Choose mulch for strawberries. Mulching strawberries with sawdust, straw, needles or covering material

The method of growing strawberries using mulch came to us from abroad. This method is most common in large farms. However, summer residents use it often enough. The owners of suburban areas in our country also appreciated it. In this article, we will talk about how to choose mulch for strawberries.

What is the need for mulching?

Mulching is called covering the soil around plants, in our case strawberries and strawberries, film, cloth or organic materials. Apply it mainly for such purposes as:

1. Reducing the evaporation of water from the soil. Using a mulching material can significantly reduce the number of watering during the season. Moisture will persist in the soil for a longer time, which is certainly very useful for plants.
2. Contain the growth of weeds. Applying mulch for strawberries, you can get rid of the need for periodic propolok. In particular, this applies when a film or cloth is used.
3. Warming of the soil and, consequently, the roots of plants. Cover material - both organic and artificial - prevents heat from leaving the ground. In particular, it is useful in the spring, during the night cold snap.
4. Soil enriched with humus when using organic material. Rotting, sawdust, needles and straw saturate the soil with nutrients necessary for plants.
5. Prevention of contamination of berries. During rain or watering, dirty drops of water fall on the berries and leaves of plants. As a result, the crop loses its marketable appearance. Using mulch for strawberries, you can rid yourself of this problem once and for all.
6. Protection against diseases. Berries lying on the ground, often fall ill with gray rot. Covering material prevents them from touching the ground.

Which material to choose

As you can see, mulching allows you to increase the yield of strawberries and at the same time reduce the time to care for it. Most dacha owners prefer to use organic materials for this purpose, since this material differs in availability and often does not cost a penny. If there is nowhere to take sawdust, needles or straw, it is worth spending a little and buying a special film or cloth.

Mulching strawberries with foil

A film is a material suitable for mulching strawberries. Today there are varieties of polyethylene, designed specifically for this purpose. In such a film there are already holes for planting and watering them. The best way is to mulch strawberries with black film. The fact is that this material is much better at keeping the heat at the surface of the ground. In addition, through the opaque film does not penetrate the sun's rays. As a result, weed growth is completely inhibited.

Mulching with film is performed before planting. Preliminary on the plot make a bed for strawberries. From it remove lumps and roots of weeds. Further organic fertilizers are introduced into the soil. After that, the surface of the bed is very carefully razed by rake. In the event that the film does not have already prepared holes, they do it themselves. In doing so, use a very sharp knife or blade. The film is cut in the required places crosswise. The distance between the holes should be about thirty centimeters in the rows and fifty in the aisles. The film is neatly spread out on the bed. In order not to lose the place of the holes, they should be marked with small chalk. The film must be pressed around the edges of the earth, sawdust or bricks. Otherwise, it will simply be carried away by the wind.

Mulching strawberries with cover material can be done not only on open beds, but also in greenhouses. In this case, the moisture will evaporate from the ground more slowly. In addition, the use of artificial material - this is a guarantee that the hothouse will not get hold of the mouse.

Strawberry mulching cloth

Very often a special cloth is used for mulching strawberries and strawberries. Of course, with ordinary textiles, it has nothing to do. In fact, this is a nonwoven material made from the same polyethylene in a special way. The fabric used for mulching is called a spunbond. In comparison with black film this material has one indisputable advantage. The fact is that water runs through it freely when watering. Spanking does not produce moisture from the ground. Mulching strawberries with the cover material of this variety makes it even easier to care for. Just like in the case of a film, preliminary prepared beds for strawberries with loosening, moistening and applying fertilizers.

Feasibility of using sawdust

Sawdust - very suitable for mulching strawberry material. There is an opinion that they take nitrogen out of the soil, thereby impoverishing it. However, in the case of mulching, this is not entirely true. If the sawdust is mixed with the ground, various bacteria can develop in them, which in the process of their vital activity use nitrogen. As a result, the soil is depleted. But when mulching, sawdust is on top. Therefore, they can not "pull" nitrogen out of the soil in principle. Also, sometimes summer residents refuse to use sawdust, because they acidify the soil. This is really so. In the event that the soil on the site and so sour, use this material for mulching is not recommended. In extreme cases, you can make additional liming of the soil. On ordinary soils, you can use this mulch for strawberries.

How to thicken the soil with sawdust

The beds must first be weeded and loosened. Further between the strawberry bushes spread old newspapers in 2-3 layers overlap. Then they need to fill the sawdust with a layer of about five centimeters. They pereprevayut about two years, after which the procedure will have to be repeated. Of course, do not use sawdust from chipboard for mulching. They contain tar harmful to the human body. Sawdust of hardwood wood is faster than coniferous. Therefore, they are considered preferable for mulching.

Application of needles

If pine or spruce grow near your site, you can use pine needles for mulching. It is believed that it as well as sawdust acidifies the soil. However, some summer residents, having conducted an experiment with such mulch on their site, were convinced that this is not so. But in order to hedge, it is necessary to pour a layer of overgrown foliage or humus in the fall. Mulching strawberry needles is not a complicated procedure. Collected in the nearest line, the raw material can be laid between plants both in pure form, and previously mixed with other plant remains.

Mulching strawberries with straw

This option is also quite common in the household plots. Straw or grass for mulching strawberries and strawberries are just perfect. Soil such a covering material does not acidify. In addition, rotting, serves as an excellent organic fertilizer. Grass or straw must be lightly dried before use. If fresh material is placed between the plants, it can begin to rot.

Mulching strawberries with straw is done with a layer about five centimeters thick. To cover the soil is best during the beginning of flowering of strawberries. In the beds you should first make mineral fertilizers and, of course, remove all the weeds from them.

As you can see, mulching is not a complicated procedure at all. After spending a little time once a season, you can significantly increase the yield of strawberries and facilitate the care of it.