If you think that only living objects need to be protected, then this is not so. We all love such a berry - strawberries, but in order for them to reach our table safe and sound, we need to protect the strawberries from pests. We will help you figure this out.
How to deal with strawberry mite
One of the most dangerous strawberry pests is strawberry mite.Its size is so small that even through a magnifying glass it is difficult to see the insect. If the strawberry leaves are curled and not fully unfolded, then this is the work of the strawberry mite.
Here are ways to keep its numbers under control, given that you cannot completely get rid of the tick:
- Strawberries should be planted in well-lit areas and away from previous plantings.
- The soil should be loose and free of weeds.
- Old leaves must be cut off in time.
- It is advisable to buy planting material in trusted stores.
- Strawberry nutrition must be correct.
- After harvesting, caring for strawberries should not stop.
Important!Thanks to balanced feeding, it will be easier for your strawberries to cope with mite attacks. Fertilizers that contain nitrogen will help quickly grow leaves, and spraying flowers and leaves with biostimulants (for example, Silk) and solutions of microelements will increase the yield.
By following these points, you will keep your strawberries safe and sound.
How to get rid of the nematode
Nematodes are insects that are considered pests of strawberries. If they start, then for six years this affected area should remain untouched. Alas, you cannot overcome this disease with chemical methods.
The most important method of dealing with nematodes is the frequent transplantation of strawberries. It is desirable that you have the opportunity to find a new place every year.
Ways to deal with raspberry-strawberry weevil
To overcome this insect, they release another - the ground beetle.
Did you know? One adult ground beetle eats 20 weevils per day.
For strawberries, in the fight against weevils, it is worth using the following pest control treatment: “Fufanon”, “Alatar”, “Kemifos”, “Novaktion”. But it is worth considering that after treatment you will be able to eat strawberries only after three to four weeks.
How to protect strawberries from spider mites
If you notice that strawberry leaves are covered in cobwebs, they quickly turn yellow and dry out, then this is a trick spider mite. In order to quickly get rid of it, you should spray the bush with a solution of Karbofos.
This should be done after the last berry picking. After protective actions, the sprayed area should be covered with film for three hours.
How to deal with earthy weevil
Earthy weevils on strawberries - these are beetles that feed on strawberry leaves. It is not easy to see the bug, since thanks to its scales it is well camouflaged to match the color of the earth.
Fighting method It’s very simple: during planting, flowering and after harvesting, we spray our strawberries with Aktara.
Did you know?Weevils are only a subclass of insects, but despite this, their family is one of the largest in the world of animals and contains more than 35,000 species. However, many of them are not yet open.
Methods for controlling strawberry sawfly
There are such pests of garden strawberries as strawberry sawflies. They are very masterful and eat oblong-oval holes in strawberry leaves.
To control it, you should use insecticides. For prevention, it is necessary to dig up and make the soil loose under the strawberry bushes; it is also advisable to completely get rid of the weeds.
How to deal with alfalfa mow
Alfalfa mowers- these are those who eat strawberry leaves for a whole month. The most effective insect control lasts throughout spring feeding.
Before strawberries bloom, we use preparations such as “Bazudin” or “Diazinon”, after harvesting - “Talstar” or “Decis”.
How to protect strawberries from the small black mower
This beetle is from the weevil family. Its larvae damage strawberry roots and stems underground, and adult beetles eat strawberry leaves.
So that strawberries bear fruit all season long.
So what's the best way to grow strawberries?
How often to change bushes; grow under film or black spunbond; When is it better to plant: spring, summer or autumn? I planted it under film, but on our lands the hearts developed pink mold - I had to give it up. You fertilize well, make the land fertile - the weeds feel great, although when preparing the soil I carefully selected all the roots.
Weed seeds will still be carried by the wind, especially dandelions from unkempt areas and from the side of the road. Spunbond is also short-lived, I only had it for one season. I’ve simplified my work: now, as before, I don’t weed the rows, but mow them.
And I weed and mulch the strawberry beds. In order for the bush to grow, new roots must form in it. When you dig up the mustaches, their roots are light and young, especially if the row spaces are covered with sawdust. And when you dig up old bushes, you won’t find a fresh root on them.
