The issue of sheltering strawberries for the winter is a matter of significantly increasing the yield. Yes, it is not always necessary to cover the plants, but this is in the minority of cases. Basically, shelter will only benefit. Consider all the options for and against, the reasons, as well as ways to hide.

Do I need to cover strawberries for the winter

It all depends on the climate in which you live and grow strawberries.

When not to cover strawberries If you live in a region where a number of conditions are met, then you can not waste time and effort on sheltering strawberries.

• A lot of snow. This is the main and most important criterion when deciding to shelter strawberries. If your winters are snowy, at least 30 cm falls, then this is enough to cover strawberries from frost. Snow is the best natural insulation for plants.
• Warm winter. If in winter a temperature of 20 degrees below zero is already a record, and the standard value in winter is not lower than 10-15 degrees, then such a winter in Russia is considered warm.
• No winds. In a calm winter, all the snow will remain on the beds and will warm strawberry seedlings until spring.
• Uniform change of seasons. The absence of sharp cold snaps or warming will favorably affect the wintering of strawberries.

If all these conditions are met, then it makes no sense to cover strawberries for reinsurance, they will winter well and give a good harvest.

When is it necessary to cover strawberries? In most regions of Russia, the conditions for growing strawberries are not quite suitable and additional measures are required to protect them from frost. This is relevant in the following cases.

• Little snow. With a small amount of snow, the risk of plant freezing increases dramatically. If the bushes survived a snowless winter and did not freeze completely, this does not mean that the lack of snow did not affect them in any way. Most likely, the beginnings of flower buds will be damaged, and this will significantly reduce the yield.
• Cold winter. In Siberia, in Transbaikalia, in Altai, winters are very cold, the temperature can drop below 50 degrees. In this case, it is advisable to cover the strawberries even with a lot of snow. Such temperatures are close to extreme and therefore dangerous for strawberries.
• Wind. Strong winds can sweep away all the snow from the site, the bushes will lose shelter and freeze. In addition to shelter, additional measures may be required to protect the site from the wind.
• Abrupt change of seasons. If autumn comes early, the temperature is low for a long time, but there is no snow yet, or a sharp warming may occur, then in this case it is better to cover the strawberries and thereby smooth out such temperature drops.

All these are negative factors, the influence of which must be eliminated to the maximum by covering strawberries with natural or artificial materials.

Before shelter, it is necessary to prepare strawberries for winter

Plant shelter should be carried out after preparing for winter, you can read about this in our article. Such preparation is carried out in August-September and includes garbage collection, leaf pruning, loosening of beds, top dressing, pest control. Shelter for the winter, in fact, is the final stage of preparation for winter.

What will happen if you do not cover strawberries for the winter. Empirically, when growing strawberries, it was noticed that if you do not cover the strawberries in the fall, then the next year's harvest is not so plentiful, many ugly berries grow and, in general, they are not as large as they could be. It would seem that not a single bush died, all bloom in the spring, but the result is deplorable.

The reason for this is frost damage to the buds of flower buds, which are formed with the onset of cold weather, that is, in autumn. This is what reduces the yield.

When to cover strawberries for the winter

What temperature is dangerous for strawberries. Low temperatures in winter, when there is a lot of snow, are not so dangerous for strawberries. Freezing occurs precisely in autumn, when temperatures are already low, and there is no snow yet. It is during this period that all measures to shelter strawberries are aimed at protection.

Strawberries take cover in the fall, even before the onset of severe frosts. Temperatures below -8 degrees can be considered severe frosts. Please note that strawberries can endure light frosts from 0 to -8 degrees without shelter. It is during this period that you need to cover the beds.

How to determine the exact period for shelter. The exact period of shelter will differ from region to region, be guided by the air temperature. As soon as it drops below zero and stays between 0 and -8 degrees for several days, it means that cold weather has come to your region and it's time to take care of the strawberry shelter. For most regions of Russia, this will be October-November.

What happens if you cover strawberries ahead of time. You can also cover strawberries in advance when the air temperature is above zero, but this should be done only in dry weather, otherwise the strawberries will rush under cover.

Early shelter can hurt, wait until the first frost.

Since dry weather in autumn is rare, in order not to harm strawberries, it is recommended to wait for the first frosts and after that proceed with warming.

How to cover strawberries for the winter

Material types. There are quite a few options for covering strawberries. All materials can be divided into two main groups.

• natural materials. These are needles, spruce branches, sawdust, straw, grapevine, shrub branches, peat, humus.
• artificial materials. This is non-woven agrofibre spunbond, film.

