La Fragaria, commonly called strawberry or strawberry, it has been used as part of food since prehistoric times and over the years the crop went from being wild to large controlled crops and garden.
Strawberry certainly requires very specific care to achieve a good harvest and some time and effort has to be invested For this, something that in the end will be worth it, mainly because the flavor of those grown at home is incomparable with that of those that we can normally find in supermarkets.
Plant characteristics
It is made up of single, single flowers with 5 petals, the plant is herbaceous and perennial, it also has a long life, it develops a thick rhizome that then expands through thin threads that form the roots and give way to other rosettes, thus expanding.
The flower of the strawberry:
- They are white par excellence
- They are formed in small groups
- The stem is straight and with few leaves
- In the inner part of the flower there are five green sepals, around the five petals and between these five smaller ones.
- In the center a cluster of yarn
- The strawberry is housed in a receptacle which is formed with the ripe fruit
Strawberry care
To begin we must say that strawberries need a soil rich in humus and a lot of sun, since the more sun, more delicious, bigger and juicier will be the strawberry.
Although it does not need more protection, it is important that in areas of intense winds the plant is placed or found in a place that protects it from this and in case of rain, that the leaves can dry quickly to avoid the arrival of fungi and other diseases caused by humidity.
The substrate must be well drained and loose to avoid puddling at the roots, apart it is advisable to soften it and provide it with fertilizers.
You must bear in mind that better quality fruits You will get them from the second or third year of the first sowing, after this time it is time to change the beds and then it is time to plant the cuttings.
How to prepare the soil?
This is something very simple, since the substrate must be stirred all the way with the right tool to do this.
You will then need to fill in the undermined space with approximately 5 kilograms of compost prepared with humus or dead leaves, avoiding the garden compost for the components, some harmful to the strawberry.
Select flower beds that have not served as a base for other strawberry crops in the last 4 years.
The recommended fertilizers are humus compost and decomposing manure, so with the right substrate, mainly that is rich in humus, strawberries can be grown practically anywhere as long as the soil is in a neutral zone.
When to plant strawberries?
An early planting will yield a small crop the first year. The auspicious month for planting is AugustHowever, it is also possible to plant in April when spring begins, but yes, with plants that have been previously frozen.
If you have selected a small space in the garden to plant them, separate the rows at least 60 centimeters apart and 30 centimeters between one plant and another, then and in the hole where they will be placed, it must be deep enough so that the roots do not have contact with each other, the heart of the plant must be flush with the ground.
These plants they need plenty of water, apart from keeping the substrate free of weeds, in seasons of greater drought they should be watered twice a day and when the fruit is growing, which lasts for about 14 days, the crop should be watered every time the surface is dry.
Strawberry is multiplied by cuttingsFortunately, these are abundant and can be cut in a very simple way, the important thing in any case is that you get them from healthy plants with late growth.