Practically all varieties of strawberries during the growing season allow a mustache - thin processes sprawling in all directions.
Whether these shoots will hurt the strawberries, whether it is necessary and when to trim the mustache, we find out in details.
Do I need to cut the leaves and mustache strawberries
Left without care and pruning strawberry bushes quickly and densely overgrown. As a result of such thickening, the plant will be more susceptible to various diseases, insect raids, yields will drop significantly, the fruits will be ground. Antennae grow almost simultaneously with flowering, as well as with fruiting, forming new sockets, which pull most of the nutrients from the soil towards themselves. Therefore, if you are not going to grow new seedlings, mustache need to cut.
Another sore point among novice gardeners is whether to cut the leaves of a strawberry.
In spring, the soil in the gardens and orchards is abundantly moistened with melt water, fed by fertilizers, which contributes to the growth of a beautiful dense green mass. In any fruiting culture, the excessive development of foliage detrimental to fruiting: the fruits become smaller, their taste qualities change for the worse. 
This happens because the deciduous mass, absorbing food from the soil, deprives future fruits. In addition to reducing the yield, foliage will accumulate moisture, and a moist environment is the first source of fungus.
Did you know? Strawberries are called berry of lovers, and in France it is common to serve strawberry cream soup before the wedding night. Berry contains zinc in its composition, this element has a positive effect on sexual desire in both sexes, and also contributes to conception.
How to do it right?
In order not to harm the future harvest, you need to follow a few rules when pruning:
- The procedure is carried out in dry weather, in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is less active;
- It is not recommended to break off the shoots: they, despite the subtlety, are strong, and together with the mustache you can pull the bush, damage the roots;
- Pruning is done with shears or scissors;
- It is undesirable to cut under the point of growth, you need to leave 7-10 cm of escape from the outlet.
Important! You can not carry out the procedure of trimming the whiskers and leaves in too hot weather or wet. In the heat, the plant is subject to stress, and in the damp at the cut infection can develop.
When to trim
Antennae begin to grow before fruiting, grow during and after it, and when it is better to remove the mustache from strawberries, let's understand.
To fruiting
The first shoots appear in the flowering period, continuing its development throughout the season. If there is no need for a new seedling, remove all processes immediately. The same applies to the leaves: the green mass deprives the ovaries of the fruits of food, so the bushes need to thin out.
During fruiting
During the fruiting period, the antennae are removed when the berries have already formed. They have not yet reached maturity, but it is already impossible to harm them under the condition of careful pruning of the shoots. After this procedure, the fruits will receive more useful elements for growth.
Due to the variety of varieties it is very difficult to figure out which strawberries to plant on the plot. The characteristics of the varieties Albion, Gigantella, Queen Elizabeth, Russian size, Mashenka, Lord, Marshal, Asia, Festival, Elsanta, Malvina, Kimberley, Zeng Zengana, Fresco, Chamora Turusi, Queen, Maxim should be studied.
After harvest
After harvesting, the bushes need to be prepared for winter: remove foliage and mustache, which over the summer could accumulate pests and infections. Before the very frosts, the bushes are cleaned, leaving only the stems, and the places of the cuts are treated with fungicidal action preparations.
Features trimming mustache strawberries for reproduction
Strawberries are multiplied with a mustache, so when it is time to trim the whiskers, they remove the weakest shoots, leaving for propagation shoots from strong and prolific bushes. Consider the rules in more detail:
- Mark the most prolific bushes for breeding;
- Do not let them bloom and form the ovary, all power should be directed to the formation of antennae;
- After the formation of shoots, leave the strongest of them, usually this is the first row of sockets, closest to the parent bush;
- You can leave a few bushes of the second order, the remaining whiskers are removed;
- Selected formed bushes pinned to the ground for rooting, after the formation of three strong leaves are separated from the donor bush.
Did you know? Strawberries are an indispensable product in cosmetology: copper in the composition of the berry helps in eliminating age spots, contributes to the narrowing of pores, heals acne formations and stimulates the formation of collagen.
Aftercare
Strawberry planting is a tasty lunch for various insects; bushes are especially vulnerable after the procedure of trimming foliage and antennae. Prevention is carried out immediately after pruning. In the spring sprayed with the drug "Fitosporin" regardless of the removal of shoots. Well help spraying the following means:
- Chloroxide copper and liquid soap (15 g each) diluted in 10 liters of water;
- One percent Bordeaux liquid.
Important! Such tools are used after each pruning procedure, and during spraying process both sides of the remaining leaves.
Growing strawberries is a process that requires attention and labor. If for any reason removing a mustache is too problematic for you, try growing varieties of dull hybrids: Yellow Miracle, Rügen, Solemacher, Alexandria, Holiday.