But if the soil is mulched with humus once a month, then this contributes to the formation of new roots even in three- and four-year-old bushes.
The durability of different varieties also varies. Gigantella and Lord increase their maximum yield only in the fourth year, keep them in the garden for up to 7 years and plant them from each other at a distance of 0.5 m. in spring, with annual mustaches, by autumn they give a good harvest, but by the third year the bush is aging and the yield is sharply reduced.
We change these varieties more often, once every three years.
The famous American gardener Ken Morgan does the following with his strawberries. The bushes grow in his garden bed in three rows. After harvesting, all the plants in the center of the beds are mowed, the soil is dug up, fertilizer is applied and ... mustaches from the outer rows fill the entire middle by autumn. The following year, after picking berries, plants are mowed along the edges of the garden, the earth is loosened, fertilized, and the mustache from the center takes root on the sides.
And so on from year to year.
The yield on young plants is always higher than on old ones, in addition, the berries are larger. This is what happened to me with the Bear cub variety. In the third year, there were more flower stalks, but the berry became very small. If there was time to remove some of the flowers, then the rest of the berries would be larger, but I didn’t have time, and I refused this variety. Now I would try to grow it using Ken Morgan's technology. But L. Gelvich, an amateur gardener from the Leningrad Region, using leaf humus, which mulches strawberry plantings twice a year, believes that it is possible to grow strawberries in one place for many years.
He also believes that the application of manure stimulates the growth of weeds and excessive growth of leaf mass to the detriment of fruiting. Mulching with leaf humus has a beneficial effect on fruiting, the earth does not dry out, and weed growth is suppressed. Try it - the agricultural technology is quite convincing!
In Kaliningrad, our relatives grow strawberries in the field. They do not have beds or row spacing, they are not busy with weeding, they only add humus from time to time. In the same way, we grow small-fruited strawberries of the Monastyrskaya variety, which have an amazing aroma of wild strawberries. We plant the mustaches on the field at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other.
After a year, the young whiskers fill the entire space and you get a whole field of strawberries. The peduncles are taller than the leaves, and the berries are oblong, with a bluish bloom, very tasty. After four or five years, the plantation can be replaced. All our efforts, all our efforts can be nullified by spring frosts. Our bushes are tall and beautiful, we protected them from pests, but the frost came - minus 3 - minus 4 degrees, and the next day we will see blackened centers of the flowers - which means there will be no berries. I consider my own method to be the most reliable - covering with padding polyester.
A thick layer of synthetic material saves the berries from freezing, and it’s simple: throw it on top of the bushes, not spunbond - it won’t blow away. The strawberry-strawberry hybrid, which is still not very common in the areas, deserves attention.
What is it good for?
I only have the Diana variety. I’ll tell you about him. The flower stalks are located above the leaves, the berries are large, with a nutmeg aroma, which the strawberry inherited from the Milanese strawberry. The strawberry is winter-hardy. Due to lack of space, I planted it under a young apple tree, and due to the high groundwater level, we grow apple trees on hillocks.
I didn’t pamper Diana with special attention, I didn’t cover her for the winter, and even in this unfavorable year, when frosts suddenly hit after warm days until mid-January, Diana didn’t freeze out and her bushes turned green again. Besides Diana, there are other varieties of strawberries: Penelope, Nadezhda Zagorya, Strawberry, Muscat Biryulyovskaya.
In addition to winter hardiness, dredges have other advantages: they are not susceptible to gray rot and powdery mildew. It can be propagated very quickly, as it gives a lot of whiskers. This is a plus for reproduction, but a minus for care and fruiting: a large number of tendrils weakens the bush, and the yield decreases. The berries of zemclunica are dense, and they make amazing jam.
In winter, when you open the jar, everything around is filled with strawberry aroma. But it is not necessary to cook jam as usual. For 1 kilogram of berries we take 1 kilogram of granulated sugar. Immerse the washed berries in the dissolved sugar syrup and bring to a boil.
Remove from fire and leave overnight. The next day, bring to a boil again, stirring gently, and again leave until the next day. After the third time, simmer over low heat for no more than five minutes and place in sterilized jars.
After cooling, we cover with glazed paper. Even a small jar of real jam, cooked from real berries grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, will bring a lot of joy and benefit to your loved ones in the long winter months.
