17 08.18

Do I need to trim the mustache of strawberries? Everyone must know!

Caring for strawberries is the most important stage in growing this crop.

You need to take care of garden strawberries from spring to autumn.

But until now, gardeners have different points of view about whether strawberry mustache should be trimmed and when is the best time to do it.

Strawberry mustache - what is it?

What are garden strawberry mustaches? These are young shoots on which new rosette bushes grow. Strawberry mustache is one of the ways to propagate this crop. And this method, of course, is the simplest and most convenient.

There can be up to 5 rosettes on one tendril, and the further they are from the mother plant, the weaker and smaller they are. New rosettes take root very quickly, even without the help of a gardener. As a result, the entire strawberry bed can be completely overgrown with young bushes in one season.

Is it good or bad? On the one hand, it may seem that in this way many new strawberry bushes will appear on the site, and next year there will be many times more berries. But this is a mistaken opinion. After all, young bushes sprout wherever they please, wherever strawberry mustaches with rosettes reach.

Such a disorderly appearance of new plants will greatly weaken the mother bush, and next year there will be few berries on it. With such density, fruits very often become deformed and become smaller. Therefore, it is recommended to remove strawberry whiskers, except for those that are needed for reproduction.

And in order to propagate garden strawberries in this way, you need to leave only those tendrils that are closer to the mother plant. Usually, they take 1-2 new sockets and cut off the rest. The first 2 rosettes are usually strong and powerful, and next year they will be able to produce a harvest of tasty and healthy berries. In addition, such bushes fully correspond to the variety of the mother plant.

How to trim a strawberry mustache

The remaining strawberry mustache can be trimmed gradually throughout the season or removed completely all at once. Now is the time to do this procedure.

Just keep in mind that the tendrils of garden strawberries are quite thick, and if you pull them out with your hands, you can damage the mother plant. Therefore, to remove mustaches it is better to use scissors or pruners.

When removing a strawberry stump, leave a small stump rather than cutting it out completely. It is not recommended to do this procedure in wet weather.

Dear summer residents! Summer is leaving, and autumn care for garden strawberries should be of high quality and timely.

Garden strawberries, it would be correct to call them garden strawberries (Fragária ananássa), enjoy great love and popularity among gardeners.

Real strawberries are practically not used in gardening due to their small fruit, poorer taste, poor transportability and the difficulty of separating the petiole.

The name strawberry has already become so common among people that now almost everyone calls this crop this way - producers, consumers, gardeners.

Thanks to its excellent taste and high content of vitamins, many summer residents try to produce it on their plots, but not everyone succeeds. This berry requires careful, almost year-round care.

Many gardeners are interested in the question of whether to trim the mustache of strawberries and how to carry out the procedure correctly?

After planting, strawberries reach maximum fruiting in the second or third year. To get a large harvest of strawberries - garden strawberries, it is necessary to organize proper care, including fertilizing, watering, weeding, mulching and, of course, pruning the shoots - the mustache.

It is not recommended to cultivate strawberries continuously in one place for more than three or four years. During this time, the soil is depleted and pests and diseases characteristic of this crop accumulate in it. Therefore, when pruning bushes, it is better to immediately take care of collecting seedlings for a new plantation.

Trimming strawberry whiskers is necessary for several reasons.

• Firstly: as they take root, they will thicken the strawberry plantation and take nutrients from the soil, which are better used to feed the main plant.
• Secondly: it is necessary that the substances that the plant absorbs from the soil are accumulated in it, for the formation of flower stalks and berries in the future. If these nutrients are used for the growth and development of the mustache, then there will be a decrease in the yield on the plantation.
• Thirdly: thickened plantings, due to rooted tendrils, will be more susceptible to diseases.
• Fourth: the soil, permeated with roots from rooting tendrils, is very difficult to loosen.

Optimal timing of circumcision

When can you trim your mustache? This procedure is carried out several times a season, as they appear, otherwise the plant will direct all its forces to their growth and development, and then you should not expect a good harvest.

The time after harvesting the berries is considered the necessary period for trimming the mustache. Since the massive growth of mustache begins after the fruiting of the berry. If the mustache is not trimmed at this time, the plants will become exhausted, directing their energy to their formation.

