Until I learned about a wonderful method, the berries filled up, became heavy, and the flower stalks could not hold them. They sank to the ground and matured there. Harvesting became a difficult task, sometimes the strawberries even rotted. It was not always possible to pick the berries carefully: the fruits were so large and juicy that sometimes I accidentally crushed them with my hands.
But I found a way out of this situation – I started putting spunbond under the bushes. Now there is not a single dirty berry, everything is beautiful and clean. If it rains and the strawberries touch the ground or dew, the crop may develop gray mold and the harvest may be lost.
What am I doing now? As soon as the strawberry bushes fade, I take rubber bands and tie them up. The procedure is so fast that you don’t have time to look back before everything is ready.
Detailed description of the process
Most often, I wrap my palm around a couple of strawberry bushes, gather the leaves together and thread a rubber band through them. I don’t miss a single bush, I walk through the entire plantation. By the end of the work, the plants stand at attention like soldiers.
Leaves, flower stalks and berries are located high above the ground. Collected together, they better protect the crop from insects that will not miss the opportunity to feast on the berries.
Another plus is that when watering I don’t touch the leaves and berries, I water only at the roots. Lately I always use this method, and the berries have never gone missing.
Advantages of the method
The advantages of this method are obvious:
- Strawberry bushes yield their harvest together, the berries ripen faster, since each of their barrels is exposed to the sun.
- Berries ripened in the sun are more juicy, tasty and sweet.
- It is convenient to walk between the bushes; you can weed without disturbing the fruiting crop.
- The berries do not come into contact with the ground; air circulates between the bushes, which prevents diseases.