Diseases and pests of strawberries
Spotting - white, brown or brown (spots on the leaves) - reduces the yield by an average of 10-15%.
In the literature, it is recommended to treat the bushes before the start of the growing season with 3-4% Bordeaux liquid. But I don't do that. Once I sprayed the apple trees, I killed all the ladybugs. I can see that the Surprise Olimpiada variety is resistant to spotting, this is clearly visible in the second half of summer. Oddly enough, but I somehow associate the disappearance of spotting with the prevention against pests that I carry out after harvesting. Gray rot affects berries in rainy summers.
You can lose up to 70% of the crop. Fluffy gray spots appear on the berries, which grow rapidly. Yield losses are more frequent and greater in thickened plantings. Before the berries ripen, I mulch the soil (cover it with hay). I twist the bundles and cover the bush with them. Peduncles with ripening berries lie on bundles of straw or hay. The berries remain clean even in the rain and do not rot, as they are well ventilated. Strawberry pestsUnfortunately, not only people, but also weevils love strawberries. The weevil is a small, but very, very harmful little black bug.
As soon as the buds are formed, the female weevil lays eggs in them and gnaws the pedicels. During budding, carefully examine the strawberry bushes.
If you see lonely, like a beveled, barely hanging bud that is about to fall to the ground, then you have a weevil. In a fallen bud, larvae hatch from eggs, then they pupate and within a month young beetles appear and go into the ground for wintering. It’s good that, unlike other pests, the weevil produces only one generation. The weevil does not like mustard.
And if before budding the bushes are sprayed with mustard infusion (200 g left for 24 hours in 10 liters of water), then the weevil will leave your beds. A good effect is also achieved by spraying with pine extract before budding: I dilute 1 tablespoon in one bucket of water.
Pests also do not like needles. After removing the spruce branches from the winter shelters, we put them in a pile and let the needles fall off.
Then we scatter it under the strawberry bushes. You can achieve a simultaneous effect against gray rot and weevil by laying out spruce branches around the bushes. But spruce branches in the forest must be collected, sparing the trees. And without us, gardeners, so many forests have been barbarously destroyed.
Therefore, if you take it, it’s a twig from a tree or from dense thickets. Now about the most “terrible” pest that has become widespread lately - the strawberry mite. This pest gives four or even five generations over the summer. It is not visible to the eye, but wrinkled leaves, especially young leaves of an oily color, indicate that the beds have been colonized by strawberry mites.
If you do not fight it, the plant dies. The first thing that can be done for prevention in the spring is to pour hot water (60 degrees). For prevention not only from pests, but also from diseases, after harvesting, you must immediately remove and mow some of the leaves. In hot, sunny weather, cover the bed with polyethylene and put a thermometer under the film. The tick dies at a temperature of + 45-47 degrees Celsius.
Under the film, the temperature rises to + 55 degrees. Ten or fifteen minutes at a 50-degree temperature is a good healing procedure. Then, after removing the film, feed your bushes with humus or an infusion of herbs with manure from a barrel (1 liter per 1 bucket of water) - and next year's harvest will be laid.
For prevention, seedlings can be kept at a temperature of + 47 degrees Celsius for two minutes, then place the sockets in cool water to relieve stress. Periodic spraying with infusion of onion peel (300 grams per 1 bucket of water, leave for 3-4 days) gives good results in the fight against strawberry mites.
Advice from LYUDMILA...
Early spring oshich
Gardeners and gardeners grow strawberries (or, more precisely, garden strawberries) wherever the climate allows. This is a very tasty berry. Unfortunately, both people and birds know about this. Starlings, thrushes, sparrows, magpies, and even crows enjoy eating both ripe and unripe berries. Summer residents, especially those who do not live on the site permanently, have nothing left. Therefore, it is important to know what you can do to protect your strawberry crop.
How to protect strawberries: mesh and covering material
The most common solution is to cover strawberry beds with netting or covering material. All this can be purchased in construction and agricultural stores or on the Internet. Plastic, polypropylene or metal mesh with cells in the shape of diamonds, rectangles and squares does not interfere with access to sunlight and moisture to plants, as well as the process of pollination of strawberries by insects.