The choice of timing for trimming the mustache after fruiting will be determined by the early maturity of the variety.

Approximate time for trimming the mustache: in the southern regions this is the middle or third ten days of August, for Siberia, Trans-Urals and central Russia it is the end of July - the beginning of August, since at the end of August - the beginning of September the laying of the future harvest is already underway.

Should you trim your mustache in the fall? Yes, the latest pruning should be done with the onset of cold weather.

In the spring, at the beginning of May, you also need to check the strawberry plantation - remove diseased leaves, loosen them and be sure to remove newly formed above-ground shoots.

You can also trim the tendrils in the summer, before the plant begins to bloom or berries form. At this time, processing should be carried out very carefully, so as not to cause damage to the future harvest. But after the procedure, all the nutrients will be used to produce larger specimens of berries.

Mustache trimming technology

During the period of trimming the mustache, they look through the bushes, remove leaves damaged by various diseases and trim the mustache. The distance from the base of the bush to the outlet should not be more than 10 centimeters.

To do this, you need to choose a day with dry and warm weather. This will reduce the possibility of plant infection with diseases, since wet weather promotes the development of bacterial or fungal infections.

If the weather is sunny and hot, then this manipulation should be carried out in the evening or morning hours, so the plants will suffer less.

Pruning should be done with pruning shears. When picking with your hands, there is a possibility of damage to the main plant, due to the fact that the tendrils are very strong and difficult to tear off.

When should you not trim your mustache?

If you plan to propagate strawberries, then you should not trim the mustache, you need to let it take root. First-order rosettes, that is, those closest to the plant on the shoot, are ideal for use as seedlings on a new plantation, since they maximally combine all the properties characteristic of a given variety. The second and subsequent rosettes on the baleen are not recommended for reproduction.

In order to grow high-quality seedlings during fruiting, you need to notice the most productive and large-fruited bushes, from which it is desirable to obtain offspring. For their full reproduction next year, you can even remove the flower stalks by rooting the mustache. So all the forces of the plant were directed to the formation of daughter bushes.

Usually no more than four rooted plants are left. It is not worth leaving more of them in order to obtain high-quality, healthy and not depleted planting material. For better rooting, it is advisable to fix the first-order rosette that appears on the tendril with a hairpin in the garden bed, or in a nearby pot, and then sprinkle it with soil.

When more than three leaves form on a daughter plant, you can proceed to replanting it.

Separately, I would like to note the high profitability of cultivating this crop. And, when a gardener or a novice farmer is faced with the question of starting its production, the main cost item falls on the purchase of strawberry seedlings. The price of one bush varies from 20 to 160 rubles, depending on the variety and generation. Therefore, proper organization of propagation of strawberries with a mustache will allow you to earn a decent income.

If the tendrils for seedlings are well rooted, it is better to cut them off and dig them up closer to August for sale. It is advisable to plant strawberries at the end of summer so that they have time to take root and take root before frost.

Spring planting of strawberries is often done with plants purchased from a nursery.

Only timely pruning of strawberry bushes will allow it to gain strength for fruiting. Such an event will not weaken the bush, but, on the contrary, will make it stronger and healthier.

Do I need to prune strawberries?

There is still no consensus on whether strawberries should be pruned or not. Very often, due to the summer-autumn hassle, strawberries remain unkempt; they go into winter with all their leaves and tendrils and produce a wonderful harvest in the spring. Other gardeners prune the bushes completely, new greenery grows by winter, and in the spring the strawberries also bloom and bear fruit beautifully. So who is right?

Let's look at the positives and negatives of fully pruning your strawberries.

Table: Pros and Cons of Full Trimming

If your plantation consists of several beds, then it is best not to remove all the leaves, but to select only the old, diseased ones. When there is no need to increase the plantation, it is better to remove the mustaches with rosettes immediately.

If you do not remove the mustache, the strawberry bed will quickly become overgrown

When is the best time to prune strawberries?

Strawberries require constant care. In the spring, sanitary pruning of bushes is carried out after wintering. During the fruiting period, excess tendrils are cut off, and after harvesting, revitalizing pruning is carried out, cutting off the leaves completely or partially; in addition, reddened or diseased leaves can be cut off in the fall.

