absorbs the greatest amount of substances. Now consider what fertilizers are needed for strawberries in each period.

1. Mineral fertilizers for strawberries are necessary for healthy growth and abundant flowering. If nitrogen is not enough, then the berries will turn out to be small and lose their flavor, and the foliage acquires a pale shade. Nitrogen fertilizers for strawberries are used in the form of ammonium nitrate , ammonium sulfate and calcium nitrate. If you do not have enough time to make alternately the necessary minerals, you can use nitroammophous. Potassium fertilizers for strawberries provide a high sugar content in berries, their safety. With a lack of potassium, the plant gradually begins to wither and by autumn the seedlings can disappear altogether. Potassium sulphate or potassium salt is used as a potassium fertilizer. As fertilizer for strawberries use and urea. This fertilizing is suitable for any type of soil, it does not deposit and completely dissolves in water. But too hard with urea for fertilizing strawberries is not worth it, because the effect may be the opposite: the berry will lose its flavor, will become watery.
2. Organic fertilizers for strawberries are used to improve soil properties. They bring in manure and humus. After such feeding, the structure of the soil improves noticeably, the moisture retaining properties increase, and in the earth the concentration of nutrients increases for several years in advance. But using fresh manure categorically can not, because there can be seeds of weeds. Ash as a fertilizer for strawberries also gives excellent results. Twice a season you can bring a good handful of ash under each bush and get a plentiful harvest. Do this in the spring immediately after the snow melts, and after pruning the bushes.

How to properly fertilize strawberries?

Now consider the order of the introduction of nutrients into the soil. Fertilizing strawberries during flowering with nitrogen, potassium or phosphoric top dressing is completely useless. The only thing you can make into the soil is trace elements. In very small doses, you can sprinkle berries with boric acid.

If you notice that the berries have decreased noticeably in size, it's time for a transplant. This should be done in the autumn or spring periods. What to fertilize strawberries in this case? The most universal option - add organic additives: humus, humus, manure.

Before fertilizing the strawberries in the spring, you should remove all the rubbish from last year. Then the soil is mulched with humus. Suitable sawdust or moss, they will eventually turn into humus. However, it is recommended to carry out the spring feeding only one year after planting the bushes, since a large number of nutrients immediately enter the soil before transplanting. Complex planting fertilizers are used for planting strawberries. Together with humus mineral additives are added. Always carefully read the instructions on the packages before fertilizing the strawberries, and select a scheme for a specific type of soil.