Why do strawberries have hard leaves? Causes of strawberries drying out: diseases, pests or improper care? What measures need to be taken to prevent strawberries from drying out?

Strawberries are one of the most beloved and most commonly grown berries. It can be seen in almost every summer cottage, which is quite understandable: the fruits have an excellent taste, contain many vitamins and are among the first to ripen. But sometimes in the process of growing a given crop one has to face a variety of problems, which is why part of the harvest is lost. One such problem is leaf color change. In the article we will tell you why strawberry leaves turn red, what causes it, a lack of essential nutrients or a disease?

Reddening of leaves on strawberries is a fairly common phenomenon, and there are many reasons for the appearance of this color on a plant.

In this case, the time when the leaves began to change color is very important. Strawberry leaves live for about 80-90 days. After this, they begin to die off naturally - first they begin to turn red and then dry out. At the same time, there is one peculiarity - the leaves begin to die off from the lower side of the bush, while in the center the leaves remain green. This process usually occurs at the end of the summer season. Accordingly, in this case there is no need to worry - everything happens as it should: the outer leaves die, and new ones grow in the center of the bush - the plants are renewed.

You need to worry when the leaves begin to turn red much earlier - in the middle of summer. There are several reasons for this change.

1. Too much acidity in the soil causes the leaves to turn red.
2. Lack of nitrogen causes leaves to turn red.
3. Lack of phosphorus - leaves turn red-violet.
4. Lack of potassium - the leaves first turn red and then turn brown around the edges.
5. Disease.

What to do if strawberry leaves start to turn red

First you need to determine the reason for the change in leaf color. To do this, you need to carefully examine the bushes and choose a treatment method:

1. If there is a lack of nitrogen, complex fertilizers or azophosphate or ammonium nitrate are applied. This problem can be avoided using preventive measures. To do this, before planting strawberries, green manure crops, for example, white mustard, alfalfa, and clover, are first grown on the plot. The plant is sown in the first days of June, and two months later it is embedded in the soil. In early autumn or spring, strawberries are planted in the prepared area.
2. To reduce the acidity of the soil, you can sprinkle ash between the rows of strawberries (one glass of ash for every meter).
3. If there is a lack of phosphorus, it is necessary to apply fertilizers where the said component is available in large quantities. It is better to use phosphorus preparations in the fall, after fruiting.
4. In case of fungal disease, the beds are treated with Bordeaux mixture or potassium permanganate. Treatment is carried out twice per season - in spring and autumn. Read also the article: → “Rot on strawberries: signs, elimination and methods of prevention.”

Quite often, strawberry leaves turn partially red, and white spots may also be observed, which may indicate a disease of the fruit plant, such as white spot

It is worth noting that for the purpose of prevention, the leaves of strawberry bushes are treated in advance with preparations that contain copper. These are Skor, Topaz, Copper sulfate and others.

How to distinguish strawberry leaf renewal from disease

Sometimes not all leaves turn red, but only part of them. Moreover, white spots appear on the red spots. This is a disease called white leaf spot. You can save a strawberry bed only by treating it with Bordeaux mixture. To do this, take 1 tbsp per liter of water. of the drug and spray the berry bushes. Alternatively, you can treat the berry bushes with Fitosporin or Zircon 3-5 times. What’s remarkable is that if you use “Zircon” for spring processing, you can rid your favorite berries of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.

The appearance of brown spots is a manifestation of brown spotting

Sometimes dark purple spots appear on the leaves. They are irregularly angular in shape and are limited by leaf veins. As the leaf dies, it changes color to brown. This is the first sign of brown spot. The disease appears in the last 2-3 weeks of summer. To stop the disease, it is better to take preventive measures in advance: at the beginning of the season, even before leaves begin to appear, spray the strawberries with Topaz or treat them with a special composition. To prepare it, you need to mix 200 g of slaked lime and 150 g of copper sulfate. The mixture is diluted in 5 liters of water.

Treating the area with Bordeaux mixture or potassium permanganate (solution) gives very good results. But by destroying fungal spores, these products can also destroy all beneficial microflora in the soil, so it is not recommended to use them very often. Although treating brown spot is not very difficult, it is easier to prevent its occurrence. To do this you need:

1. Plant planting material purchased from trusted sellers.
2. Every 3-4 years, replant strawberries to a new place.
3. Constantly cut off diseased leaves and tendrils and remove them from the area. It is best to destroy contaminated material.

Why do the leaves on strawberries begin to turn yellow?

Often, at the beginning of spring, strawberry beds do not turn green, but begin to turn yellow. Moreover, the leaves may change color to a bright lemon shade. These are signs of non-infectious chlorosis. It appears due to the fact that the soil, unlike the air, warms up slowly. In March-April, when plants of this species begin to intensively grow leaves, their roots remain in the cold soil. Due to the slow work of the roots, the leaves do not receive enough nutrients and moisture, which are essential for growth, and therefore turn yellow.

Oddly enough, strawberry leaves can turn red and yellow simply because of insufficient care of the plant, for example, due to insufficient watering or due to a poorly chosen place for planting

Incorrect feeding can also cause yellow leaves. Leaves can also change color from green to yellow when they lack iron or moisture. Moreover, the causes of the disease are different. To prevent yellowing of the leaves, it is necessary to regularly water the strawberry beds, but not with cold, but with warm water. To do this, water is collected in a reservoir, which is located in an open place. When the water heats up under the sun, it is brought through a hose to the garden bed.

