Strawberry whiskers, trim or not?

Everyone dreams of eating sweet, ripe and juicy strawberries. And how wonderful it is to sit in the garden and eat these amazing fruits, picking them right from the branch. Many summer residents grow strawberries in their plots. However, the seedlings of this culture are now quite expensive. And I would like to plant the entire site with it as quickly as possible. In order to increase the number of strawberry seedlings, you can sow them with seeds, divide mother bushes or separate stepchildren. Many varieties of strawberry produce enough strawberry cuttings or whiskers, so many new young plants can be grown very quickly in this way. We will tell you how to do this.

Strawberry mustache: yourself with a mustache

It is believed that the separation of stepchildren is the fastest and, at the same time, the most affordable way to increase the number of plants on the site. You will not need to buy and plant seeds to grow seedlings, and also wait for the first shoots for a very long time. In addition, the stepchildren very quickly take root in new territories, and also retain all the taste qualities of the mother variety. You can separate stepchildren both in spring and autumn, so you can increase the number of young plants in your area twice a year. Remember that when planting seeds, it is very often unclear what will grow out of it. Many of the flavor qualities of a particular variety are lost and also mixed. Therefore, the propagation of strawberries with the help of a mustache is a rather profitable agrotechnical measure. In favor of this method of reproduction, we can also say that such new bushes have almost one hundred percent survival rate in a new place. While planting seeds or dividing plants do not have these benefits. Such plants very often die, and when the bush is divided, the mother plant can dry out.

Strawberry mustache: how to propagate

Almost all strawberry varieties can be propagated with a mustache. Therefore, most gardeners increasingly prefer this particular method. Strawberry whiskers usually form in the summer, so you need to keep an eye on your plantings in June and July. It is in the middle of summer that the mustache should be cut, since in this case the new bushes will be able to adapt as much as possible to the new conditions before wintering. However, some strawberry varieties are propagated in late summer. This is primarily due to when the plant begins to bear fruit. In this case, we mean late-ripening strawberry varieties that produce a harvest at the end of July. However, these crops can also be propagated by trimming the mustache. Sometimes the mustache is removed at the beginning of spring and planted in a new place. Remember that you can do this only in the second year after the first fruiting of the culture, since it is advisable to cut off the first peduncles. This is necessary in order for the strawberry to take root well, get stronger and start new shoots, this will allow it to develop the root system and in the future to grow and develop more intensively.

How to choose the right mustache

As we noted earlier, strawberry whiskers are cut off only a year after fruiting. Many strawberry bushes produce both many berries and many mustaches. It is from them that seedlings are usually selected. You can immediately mark the mother plants during the fruiting period, this will allow you to further determine from which plants you can expect a lot of whiskers. Do not take a lot of seedlings in stores at once, since very often unscrupulous sellers deceive buyers, because at first glance it is very difficult to determine belonging to one or another variety of seedlings.After you have cut off a few sturdy whiskers, you can plant the seedlings either in pots or directly in the open ground. Choose horns that are as close to the bush as possible. The remainder of the branch must be at least 2 centimeters.

Landing order

Before planting seedlings in open ground, you need to loosen the ground, and also apply the appropriate fertilizer I. This will help the plant to adapt to new conditions as best as possible. When trimming the mustache, leave 20 centimeters from the mother bush, and from the root - up to 2 cm. The uterine process should look out of the ground, but the core should not be placed deep into the ground. After you have planted the seedlings, you need to water it abundantly with water. Often, in order for the plant to adapt well, a film is stretched over it and enclosed with boards.

Care features

In order for the mustache to take root in the new territory as quickly as possible, the garden bed needs to be watered often and the soil around the plants is loosened. This is necessary so that a crust does not form on the surface, which negatively affects the air permeability of the soil. For mulching, straw and sawdust are used. Avoid exposing the roots and legs, which are also involved in the formation of the plant's root system. Therefore, watch this process and do not deepen the core. If you first planted the seedlings in a pot, then after 2 weeks it can be planted in open ground. Keep a close eye on the development of your strawberries and remember, whisker propagation is a great way to grow many new strong and healthy young plants.