The mesh for beds is presented in stores in a wide range
Breathable, opaque covering material (Lutrasil, Spunbond, Agril, Agrospan) provides a greenhouse effect. Birds do not see the berries, and therefore do not try to get into the garden bed. But pollination in a natural way is impossible in this case. Without sun, strawberry bushes grow poorly, the berries take longer to ripen, and the harvest decreases. Excessive watering may cause plantings to rot.
Covering material allows you to hide the crop from birds
When closing the bed, pegs are driven in around the perimeter at intervals of 45–50 cm, onto which the material is attached so that it goes down to the ground. There it also needs to be fixed, for example, with bricks. Pull it quite tightly so that the mesh does not sag in the center. The height of the structure is 15–20 cm higher than the strawberry bushes.
Video: how to secure covering material to a garden bed?
Indeed, in this case it is problematic for birds to get to the berries, but the solution is not without its drawbacks:
- You need to find a fairly dense fine mesh. An ordinary fishing rod will not work. Birds freely enter the cells. If the mesh is too thin, it will simply be torn. Consequently, finding the right material can take a lot of time and effort.
- Price issue. If you have a small plot and 1-2 beds, you shouldn’t even think about it. And those who grow strawberries on an industrial scale must purchase covering material and netting in hundreds of square meters. It turns out to be quite expensive.
- Caring for plantings becomes significantly more complicated. It is also impossible to walk through the garden, picking a couple of berries along the way. With any weeding, loosening, fertilizing, watering, harvesting, the mesh and material must be removed, and then the bed should be covered again. Such frequent use drastically reduces the life of the material - holes are formed, which are immediately expanded by birds.
- Birds that see tasty berries do not consider the netting a serious nuisance. In an effort to reach them at all costs, they become entangled and stuck in such a way that they cannot free themselves from the cells without outside help. We have to help people. Birds do not appreciate this and bite painfully.
- An important factor is aesthetic. Just a net thrown over the beds looks very sloppy. This means you need to think about how to secure it beautifully. This means additional expenditure of effort, time and money.
The mesh stretched over the beds interferes with the normal care of strawberries and harvesting
The purchase of a set of special frame arcs made of metal, plastic or bamboo can partially offset the shortcomings. They are quite light, so no foundation is required. Their number depends on the length of the bed. The optimal distance between the arcs is 60–80 cm. They must be installed and the grid must be fixed on top - a structure should be obtained that resembles a section of a tunnel. If you find high enough arcs, you can go inside, like in a greenhouse or greenhouse. This greatly facilitates planting care and harvesting. But the beds turn out to be very narrow.
When fruiting is over, the mesh is removed, and the frame is dismantled until next year.
Therefore, the best solution is a mesh made of plastic, fine-meshed (so that birds do not get confused), rather rigid (so that it does not sag), fixed on frame arcs. Separate pieces will be needed to cover the resulting “tunnel” from the ends. Otherwise the design loses all meaning.
If you decide to use the mesh and arc method, the birds will not be able to get to the strawberries, and it will be convenient for you to take care of the beds.
Video: net for protecting strawberry beds
Boxes with mesh lids
Another option for protecting strawberries using a net does not have the listed disadvantages, but requires certain practical skills. If you have carpentry or joinery experience, build boxes with mesh lids for planting.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Select boards of suitable length and width.
- Assemble a wooden box with crossbars every 60–80 cm, fastening the boards with screws and corner bars. There is no need to make it very high - ventilation worsens, the berries do not have enough sun. It is enough that the future cover does not touch the plantings. Other parameters are determined by the size of the bed.
- Attach legs made of short bars to the box in each corner, sharpening them at the bottom. If the bed is very long, you will need additional legs on the long side. Since the legs will be driven into the ground, treat the tree with a special compound that prevents rotting. You can simply burn them.
- Place the box on the bed and drive the legs into the ground, gently tapping the corners with a hammer.
- Protect the structure from the negative effects of natural factors - rain, snow, cold, wind. A primer will help with this. It is sold in construction stores, but the composition prepared independently is no worse. 1 kg of slaked lime should be diluted in 2 liters of water and added 100 g of laundry soap shavings. All this is thoroughly mixed and filtered immediately before processing the boards.
- Based on the dimensions of the resulting sections, assemble the frames for the lids from thin bars.