Each material is comfortable in its own way and each has both pluses and minuses. But artificial materials are the most effective.

natural materials. Sawdust, straw, peat, needles, forest litter - all this has a fine and loose consistency. Therefore, the technology of covering strawberries with them has two options, depending on the age of the bushes.

• Young bushes. As a rule, these are bushes from the mustache of the current year. They have not yet developed their leaves and stems to their full potential, therefore, when sheltering, they simply fall asleep completely with natural materials. If several leaves have made their way to the surface - it's okay, the main thing is that the main mass and growth point are covered. It's enough.
• Mature bushes. In this case, it will be problematic to cover completely, high bushes will require too much material and under its weight they can simply break. It is advisable to sprinkle the growth point from the sides, and leave the leaves on the surface. It is at the point of growth that flower buds are born, so this is the most vulnerable spot in strawberries during frost.

Before collecting forest floor and needles, study the law.

Be careful! Legislation is constantly changing and the collection of forest litter can be prohibited even for personal use. Before collecting needles, be sure to talk to the forester.

artificial materials. Film and agrofibre can be attributed to artificial materials. The film is inferior to agrofibre in its properties, so it will be more efficient to use it. Agrofibre, also called spunbond, transmits light, air, moisture and retains heat inside.

The density of the covering material is 60 grams per meter.

For shelter, it is not necessary to make a greenhouse on arcs, the material is laid directly on the bushes and is pressed down along the edges with something heavy - a brick, a wooden plank, a clod of earth. It is important to press down so that the wind does not break the agrofibre and does not open the plants.

If you still decide to make a frame, you need to take into account the severity of the snow and increase the number of arcs.

Which is warmer, agrofibre or natural materials. If we take into account only the ability to keep warm, then strawberries feel equally good both under spunbond and under natural covering material, whether it be straw, needles or something else.

Strawberries are actually large-fruited garden strawberries. It is grown on an industrial scale and in private backyards, because this is one of the earliest berries that adorn our table. The weight of one berry can reach up to 75 g, and in some varieties up to 100 g. Summer residents have a large number of questions about the autumn care of this crop. The viability of plants and their ability to return the crop in the next season depends on how well the preparation for winter is carried out.

Gardeners have different opinions about whether it is necessary to cover strawberries in winter. In most cases, they are inclined to believe that this should be done and such a technique will only benefit the plant. An exception can be made only for regions with warm and snowy winters.

If the temperature in the winter months does not exceed -20 degrees, and most often it is at around 10-15 degrees below zero, strawberries will endure wintering easily, especially when there is enough snow. At the same time, there should also be no sharp temperature drop, accompanied by thaws and subsequent frosts. Be sure to cover strawberries for the winter in the following cases:

• Harsh winter. The climate of Siberia, the Urals, Transbaikalia is not conducive to agriculture, because in the winter months it can be up to -50 degrees below zero. Even if the snow cover is high enough, such a temperature is considered prohibitively low for the survival of plants, so strawberries must be covered.
• Poor snow cover. With a small amount of snowfall, strawberries hibernate poorly and may freeze. Even if the bushes themselves are preserved, flower buds will most likely be damaged, which will negatively affect the volume of the future crop. Therefore, in regions with little snowy winters, the berry plant needs shelter.
• Strong winds. In windy weather, snow is easily blown away from plantations and plantings are unprotected from frost. In such areas, it is not only necessary to organize shelter, but also it will be necessary to take care of protection from the wind.
• A sharp change in seasonality. Some regions of Russia are characterized by an early onset of autumn and sub-zero temperatures, while there may be no snow cover. In other climatic zones, return thaws are very likely. In both cases, it will be better for strawberries if they cover them, since any sudden changes in the weather adversely affect the plants.

The main thing is that the roots of the bushes are reliably covered, because they are too close to the surface and can freeze even in a slight frost.

On a note! Strawberry freezing is facilitated by acidic soil, in which plants cannot develop fully. It is necessary to deoxidize the earth in the spring, introducing chalk, dolomite flour, limestone.

How to protect from frost

Shelter may consist of natural and artificial materials. Each of them has its pros and cons, but their general purpose is to eliminate the influence of adverse factors to the maximum.

Film

To insulate the beds, you can use a film, covering the plantings from above with it. It is stretched over the ridge, fixed on the sides with boards with logs or other suitable items. The film is the cheapest and fairly wear-resistant material.

Its advantage is that it can last several seasons, and the inability to pass air can be considered a disadvantage. If you are using a film cover, it is better to place arcs that form the frame of the shelter and create an air gap between the film and the bushes.

Agrofibre (covering material)

Agrofibre is a kind of spunbond, it has a fabric structure and has a different density. It is often called simply - covering material. As a shelter, it is better to use a denser material, you can use both black and white. This shelter freely passes moisture through itself, which prevents the accumulation of condensate inside. Another advantage of agrofibre is its environmental safety, as it is made from polypropylene.