Pruning strawberries in spring

On our very first visit to the dacha in early spring, we inspect the strawberries. If there is no more snow, then you can do sanitary pruning: remove withered, damaged and red leaves. It is best to collect them by hand or use a fan rake, since the root system of strawberries is superficial, delicate and ordinary rakes can damage it. Immediately after such pruning, you need to feed the strawberries: add 5-7 HB-101 granules under each bush and sprinkle with a bio-cocktail. This way you will help the strawberries wake up and start growing.

Bio-cocktail recipe: for 1 liter of water, take 2 granules of the “Healthy Garden” preparation + 2 granules of “Ecoberin” (homeopathy for plants) and 2 drops of liquid HB 101 (immunostimulant).

This is what strawberries look like after winter: you need to remove all dry and damaged leaves, as pests can hide under them

After a week, you can fertilize with liquid organic or mineral fertilizers. For example, use liquid vermicompost “Gumistar” in accordance with the instructions. After warming up the soil, pour compost, vermicompost or granulated horse manure into the rows or under each bush separately - this will serve as food for the strawberries at the time of forcing flower stalks. It is very useful to mulch the soil with straw to prevent rapid drying out.

Photo gallery: means for feeding strawberries

Pruning strawberries after harvest

Immediately after harvesting, when the last berry is removed from the bush, you need to trim the old leaves. Using pruning shears or garden shears, cut off damaged and diseased leaves, remove the tendrils if you do not need rosettes for propagation. There should be 5-7 young leaves left on the bush in the center. Immediately water and feed the strawberries with organic or mineral fertilizers. By winter, a lush and strong bush will grow.

After harvesting, you need to trim off the old leaves, leaving 5-7 young leaves in the center

Pruning strawberries in autumn

Very often you can see the following picture: in mid-August, all the leaves are cut off, leaving the stumps, while at the same time the young rosettes are planted in a new place. Unfortunately, by completely pruning the bush later than mid-July, you simply deprive yourself of part of the harvest, since flower buds are laid in August for next spring. When you completely cut off the leaves of a strawberry, the plant experiences stress and the normal movement of juices from the roots to the foliage stops. Then the strawberry, instead of planting the future harvest, spends its energy growing new leaves. That is why it is recommended to remove foliage immediately after harvesting, and not when replanting bushes in August.

Such pruning at the end of summer or autumn will greatly weaken the plant.

Autumn pruning (September-October) can be done selectively, removing reddened or diseased leaves or bushes.

Photo gallery: leaves that must be removed

It is better to cut off strawberry tendrils right away so that the plant does not waste energy growing rosettes.

But most often the mustache is removed when the bush is completely pruned, after collecting all the berries.

If you need rosettes to increase the plantation, then during the fruiting period, mark those bushes where there were the most berries. In the future, take mustaches from this bush, even if the rosettes are not the most beautiful.

Caring for remontant strawberries

Nowadays there are more and more varieties of remontant strawberries, the berries of which are distinguished by their excellent taste and size. Each bush can reach up to 50 cm in width and grow up to a kilogram of delicious berries in one season. Such fruiting is possible only with proper care and constant feeding. Therefore, traditional pruning for remontant bushes is not done, since the formation of flower stalks and ripening of berries occurs throughout the season, and complete pruning of leaves will weaken the plant.

Remontant strawberries bloom and bear fruit all summer, so they are pruned selectively

Periodically trim off diseased, dry and damaged leaves, as well as tendrils, if you do not need them for propagation.

Since remontant strawberries are very intensive in growth and fruiting, new bushes are planted every 2–3 years, unlike ordinary strawberries, which are replanted every 4–5 years.

Video: pruning strawberries and caring for them after harvest

Pruning strawberries is an important event for maintaining the health of the plantation and laying the future harvest. But only timely pruning will make it possible not to deplete the bushes, but to make them healthier and stronger.

From letters to the editor:

Is it necessary to pick off the mustache of strawberries? And if so, when is the best time to do this? Will the bushes hurt after this?