- Attach the covers to the frame using hinged hinges installed on the outside so that it opens outward.
- Cut out pieces of mesh of the required size and secure it with staples using a furniture stapler, bent small nails, and thin slats.
- Attach a handle, loop or something else to each lid that allows it to be opened freely.
Beds in boxes look very neat and reliably protected
How can you scare birds?
Any methods common among people are not very useful. In the first few days the effect may be noticeable, but the birds are not stupid and quickly figure out what they are dealing with. Having discovered that something scary-looking poses no real danger, they boldly continue to destroy your berries.
Birds, flying into the garden in flocks, can destroy your harvest in a couple of days
Therefore, the methods described below should be alternated and combined as often as possible. This is the only way you will achieve a more or less permanent result.
Scarecrow
The “old-fashioned” method, used since time immemorial. Currently, the classic effigy of two cross-shaped poles or boards, dressed in old clothes stuffed with straw, with a bag representing the head, is practically not used for obvious reasons. The birds are not at all afraid of him. On the contrary, they happily rest on the “shoulders” of this structure after a delicious lunch. This is also an excellent position for looking out for the most delicious and ripe berries.
But your children will get great pleasure from the process of building a scarecrow. This is a great opportunity for them to show their imagination and creativity. You can use, for example, an old mannequin as a basis.
If you still decide to protect your beds with a scarecrow, regularly move it from place to place and change its appearance. The more radical, the better. It is also useful to secure the structure so that it rotates on a support.
Scarecrow is a traditional but ineffective method of scaring away birds
Somewhat more effective are plastic and rubber naturalistic models of birds of prey sold in agricultural stores, made in compliance with dimensions and proportions. Especially if they are “decorated” with something shiny and are accompanied by a device for reproducing and recording the sounds made by these birds.
An electrified mannequin equipped with a motion sensor, which would start making sounds and, for example, waving its “arms” when birds approach, would greatly help gardeners. But the introduction of such structures into production is a matter of the future. And the price will be appropriate. On small plots of land, such a “scarecrow” simply will not pay off.
Video: how to make a scarecrow?
Noise
Birds' hearing is much more subtle than that of humans. Therefore, they do not tolerate sharp loud sounds well. Try to save the beds like this:
- Stretch several threads or thin wires over them and hang cans from them at different heights close to each other. A more aesthetic option is “wind music”. At the slightest breath, the jars and tubes will swing and hit each other, making noise. But you will have to endure it too. This is especially pleasing late at night or early in the morning. And every day, removing the cans and hanging them back will quickly get boring. In addition, the wind does not always blow.
- Every day, turn on special audio recordings that reproduce the cries of birds of prey or the cries of feathered “pests”, signaling to relatives about danger. They are sold in gardening stores and online. If you want to save money, just turn the radio on loud. However, such sound will most likely not please your neighbors.
Color and shine
High posts are driven into the corners of the bed. A thin rope or wire is stretched around the perimeter and crosswise at different heights. They hang on it:
- Old CDs and DVDs. Oscillating under gusts of wind, they reflect the sun's rays, throwing away “bunnies”. But in cloudy weather, birds hardly pay attention to them.
- Unnecessary Christmas tree decorations, “rain” and tinsel, ordinary foil, as well as polyethylene or cellophane cut into “fringe”. In this case, the beds look elegant and festive. But if you overdo it with “decorations”, they are almost impossible to care for.
- A tape extracted from an audio or video tape. It can be hung as a fringe and additionally pulled tightly around the perimeter, surrounding the bed several times. The tape not only shines and moves, but also makes a rattling sound that is unpleasant for birds at the slightest breath. It is almost on the verge of ultrasound, therefore it is almost inaudible to humans.
- Bandages, white ribbons, flags and balloons filled with helium. There is an opinion that birds do not like the color white and are afraid of it. The balls can be made even more terrifying by painting something resembling an eye on them with red, blue or black paint.
- Homemade pinwheels from plastic bottles. The plastic reflects light, and the structure rotates in the wind. This can be a spectacular addition to your garden decor.
Birds quickly understand that all this shine and rustle does not pose any real danger.