The material retains its operational qualities for up to 4 seasons. In cold regions, this shelter will not work as the main one, but it is acceptable to use it in combination with other materials. The disadvantages include the relatively high cost of agrofibre. In areas where there are winter thaws, it is better not to use it because of the ability to pass water inside. Plants can get wet and then freeze in frost.

Spunbond is obtained from the thinnest polymer threads, which are laid into the fabric with the help of an air flow. It is often used to protect plants from severe frosts. The advantages of the material include a homogeneous structure, which contributes to a uniform distribution of heat and moisture under the shelter, high thermal insulation properties, wear resistance, resistance to low temperatures, inertness to chemicals, resistance to mold.

While there is no snow cover, spunbond perfectly protects the plants themselves and their root system from frost and contributes to a smooth entry into wintering. The disadvantages of the material include its low resistance to ultraviolet radiation, but in winter this factor does not matter.

If you are going to use foliage for shelter, it should be collected in dry weather, immediately after leaf fall. The advantages of this natural insulation include its availability, organic composition, which will then serve as food for earthworms that increase soil fertility.

Dry leaves are often used as one of the layers of a multilayer shelter. Such a heater can harm plants if the foliage was wet - as a result, mold will begin to develop under the shelter. Also, you can not use leaves that have fallen from infected shrubs or trees, so as not to transfer pathogenic microflora to sheltered beds.

It is advisable to sprinkle strawberries with sawdust in regions where there are frosty and snowy winters. Sawdust will protect the bushes from freezing during the first frost, and in the future the plant will cover the snow cover. In the area where there is a frequent temperature difference, and the snow either melts or falls again, this material is undesirable to use.

If, nevertheless, you decide to cover strawberries with sawdust in a region with an unstable climate, build a frame on the garden bed that you need to cover with a film on top, and pour sawdust inside. It is best to mix sawdust with foliage and peat. In the spring, the fertilizer will dissolve with melt water, and the sawdust will settle, and will prevent the growth of weeds.

We cover strawberries with sawdust for the winter: video

Experienced gardeners do not recommend using plastic bottles to cover strawberries. Plants covered with an airtight flask may dry out during the winter. It is also possible that in the spring the bushes, waking up from hibernation, will grow early, as they will be in conditions similar to greenhouses.

The first return frosts will kill the young shoots. There is a wide enough choice of other shelters that will ensure reliable and proper wintering, so there is no need to use halves of plastic bottles.

Filling bushes of berries with pine needles is favorable for several reasons at once:

• The needles do not get wet, do not absorb moisture, which means that they will not contribute to the debate of the bush.
• In spring, you can mix the remains of the mulch layer with the soil in order to improve its structure and provide additional nutrition.
• Another plus is that the needles repel rodents, which in a hungry winter can eat strawberry bushes.

Shelter of strawberries for the winter with needles: video

Mulching strawberry bushes with straw is used both in summer and for shelter for the winter. This organic material contains hay bacillus, which has a positive effect on the composition of the soil. Those bushes under which there is rotted straw in the ground will never develop root rot. In winter, this material is an excellent insulation, it protects plants from initial frosts until snow falls.

Marigolds are usually sown between rows with strawberries to repel pests. This annual effectively fights the root nematode. In autumn, marigolds can not be cut - they will play the role of natural snow retainers. It is also acceptable to cut plants and use them as cover over strawberry bushes or in combination with other mulching materials. Even in this case, marigolds will scare away all kinds of harmful insects and their larvae from strawberries.

When to cover strawberries, at what temperature

Strawberry shelter should not be started too early or too late. In the first case, the plants will simply dry out under cover, in the second, they can die from frost. The best time to insulate the plantation will be the period when night frosts come, and during the day the temperature is still above zero.

On a note! Before proceeding to the shelter, the bed must be properly weeded and the strawberries themselves rid of the infected leaves.

Siberian frosts can exceed 45 degrees, at the same time a lot of snow falls here. But still, one snow cover in such harsh conditions is not enough. The bushes can freeze, and in the spring they will recover for a long time and the yield of berries will decrease. In addition, in this climatic zone, you need to cover strawberries with needles or cover with spruce branches.

If you have free time, an excellent solution would be to build an air-dry frame shelter using wooden shields that are covered with non-woven material on top. Since the first frosts in this region are already in September, strawberries should be covered by early October. Dates will be adjusted according to weather conditions in the current season.