The question, as they say, is interesting. It's all about what you want from the plant. First of all, I want to say that the widespread use of the name "strawberry" fundamentally wrong. Indeed, there is such a plant strawberry, they say, even grows wild in forests, for example, in the Urals. My friends told me that they picked the berries of this plant in the forest there, they are tasty, fragrant, and have a nutmeg aroma. Breeders created several varieties of strawberries, but this plant is bisexual: on one bush there are only female flowers - they will bear berries after pollination, on the other there are male flowers - for pollination. This fact itself suggests that the yield from such plantings will be lower. But, in addition, strawberries have significantly smaller fruits than strawberries. I have never yet had the opportunity to communicate with a gardener or summer resident who would grow any variety of strawberries.

And what grows in any garden plot, in the personal gardens of rural residents and in dachas is nothing more than garden strawberries(you can also add - large-fruited). It is this plant that has spread throughout the world; many hundreds, maybe thousands of its varieties are known. But gardeners stubbornly call strawberries garden strawberries. Moreover, this term is already found in many gardening magazines and newspapers. Gardeners are probably afraid that their garden strawberries will be confused with wild strawberries.

Now to the question of the mustache. They actually actively form on plants of almost all varieties of garden strawberries. There are, however, varieties that produce very few whiskers, and there are varieties that do not produce them at all. For example, these are large-fruited varieties of remontant strawberries: varieties Ali Baba, Baron Solemacher, Ada, Ryugen, Sakhalin remontant, and Yellow Miracle. And these varieties can be propagated either by dividing the bush or by seeds.

But most varieties of mustache are driven out, and quite a lot. So what to do with them? There may be two options here. The first is to remove all mustaches, because the plant spends a lot of energy and nutrients on their formation, and this means a decrease in the yield of garden strawberries (strawberries - I repeat, as many people incorrectly call them).

The second option is to leave the mustache. For what? To propagate this variety and create a new strawberry plantation. But there are a lot of whiskers; some bushes literally entangle the entire space around them with them. If you allow them to do this, you will see few berries. What is the way out?

Here again there are two ways. Very experienced gardeners who are seriously involved in growing garden strawberries, and they need a lot of seedlings to plant more and more new plantations, create special beds in their garden - queen cells, on which they plant bushes of the best varieties of garden strawberries that they want to propagate. They plant them more freely, not like in a garden bed, so that there is space for the tendrils to extend and successfully attach to the soil. Moreover, these gardeners even tear off the entire ovary, preventing the fruits from forming, so that the mother plants do not waste their nutrients on this, and direct all their efforts to forcing out the tendrils and providing them with nutrition until the young plants themselves create a powerful root system and will begin to feed from the soil. As a result, such gardeners on the mother plant receive strong, healthy seedlings of garden strawberries of the varieties they need, not only for their own needs, but also for sale to everyone.

As far as I understand, you, Marina, are a beginner gardener if you are interested in the fate of the whiskers on garden strawberry bushes. Usually, the first whiskers appear on them with the beginning of flowering, and the main, massive forcing of the whiskers occurs after the end of fruiting. Therefore, if you do not need young strawberry seedlings to renew your plantings or expand them, then remove the mustaches as they appear. Experts recommend not picking them off, because you can harm the plant itself, and young bushes can generally be pulled out by pulling the tendrils. They need to be cut with scissors or pruning shears, leaving a piece of tendril up to 10 cm long near the bush.

If you want to propagate your own varieties of garden strawberries, then you need to keep the mustache, but not all of it. Usually, only the first, strong rosette is left, which is next to the mother bush, the rest are distant, weaker rosettes and the mustache is cut off. And you can even help the first outlet take root in its place. Before it has formed a bunch of roots and taken root, you can even move it to the place you need. For example, if a bush in this row next door died (froze), then in its place you can root this rosette, which will eventually fill the free space. Or move the outlet to a free sunny place in the aisle, creating favorable conditions for it. In this case, you can even gently press the mustache near this rosette with a wire or wooden slingshot so that it comes into closer contact with the soil, you can add humus to it (without covering the heart) and even water it from time to time. Then this rosette will quickly form a healthy bush, which can be separated from the mother plant in August and transplanted with a lump of earth to a permanent place allocated for a new plantation. Before the cold weather, such young seedlings will create a powerful root system, dense foliage and will easily endure the winter, and next summer they will delight you with the first harvest. But you need to take such rosettes only from the very first tendrils that strawberries expel at the beginning of flowering and preferably from those plants that were very productive last season. Or wait until garden strawberries produce a harvest this season and select the first rosettes from the most productive varieties and bushes of a given variety.

