Strawberries are a fruit loved by many people because of their unique scent, sweet and sour taste and eye-catching red color when ripe. In Vietnam, the first known place when mentioning strawberries is Da Lat, Lam Dong. However, over the past 10 years, Moc Chau plateau, Son La province has become known as a strawberry growing capital in the Northern region with growing area expanding every year and fruit quality. Not inferior to strawberries grown in Da Lat.
In particular, with the increasing demand for clean and safe strawberry products, ensuring consumer health, creating unique products of Moc Chau strawberries, growing strawberries using organic methods is important. This is a direction that Moc Chau Farmers Association is interested in developing. Here we would like to introduce to you the technique of growing Strawberries using organic methods that are being applied effectively in Moc Chau district, Son La province.
1. Choose a variety
Currently on the market there are many different strawberry varieties according to origin such as Korean, American, Japanese, New Zealand strawberries,… each type has its own characteristics. In Moc Chau district, the most popular strawberry variety currently grown is the Japanese Hanah strawberry variety. Although the fruit size is not as large as some strawberry varieties from the US, France, etc., Hanah strawberries have a fragrant, sweet taste, uniform fruit, and a beautiful bright red color when ripe and are popular with consumers.
Hanah strawberries are often propagated by people from seedlings. People can propagate them themselves or order them at strawberry seed production facilities in the area.
Criteria for seedlings to be planted: Choose plants that grow healthy, are pest-free, have fully developed root systems, are 8 – 12 cm tall, and have 3 – 4 leaves.
2. Prepare soil and raise beds
– Soil selection: Choose light, loose, dry, well-drained soil. In Moc Chau district, you should choose red, humus and loose soil areas to help plants grow well and yield higher yields than other types of soil. In organic farming, soil must be sampled and analyzed to ensure it meets the requirements and standards of organic agricultural production.
– Land preparation and fertilization: Plow the entire planting area, clean up plant residue; Fertilize with decomposed manure, fertilizer dosage is 45-48 tons/ha. Lime powder: 8 – 10 quintals/ha. Apply fertilizer 7 – 10 days before planting.
– Raise beds: width 45 – 50 cm, bed height 35 – 40 cm. Distance between beds 70 cm.
3. Season and planting method
– Planting season: Planting time is from September to November.
– How to plant: Distance between plants is 35 – 40 cm, rows are 30 – 35 cm apart, each bed is planted in 2 rows, staggered, 10 cm from the edge of the bed. Tear off the gourd shell, use your hands to create a hole measuring 10 x 10 x 10 cm, place the plant straight in the center of the hole, fill the soil across the top of the bulb, avoid filling the root collar, affecting the leaf and branching process of the plant. . Water the plants sufficiently after planting.
4. Care
– Watering: Water used for irrigation for organic farming must be analyzed to ensure it meets standard requirements in organic farming. For large strawberry gardens, mist and drip irrigation systems should be designed along the beds to facilitate the care process.
From after planting to before flowering, water once every other day (can be watered in the early morning or late afternoon) to ensure humidity of 70 – 80%. When the tree begins to flower (2.5 months after planting) until harvest, water every 3 days, humidity 40 – 60%/time. In addition, during the cultivation process, in the winter, when the weather is cold, frost and frost may appear, causing the water layer on the leaf surface to freeze. In case of frost or frost, watering should be done early in the morning.
– Fertilization: Use protein sources from soybeans and fish to fertilize plants after planting.
+ Soybeans: dosage for 1 hectare is 200 kg of soybeans soaked in 800 liters of water, mixed with EM product (250 g), soaked for 2 months, then strained to get the solution. When fertilizing, mix soybean solution with water at a ratio of 400 liters of solution mixed with 1,600 liters of clean water. Time to fertilize: 1st fertilizer 10 days after planting, then periodically fertilize every 15 days until the plants flower, then stop.
+ Protein from fish: can use finished fish solution sold on the market. Dosage: 1 dose of 10 liters/ha. When fertilizing, mix 10 liters of fish solution with 1,000 liters of clean water, apply according to the drip irrigation system to avoid loss and waste. Fertilize periodically every 15 days from flowering until harvest.
– Covering and covering the surface: To prevent weeds during cultivation, it is necessary to use covering measures for strawberries when planting. You can use plastic mulch or straw to cover the beds. If using plastic film, cover the entire field area immediately after fertilizing and raising beds. If using straw: use straw to spread evenly, covering the entire surface of the bed and around the base of the tree. Mulching is done 30 days after planting.
When making a pergola made of nylon, the pergola should be designed high and dry to ensure ventilation to help plants grow well and limit diseases.