Cold winds often blow in Transbaikalia in winter, and little snow falls and it is easily blown off the garden. Temperature fluctuations from -15 to -37 degrees are also characteristic of this climatic zone. Such conditions are not very suitable for overwintering strawberries in the open field. Sometimes in winter, the indicator on the thermometer drops to minus 50 below zero. The most reliable in such conditions will be a frame shelter, covered with several layers of dense non-woven material with an air gap inside.

Summer residents who do not want to risk a future harvest dig up strawberry bushes and store them in the basement until spring, and then plant them in open ground again. The first frosts in Transbaikalia may already be in the first days of September, with their arrival, you need to throw lutrasil or high-density spunbond on the bed, and build a reliable winter shelter by the end of the month.

Residents of the Amur region are already accustomed to seasonal temperature fluctuations. In summer, the thermometer can show +36 degrees here, and in winter it drops to -45. Nevertheless, summer residents manage to collect good harvests of berries by arranging a multi-layer shelter for strawberries, for example, from oak leaves and corn stalks or other crops.

In the north of the Amur Region, frosts come in early September, and in the central and southern regions in the second half of the same month. At this point, you should have a cover for the berry beds ready.

In the Khabarovsk Territory, strong winds that begin in November pose a danger to plantings. At the same time, the temperature is quite low. You need to cover strawberries at a temperature of -5-6 degrees, which is set around the second decade of October. For the environs of Khabarovsk, thickened geotextiles or agrotex are suitable as shelters. The material is stretched tightly over metal or plastic arcs at such a height that it does not touch the plants.

In winter, in central Russia, frosts can be significant, therefore. It is better not to use straw and the remains of tops, since rodents often attack berry bushes with such shelter in winter.

It is recommended to overlay the bushes with spruce branches, after which they will be covered with snow. Spunbond or agrotex insulation stretched over pre-installed arcs is also suitable for shelter. The density of the material should be from 60 g per 1 sq. meter. It will be possible to cover the strawberry plantation at the end of October or in early November.

On a note! When snow falls 30 cm thick, strawberries are safe and easily tolerate any frost.

In most areas of the Leningrad Region, groundwater is close to the surface; in spring, strawberries are additionally flooded with meltwater. The best solution in such conditions would be the construction of elevated beds, especially since it will be much easier to insulate such plantings. The first half of winter in this area passes with constant temperature changes, so there is no hope for snow cover, it can melt many times.

It is best to build a shelter on the frame using non-woven materials. As an alternative method, mulching with sawdust or peat can be used, followed by shelter from spruce branches. Covering activities are desirable to be completed in the last decade of October.

How to properly cover strawberries for the winter from frost

The method of shelter depends not only on the region where strawberries are grown, but also on other factors. It is necessary to additionally take into account the age of the bushes and.

Mature plants, as a rule, are quite strong in order to successfully endure wintering. The main thing is to build a shelter on time and not be late with the lines. To keep the developed bushes, it is enough to cover the growth point, which is the most vulnerable. In those regions where there is a lot of snow in winter and there are no extremely low temperatures, many do not use additional shelter at all or make light preventive insulation.

Strawberries planted in autumn direct all their forces to rooting and adaptation in the ground. Wintering can become an additional burden that berry bushes cannot cope with. To help plants overwinter, it is better to mulch them on the eve of frosts with hay, straw, lawn grass, annual stems.

In a light frost, such a shelter will be enough to save the roots and the aerial part from freezing, and later the bushes will additionally be covered with snow. In the spring, it will be necessary to inspect the beds and, if necessary, rake off part of the mulch, the remaining part of the rotted shelter will serve as fertilizer.

Young bushes do not have time to get stronger before the onset of winter, so it is more difficult for them to endure wintering than for an adult plant. To insulate them, it is necessary to use a mulch layer that completely hides the plantings underneath. In cold regions, it is additionally desirable to use a frame shelter with several layers of lutrasil or spunbond.

Pyramids used for planting strawberries save space on the site, but at the same time have their own characteristics in care. As for the winter shelter, the method will depend on the height of the pyramid. If it rises above the ground by no more than 60 cm, no additional shelter is needed. The plant will cover the snow. To cover the top of the head, the snow mass is additionally raked with a shovel. Higher structures should be covered around the perimeter with covering material in several layers. Most of all, this method of cultivation is suitable for the southern regions.

• If you are going to mulch berry beds with straw, but you know that there are rodents in your area, use an ultrasonic repeller in advance so that the mice leave the area. Otherwise, the shelter and the bushes themselves may be pretty damaged.
• Before the onset of frost, the bed with strawberries must be watered abundantly, this will help keep the roots from freezing even in the event of a serious drop in temperature.
• When covering with spruce branches, make sure that the branches are evenly distributed over the entire surface and completely cover the leaves. Usually about a dozen spruce paws go to one bed.
• When constructing a shelter from dry leaves, use tree leaves that take a long time to decompose. Leaf litter is best taken from poplar, horse chestnut, oak, walnut, American maple.

