Compost for Strawberries

Ash as a fertilizer for strawberries has been used for quite some time. This beloved berry requires careful attention, so to obtain a good harvest, special attention must be paid to feeding the plants. Especially important is the choice of fertilizers in autumn, after harvesting ripe berries. To successfully survive the winter, plants need additional nutrients that are easily absorbed by the root system and can support it during cold periods.
Ash is known for its unique properties, allowing it to be one of the best natural fertilizers. For many plant species, combustion products are an indispensable source of beneficial substances and microelements. In agriculture, burned wood and ash from sunflower, buckwheat, and other cereal crop residues are most valued.
Under the influence of high temperatures, all the main microelements contained in the original raw material accumulate in combustion products, in a form easily accessible to plants. Wood and grass ash differ in high content of phosphorus and potassium. These components are commonly used to fertilize strawberries. They are applied to the soil in autumn, as during several winter months, the root system of plants can process these microelements, and by the time active shoot growth and future fruit formation begins, the plants can fully utilize the beneficial substances.
Which ash to choose for strawberries?
Strawberry fertilization should be selected not only based on the substances required by this berry plant for growth and development. Soil type also plays a significant role. In autumn, strawberries can be fertilized with ash on heavy soils: black earth or clay soil. In this case, microelements will remain until spring and be beneficial for plants.
If the soil is too clayey, it would be reasonable to use not only wood ash but also residues of burned coal. So-called stone ash is almost useless for plants, as it contains little phosphorus-potassium compounds. However, its high content of silicon oxides allows soil structure to be improved, making it looser and more suitable for growing garden crops.
It is better to fertilize strawberries growing in sandy soil not in autumn but in spring. Heavy snow melting can lead to leaching of beneficial substances from the soil, rendering all care measures taken after harvest ineffective.
To fertilize strawberries with ash, it is better to prefer grass ash. Burned stems of green plants contain the highest amount of potassium needed for the growth and fruiting of sweet berries.
If using wood ash, it should be noted that deciduous trees have a high content of the main beneficial component for strawberries. Coniferous trees contain more phosphorus compounds. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them together with superphosphate. This would lead to soil oxidation, negatively affecting the growth of young shoots.
Garden strawberries and strawberries are berries capable of accumulating harmful substances. This property of these plants requires especially careful selection of fertilizers. Ash is not an exception. It is not advisable to use raw materials for preparing natural fertilizer that do not meet ecological safety requirements.
Trees growing near busy roads and large industrial facilities act like sponges absorbing volatile and liquid chemical waste. Their combustion products may be hazardous to human health and harmful to plants. This applies to various wooden waste, for example, residues of old furniture. Ash obtained from burning painted wooden elements cannot be used as fertilizer.
How to fertilize strawberries with ash?
The main fertilization of strawberries is conducted twice a year: during planting of young bushes and in autumn, after the final harvest, concluding the fruiting season. Ash can be used not only at this time but also throughout the growth period. Regular application of combustion products positively affects berry growth.
If the soil is being prepared for planting strawberries, ash can be used during soil cultivation to enrich it with necessary microelements. On clay and black earth plots, this is done in autumn. First, ash is evenly spread over the entire area of the future bed. Then the soil is tilled, allowing beneficial substances to penetrate deep into the soil.
Combustion products are not only a source of necessary microelements but also effectively protect plants from many pathogenic bacteria, microorganisms, and insects. By creating an alkaline environment in the soil, ash particles destroy pests and their larvae, which is also a significant advantage of this type of fertilization.
Ash for adult strawberry bushes
The beginning of autumn fertilization for adult plants is directly related to the strawberry variety. Since fertilizers affect the taste of berries, they should be applied after the final harvest. For ordinary garden varieties, this period ends no later than the beginning of September. Repeating varieties begin preparing for winter later, approximately in the first half of October.
Fertilizing adult strawberry and garden strawberry bushes with ash follows the same scheme. Combustion products are evenly distributed under each plant at a rate of no more than 150 g per 1 m². Another method of measuring the dose is allowed: the ash layer should not exceed 2 cm.
If organic fertilizers such as compost are used in the garden, also beneficial for the growth of young shoots and development of strawberry flower buds, they can be used together with combustion products. Ash components accelerate the decomposition of organic residues and promote their better absorption by plants. However, in this case, mixed fertilization should not be directly applied under the bushes.
During composting, significant temperature increases occur, and ash exacerbates this process, which may damage the strawberry root system. Therefore, this double fertilization is applied in shallow trenches between rows of berry bushes.
Ash solution for fertilizing garden plants
Combustion products of wood, grass, and straw are often used for caring for crops in liquid form. To enhance the resistance of strawberry bushes to adverse weather conditions, a liquid solution based on ash can be used. To prepare it, approximately 2 kg of wood ash is dissolved in 10 liters of room temperature water and the main ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Then the resulting mixture is poured onto strawberry bushes at a rate of 0.5-1 liter per plant.
Ash is also used as part of complex fertilizers for this type of berry. The most popular one includes 20 g of potassium chloride, 2 tablespoons of a mineral fertilizer called Nitrifoska, and 250 g of residues of burned grass, straw, or wood. All components are carefully dissolved in 10 liters of water. Plants are watered with the resulting solution. Dosage: 1 liter per bush.
Two days after such treatment, the soil surface around the stem base is mulched, i.e., covered with a layer of sawdust and shredded peat. This protective layer will allow the liquid fertilizer to penetrate well into the soil and enrich the plant's root system with microelements.
Microelements and beneficial substances in liquid fertilizers quickly penetrate through the soil to the root system and are better absorbed by garden crops. However, their use in autumn is only possible until the second half of September. As average daily temperatures decrease, application of liquid fertilizer may cause root chilling and even death of strawberry roots.