Tip #1. It is unacceptable to water strawberries with cold water - this will only worsen the situation. To compensate for the lack of iron, strawberries need to be treated with any iron-containing preparation.

Strawberries may also turn yellow due to a lack of magnesium. In this case, adding magnesium sulfate to the soil will help solve the problem. The powder is applied in dry form, after which it is watered or the preparation is diluted in water and then the beds are watered. The procedure must be repeated over several weeks. Dolomite flour will also help compensate for the lack of magnesium.

The viral disease xanthosis can lead to yellowing of leaves. This disease can enter the area through aphids or infected strawberry seedlings. At the moment, there are no remedies for treating xanthosis, so in order to avoid infection of plants, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment with Nitrophen (one and a half percent solution) or Bordeaux mixture (2-3% solution) in the fall and spring.

Reddened strawberry leaves may also indicate possible pests, the result of which is yellowing and redness of the leaves, in which case you first need to get rid of the pest itself

The prepared solution is poured strictly at the root - there is no need to pour anything on the leaves. If the leaves have simply turned yellow and there are no signs of any disease, they should be carefully cut off. This is completely safe for strawberries. To prevent diaper rash and fungal diseases, each bush should be sprinkled with sawdust. Read also the article: → “Secrets and methods of mulching strawberries (garden strawberries).”

The appearance of small holes on strawberry leaves is a sign of a pest.

A similar problem is evidence of the appearance of the weevil beetle in the beds; it is this pest that is characterized by such damage. Most often this happens if there are beds of radishes and carrots next to the berry beds. Insects can very easily fly from one crop to another. Strawberries should be treated to protect them from the weevil beetle before they bloom.

For treatment, use “Zipershans” - this product will eliminate both weevils and other types of pests. But this drug is a chemical agent, so it is used only in cases where there are a lot of beetles; if not many pests of this type have been found yet, biological drugs can be used for treatment.

Name	Peculiarities	Properties
"Fitoverm"	The drug has intestinal contact action. The effectiveness of the product was proven during testing at the All-Russian Research Institute and amounted to 98-100%.	The drug is effective in any weather, is not phytotoxic, and does not pollute the environment.
"Akarin"	Safe for humans.	It is a fast-acting drug - after 4-5 hours, insect pests stop feeding and soon die.
"Iskra Bio"	A natural preparation for the destruction of insect pests on ornamental, berry, fruit and vegetable crops. The basis of the drug is avermectin. This is a natural substance that paralyzes pests. Approved for use in greenhouse conditions and in open ground.	The product is effective in any weather, can destroy insects that do not respond to other drugs, and destroys both adults and larvae.

Brown spotting of strawberries may also appear, which also has a rather specific appearance; how it looks close-up can be seen in this photo

In addition, the weevil can cause strawberry leaves to dry out. This happens because the weevil remains on the strawberry leaves for the winter. When the first leaves appear, it feeds on their juice, after which they dry up. The buds on the stalk also dry out. If such a picture is observed on the site, then it is too late to treat the bushes, since the insect has already flown to the raspberries. But it will be possible to protect the future harvest in the fall by treating strawberries with any of the listed drugs.

Tip #2. If you do not fight the weevil, it can destroy not only strawberries, but also the entire harvest of all berry crops both on the site and among neighbors - the insect can fly quite long distances.

But the most important thing is prevention. Such a simple little thing as removing yellowed, reddened, dried leaves from plants in a timely manner will allow the plantings to remain unthickened, thanks to which many problems can be avoided. Read also the article: → “How to get rid of spider mites on strawberries.”

In any case, when strange spots appear on strawberry leaves, no matter yellow, white or red, it is necessary to look for the root cause of the appearance of these spots, so as not to ruin the entire plant

Common questions about red spots on strawberry leaves

Question No. 1. Dark burgundy spots with small light dots have appeared on the strawberries, what are they?

Most likely we are talking about a disease of the fruit plant, since white spots indicate some diseases of strawberries. This may be white spotting or brown spotting. Usually in such cases, the dark red or burgundy color of the leaves affects certain parts of them, and small white or light dots can be observed in the middle of these spots.

Question No. 2. Can leaves turn yellow and red simply because the bush is renewing itself?

Yes they can. Moreover, this phenomenon is quite common. In this case, the leaves do not change their color to a greater extent, after which new small leaves appear. In this case, it is necessary to provide complete care to the plant so that it receives everything it needs.

Question No. 3. Can strawberry leaves turn red due to pests?

Of course they can. This happens often. Moreover, usually, if this problem is not noticed in time, the plant may die completely. In this case, it is necessary to observe neighboring plants, which may also be affected by the pest.

Sometimes when growing strawberries you have to deal with a variety of problems, which is why part of the harvest is lost. One such problem is leaf color change. In this article we will tell you why strawberry leaves turn red, what causes it, a lack of essential nutrients or disease, and how to deal with reddening of the leaves.

Reddening of leaves on strawberries is a fairly common occurrence, and there are many reasons for the appearance of this color on a plant.

Chapter 1. Why do strawberry leaves turn red?

Leaves can turn red for several reasons, including natural ones.

