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Cornell University : Cornell Cooperative Extension
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| Yates Association |
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Growing Strawberries |
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Strawberries grow best in a sunny location on deep, well-drained, sandy loam soil with a pH of 6.2. Plants can be productive over a broad range of soil types and pHs but extremes should be avoided. The year before planting, get perennial weeds under control, have your soil tested for pH and nutrients and modify your soil, if needed. Strawberries are best planted in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. If your plants arrive early, refrigerate them until you are able to plant them. When plants are set, the roots should be completely covered just to the crown level. During the first few weeks, be sure the plants have adequate water. Strawberries can be grown under many different cultural systems. The system that is easiest to maintain is the matted row, in which plants are set 12 to 24 inches apart in a row,with 48 inches between rows. Runners emerging from the plant fill the row the first year, and fruiting occurs throughout the row in subsequent years. A matted row 10 to 15 inches wide is best for weeding and harvesting. The primary disadvantage of the matted row system is that too many plants are established, resulting in smaller berries. Many gardeners limit the number of runners produced by each plant by leaving six to eight runners per plant and spacing them 6 inches apart within the row, and clipping all other runner plants as they appear. This spaced system increases both plant and fruit size. Several weeks after planting, newly set plants begin to flower. Remove these flowers immediately to prevent fruiting; berries on first-year plants rob energy necessary for growth, runner production, and winter survival. Apply 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 linear feet of row six weeks after setting strawberry plants. Apply another 2 pounds in early September. Remove weeds by cultivation, hand hoeing, or pulling. Many gardeners successfully control weeds with black plastic or straw mulch; others choose one of several herbicides, depending upon the types of weeds. Covering strawberry plants with straw in the fall prevents injury from low temperatures and keeps the fruit clean the following season. Apply mulch in late November when night-time temperatures approach 20?F, covering the plants to a depth of 2 inches, and remove mulch from over the plants at the end of March. Strawberry plants should receive 1 inch of water each week, either by rainfall or irrigation. When overnight frost threatens blooming plants, use sprinklers to deliver a fine mist over the planting. Apply the mist continually from the time the temperature falls below 34?F until the ice melts in the morning. If plants are vigorous and productive during the first fruiting year and the site is relatively free of weeds, prepare to renovate the planting for next year's crop immediately after harvest. Renovation consists of mowing the plants to a height of 3 inches and rototilling the mulch into the alleys between rows. Reduce the width of matted rows to 12 inches and place 1 inch of soil over the row to aid root development. Fertilize the plants at a rate of 5 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 feet of row. Remember to avoid the tendency to over fertilize and under irrigate. Cornell
Cooperative Extension Yates Association |
