Strawberries are among the most sensitive plants in the garden. Despite all the loving care, various diseases strike mercilessly. We make you aware of the symptoms and explain effective control methods.
What diseases occur in strawberries and how can you fight them?
Common strawberry diseases include strawberry powdery mildew, gray rot, white spot and red spot. To combat it, affected plant parts can be removed, milk-water mixtures, soda, rock dust or natural preparations such as liverwort extract can be used. Airy plant spacing and a sunny location help preventatively.
Strawberry mildew
If the temperatures exceed 18 degrees, it starts. There are now perfect conditions for mildew spores to spread explosively. An infected strawberry plant has a white fungal coating on the undersides of the leaves. As a result, the foliage turns purple to red-brown and curls up. The fruits are then attacked. Under the whitish patina they do not ripen, but rather rot and fall off.
Combat
- cut off all diseased plant parts
- spray every 3 days with a milk-water mixture in a ratio of 1:4
- alternatively, dissolve 1 tablespoon of soda in 4 liters of milk with 15 milliliters of curd soap
Gray rot
The pathogens of the fungal infection Botrytis cinerea carry out their disastrous work in warm, humid weather. The unripe strawberries turn brown and soften. As they progress, they are covered with a gray-white mold fluff.
Combat
- Remove fruit mummies immediately
- sprinkle endangered plants with rock dust
- Add nettle manure and onion extract to the watering water
- Consistently weeding and mulching with straw
An airy planting distance helps prevent all fungal infections so that the leaves can dry quickly after a downpour. In addition, the location should be as sunny as possible.
White and red spot disease
These sneaky fungal pathogens wait until shortly before the fruit ripens to thoroughly spoil the joy of fruity strawberry enjoyment. The foliage is covered in white or reddish-brown spots. The plant is weakened to such an extent that the fruits do not ripen. There are no preparations available to combat it directly. Cautious prevention with the following measures is helpful:
- do not administer nitrogen-concentrated fertilizer
- mulch with straw or bark mulch after flowering
- Planting strawberries in mixed culture with garlic
- cut off all runners in autumn and burn them
- Don't leave any leaves in the bed, as the spores overwinter here
Tips & Tricks
Strawberry plants strengthened with liverwort extract are significantly more resistant to fungi and bacteria. The purely natural preparation uses the defense substances of mosses, which come from 35 million years of evolution. 5 milliliters of liverwort extract are dissolved in 1 liter of water and sprayed on the plants every 10-14 days from the start of cultivation.