Section 1. Natural causes

1. Dying of strawberry foliage cells and their replacement. On average, the leaves remain green for up to 80 days, and then begin to turn red and wither. Externally, this process looks like this: bright green shoots are located in the middle, and rare red strawberry leaves appear along the edges and below. At the end of the summer season (early autumn), the foliage of the plant almost completely changes color. The basis of this phenomenon is the loss of chlorophyll by the leaves, an element that stores oxygen and sugars necessary to nourish the plant. The red color of the leaves is provided by another pigment - anthocyanin.
2. A sharp cold snap, rainy weather, lack of sun and heat can cause disruption of metabolic reactions in strawberry leaves, so they turn red or brown. This phenomenon is easy to associate with provoking factors - the change in leaf color begins a day or two after meteorological disasters (hail, heavy rain, extreme heat, etc.) and is widespread, all plants are affected.
3. Disadvantages of care. Weak watering and lack of loosening the soil during the growing season and flowering can also lead to the appearance of red leaves on strawberries. This occurs due to a disruption in the delivery and absorption of nutrients from the soil by the plant.
4. Acidified soil. Very often, red foliage appears on strawberries on such soil. Gardeners usually observe this phenomenon at the height of summer.
5. Thickening of beds. The overgrowth of strawberries leads to the fact that the plants do not receive the required amount of nutrients, so they change and their productivity decreases.

Section 2. Lack of nutrients

Lack of macroelements in the soil. Deficiency of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. The color of the leaves is slightly different:

1. with a lack of phosphorus, it is red with a purple tint;
2. with nitrogen deficiency - bright red;
3. with low potassium content in the soil, reddened leaves quickly turn brown

Section 3. Diseases

• brown spot, develops on moist soils, is fungal in nature, begins with the redness of a small area of ​​the leaf, but soon it is completely affected and changes color;
• brown spotting, also caused by a fungus, with this disease, in addition to the fact that the leaves of the strawberry partially turn red, characteristic dark spots appear on them, not only the leaves, but also their petioles, as well as the mustache of the plant take on this color, as the disease develops the entire bush becomes brown and dry;
• white spotting also occurs due to the proliferation of late blight and, although its main symptom is the formation of whitish spots, multiple red or brown spots are found on the leaves;
• Verticillium wilt affects the entire plant along with the root system, externally manifested by reddening of the foliage, its curling and death.

Strawberry leaves are sick due to diseases: how to treat them

What to do if strawberry leaves turn red When identifying signs of brown spot and to prevent it, it is necessary to regularly treat strawberries with fungicides and copper-containing preparations.

It is recommended to carry out the first treatment immediately after the snow melts with Bordeaux mixture. Bordeaux mixture is a potent remedy that can destroy fungal infections. Repeated processing should be carried out after picking the berries. Bordeaux mixture can be replaced with a solution of ammonia, brilliant green and potassium permanganate, especially if no signs of infection have been identified. Repeat treatment in the fall.

Without treating strawberries, it is impossible to get rid of brown spot and also to curb the development of this disease. It should be borne in mind that treatment with Bordeaux mixture and manganese solution, in addition to fungal spores, also destroys the beneficial microflora of the soil.

Reddening of strawberry leaves is easier to prevent than to treat. In order to prevent strawberries from becoming infected with brown spot, plant only proven planting material, change the place where strawberries are planted every 3-5 years, remove tendrils and leaves damaged by spotting.

Chapter 2. What to do if there is a shortage of elements

1. If there is a lack of nitrogen, complex fertilizers or azophosphate or ammonium nitrate are applied. This problem can be avoided using preventive measures. To do this, before planting strawberries, green manure crops, for example, white mustard, alfalfa, and clover, are first grown on the plot. The plant is sown in the first days of June, and two months later it is embedded in the soil. In early autumn or spring, strawberries are planted in the prepared area.
2. To reduce the acidity of the soil, you can sprinkle ash between the rows of strawberries (one glass of ash for every meter).
3. If there is a lack of phosphorus, it is necessary to apply fertilizers where the said component is available in large quantities. It is better to use phosphorus preparations in the fall, after fruiting.

Chapter 3. How to distinguish strawberry leaf renewal from disease

Sometimes not all leaves turn red, but only part of them. Moreover, white spots appear on the red spots. This is a disease called white leaf spot. You can save a strawberry bed only by treating it with Bordeaux mixture. To do this, take 1 tbsp per liter of water. of the drug and spray the berry bushes. Alternatively, you can treat the berry bushes with Fitosporin or Zircon 3-5 times.

What’s remarkable is that if you use “Zircon” for spring processing, you can rid your favorite berries of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.

Chapter 4. Video

Carefully inspect the drying strawberry bushes. Without access to water, the leaves of this crop very quickly lose turgor and wither. Therefore, the simplest reason may be insufficient soil moisture. This can be especially pronounced during the growth of green mass by bushes at the beginning of summer and after. Organize abundant watering of strawberry beds. If the weather is sunny, then watering should be done in the morning or evening.

Pests and diseases

The cause of leaf drying may be a consequence of damage to the root system of the strawberry bush. Check to see if the plant is holding well in the ground. A mole or, when making tunnels in the soil, sometimes severely gnaws off the roots and even pushes them out of the ground. If you have only one copy of this variety, then you can transplant the bush with a lump of earth to a new place and water it abundantly.

Also, drying and dying of leaves can be caused by a number of fungal diseases: spotting, gray and late blight rot, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt.

Inspect the strawberry leaves on the mother plantation (bushes older than 3 years) and the young runners. If only a few specimens are sick, then simply tear out and burn these bushes. For more extensive infestations, spray the plants with one of the approved fungicides.

