When the first sunny days of spring arrive, it’s time to head out into the garden, get the tools, and get the strawberry bed ready for another season. With the right strawberry care in the spring, you can harvest many delicious fruits in the summer.
Strawberries care in spring: tips for a rich summer harvest
Strawberries are resilient and bring a good harvest with little effort. Spring is the best time to take care of them and eat delicious strawberries for years.
Remove the old mulch and apply a new one
Mulching strawberries protects them from cold winters with freezing temperatures. However, if you leave the old, wet layer of mulch for too long, it can encourage mold and disease. Remove this protective layer in spring to give the plants the sun and fresh air they need. However, it is important not to do this too early as the strawberries sometimes bloom just before the last frost.
Clean your plants after removing the old layer of mulch and cover them with fresh straw. Check your plants regularly and if you find that 25% of them have new flowers, you can eliminate the straw.
Remove the dead foliage
In spring you should refresh the strawberry plants by cutting off the dead runners, the old, dead leaves and the larger leaves that are already covering the ground. Be careful not to remove any new growth.
Removing the dead leaves will eliminate the homes of slugs and other pests. This makes it easier to remove them from the bed.
Use a rake to pull out the older strawberry plants that are not bearing fruit. Plants older than four years should be uprooted and composted. Spring is the best time to replace them. Once you have a well-established bed, you will do this for a few plants each year.
Strawberries care in spring: weed the bed
Weed the strawberry bed in spring while the weeds are still young. It’s much easier to pull it out of the ground now that it hasn’t set in yet and the ground is softer. Use a hand fork or trowel to remove the weeds before they have a chance to overgrow the strawberries.
How to fertilize strawberries in spring?
The once-bearing strawberries should not be fertilized in spring because this only stimulates leaf growth, leads to softer fruits and increases the risk of disease. These varieties should be fertilized immediately after the last harvest of the season.
The everbearing strawberries should be fertilized in spring and again in early August to provide them with the nutrients they need to produce strawberries all season long. Use a small fork to aerate the exposed soil around the plants, then fertilize with an organic or granular fertilizer to encourage growth and flowering.
How to grow new strawberry plants in spring
Spring is the perfect time to plant new strawberries.
- The first step is to prepare the soil by enriching it with organic matter to encourage rapid growth.
- Buy stolons or small established strawberry plants in pots as they grow quickly and are easier to transplant.
- Raise the soil slightly so that the new plants are not covered with soil. Elevating the plant will prevent the crown from rotting in the ground.
How often should you water the strawberries?
Strawberries need regular watering and soil that is moist without being wet in spring. Regular watering will reduce stress on the plant and help ensure it bears strawberries all summer long.
As your strawberry plants grow and bear fruit, they will need small amounts of water weekly. Rainwater is excellent for promoting growth. It is best to water the established plants with a drip irrigation or drip hose to avoid wet fruit.
Test the soil with your finger before watering. When the top 1-2 cm is dry, water it.
When watering, be careful not to get the crown of the plant or the fruit wet as this can lead to fungal problems, especially gray mold. It is best to water the strawberries in the morning and not in the evening so that the fruits have enough time to dry out if they do get wet.
Companion plants for strawberries
Like any other plant, strawberries can benefit from being planted alongside companion plants.
Spring is a good time to surround your strawberries with flowering plants that will attract pollinators and repel pests. Plants that pair well with strawberries include borage, catnip, yarrow, sage, and thyme.