Do I need to cover strawberries for the winter: video

How and how to cheaply cover strawberries for the winter: video

In care, strawberries give gardeners a lot of trouble, so it is important to preserve the culture in the winter so that the work is not in vain. Provide the plants with the right wintering and enjoy the harvest of tasty, fragrant and healthy berries next season.

Strawberries are the most common berry crop. By the early appearance of the first berries, by the area of ​​cultivation, it can compete with other berries. So that in the summer strawberries can please with delicious berries, enrich them with vitamins, it is necessary to provide them with competent care. Especially, it concerns its preparation for wintering. How to cover strawberries for the winter, what, we will tell in our article.

Before you cover strawberries for the winter, it is worth carrying out preparatory measures. They are mandatory, carried out in stages, observing the deadlines.

1. After harvesting, it is necessary to clean the strawberry bushes from old mustaches, dried stems and leaves. In the absence of rain and stable dry weather, strawberries need to be well watered several times until the end of summer. On average, watering is carried out once a week. These activities will help the plant gain strength before the cold winter weather.
2. From September 09 to early October, you need to cut off almost all the greenery from the bushes, leaving only strong and young new shoots. Advice for beginner gardeners: do not be afraid to cut the foliage completely. Old strawberry leaves will not be needed.
3. The place for growing strawberries must be changed every five years. Do it gradually, remove one bed, add a new one. If the berry already needs a transplant, choose a new place for planting in order to transplant young strawberries on it at the end of summer. Subject to the rules of care and sheltering bushes for the winter, next summer you can get the first harvest from young bushes.
4. Feeding and weeding. These are mandatory procedures for wintering Victoria. Weeding is carried out at the end of August, then the root system will have time to gain strength before winter. At the end of the growing season, strawberries still need nutrients, they consume them to form new buds for the next harvest. It is recommended to feed the plant to facilitate wintering. The berry is fed after the bushes have been divided or transplanted.

When growing strawberries on the ground, organic fertilizers are applied. If planting strawberries on agrofibre, then it is better to use mineral fertilizers. You can fertilize the plant with organic fertilizers: peat or manure. Feeding from chicken manure or infused grass is effective. In fresh form, such substances cannot be applied, they can burn the roots, therefore, fertilizers are diluted in a proportion of 10 parts of water to 1 part of the product. From mineral fertilizers, superphosphate or potassium humate is better suited. They are brought in in advance so that they can dissolve over the winter.

Why cover strawberries

Should strawberries be covered? Modern varieties of strawberries can withstand up to thirty degrees of frost in a snowy winter. But lately, even in the northern regions, winter thaws have occurred. If the snow begins to melt in the middle of winter, the plant tries to wake up, mistaking the thaw for the beginning of spring, and then frost strikes again, which can kill the bushes. Shelter in this case will protect the plant from death.

It should be borne in mind that the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe sites may be different. Sometimes snow accumulates and lies in snowdrifts, while on others it is constantly blown away by the winds, exposing strawberry bushes. In such a situation, varieties with low frost resistance can freeze already at -9 °, and if the temperature drops to -15 degrees, the plant will die.

Reasons to Protect Strawberries

• Wither. At the beginning of winter, when there is still no snow, and a cold strong wind blows, many strawberry bushes, leaves and buds die. Shelter would be in place, reliably protecting from the wind.
• Bulging. Freezing soil can literally push out freshly planted bushes. Timely sheltering strawberries for the winter will help normalize the temperature of the soil and prevent it from freezing.
• Root freezing. Occurs during a long autumn without snow, when the temperature is low. At this time, both the root system and the aerial part may suffer, it is not worth delaying with the shelter of strawberries.

When to Cover Strawberries

If the shelter is laid too early, damping off may begin. But it’s not worth it to delay with shelter. Also, do not delay cleaning the shelter in the spring, so that the soil has time to warm up.

When to cover strawberries? It is difficult to name the optimal time for shelter, it depends on the climatic conditions of a particular area. It is necessary to monitor the air temperature. If sub-zero temperatures persist day and night for a week, it's time to start sheltering.

How to cover strawberries for the winter

How to properly cover strawberries? Observance of the technique of sheltering strawberries is mandatory. Covering the pieces will not be able to protect the strawberries. Beds with strawberries need to be covered only completely. You need to start sheltering before the first snow cover, while the ground has not yet begun to freeze. It is better if the temperature is stable at zero, thawing in the morning and freezing the air at night. In the event that frost has already come, you need to speed up with shelter and carry out all the manipulations on the same day.