Prevention is the key to success

To destroy diseases and prevent them, do not neglect complex treatments of both young and adult bushes. At the beginning of the season after the snow melts, clear the strawberry plantation of dry leaves and frozen plants. Burn all collected leaves. Spray with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture to combat fungal diseases. At the beginning of the flower brush extension phase, treat the bushes with soda ash and soap (colloidal sulfur) to prevent powdery mildew. After harvesting, mow down the entire above-ground part of the plants if the plantation is severely affected by diseases. Don’t forget to feed the plants well (with complex fertilizers) and water them. If the disease is localized, spray with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

When planting a new strawberry plantation, choose varieties that are more resistant to fungal diseases. Do not place bushes on wet soils or in areas where strawberries were cultivated the previous year. Keep the soil under the plants free of weeds and moderately moist throughout the season. Remove tendrils on mother plants in a timely manner.

Remember, when the berries are ripening, strawberries should not be treated with chemicals. This can lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in the berries.

Related article

Sources:

• Strawberry leaves turn yellow

Gardeners perceive the loss of harvest with frustration. And if it's strawberries... it's almost a tragedy. So much work, time, and effort was spent to please the “fluffy” fungus. Plants are powerless against gray rot in cold, damp summers. Gray rot can “swallow” up to 80% of the strawberry crop.

Gray rot- a fungus that affects the entire strawberry plant. Dark gray spots form on the leaves, peduncles and petioles become brown and rot. Weeping spots appear on the berries, they increase every day and cover the berries with gray fluff. The fluffy coating is fungal spores. Even with a light touch, spores fly around, spreading the pathogenic infection further. The berries become tasteless, flabby, and watery.

To reap a good harvest even in a rainy, damp summer, you need to take care of your favorite crop in advance.

• Plant strawberry varieties that are resistant to diseases, especially gray rot.
• Don't overcrowd your plantings.
• Plant strawberry bushes in well-lit and ventilated beds.
• In spring, remove and burn dry dead leaves.
• Do not apply excessive doses of organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers.
• Loosen the soil, keep the beds clean without parasite weeds.
• During budding, it is permissible to treat the plants with a fungicide (follow the instructions). Do not process strawberries during flowering.
• Dust the bushes and the soil around them with ash or fluffy lime (1 tbsp per bush). Do this when the ovaries appear.
• Use stands (they are available in stores) under the flower stalks so that the berries do not lie on the ground. You can mulch the soil in rows with straw, sawdust, pine needles, and peat.
• After harvesting, you can once again treat the berry plantation with a fungicide.

Everyone just talks about the benefits of living vitamins, which modern people lack so much. Now the very season has come when it is not only possible, but also necessary to recharge with them. For this purpose... the beautiful strawberry is invited to the stage!

Strawberries have blood purifying properties, and thanks to the presence of vitamin P, they strengthen the walls of blood vessels. There is more of it in those garden varieties whose berry color is richer and darker. They contain many organic acids, including salicylic acid, which is converted in our body into aspirin, but only in its natural form.

There is more folic acid in strawberries than in raspberries and grapes. The presence of iodine in its composition compensates for its deficiency in our food and drinking water. Strawberries have a calming effect on the liver and help it cleanse the body of toxins and waste.

Scientific medicine recommends eating strawberries for all ailments of the liver and bile ducts, as well as for diseases of the spleen. The berry is healthy, because it is rich in potassium, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the myocardium. Pour 1 tablespoon of dried strawberry leaves and berries into 1 liter of boiling water and keep in a water bath for 10 minutes. Leave for 45 minutes, strain. The decoction is effective during the rehabilitation period after a heart attack (take 100 ml half an hour before meals).

Strawberries contain salicylates, which thin the blood and reduce the risk of blood clots. So for hypertensive patients and people with angina pectoris, this berry is simply irreplaceable. Everyone's favorite berry also copes well with anemia, since it is also a storehouse of iron reserves, necessary for anemia. Strawberries supply the body with vitamin C, which stimulates the immune system, improves metabolism and converts fat into energy. In addition, "" is a powerful antioxidant.

A handful of strawberries before sex works no worse than a dozen oysters. British scientists call these berries "". The fact is that their small seed grains contain a lot of zinc and selenium, which promote sexual arousal. By influencing the level of testosterone in the blood, it helps women get ready for sex faster. True, the action lasts only about an hour. But for a memorable love date, 200 g of ripe berries is enough.

Strawberries are contraindicated if you are prone to allergies. This manifests itself as skin rashes, indigestion and even bronchial asthma. For stomach ulcers, berries make acidic gastric juice even more aggressive. This almost immediately affects your well-being with the appearance of pain in the stomach and a feeling of heaviness in the pit of your stomach.

Video on the topic

Strawberries are a very healthy and tasty berry crop. Many gardeners and gardeners try to grow it in their garden plots. But often they have to deal with various problems: pests and diseases.

One of the most common strawberry diseases is rot. It can be gray, late blight and root.

With gray rot, brown spots form on the berries, covered with a gray coating on top. It is spread by spores using the wind.

Late blight rot manifests itself in the form of brown spots with further coarsening of the berries and drying out. It spreads somewhat worse than gray rot.

Both of these diseases, in addition to the berries themselves, can affect both leaves and stems.

There is also root rot, which mainly affects the roots of strawberries. It forms on young roots, turning them from green to black. Then the plant dries out and dies.

