Strawberry plants

ComfortKid

I have about 10 strawberry plants for the last few years. Never seem to get much of a harvest off it though. About 4 or 5 per plant. Anyone have any tips on how to get more and bigger strawberries this year. Want to keep them organic. Thanks.

toddunctious

I think strawberries are good for one season then need to replaced with the runners produced

rickmoister

The amount of fruit can depend on the variety of the plant.I grow symphony which produces a heavy crop. They say that after 3 years you should get rid of plants as the fruit becomes small and bitter. I use 3 raised beds 1 yr old plants, 2 yr old plants and 3 yr old plants. I was also told to use fish blood and bone as this is supposed to increase fruit yield.

ComfortKid

Ya it could be the variety because I had them in hanging baskets, window boxes and a few in a bed neither made a difference. Heard about the blood bone too I might give it a try. If theres not much happening by late April I think il get new ones.

Marhay70

Aldi have a six pack of "Elsanta" at the moment €2.99, I always get a good crop from them. I was advised to disbud strawberries in their first year to encourage fruiting in subsequent years.

ComfortKid

Marhay70 wrote:

Aldi have a six pack of "Elsanta" at the moment €2.99, I always get a good crop from them. I was advised to disbud strawberries in their first year to encourage fruiting in subsequent years.

Disbud? Does that mean cut the runners? Thats what I did thinking it'd concentrate it's energy on fruit rather than root

Marhay70

It means take off the flowers, the plant won't produce fruit in the first year but will be more productive later on.
A hard choice for any gardener especially if the plant is covered in flowers but it"s up to you.

ComfortKid

Anyones strawberries ready yet? Glad to say I got a good few this year, reckon they'll be another fortnight though.

DANNY2014

Have most mine ate... Had great lil crop too grown in baskets in a tunnel...

ComfortKid

DANNY2014 wrote:

Have most mine ate... Had great lil crop too grown in baskets in a tunnel...

Lucky you! Thought I usually had them around this time but I guess the bad weather slowed it down. Going to get the ones that fruit twice a year next spring.

DANNY2014

ComfortKid wrote: »

Lucky you! Thought I usually had them around this time but I guess the bad weather slowed it down. Going to get the ones that fruit twice a year next spring.

My few outside ones are still.green btw... Usually there always ready around Wimbledon time every year as a guideline...

ComfortKid

DANNY2014 wrote:

My few outside ones are still.green btw... Usually there always ready around Wimbledon time every year as a guideline...

Yes Wimbledon, Strawberries and champagne. My big ones are just starting to go red. Most of them are just small and green though. Im getting alot of runners, I just break them off every morning, is this right?

DANNY2014

I leave the runners attached there plants for next 3 years... I pot them up.while still been fed by mother plant till.there established a bit usually produce another runner... Ya could get 10 plants Off One if done right maybe more... Feed wit a nettle feed... There well hardy plants...

ComfortKid

DANNY2014 wrote:

I leave the runners attached there plants for next 3 years... I pot them up.while still been fed by mother plant till.there established a bit usually produce another runner... Ya could get 10 plants Off One if done right maybe more... Feed wit a nettle feed... There well hardy plants...

I thought I read somewhere that they'll produce more and bigger berries if you cut the runners? I dont want more plants anyway as I have a least 10 now, all in pots. Going to throw em in the ground once there finished an leave them grow wild

DANNY2014

You could cut the runners Off and it'll leave all the feed for the plant so next year bigger fruit that's the way it's worked for me... More plants though equals more berries...

Marhay70

What cutting the runners off does is conserve energy in the mother plant, just like deadheading. It will mean stronger plants but not necessarily more berries, that depends on a lot of different factors like soil, feed, position, weather etc.
Strawberry plants lose vigour after a few years anyway, so it's a good idea to pot up a few plants every year as replacements, only pot up the plantlet closest to the mother plant, cut the rest of the runner off.

ComfortKid

Yeah I have these plants a few years now. Im going to stick them in the ground and let them do there own thing after this year. Im going to get a different varieties for next year, hopefully one that fruits in september aswell. Thanks for info on runners.

Thanos

Marhay70 wrote: »

What cutting the runners off does is conserve energy in the mother plant, just like deadheading. It will mean stronger plants but not necessarily more berries, that depends on a lot of different factors like soil, feed, position, weather etc.
Strawberry plants lose vigour after a few years anyway, so it's a good idea to pot up a few plants every year as replacements, only pot up the plantlet closest to the mother plant, cut the rest of the runner off.

Would agree with a lot of that. I always heard that they have about a 3 or 4 year run, first year not much fruit, second and third year - most productive, fourth year -start to reduce.

With that in mind you want to be getting some runners from you year 3 plants up and running and then take out your old ones after year four fruit and plant in the one year old ones.

(Or at least that is what I have been doing and it has worked out well for me)

stooge

Have some strawberry plants in a raised bed. No fruit last year but lots this year. Hard to find the fruit among all the leaves though. Would it be worthwhile removing some of the foilage to let the light at the fruit or is that the exact opposite of what it needed for bigger and better fruit??

Thanos

stooge wrote: »

Have some strawberry plants in a raised bed. No fruit last year but lots this year. Hard to find the fruit among all the leaves though. Would it be worthwhile removing some of the foilage to let the light at the fruit or is that the exact opposite of what it needed for bigger and better fruit??

I would not remove the leaves (unless they damaged or look off colour) The leaves provide provide the food for the plant through photosynthesis.

What I often try to do is move the strawberries around so they get light and even carefully bend the leaves under the fruit where possible. I also get some small plant pots to raise up the strawberries, also helps to keep them off the ground (bugs and so they do not sit in wet)