If it is not possible to use covering material, it is necessary to protect the beds of garden strawberries with shields, boards, 10 cm high above the beds, so that the snow does not scatter around the site, gathering inside artificially created traps. Of course, each gardener decides for himself how and with what to cover Victoria. Much depends on the type of soil, on the climatic conditions of the region, on the variety of strawberries, and on the capabilities of the gardener himself. The beds are completely covered with covering material, pressed at the corners with metal pipes, stones or bricks.

In the spring, as soon as the covering material is removed, the earth will begin to warm up actively after the snow melts, it will be necessary to process the strawberries again. Then in the summer she will reward a good harvest of tasty and juicy berries.

How to cover strawberries for the winter

There is a lot of cover material. You can use whatever is at hand. The best material for winter shelter is snow, unfortunately, it is not always in sufficient quantity, and it is not always kept in the garden. Snow is easier to hold in the aisles, and not on strawberry beds, which does not fully protect the plants.

Can be covered with sawdust. This material is easy to get at any sawmill. Suitable reeds, dry twigs of small size. Spruce spruce branches cannot be called an ideal covering material for strawberries, but it retains snow on the site. You can cover the beds with foliage, and spread the spruce branches on top. The main thing is that the leaves are healthy. Dry hay can be used under spruce branches. Of the novelties of covering material: various non-woven materials of different density, colors, durability.

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of covering material

Wood sawdust is a cheap covering material. They can close the beds, because it gets wet and does not scatter around the site. In the spring, only it needs to be collected from the strawberry plantation, otherwise they will acidify the soil. For one square meter of beds, you will need a bucket of sawdust.

Leaves. Before warming strawberries with foliage, you need to make sure that there are no pests and signs of infection on the leaves. It is better to take the foliage of chestnut, Manchurian or walnut, oak, poplar, maple. This foliage is heavy enough that if it becomes wet, even a hurricane cannot blow it away.

Rags. When using an old rag, it is worth treating it with 7% Bordeaux liquid. This will protect against diseases. Rags should be laid as tightly as possible on the bed, leaving no open spaces.

Reeds. If there is a lake nearby, you can mow enough reeds to cover the strawberries for the winter. The cane is easy to install and easy to remove. He doesn't fly away. A layer of a few centimeters is enough to insulate the beds.

Spruce spruce. You need to collect spruce branches from abandoned and cut down trees. Do not damage living trees. It is enough to collect several dozen spruce branches, since about five branches will be required per bed. The main thing is to distribute spruce branches evenly throughout the garden.

Hay. The disadvantage of this covering material is that it is too volatile. It is most effective to use it together with spruce branches.

Agrofibre. This material is very often used for shelter and for planting strawberries under agrofibre. The thickness of the covering layer of strawberries should be about 7 cm. Agrofibre can also help in spring, during spring frosts. They warm the plant at night, and in the morning the material is removed.

Pine needles. This is a wonderful plant material. The needles are breathable, it has excellent thermal insulation properties, but does not allow the bushes to rot. Adult plants are sprinkled with needles in a circle of each bush, young bushes fall asleep completely. With this strawberry shelter, the soil will be constantly warm even in the absence of snow and with a strong drop in temperature.

Material "Agrotex". This purchased material will not allow rodents to settle near the beds. It is able to provide access to water and light, can regulate unwanted temperature changes.

Spunbond or film. These materials are used with arcs, when used without arcs, there is a risk of freezing at the points of contact.

One of the most popular berries for Russian gardeners is strawberries, or garden strawberries. It grows in all climatic zones of our country, excluding the northernmost ones, and tolerates both hot summers and frosty winters well. However, sometimes strawberry beds still need shelter for the cold season so that the bushes do not freeze and give a good harvest next year.

Do I need to cover strawberries for the winter

Under snow cover at least 30 cm thick, strawberries can survive the winter without shelter. However, modern climatic realities are such that not always enough snow falls and it does not always lie all winter. Often there are thaws, followed by frosts, so the bushes can freeze out.

If there is so little snow that it does not even cover the leaves, strawberries must be covered for the winter.

In addition, the winter hardiness of strawberries depends on the variety:

It is important to take into account the timing of planting when it comes to young strawberry bushes. Rooted cuttings planted in the middle of summer or in August have time to grow strong roots, a powerful rosette of leaves and form fruit buds. And if you plant new strawberries in the fall, the plants may not have time to prepare for harsh winter conditions.

If you plant young strawberries before the onset of cold weather, they will not have time to grow strong roots and may freeze in winter.

Depending on the composition of the soil, strawberry bushes can tolerate sub-zero temperatures well or badly before snow falls: heavy clay soils freeze much faster than fertile and loose ones.

