Strawberry question.

[nodmicks]

The summer of 2003 I planted bare root strawberry plants. I admit last summer I did a dismal job of keeping up with them or the weeds. I was told I should just mow them to the ground in the spring. Is there any truth to this?

[forestdale]

Michelle, strawberries are prone to a lot of viral diseases but I'd give them a go this summer. Usually I keep my strawberries going for 3 years before I pull them out and buy new ones.

BTW, if you can give your strawberries a bit of attention they will reward you with the best taste, much better than store bought ones. Homegrown stawberries are sweeter, jucier and redder than those you get in a store.

When it warms up a bit, start them growing with a little bit of nitrogenous fertilizer and a week or two later give them some sulphate of potash. Both of these are organic. The potash will stimulate flowers and the berries will follow.

Also, strawberries HATE weeds. If you don't want to weed, get some wads of about 10 sheets of newspaper - with no colour on it, you'll need enough for each of of your plants - if you have 4 plants you'll need 40 sheets. Cut a line in the paper to the middle section. Then place these wads around each of your strawberry plants. The paper will keep the weeds away and will slowly break down to provide organic matter for your soil. If you don't like the look of the paper on your garden, cover it with straw or hay.

Strawberries are easy to grow, just give them a tiny bit of help and you'll get the best strawberries ever. Good luck.

[homesteadmamma]

I agree with Rhonda, strawberries will give you a great reward if they are babied just a bit.

They love sun and some watering. In our area, they also need to have some covering in the winter because otherwise they will not survive.

I would not mow them to the ground. Once they start to sprout again, like Rhonda says, make sure the pull the weeds that are amongst them. You should see a huge difference this year.

[nodmicks]

Thank you to you both!I noticed last year they spread like wild fire! The berries were tasty (what the rabbits didn't steal!) The plants sent shooters out all over to the point I wonder if they need to be thinned or moved.
Ok if I use the paper instead of straw can those shooter things still get in the ground to grow new plants>?
The fertelizing sounds like a fab idea! I used something called root bl;aster last year but I'm guessing its a chemical.

[forestdale]

The shooters are called runners. They are a sign of a good healthy plant that wants to keep growing.

Check that your runners have decent roots and if they have, cut them off the main plant and plant them in a separate prepared space. Then just grow them like your original plants. Make sure you water them well after you replant them in their new spot but don't fertilise them for about a week. This will give them a chance to settle their roots in without having to start growing new leaves straight away.

Using paper instead of straw - if the straw is thick enough you don't need the newspaper, but if you just have a thin covering it won't stop weeds. A thin layer of straw lets in too much light, which weeds need to survive. So, either a thick layer of straw, or newspaper - 10 sheets, or newspaper plus straw on the top should be your mulch. The strawberry plants will still send out runners over the mulch but they won't be able to root until they find some bare soil. When you see runners, you could cut a hole in the paper or pull back the straw for them. OR, if they have a good root system, cut them from the main plant straight away and plant them in a new spot.

Strawberries will continue giving you fruit each year but each year the yield will be less than the previous year. After three years you should pull out your old plants and throw them out with the rubbish. Don't add them to your compost as they may carry viral disease. For continuing strawberry production you should replant with virus-free plants every three years.

[nodmicks]

Thank you so much Rhonda~