To combat these diseases on strawberries, it is necessary, starting in early spring, to carry out preventive measures and choose the best growing option for your plot.

How to protect your strawberry crop from rotting

Any rot forms on strawberries, first of all, from the abundance of moisture. This can be caused by both heavy rainfall and improper watering. Strawberries do not really like strong soil moisture, so watering is not done very often. It depends on the amount of rain, soil moisture and other factors. Only during ripening can you slightly increase the amount of water poured onto the strawberry beds.

Also, low temperatures at night and during the day have a positive effect on the formation of rot. Therefore, on cold days it is better to cover the beds, for example, with agril. This will somewhat protect your crop from disease.

Rot forms on the berries when they are overgrown with weeds and poorly blown by the wind. Therefore, regularly remove weeds from your beds.

Often, many diseases appear in densely planted strawberry beds. It is correct to plant this berry crop in rows, at some distance from each other.

To protect strawberries from rotting, various materials are used, such as agrofibre, spunbond or black film. Small holes are made in them through which strawberry bushes are passed. Thus, this material is between the berries and the ground and protects them from excessive moisture.

In the same way, dry grass or sawdust is placed under the strawberry bushes. But they have a serious drawback: they themselves begin to rot over time and require regular replacement of the litter.

Well, the best option is dry pine broom. It is usually collected in forests in the fall or early spring before the buds open. Then they are scattered between the rows of strawberries. It protects berries from the formation of gray rot. In addition to pine needles, you can also add spruce cones - this is also a very good means of protecting crops in your garden plot.

It is better to make the beds themselves for planting strawberries high and can line the sides with boards or slate to prevent them from spilling.

Well, if you are not lazy and have a lot of free time, then you can make small canopies over the strawberry beds. This will protect the crop from heavy rainfall. It is better to make canopies up to 1.5 meters high for better ventilation and without side walls.

In addition to all this, it is necessary to regularly remove affected berries from the beds.

Fighting rotting strawberries with folk remedies

A very good remedy for all garden pests is an infusion of wormwood. Wormwood is poured with boiling water and left for a couple of days. Then filter and water the strawberry bushes. It has a very specific smell, so it is advisable to do this a couple of weeks before picking the berries.

For prevention purposes, add iodine to weekly watering (approximately 10-15 drops per bucket).

You can also sprinkle the beds with an infusion of mustard or horse sorrel.

In early spring or late autumn, it is possible to use chemicals, such as Horus. They spray beds with strawberries according to the instructions.

If you grow strawberries, think about preserving a tasty and abundant harvest.

Video on the topic

Strawberries occupy a place of honor on the plots of amateur gardeners not only in the southern and central regions, but also in the northern latitudes.

Success in plant breeding depends on the correct variety and quality care.

Strawberries dry out: why?

Strawberries are not the most capricious plant, but they require attention, which usually consists of timely watering, removing weeds, and fertilizing the soil. Signs that not everything is all right with the plants can be the drying of leaves, flowers and berries. Therefore, when recently healthy leaves, flowers or berries suddenly begin to dry out, this is a reason to look for the causes of the changes and ways to eliminate them.

To find the reason for the drying of strawberries, you need to inspect the beds and the plants themselves. If the soil has dried out deeply, then the plants should be watered more; insects found may turn out to be pests; cobwebs on the stems and leaves are also a sign of pests. Dry spots on flowers and berries may indicate diseases that lead to drying out. Moles and mole crickets, breaking through tunnels, damage the roots, which leads to drying out and death of plants. Dry air and soil, as well as overwatering or an incorrectly chosen too cold and damp area in the lowlands, will lead to damage to the root system and drying out of the plant. Only after determining the cause will it be possible to begin restoring or treating the plantings.

Strawberries dry out: what to do - weather reasons

Weather causes often affect the development of plants: heat, lack of rain, or, conversely, excessive dampness, which provokes the development of diseases. The root system of strawberries is located close to the surface and without watering can be seriously damaged. Hot summers without rain, especially when gardeners do not have the opportunity to water strawberries frequently, can affect the quality and quantity of the harvest. Watering is most important for berry crops during the fruiting period.

With a lack of water, the leaves begin to wither without becoming stained or losing color. Plants can be restored if you water them regularly: per 1 sq. m. you will need 10-12 liters of water. It is important to consider how dry the top layer of soil is - overwatering can threaten the development of fungi and pathogenic bacteria. You can water from a bucket into the grooves between the bushes or from a watering can, irrigating the bushes - this is useful for plants, since water cleanses the leaves of dust, making it easier for them to absorb sunlight and oxygen, which is necessary for the growth and development of the plant. You need to water the strawberries in the morning or evening so that the water has time to be absorbed into the ground and the drops of water on the leaves have time to dry, otherwise the plants cannot avoid burns.

When you have to leave plantings for a long time without care, you can install an automatic watering system, although this is not the cheapest option. Some gardeners make it simpler: 1.5-2 liter bottles with holes on the sides are dug in near each plant and filled with water - there is enough water for several days. There are also many other ways to provide plants with water for a long time.

Excessive evaporation of moisture can be prevented if, after irrigation, the soil in the beds is mulched with straw or humus. Another method is to cover the soil with a dark film, which will prevent it from drying out, and if it rains, the soil will not become waterlogged.