Old disks hanging over the garden bed glare in the sun, scaring away birds
Special devices
Science does not stand still, so special devices that scare away birds have appeared on sale. Most often, they are equipped with a built-in infrared or laser motion sensor, so they turn on only when a landing party of birds approaches.
The devices produce high-range sounds that are unpleasant to birds and inaudible to the human ear.
The device is equipped with a motion sensor
There are also devices that periodically emit loud, sharp sounds, reminiscent of a siren, claps or gunshots. Sometimes this is supplemented by flashing or glowing. On some, you can adjust the frequency and volume of the sound.
The sound gun makes loud noises when birds approach
Such devices are certainly effective, but are quite expensive. Therefore, owners of small plots of land do not even consider the possibility of such an acquisition. The harvest is not worth it; there are less expensive methods of protecting it.
Video: how to scare away birds
What to plant to distract attention?
Gardeners sympathetic to Greenpeace, IFAW and other wildlife organizations can offer birds an alternative source of food.
In a row with strawberry beds, berries are planted that ripen at about the same time as strawberries, the loss of which will upset you less. It can be bird cherry, sea buckthorn, serviceberry, chokeberry and red rowan, wild cherry. The method does not guarantee anything. Birds are not obligated to eat only the berries intended for them. It is very likely that they will destroy both them and the strawberries. But not a single bird will be harmed. Even morally, seeing the berries and not being able to get to them.
Other ways to protect berries
Cats in the garden will help you cope with uninvited guests
How else can you protect the crop grown with such difficulty?
- The easiest way is to increase the planting area. This way there will be enough berries for both the birds and you. But not all summer residents are ready to share with the “freeloaders” the harvest, on the cultivation of which they spent so much time, effort and money. In fact, almost no one is ready, except for individual fanatical nature lovers.
- Get a cat, or better yet several. Or at least periodically lure neighbor or stray animals to your place. To do this, you can, for example, plant valerian. Hunting, as a rule, is unsuccessful, but the very fact of the presence of natural enemies in the area will force the birds to be less impudent. A significant disadvantage is that animals carried away by the process of catching birds can trample the beds. And not only with strawberries. In addition, the presence of wild cats and small children on the property at the same time means the need for constant monitoring by their parents.
- Birds of prey (hawks, falcons) are much better and more effective than cats. Crows are also useful in this sense. They do not trample the beds and do not feed on strawberries. Before visiting your site, a flock of birds sends “scouts” ahead. They will certainly inform others about those who protect your plantings, and will fly around the beds on the tenth route. However, maintaining one bird of prey is more expensive than ten cats.
- Arrange a small stream, a waterfall, or a decorative fountain next to the strawberry plantings. Birds' hearing is much sharper than that of humans; they will certainly be attracted by coolness and murmuring water. There is a chance that, flocking to the water source, they will ignore the beds. But nothing prevents them, having rested in a pleasant place, then destroy your crop.
- Place onion bulbs or onion feathers cut into several pieces on the strawberry beds. Birds really don't like this smell. The downside is that you have to endure it too. In addition, berries can also absorb the smell.
- Before the strawberries ripen, scatter bright red wooden cubes, plastic bottle caps, and so on in and around the beds. Birds will try to peck them and find out that it is inedible. When the berries are ripe, the birds, remembering the absence of anything edible here, will pay less attention to your beds.
- An option for the squeamish and strong-willed. Find a dead bird somewhere, bring it to your own plot and hang it next to the strawberry beds. This will help you get rid of birds not only for this season, but also for the next few years. It looks rather unaesthetic, in no way decorating the rural pastoral, and the smell is appropriate.
- Placing poisonous baits on the site or total shooting of birds. An extremely unfortunate decision, even if you have the appropriate skills to prevent accidental hits on relatives, guests and neighbors, and the absence of pets, which can also be poisoned. Few people think about this, but in addition to the visible harm in the form of crop destruction, birds also bring significant benefits to the garden. In addition to berries, they feed on insect larvae and weed seeds. Now we have to fight them. By destroying birds, you will deprive insects of natural enemies, increasing their population significantly, and also doom yourself to endless weeding. This will require even more time and effort.
Garden strawberries are a widespread crop grown throughout the world. Long years of selection (strawberries have been grown since about 1300) have led to the fact that the harvest can be obtained even in the most unfavorable climate. Different ones differ in color, size and shape of the fruit, aroma, degree of fertility, period of flowering and ripening of berries, and degree of susceptibility to diseases. However, even inexperienced gardeners can grow this crop.