And, of course, the well-known warm beds with soil heated by slowly rotting waste are an excellent tool for protecting strawberries from freezing.

Video: in which regions should strawberries be covered for the winter

When to close strawberry beds

There are two points that you should focus on if your strawberries are not winter-hardy and need to be covered:

It is important to determine the time of shelter in time, because if you do it too early, the strawberries will rot, and if you are late, they will freeze.

How to choose a shelter material: an overview of the various options

There are several materials suitable for wrapping strawberries, which one to choose depends on the growing conditions of the berries. You can take natural and artificial. Each variety has its pros and cons.

natural shelters

These include spruce branches (spruce or pine), sawdust and straw. The bushes should not be completely covered, the material is placed around the leaf rosette, covering the roots and aisles from frost.

Lapnik

This is the most user-friendly material. It is suitable for all regions where there are coniferous forests. Advantages:

There are only two cons:

• acidifies the soil;
• a lot of it is needed for large strawberry plantations - it is not useful for nature, and laborious for a summer resident.

The shelter option will not be spruce branches, but simply pine or spruce needles. It will warm strawberries well in winter, and will serve as mulch in spring. The advantage of this mulch is that the smell of pine needles repels harmful insects.

Video: sheltering strawberries for the winter with pine needles

Suitable for those areas where winters are not snowy, with short thaws. The layer should be about 10 cm. Material advantages:

There are quite a few cons:

• acidify the earth and reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil;
• if after a thaw snow falls and it is frosty, the sawdust becomes icy and instead of warming the strawberry bushes, they freeze them;
• do not conduct heat well in spring, as a result, strawberries will wake up later and bloom, which can lead to falling under return frosts during flowering.

Of course, it is possible to cover strawberries with sawdust, but in the spring you need to rake them from the beds as soon as the snow melts, and it is best to put them in the aisles and cover the bed from above with a spunbond.

Straw

The material is suitable for southern regions with a small amount of snow in winter and, accordingly, a small amount of melt water in spring. The layer of straw should be 20 cm.

Advantages:

There are many more disadvantages:

• poorly holds snow cover;
• strongly absorbs moisture, because of which, as in the case of sawdust, bushes can freeze in winter and rot in spring, their roots and heart (the place where new shoots form) can rot and be affected by fungi;
• does not allow the soil to warm up in the spring;
• serves as a home for mice that can nibble on strawberries.

Video: strawberry shelter for the winter

Purchased materials

These include spunbond and polyethylene film.

Spunbond

This is the undisputed leader among materials for sheltering strawberries. It works due to the formation of a layer of air under it, which retains heat well. It is used throughout Russia, excluding the southernmost regions with sudden temperature changes. For example, in November-December there are significant advantages, strawberries may even begin to bloom, and then the cold winds, rains and frosts that begin will destroy the plant.

Although most summer residents are accustomed to the term "spunbond", it is more correct to call the covering material for plants agrofiber. This is a kind of spunbond specifically for agriculture. It has a high density that does not allow weeds to germinate, protection from ultraviolet radiation and the necessary resistance to precipitation, including snow.

• comparatively expensive;
• must be changed every two to three years;
• for maximum efficiency, it is necessary to install arcs on the beds and cover them with a double layer of agrofibre.

Video: features of strawberry shelter for the winter with agrofibre

Previously, I always mulched and covered strawberry beds with sawdust for the winter, since they were free - a lot was left after the construction of the house. As a result, the bushes bore fruit later than those of their neighbors, and the harvest was - the cat cried. Then I switched to mulching with black spunbond, and for the winter I covered the beds with a tunnel of two layers of white agrofibre with a density of 30 g/m. The result was not long in coming: despite the severe frosts in winter (up to 37 ° C), which alternated with wet snow and above zero temperatures, strawberries winter well and the first berries ripen a week earlier.

Film

Although this material is cheaper and stronger than agrofibre, it must be used with caution. After all, the film does not breathe, a lot of moisture accumulates under it, and strawberries can rot and be affected by fungal infections. The ideal option for using polyethylene is when growing strawberries in an annual crop or when covering as late as possible and early removal.

Covering strawberries with film should be used wisely: close later and remove earlier so that the bushes do not rot

Video: different ways to shelter strawberries for the winter

How not to warm strawberries for the winter

There are materials that are highly discouraged for strawberries. This is leaf litter from fruit trees and waste after harvesting the garden in the fall (for example, carved raspberry shoots). Pests will probably winter in fallen leaves, and raspberries, being a relative of garden strawberries, can transmit unnecessary infections to them.