Strawberries dry out: what to do - pests and diseases

Drying strawberries can be caused by diseases and pests. Diseases are often a consequence of weather conditions: cold and damp. Insect damage occurs when planting plants from other areas where pests were found or, conversely, when changing location, when bushes are transferred to new beds with soil that has not undergone preventive treatment. It is dangerous to plant strawberries next to plants that share common pests and diseases.

Drying of different parts of the strawberry bush is caused by diseases such as powdery mildew, late blight, gray rot, brown spot, and verticillium. Gray rot can be identified by brown spots on the leaves and a gray coating on drying berries. The disease spreads during the period of fruit formation, it is difficult to fight it, since bushes with berries cannot be sprayed with chemicals - the plants must be removed and burned.

Strawberry leaves dry out and curl due to powdery mildew, also become deformed and acquire an unpleasant smell and taste of the berry, although the flowers may have a normal appearance. Powdery mildew appears most quickly when the soil is excessively damp and warm.

Verticillium wilt appears when the strawberry leaves change color to red-brown, and then the entire bush dries out. It is impossible to detect the fungus in advance - it can remain in the ground for up to 25 years, and the symptoms of the infection manifest themselves differently, depending on the plant variety and soil. Drying strawberries should be removed from the site and burned.

Late blight or leather rot appears as dark spots on the berries that become hard and dry out.

Brown spot begins with the appearance of spots along the edge of the leaf or along the central vein, then the leaves and peduncles dry.

Prevention measures against strawberry diseases include replanting to a new location every three to four years, timely but not excessive watering, disinfected plants for planting that are disease-resistant. The berries should be harvested immediately after ripening, and the soil under them should be mulched with pine needles or clean straw. You can get rid of diseases and fungi with the help of fungicides, but not during the ripening period of the berries. In autumn or spring, old leaves need to be removed from the beds and burned, and young shoots in May will need to be treated with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate with laundry soap.

Strawberries can be damaged by many insects, some of them gnaw off leaves and peduncles, and because of some, the plants can dry out when their larvae are in the soil in winter, for example, nettle leaf weevil– an insect about 1 cm in length. In mid-summer, its larvae eat the strawberry roots, and the plant dries out; new individuals, spreading out, feed on the fresh leaves of neighboring bushes.

Spider mite- an insect about 1 mm long. It is difficult to notice with the naked eye, but through a magnifying glass it can be seen on the ground, stems and leaves. When infected by a mite, the leaves, entangled in cobwebs, turn yellow and dry out.

Insecticide treatments will help get rid of these pests and others. It is better to spray chemicals in late spring, early summer, before strawberries bloom, and after harvesting. Karbofos, colloidal sulfur, Iskra, Neoron and others are suitable for soil treatment. Popular folk remedies include infusions of garlic, tobacco dust and onion peels. The ground around the bushes is dug up in the spring so that the larvae die in the open air, and they are also loosened at the time of budding and after picking the berries, but no later than the first week of September. All treatments are carried out in the morning or evening, irrigating the bushes with a spray bottle or watering can, repeating if necessary after 1-2 weeks, according to the instructions. As a preventive measure, you can plant plants between the strawberry bushes whose smell pests cannot tolerate - marigolds, nasturtiums, onions, garlic, dill and others.

Strawberries are drying up: what to do if the reasons have not been established?

If the reasons for the drying of strawberries are not clear, then it is worth trying to transplant the bushes to another place; perhaps there is an acute lack of nutrients in the soil or, conversely, there are too many of them due to excessive fertilizing. This can be confirmed not only by dry leaves, but also by changing color, twisted, wrinkled leaves, deformed peduncles and berries.

You can dig up a bush and inspect the roots, check if there is an anthill under it. It’s easy to get rid of ants by sprinkling the area with dry ash or watering it with a solution made of vinegar, vegetable oil and water. If there are no insects, but the roots have rotted, it means that the plant is flooded, and watering should be temporarily stopped or the area should be changed to a higher and drier one.

Another option is that the bushes are old, have grown too much, and need to be replanted. In this case, you need to separate the young shoots or root the tendrils to obtain new planting material and replace dry plants with it. The lifespan of strawberries is 3-4 years.

Gardeners always look forward to the strawberry harvest. However, no one is immune from various misfortunes that can happen to a berry grower. If in the middle of the season the bush and berries wither and dry out, it means the crop is sick. A summer resident may not know why strawberries and berries are drying up and what to do about it. There are several reasons why garden strawberries can dry out.

Diseases that cause bushes to dry out:

• Verticillium wilt;
• Fusarium wilt;
• Anthracnose.

Each of these ailments has its own characteristics and symptoms. After a gardener has detected signs of a disease, he must take control measures, otherwise he may lose the entire harvest.

Drying strawberries with berries

Verticillium wilt

Another name for the disease is wilt. The cause of the disease is the fungus Verticillium. It spreads through the earth. It may remain in the soil for 10 years and not show itself in any way. But as soon as a suitable culture appears, he immediately pounces on it. The disease starts from the roots. It is through the root hairs that the fungus penetrates the plant body. When the Verticillium pathogen finds itself in the root system, it begins to actively multiply, capturing the root collar and stems. The bush stops receiving nutrition because the roots are blocked by the fungus.

Pathogen spores may end up on the site completely by accident. For example, they are brought by the wind, they end up on purchased seedlings, equipment, or end up in the soil with water from a contaminated source.

Note! Verticillium wilt does very well when there is a sudden change in weather conditions, if it rains or the soil is watered too often and abundantly. In addition, the fungus appears where there is no normal air circulation. We are talking about too thick strawberry plantings.

