Cut & fertilize depending on the variety

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Slowly but surely you can really feel spring and maybe you’re already thinking about one or two delicious fruits that will soon be waiting for us in the garden. Strawberries are probably at the top and it is precisely these that need the first care measures now in spring. How exactly should you care for your strawberries in March?

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The strawberry plants have overwintered successfully, but what happens now to be able to enjoy a rich harvest in the new season? We have summarized step by step what you have to do in the bed from the end.

Caring for strawberries in March – Wake the strawberry plants from hibernation

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Strawberries are very frost tolerant, so they don’t mind being hit by late frosts themselves. So you can bring them out of hibernation and stimulate new growth without any worries. Sometimes ground frost causes the plantlets to lift. You should therefore first repair the beds, ideally when the ground is frost-free.

The first care measures are the same for both single-bearing and ever-bearing strawberry varieties:

Remove old leaves and anything that bothers you

Fallen leaves from surrounding trees, but also from the strawberry plants themselves, that have collected around the plants must be removed. So tidy up the bed first.

Cut the plants

In winter the leaves of the plants die, which is normal and also serves to protect the rhizome. Remove these leaves. Be careful not to injure any new growth.

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Also cut off leaves that have brown spots and no longer look so beautiful, as these can contain pathogens. You can also determine what can be removed by looking at the size and color of the leaves: Dark green strawberry leaves are old and no longer necessary. The plant will sprout vigorously and produce plenty of new leaves, so you don’t need to be afraid of cutting.

The pruning and clean-up work from the first step is important when caring for strawberries in March to allow fresh air and sunlight to reach the new shoots. This ensures ventilation.

What happens to the foothills?

Strawberries usually form runners from which daughter plants emerge from the mother plant. So they reproduce this way. However, not all of them are necessary.

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Separate all runners from the mother plants. Then think about which ones you want to keep and which ones you want to throw away or even give away. Leave only the bare essentials in the bed to avoid competition for nutrients. In addition, the daughter plants would remove some of the nutrients from the mother plants and thus weaken them, which of course you don’t want.

Loosen the soil around the plants with great care. You may know that the roots of strawberries grow very shallowly, meaning they are pretty much directly beneath the surface of the soil. Don’t forget this when working the soil. Roots and rhizomes should under no circumstances be injured.

While loosening, also remove any weeds that may have formed.

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Are all the plants still sitting properly?

Strawberry plants that are elevated due to frost can now be carefully pushed back into the ground so that all the roots are well surrounded by soil again.

Watering is important now

After caring for the strawberries in March, it is important to water the roots abundantly and regularly from now on. However, avoid wetting the above-ground parts of the plant and concentrate more on the areas where the roots are located. You can find out what you can do if there is mold on strawberries here.

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The further care measures – and here they are specific fertilizer applications meant – depend on the variety. Some produce their flowers the previous year, others only in the current season, which makes the crucial difference.

To fertilize single-bearing varieties or not?

Apart from the steps listed above, you don’t need to do anything else.

These are the varieties that have already formed their flower heads. This means that they initially do not put any energy into the formation of flowers, but rather into the sprouting and growth of the plant’s greenery, especially the leaves. So you don’t need to fertilize single-bearing strawberries in spring, because that would cause increased leaf formation, which in turn suppresses flower formation. It’s the flowers that you’re after.

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When do you fertilize the strawberries?

Instead, wait until the first flower buds appear before doing this step. The second time is fertilized after the harvest.

You can find out which fertilizer is suitable here.

Everbearing strawberries care for in March

With these varieties you can apply the first portion of fertilizer straight away. This is then repeated every two weeks over the course of the season. Fertilizer, such as compost, should always be carefully worked into the soil.



Can you plant strawberry plants in spring?

When are strawberries planted? Can you plant strawberries in spring? The strawberries usually come into the bed in the summer of the previous year. But anyone who missed out will now have another chance, but will then have to reckon with a later harvest. You can place the potted plants in prepared beds from the end of March, but no later than May.

This month is also ideal for transplanting.

You can find out here what advantages mulching with straw has for strawberry plants.