March is the month when strawberries wake up after winter, and your actions now will determine whether the summer harvest will be meager or so abundant that your neighbors will envy.
These are not just tips, but something without which you cannot count on a good harvest of berries.
First of all, remove everything that remains from autumn: old leaves, mulch, weeds.
This is not just cleaning - it is prevention of diseases and pests that have overwintered in plant remains. If they are left in the garden bed, fungi and insect larvae will quickly spread to young bushes.
After clearing, inspect the bushes. Cut off dry, frozen or damaged leaves at the base, but do not touch healthy green rosettes - they have already begun to work for the harvest.
If the bushes are too dense, thin them out, leaving a distance of at least 25–30 cm between plants. This will improve ventilation and access to light, reducing the risk of rotting.
Now it's time to work on the soil. Carefully loosen the soil around the bushes, without touching the roots. Deep loosening is dangerous - the strawberry root system is superficial. Then add fertilizer.
In March, strawberries need nitrogen for green growth and phosphorus and potassium for future flowering. A mixture of rotted manure (1 bucket per 1 square meter) and wood ash (a glass per bush) will do.
If you use mineral fertilizers, choose complex formulations marked “spring”.
Be sure to water the beds after fertilizing, but do not overdo it - stagnant water provokes root rot. If the spring is dry, water once a week, directing water under the roots, not on the leaves.
The final stage is mulching. Use straw, sawdust or agrofibre. Mulch will retain moisture, protect the roots from temperature changes and prevent weeds from taking over the bed.
But don’t rush to lay it in too thick a layer – wait until it’s consistently warm, otherwise cold may accumulate under the mulch.
And finally: if frosts are still possible in your region, prepare covering material. Non-woven fabric or film will save flower buds from sudden frosts.
Just don’t forget to ventilate the shelter on sunny days so that the bushes don’t rot.
Author: Igor Zur