I repeat, It is advisable to leave only the first rosettes formed near the mother plant, and in total there should be no more than three such rosettes from this bush (from different whiskers). Otherwise it will weaken the plant.

About pruning times: here you either need to constantly trim, preventing the canes from spreading throughout the plantation (if you don’t need planting material), or trim off all the tendrils after fruiting has ended.

E. Valentinov

Photo by Olga Rubtsova

Strawberries belong to those crops that quickly grow in free soil without the attention of the gardener. That is why pruning strawberries in the spring is one of the mandatory measures for caring for the crop. Without pruning, the bushes will grow quickly, and it will be difficult to form a neat bed.

There is a certain scheme for pruning strawberries, and we will describe it in detail in this article. You will also learn what autumn pruning is used for and how to carry it out correctly, and photos and videos will help you acquire the skills necessary for the job.

The main purpose of pruning strawberries in the spring is to renew the bushes after winter. If the winter was cold and with little snow, some shoots of the crop may freeze and must be removed immediately so that the plant does not waste its vitality.

In addition, in the spring, bushes are inspected for diseases, and if signs of pathology are found, damaged bushes or individual shoots are removed and burned.

What is it for?

This procedure involves removing all leaves in the fall to enhance root formation.

Note: Gardeners are divided on whether it is worth thinning out their bushes in the spring. You have to make this choice yourself. To do this, you need to consider all the pros and cons.

Positive factors of spring pruning include:(picture 1):

• It promotes the development of the root system. After removing the stem, all useful substances are found only in the roots, thereby thickening them and saturating them with minerals, vitamins and macroelements necessary for wintering.
• The bushes become more winter-hardy. Many gardeners believe that after thinning the leaves, the plant tolerates frost better.
• Using this procedure, all pathogens and pests that are on diseased and dried leaves are removed.

Figure 1. Stages of crop pruning

Now let's look at the disadvantages of spring pruning. Firstly, during the process of removing shoots and leaves, most of the pests fall to the ground and overwinter. Many die under the influence of frost, so it is better to remove frozen leaves in the spring than in the fall.

Secondly, the generative buds from which the fruits develop are removed during thinning. After all, the buds for next year are laid in the fall.

Thirdly, after spring cleaning, the bushes take longer to form. This is due to the fact that due to the improved root system, the green mass will take a long time to accumulate, as a result, fruiting occurs later.

In any case, to avoid negative consequences, the procedure should be carried out very carefully, trying not to touch the axil of the upper leaves. Thus, you will have a rich harvest, and the bushes will fully develop.

When to prune strawberries in spring

Experienced gardeners have not come to a consensus on when it is best to prune strawberries. Some believe that it is better to carry out this procedure in the spring, others - in the summer, and still others prefer such work in the fall.

One way or another, in the month of March, each bush must be thoroughly cleaned of diseased and frozen branches, as well as those on which spots or pests are visible. Foliage that lies on the ground must also be removed. Carrying out such work in the spring will not affect the harvest in any way, but pest control will be carried out.

Should strawberries be trimmed in the spring?

Whether or not you need to trim the mustache in the spring depends on whether you plan to propagate a certain variety or not. If your goal is to get a high yield, it is enough to remove the formed shoots in a timely manner (Figure 2).

Note: Whiskers on the bushes appear immediately after flowering. There are not many of them at this time. Whiskers begin to appear en masse after fruiting. It is better to remove the mustache in the spring before flowering and in the fall, after harvesting.

The mustache should be cut on a dry, windless day in the early morning or late evening. They are removed with pruners or scissors, but not torn off, since the tendrils are very strong and can damage the bush or its root system.

Figure 2. Trimming mustaches on bushes

The mustache is also removed so that the area does not thicken. After all, the denser the bed, the worse it is blown by the wind, the longer the moisture remains, as a result of which the berries are affected by gray rot.

Spring pruning of strawberries: video

If you have never pruned, or are just starting to grow this crop on your site, we recommend that you watch the video, which shows in detail all the stages of this procedure and caring for the crop in general.

Scheme for pruning strawberries in spring

As mentioned above, the opinions of experts regarding pruning crops in summer and autumn are divided. Some argue that such a procedure harms the plant, others convince that after removing the unusable leaves, the yield will increase significantly.

