Growing strawberries on the site is not an easy process. I want the berries to be large, sweet, and the harvest rich. In the process of caring for a plant, the gardener often encounters difficulties. Why the middle of the flower turns black in strawberries and black dots appear on it, we learn in the article.
The reasons why the middle of the flower turns black in strawberries
Damage to the middle of flowers can occur for various reasons. In the month of May, the air temperature is often still fluctuating, and the crop is caught by night frosts. Frost leads to darkening of the central part of the flower. Pests are also one of the main causes of blackness in the core. Let's take a closer look at these factors.
Pests
The blackening of the core of the flower can occur due to pests, namely the raspberry-strawberry weevil. A small black beetle measuring 2 mm spoils the crop significantly. After overwintering in mulch or fallen leaves, he rushes to the berry culture.
The most comfortable t for the development of culture + 18 + 20C... During the period of bud formation, pests lay eggs in them, one in each inflorescence. Eggs up to 0.35 mm in size appear on early ripening strawberries. The larvae that appear begin to eat away at the middle of the flower and continue to feed on the core for 1-1.5 months.
Signs of a raspberry-strawberry weevil lesion:
- flower stalks begin to dry out, buds do not bloom;
- small holes appear on the leaves and petals of flowers;
- the core of the flower turns black.
Weather
The blackening of the middle of the flower occurs due to the sudden onset of frost. Frosts first of all affect the fragile central part of the flower - the receptacle.
More often, remontant strawberries undergo darkening. Translated as "repeated color". The shrub is capable of bearing fruit more than once during the season.
The leaves of the remontant strawberry can withstand a cold snap of -8C ..- 10C, if the temperature drops below -3C, then the ovary is damaged. If frosts reach the root of the plant, then the entire crop dies. It needs to be cleaned and dug up the soil for another crop. If the rhizome is intact, then a decrease in temperature affects the leaves. The berry has a chance to recover.
Blackened flowers will not bear fruit, so they must be carefully cut or shod. Frosts have a strong effect on the yield and reduce it by a quarter. Only surviving flower stalks will bear fruit.
Flower buds are susceptible to damage at different stages of shrub development. And during the budding period, they are most susceptible. The obvious factors of frost damage to flowers are:
- darkened core of the flower;
- blackness at the tip of a ripe berry.
How to protect the berry so that it does not turn black?
Depending on the reason for the darkening of the middle of the flower, a number of measures must be taken to save the harvest.
Low temperature protection for flowering strawberries
The bush tolerates winter well, warming up under a thick layer of snow. If there is no snow, and t is kept below 8C, then it is recommended to cover the bushes with straw mixed with manure, sawdust, leaves with a layer of 10 cm.
Covering the soil for the winter should be carried out only when the land in the garden is frozen and the temperature drops below 3C. Otherwise, the soil will simply start to rot.
In the spring, it is recommended to take the insulating material away from the garden, insect larvae can remain in it. Ignoring the warming of strawberries in winter is fraught with freezing not only of flower buds, but also of the fruit-bearing bushes themselves.
To avoid darkening of shrubs with a decrease in temperature, you need to carry out a number of actions in the autumn:
- burn old leaves, especially those that have been susceptible to diseases;
- apply organic and mineral fertilizers;
- mulch and spud the ground around each plant.
Spring protection of blooming berry bushes from frost is as follows:
- It is advisable to protect the first blossoming flowers. It is carried out using sprinkling. The procedure does not allow the plant to freeze and generates heat if the temperature drops to 0 ° C.
- Smoky landings. Around the crop with smoke is carried out as follows: hay, straw or branches are piled up on the side where the smoke will enter the crop. You can add moss or raw grass on top.
- Covering with agrofibre. If the frost continues for several days, then in the evening you need to cover it with agrofibre, and remove it in the morning to pollinate the flowers.
Protection against pests affecting the core of flowers
When protecting the crop from weevils, you need to be especially careful during the period of bud formation. At this time, female insects gnaw the side of the flower and lay eggs in it.
One female weevil can damage up to 50 strawberry buds.
After some time, the darkened bud either dries up right on the bush, or falls off onto the soil. During this period, it is too late to fight the pest. One generation of weevils develops per season. Early strawberry varieties are particularly affected by insects.
Pest control methods:
- From autumn, burn damaged leaves away from the garden.
- Treat plants with infusion of tobacco, garlic, mustard 200 g per 10 liters of water. You can also add a little grated laundry soap to the solution. The solution is sprayed in the evening every day.
- A solution of karbofos 35 g per 10 liters of water helps to destroy the insect. The bushes are sprayed during the appearance of inflorescences 5 days before flowering.
- You can carry out treatment with insecticides: Inta-virom, Iskra-bio, Fitoverm, Agravertin.
The weevil should be destroyed when the pedicels have already risen, but the buds have not yet separated. A good prevention against pests is planting onions or garlic under bushes with strawberries. And in general, the smell of garlic is unpleasant for the weevil. You can simply wipe the leaves of the culture with garlic juice.
If you follow all the recommendations, problems with the darkening of the middle of the flower will not arise. A rich harvest to you!