Signs of verticillium wilt

Wilt can develop rapidly, or it can develop gradually. In the first option, the gardener notices the rapid drying of the bush. At first the bush looks drooping. Then the lower leaves begin to turn brown. The color change begins gradually. The tip of the leaf blade darkens. Then the entire plate begins to turn red or yellow. If fruiting has already begun, then the berry and flower rot and dry out. If the disease is rapid, then literally in 5 days the entire bush dries out. Typically, this type of disease is observed on soils where sand predominates.

Signs of verticillium wilt

The gradual development of verticillium wilt can take quite a long time. This form is called chronic. Garden strawberries can dry out for 1.5 years or more. Dry leaves are visible on the bush; it stops developing. After some time, it stops bearing fruit and turns into a dwarf. After 1.5-2.5 years the plant dies. If you look at the insides of the roots of a diseased plant, they will turn out to be dark, black, and brown. In the final stage of the disease, the root dries out and rots.

Treatment

If the strawberry bushes dry out, what should a summer resident do? If a gardener has identified verticillium wilt, it is important for him to understand what stage the disease is at. If it is just beginning, then it makes sense to fight it with drugs. If the plant is almost completely dry, it would be wiser to get rid of it. The bushes are dug up and burned.

Important! In the initial stages, the fungus can destroy the biological preparations Agat-25K and Trichocin. Agat-25K will not only help remove the pathogen, but also stimulate root growth. It should be diluted in 1 liter of water. For this volume take 7 grams. facilities. Root treatment is carried out once. Agata's price starts from 50 rubles for 3 ml.

Trichocin is diluted in proportions of 10 g. drug per 1 liter of water. The drug can be used 2-4 times. A break between waterings is made for 14 days. The cost of Trichocin is about 150 rubles per 6 grams.

Biological product "Trichotsin"

Working with the drugs is quite simple. The advantage of Agate is that spraying is carried out only once, and also at a cheaper price. Even a novice gardener can treat with Agate and Trichocin.

You can save a garden strawberry plantation using the medicinal fungicide Fundazol. It has a low level of toxicity. 10 gr. fungicide is placed in a 10-liter bucket of water. Mix well. The bushes are sprayed completely. The procedure should be carried out twice a season. The first time is before the flowers appear. The second time is after the harvest. According to reviews, this antifungal agent is one of the most effective. However, experienced gardeners assure that it is recommended to use Fundazol only on mother bushes. The cost of the smallest pack of fungicide (10 grams) is about 30-50 rubles.

Note! It is impossible to treat the disease in its final stages. The bushes are removed. The soil must be disinfected with copper sulfate or a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

Prevention measures

• Among the preventive measures is purchasing only high-quality seedlings.
• Strawberries are planted sparingly. The optimal distance between bushes is 35-45 cm.
• Before placing the roots in the ground, they are treated with Agat 25K or Gumat K. You can simply dip them in one of the solutions. Agate is diluted in the following proportions: 7 g. products for 1 liter of water. Gumate K take 15 g. for 1 liter of water. The cost of Humate is less than Agata. 25 grams of Humate can be purchased for 25 rubles. The price of Agate starts from 60 rubles.

Strawberries are planted sparingly

Fusarium wilt

Another reason why strawberries and berries wither is due to the disease Fusarium wilt. Another name for the disease is dry rot. The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. He is a long-liver. It can remain in the soil for 15-30 years. The best environment for its reproduction is the summer heat. The causative agent of dry rot enters the plant through the root system. Settled in the tissues, it poisons the berry bush. The plant stops feeding.

Important! Fusarium wilt appears in too dense plantings or in acidic soil. The disease can be caused by the gardener’s refusal to water the plant or, conversely, by waterlogging of the soil. Spores can also attack the crop if the garden is located next to a highway.

The disease is included in the list of the most dangerous strawberry diseases because it leads to drying and death.

Signs of fusarium wilt

The foliage is the first to react to dry rot. The edge of the leaf blade begins to darken. It changes emerald color to brown, and then may turn yellow. Depending on the type of soil and the condition of the strawberry, the symptoms may vary slightly. On one plant, all parts of the bush (bud, flowers, foliage, petioles) together become brown, may turn black and dry out. On another plant, Fusarium wilt appears only on the lower leaves. In most cases, with Fusarium wilt, the plant stops setting.

Fusarium wilt

Treatment

If the plant has just begun to dry out, it can be treated with the drug Fundazol, which also treats Verticillium wilt.

Another remedy for dry rot is Horus. It is used 3 times per season. The first time the berry plot is sprayed at the rate of 1.5 g. drug per 2.5 liters of water. The process will be organized in early summer. The second spraying is carried out as soon as the fruits begin to appear. Then you will need 3 liters of water in which 1 gram is dissolved. facilities. After the entire crop has been harvested, spraying is carried out again. At this time, the solution is prepared in exactly the same way as the first time.

Chorus combines perfectly with Topaz. A mixture of these fungicides can control Fusarium wilt. According to reviews, the composition of Horus and Topaz is a worthy answer to the question: “the strawberry bushes are drying up, what should I do?” Topaz dosage – 1 ml per 5 liters of water. This treatment is effective, but not cheap. The cost of a package containing 2 ml of Topaz starts from 40 rubles, 1 ml of Horus - 30-50 rubles.