One way or another, spring cleaning should still be carried out. This procedure allows you to remove weak leaves on the bushes and not waste the plant’s energy on unnecessary shoots, but direct all its energy to the development of berries.

Figure 3. Features of spring pruning

The spring pruning scheme includes the following stages:(Figure 3):

1. Using a sharp pruning shears, remove all dead shoots, darkened and damaged leaves, as well as leaves lying on the ground from the bush.
2. If you do not plan to plant the bush, then the young rosettes are removed.
3. During thinning, we clear the bushes of weeds.
4. We remove cut leaves and stems, as well as weeds from the site and burn them.
5. We carefully loosen the soil around the bushes with a steel rod.

After this, the bed must be watered abundantly and special fertilizers for berry crops must be applied.

Do I need to prune strawberries in the fall?

There is no consensus regarding the need for autumn pruning. Some gardeners believe that interfering with the natural cycle will harm the plant, others argue that a little stress will not harm the bushes, but on the contrary will increase productivity.

It is important to consider that for good yields, the bushes should be properly prepared for wintering. They should be fully formed, with healthy, regrown leaves.

Pruning is usually carried out until the end of July, maximum until mid-August. If it is carried out later, the kidneys may not have time to develop. Only the plates of old leaves are removed, leaving the stems intact. This is done with small pruners or sharp scissors. All mustaches are also removed, the soil is cultivated, and the bushes are hilled. After this, the plants are thoroughly watered, sprinkled with ash and mulched.

Renewed bushes with strong foliage will easily endure the winter. In the spring, it will be necessary to remove only the leaves damaged by wintering.

Pruning strawberries in summer

In summer, during the fruiting process, the plants are not thinned out, but the tendrils that are actively forming on the bushes are removed.

This procedure is necessary, since each tendril can form a new young bush, and the bed will lose its correct shape. However, if you plan to propagate the crop, some of the tendrils can be left.

Peculiarities

Summer pruning usually begins in August, when the harvest has already been harvested. When pruning in summer, the bushes must be freed from the tendrils, leaving only the first ones for propagation, if this is part of your plans.

Note: In order to rejuvenate the bushes or get rid of fungal diseases, they are pruned almost to the ground. If there is no need to cut so short, only diseased leaves are removed, leaving more thorough cleaning for the fall. After pruning, the plants are disinfected, fertilized and covered with ash.

Remontant varieties, which are grown on long, erect stems, are thinned out in the summer, which allows the berries to receive more sunlight. On average, 7-8 stems are left on a two-year bush, all the rest are removed. By autumn, trimmed bushes have time to build up green mass and reserve strength for the winter.

Rules

When carrying out summer pruning, certain rules are followed. Firstly, removal of leaves and shoots can only be done in dry weather, preferably in the early morning or evening. Secondly, leaves should not be pulled out with your hands, so as not to damage the bushes or roots. For this purpose, use sharp scissors or pruners.

Thirdly, the length of the petioles from the base of the bushes should be 5-7 cm. After this, the plants should be watered abundantly and treated with agents against pests and diseases for prevention. It is also necessary to remove weeds from the rows and loosen the soil.

Do I need to prune strawberries after fruiting?

After fruiting, the plants begin to develop young foliage. Old leaves fade and become unnecessary for the plant - they begin to die off (Figure 4).

Note: Some gardeners advise removing them from the garden so that diseases and pests do not infect the young leaves, while others insist that pruning the leaves will weaken the bush.

In this regard, a compromise option is recommended: if the bushes are heavily infected, then it is better to get rid of old leaves, and if the plantings are relatively healthy, leave them in place. This method is good to use if you grow strawberries in large quantities. But if you have two or three beds, then the old leaves can be carefully cut off without touching the new ones. This will prevent the spread of fungal diseases throughout the plantings and you will not have to overuse chemicals.

Figure 4. Pruning strawberries after fruiting

When pruning plants from different years of planting, start with the youngest and alternately move on to the older ones. This is done in order to avoid spreading pest larvae on the instruments.

After cutting, the bushes must be fed so that they have time to grow before the cold weather. You will find more information on caring for strawberries in spring, summer and autumn in the video.