When it comes to growing strawberries, you need to remember a few key things: pruning, mulching, and fertilising. Your plants will produce a lot of tasty and nutritious fruit for you and your family to enjoy if you follow these instructions carefully.
This blog post will thoroughly discuss what to do with strawberry plants after fruiting to keep them healthy throughout the year. So let’s get started!
How to Look After Strawberry Plants After They Have Fruited
After your plants have fruited, they need to be maintained carefully in order to continue to produce fruit the following year. Here’s a step-by-step guide on what to do with strawberry plants after fruiting to keep them healthy and productive.
Step 1: Remove Any Covering or Netting
If you used netting over your strawberries to prevent birds and other animals from eating the fruit, you would need to remove it now that the harvest is over.
Keep in mind that these plants need ample space and air circulation to grow well.
Step 2: Discard Old Mulch
Once your strawberries have finished fruiting, it’s important to clean up the area below and around the plants. If you spread straw mulch, now is the time to remove it to deter slugs and other pests.
Step 3: Prune Dead or Diseased Stems and Leaves
Remove any diseased or dead leaves and stems from the planting area. This will help encourage new growth and keep the plants healthy.
Also, since the plants may produce runners, now is the time to remove any that have grown away from the main plant.
Note: You can also use runners to propagate new plants.
Step 4: Tidy Up Your Strawberry Patch
Next, it is time to get rid of weeds, fallen leaves, fruit, and debris and discard them in the trash or compost pile. A bit of weeding is necessary because they will compete with the strawberries for nutrients and water.
Now that you know what to do with strawberry plants at the end of the season, you can be sure that your plants will grow well and bear fruit for longer. However, remember that regardless of how much you care for them, there’s a limit to how long they will produce good crops.
How to Propagate New Strawberry Plants
If you want to propagate new strawberry plants, you can do so by taking unwanted runners from a healthy plant and planting them in a new location. Follow the steps below.
- Place the runner into a pot filled with compost.
- Pin it down about an inch below the surface.
- Water well and keep the soil moist until the runner takes root.
- Once it has rooted, use your pruning shears to snip it off from the parent plant.
- Next, transfer the new plant into a strawberry bed in your garden. It is best to move potted plants in the early autumn or late summer. Plant strawberries during these times to allow them to establish before the first frost of winter sets in.
That’s all there is to it! With these simple steps, you can propagate runners into new plants.
Essential Tips for Growing Healthy Strawberry Plants
To grow healthy strawberries, you must provide them with the right conditions and care. Here are some essential tips to follow:
- Choose a good variety. For example, plant June-bearing strawberries if you want a large harvest. If you want several small harvests during the season, everbearing strawberries are more suitable.
- Plant your strawberries in well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. The soil should be slightly acidic (pH level of around six).
- Strawberries need full sun exposure for at least six hours a day.
- Water your plants regularly, but don’t overwater them. The plants need about an inch of water every week.
- Apply mulch around the plants. Mulching strawberries is important to retain moisture and discourage weeds.
- Prune regularly. Pruning strawberries after they have fruited ensures that the plants remain healthy. Remove dead leaves and stems to encourage new growth.
- Monitor your plants for pests and diseases, and take action immediately if any are detected.
- Cover your fruit-bearing plants with netting or cages to protect them from foxes, birds, and other animals.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your fruit-bearing plants will thrive and produce plenty of delicious fruit for you and your family to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Strawberry Plant Care
When Should I Plant June-Bearing Strawberries?
You can plant the June-bearing plants during the early spring or fall.
Do Strawberry Plants Grow Back?
Yes, they grow back every year. However, they will only produce fruit for a few years before they need to be replaced.
How to Make Strawberry Plants Produce More Fruit?
You can make the plants produce more fruit by removing the fruited branches after fruiting. You should also fertilise the plant with a balanced fertiliser once a month.
What Are Perpetual Strawberries?
Everbearing varieties are also called perpetual varieties. They produce fruit several times throughout the season.
Growing Strawberry Plants
Growing your own strawberries is a fun and easy way to get fresh fruit all summer long. And with our tips on what to do with strawberry plants after fruiting, you can ensure that they will thrive and produce plenty of delicious strawberries for you and your family to enjoy.
If any of your friends or family members are interested in growing strawberries, be sure to share this blog post with them! And if you need more information on growing strawberry plants, leave us a comment below!