Of course, it's tempting to use leaf litter as a cover for strawberries - it's free and convenient, but it's better to burn it - it will be a great potash fertilizer for next year.

Before covering strawberries for the winter, analyze your weather conditions - winter temperatures, thaws, snowdrift heights - and select the appropriate material. Properly made and timely installed shelter will provide your bushes with a comfortable wintering and will allow you to get an earlier harvest in the summer.

To help strawberries winter properly, it is necessary to protect the bushes from the cold by worrying about their shelter in advance. If this is not done, then in the spring the result can be quite deplorable - bushes frozen to the roots do not wake up from hibernation, and partially damaged ones give a poor harvest. About how to cover strawberries for the winter and how to do it correctly, read on.

Preparing for the cold

It is known that the roots of this plant can die already at a temperature of about minus 8 degrees. And the part of strawberries growing on the surface may not fully recover when the thermometer drops to minus 9. What should gardeners do in this situation? To avoid trouble and protect the plant in the cold season, you should cover the strawberries in advance.

In order to have time to do this before the onset of the first cold weather, to protect the roots, you need to make a special shelter and hide the strawberries under the snow cap. But not only snow will become your faithful assistant in sheltering the plant. It is also recommended to feed the root system with manure or other components of organic origin. Mulching will also help protect the plant.


Starting from mid-autumn, strawberries should be prepared for the upcoming winter. If this is done a little earlier, then in the presence of high air temperature, the opposite effect can be achieved - plants are able to ban in sheltered soil. A guideline for starting a set of measures to shelter the plant should be the freezing of the earth by 4 - 5 centimeters.

Cover technique

Strawberries by the onset of winter should grow healthy leaves, which will be an excellent protection for the kidneys from frost. In autumn, you should follow the rules of agricultural technology, fertilizing and removing pests. At the end of summer, it is advised to loosen the ground near the bushes. Strawberries should not be transplanted late. Weeds are also best removed in the spring. Snow can serve as the best thermal insulation for a plant, as it prevents the soil from freezing.

A layer of mulch, consisting of humus, reeds, peat, pine and spruce needles, and reeds, is capable of preventing soil cracking. Its stocks should be stored in bags or simply poured out near the beds with strawberries. Mulch should be used in an amount of approximately one bag per 24 to 26 plant bushes. Dry mulch, taken in an armful, should be overlaid with adult strawberry bushes on all sides, the layer should be about 10 - 15 cm.

After the onset of the first slight frost, strawberries must be covered. Here it is important to take into account factors such as the geographical location of the site and its microclimate. To protect garden strawberry bushes, cover them with straw in large quantities. Just make sure that the straw does not come across seeds that can attract rodents, or sawdust.

In order to properly make a shelter for a plant, a material such as agrofiber is used. The thickness of the layer of strawberry shelter should be about 6 - 8 cm. In the event that a little snow falls in winter, the bushes not covered with it can die due to the onset of sharp frosts. To delay the melting of snow in your garden, it is recommended to shade it with large boxes or other materials that are on hand. When heat comes, the bushes of the plant should be freed from covering material so that they can have an area for normal growth and development.

Agrofibre is also capable of helping in the fight against the negative impact on strawberries of spring frosts. They need to cover the plant at night, and remove the material in the morning to allow the bees to pollinate the plant. Experts advise, whenever possible, to grow those varieties of strawberries that are most suitable for your region. In the presence of a sufficiently large layer of snow, they can overwinter even without special shelter.

Shelter material

Many gardeners are concerned about an important question - how to cover strawberries for the winter? In a snowless winter, the best plant materials to help you cover and protect strawberries from freezing are leaves, hay, straw, spruce branches. The best option, experts call spruce spruce branches, under a layer of which dry raspberry branches or brushwood can be placed in order to provide plants with air access.

Another plant material, pine needles, has also proven itself well. It is quite breathable, while it has thermal insulation properties and does not allow strawberry bushes to rot. Mature plants should be sprinkled with needles, as if spudding them in a circle, and young bushes can be covered completely. Even if there is no snow at all, and the thermometer drops to minus 25 degrees, with this method of protection, a sufficient amount of heat will be stored on the ground.

If it is impossible to get needles or spruce branches, you can use the purchased material for shelter, called "Agrotex". It will not allow rodents to settle near the bushes, is breathable, is able to provide access to light and water, and can level out unwanted temperature changes.

Even in the presence of severe frosts, the temperature under such material will be much higher than in open space. This air-dry method is quite good for beds that have a small area. In addition to "Agrotex", you can also use "Spunbond" or even a film. Some growers have adapted to cover strawberries using these materials without the use of arcs. But experts do not advise covering plants without arcs with materials, because there is a danger of freezing at the points of contact.