The drug "Horus"

Additional Information. The prepared solution, which contains these drugs, must be used immediately.

Another answer to the question “the leaves are withering, the strawberries are drying up, what should I do?” – use of the drug Fitosporin-M. This is a new generation microbiological universal remedy. Among the diseases it fights is Fusarium wilt. 5 gr. The product is dissolved in 10 liters of boiled water. You can make a solution from settled water. When preparing a cocktail, you cannot use tap water because it is chlorinated. Beneficial bacteria will not awaken in it. It is recommended to add a little laundry soap to the solution. Phytosporin is used to treat the foliage of the berry plant twice a season: at the beginning and end of June. Dry rot will disappear gradually. Spraying with Fitosporin is the easiest and most cost-effective way to save garden strawberries whose bushes are not completely dry. The cost of the biological product is about 20 rubles per 10 grams.

Among folk methods, fly ash solution is popular. It's easy to do. Take one glass of ash. It is mixed with a liter of water. The water should be hot (about 60 degrees). Everything is mixed well and left for 24 hours. After a day, the resulting infusion is poured into a bucket containing 8-9 liters of water. The mixture is ready to use. She needs to spray the plantings generously. This method is cheap, effective and not labor intensive. In addition, the ash will not only fight the disease, but will also have a general strengthening effect on the plant and protect it from pests.

Fly ash solution

Prevention

• It is necessary to buy only healthy seedlings;
• Plantings should not be thickened;
• The beds should be weeded on time;
• Maintain crop rotation - plant strawberries every 3 years in different places. She feels best after green manure (mustard, peas, cosmos, garlic). You can plant green manure between garden strawberry bushes.
• You cannot plant strawberries in a garden bed where potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers previously grew. These crops, like strawberries, are susceptible to Fusarium wilt.

Anthracnose

Anthracnose disease is caused by anamorphic fungi. Another name for the disease is coal disease. The disease is dangerous. Because of it, up to 50% of plantings can die. The best conditions for the development of mushrooms are warm weather (about +26 degrees Celsius) and too dense plantings. Mushrooms also love soil where there is an excess of nitrogen. Another criterion for the active development of the disease is moist soil.

Strawberry anthracnose

This infection enters the garden along with purchased seedlings, and the spores are also carried by insects. The pathogen covers the entire bush, affecting the roots and upper part of the plant. Fungi overwinter on their plants. They do not die at subzero temperatures. In the spring, after the snow melts, the pathogen wakes up and continues to spread. He gradually moves from one bush to another.

Signs of anthracnose

First, spots appear on the leaves in the form of ulcers and indentations of a brick burgundy color. They are quite small - about 5 mm. The middle of the spots is dry. There is a border. Its color is charcoal purple. Spots appear on the stems. The flower stalks on the strawberries also dry out. If the crop bears fruit at the time the disease develops, then the fruit also changes its appearance. Dark spots appear on the berries. They dry quickly, affecting the entire fruit. As a result, the berries decrease in size, turning into crackers. Spots on leaves and stems grow and merge into a single whole. The bush may suddenly wither and dry out.

Treatment

If strawberries dry on the bushes, what should a gardener do? The very first step is to stop watering the plant or reduce the number of water treatments to a minimum. In addition, all leaves, flowers, fruits, and stems with signs of anthracnose are removed and burned. The bed is weeded, the bushes are thinned out. It is necessary to give the culture fresh air.

all leaves, flowers, fruits, stems with signs of anthracnose are removed and burned

There are also several treatments for coal sickness.

Among them are the following:

1. Treatment with fungicide Metaxil. This is an effective remedy that can eradicate pathogenic fungi. You can spray garden strawberries 3 times: the first time in late spring, the second at the beginning of summer, then at the end of June. The breaks between procedures should be short - about 14-20 days. 10 g of the drug is diluted in 3-4 liters of water. This amount is enough to spray a standard strawberry bed. Cost 25 gr. funds - about 30-40 rubles.
2. The drug Antrakol can stop the development and reproduction of fungi. Its positive aspects: it is not addictive to pathogenic organisms, it can be alternated with other drugs, and is non-toxic. The price of the drug is about 30 rubles per 25 grams. To prepare a solution that is used to spray strawberries, you need 5 grams. for a 10-liter bucket of water. However, Antracol does not dissolve in water as well as Metaxil. You will have to wait half an hour until it completely dissolves. It is important to spray on a calm day. Treatment can be carried out 2 times per season.
3. A solution of iodine can destroy the fungus. This is the folk way. According to gardeners, it is quite effective in the early stages of the disease, and also very economical. For a 10-liter bucket of water, 10-15 drops of iodine are enough. In addition to fighting fungal infections, this cocktail kills pests. The method is ideal for the thrifty gardener. In addition, it is not labor intensive at all.

Important! Using iodine, you can disinfect the soil in autumn and spring. The beds are watered with the solution after digging.

Prevention

• A summer resident should purchase only healthy strawberry bushes.
• The optimal distance between bushes is 35-45 cm.
• Before planting young strawberries, their roots are treated with fungicides Skor, Fitosporin-M.
• Do not over-water the beds or over-feed them with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
• It is important to weed the strawberry plantation on time. All old leaves and tendrils are removed.

It is important for a gardener to know what diseases can cause strawberries to dry out. This is necessary to properly organize treatment. However, it is best to take preventive measures against known ailments, because preventing diseases is much easier than engaging in labor-intensive treatment, spending money on various drugs.