It cannot be said that it is an unpretentious plant, but if you follow certain rules, it will delight you with a high yield. The question really arises: “How to save the harvest from birds?” All birds eat ripe and sweet fruits with great pleasure, and sometimes are content with unripe ones. In any case, there is practically nothing left for the person. Therefore, protecting strawberries from birds becomes a top priority. There are quite a few methods, it remains to determine which one will be the most effective.
How to protect strawberries from birds using a special net
Mechanical protection is the most radical and, perhaps, the most effective method. Bird netting for strawberries is available at any farm supply store. It is made of plastic, most often polypropylene, with square or diamond-shaped small cells. Such a network protects the crop from birds, while not preventing the penetration of water and sunlight to the plants. In addition, such protection does not interfere with plant pollination; the net does not need to be removed during spraying.
How to protect strawberries from birds with a scarecrow
Representing a straw bag with a hat and broom arms, it is practically not used today. Birds get used to it very quickly and soon stop responding to it. A much more effective method of repelling would be thin cellophane tapes that sway with the slightest breath of wind. For the same purpose, you can use old cassette tapes, which not only sway, but also shimmer in the sun.
How to protect strawberries from birds with noise
Garden rattles or carbide guns that fire at regular intervals work well at first, but over time the birds get used to loud and sharp sounds. You can periodically change the frequency of noise effects, but this technique requires constant human control.
How to protect strawberries from birds with distraction crops
This method of protection is the most humane in relation to birds, and all nature lovers should appreciate it. In order to distract birds from garden strawberries, you can plant several fruit trees on your plot: bird cherry, sea buckthorn, wild cherry. The disadvantage of this method is that there is no guarantee that the birds will choose to eat only the berries intended for them.
The most unsuccessful method was considered to be total extermination, when birds are poisoned or shot. The effect is either zero or leads to the exact opposite result - a lot of insect pests appear on the beds, which destroy all the fruits at an even greater speed.
Blooms strawberry. This means that soon, very soon, the first berries will ripen. And here many gardeners will be faced with the problem of how to protect their strawberry plantation from voracious birds. Especially if there is a forest near the site, where the birds feel very at ease. I ran into the same problem a few years ago. . They swoop down on the strawberry beds in a whole flock and choose the largest and ripest berries! I started looking for a radical way that I could do with my own hands for protecting strawberries from birds.
I read a bunch of literature. I found a lot of offers there. The most radical method, which is mostly proposed, is to cover the strawberry plantation with a fine mesh. A good, effective method, but it has a number of disadvantages. We need to find such a grid somewhere. What you need is not always on sale. Then, when enough berries are ripe for picking, the net can be removed for a while. What if you decided to just eat a few berries from the garden? It is inconvenient to open the mesh every time. And aesthetically, a bed of strawberries covered with netting doesn’t look very good. It is proposed to place a scarecrow in the beds. But our birds have long chosen the shoulders of this stuffed animal to look for sweeter berries. Another way is to hang empty cans in pairs. When there is wind, they will rattle and scare away birds. And when there is no wind? In one place I found a very interesting way to scare away birds using old CDs! You need to punch a hole along the edge of the old disk, thread the twine and hang it all next to the beds. The discs shimmering in the sun will scare away birds. I wonder where I can get a bunch of old CDs? Well, I have two or three. which you won’t mind making holes in.
And this method gave me a rather simple idea. Well, it was invented and done. I placed small pegs, about a meter high, at the ends of the beds. He pulled the twine between them. Then I rummaged through the box of Christmas tree decorations. I think almost everyone has such a box in a treasured corner of their home, waiting for the next New Year's holiday. And I found an interesting thing. Christmas tree rain! Long, narrow strips of bright, shiny polyethylene. In! I tied the raindrops to a stretched twine and began to observe. And it worked! The rains are very light and at the slightest movement of air they begin to “move” and sparkle. The robber sparrows flew in a couple of times, circled and circled, but did not dare to land. That's all. I didn’t see any other birds on the site. And our strawberry beds looked festive and elegantly decorated until the fall. 
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