Strawberry plants aren't fussy, but they do require some light maintenance. With the proper care, your plants will stay strong and vigorous and provide you with a plentiful harvest of delicious, juicy fruit!
Watering: Water regularly during the fruit-bearing period to ensure plants are never dry.
Mulching: Spread a natural mulch after transplanting in order to be able to pick "clean" strawberries. Weed regularly.
Fertilizing:
- In containers, fertilize before and after harvesting with a natural fertilizer.
- In the garden, add a generous amount of compost before planting. Four to six weeks later, spread out natural fertilizer.
Pruning: Strawberry plants put out runners with plantlets at the end, which will take root over time. The new plants will take energy from the main, or adult plant, which results in smaller fruit. So, to avoid plant depletion, you will want to control the number of runners you allow to grow according to the number of new plants you want the following season.
Protection:
- In the spring, cover plants when frost is still a risk.
- In the winter, cover plants with a protective layer of straw.
Diseases and pests: Powdery mildew (white), leaf spots, purple spots, root rot and gray mould. Root weevils in strawberries, spotted wing drosophila, white grubs and tarnished plant bugs.
