Protect strawberry mark works from cold-blooded damage with these autumn care tips .
June - aim , everbearing , and daytime - impersonal strawberries can all be uprise as perennial in most area . However , if you need yourstrawberry plantsto add up back in spring and fruit profusely , you need to provide the plant with right fall care andwinter auspices . This guide cover how to fertilize , renovate , and winterize strawberry plants in garden bed and containers so you may grow a lush crop of strawberries class after year .
Andy Lyons
Credit:Andy Lyons
Why Winterize Strawberries?
Most strawberry plant can technically winter in growingUSDA Zones 4 and warmer . However , uttermost inhuman temperatures can prove fatal to strawberry plant if they do n’t have supernumerary winter protection . During winter , the soil freezes and thaw repeatedly , which can heft up strawberry Crown out of the stain and damage delicate plant root .
If temperatures dropbelow 15 ° degree Fahrenheit , unprotected strawberry mark plant will likely die back and not give the following year .
Winter damage also badly limits the size of strawberry harvests because many strawberry form the buds for their fruit in the summertime or fall of the late class . However , when temperatures shake off very low during wintertime , those strawberry buds can be damaged and not produce yield when the industrial plant riff out in spring .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
When to Winterize Strawberries
winterise strawberriesbegins in summertime with refurbishment and fecundation of the plant life after fruiting goal . Mulch or other winter protection is usually added to strawberry plants much by and by in the season , after thefirst frost of fall .
When winterizing hemangioma simplex , it ’s important to time the mulch app properly . Mulching strawberries too early can cause plants to moulder or not inure off properly , get out them vulnerable to cold damage . Extreme cold may damage the plants if they are mulch too late in the season .
In most area , thebest time to mulchor winterize strawberries is inNovember or early December , when daytime temperatures are consistently in the 20 , and the top 1 inch of soil is frosty . In areas with mild climates , you may want to bestow mulch around strawberry when the temperature drops into the 40s . You ’ll know it ’s time to mulch when the strawberry leaves turn brown and are floppy .
How to Winterize Strawberry Plants
In mild field , strawberries may be capable to overwinter without surplus protection , but the plants will be healthier and fruit better if you fix them for the winter season forward . Regardless of the type of strawberries you uprise , these three steps will help ensure your strawberries survive the stale and issue in leaping quick to grow lots of yummy fruit .
Step 1: Renovate
Strawberries can become overgrown , develop broken stems , or receive diseases or pests throughout the growing time of year . It ’s wise to renovate strawberry industrial plant after they ’re done fruiting , inlate July to early August .
To renovateJune - bearing strawberries , dress away any broken or damage leaves on the plants , and then swerve the strawberry plants down to about1 ½ inches above the industrial plant ’s crown . If you have a large piece of hemangioma simplex , cut them back with your lawnmower . Be certain to reduce strawberries no later than a workweek or two after they ’re done fruiting , as you do n’t need to damage their young , developing leafage . If the plants are tightly snarl , thin out thestrawberry plants and runnersso they are spaced at least4 to 6 inches apart .
Foreverbearing or twenty-four hours - neutral strawberries , prune away any dead or discredited leaves and pull out any weeds that have crept into your strawberry plot .
Step 2: Fertilize
After renovate the strawberries , most growers commend applying a wearisome - waiver , balanced , farinaceous fertilizerto strawberry plant in the fall , aboutone month before your first icing date . This ensures the strawberries have all the nutrients they need to grow and fruit the next season . While it ’s always wise to consult the fertilization instructions on the fertilizer promotion , in general , go for about1 pounding of plant food for every 25 hemangioma simplex plant .
Step 3: Mulch
irrigate the hemangioma simplex plants until the first Robert Lee Frost , but when temperatures sink , it ’s time for mulch .
Mulching protects strawberry crowns from extreme cold and insulates the dirt so that the plant life roots wo n’t be subject to much freezing and thaw . A thick layer of mulch also locks wet into the soil , limiting the pauperism to water strawberry plant in winter .
The best prison term to mulch hemangioma simplex is normally inNovember or Decemberwhen plant are starting to go dormant . Select a lightweight , natural mulch , likesalt marsh hay , pine needles , orweed - gratis straw , and broadly mound the mulch over the tops of the strawberry plants , covering all the foliage with about3 to 5 inches of mulch . Steer clear of big mulch , like chopped autumn leaves or grass clippings , as these mulch become too dense when wet and lose weight flow of air around the strawberry plants .
Over time , lightweight mulch become more compact and flinch to about 2 to 3 inch thick . That ’s totally fine .
If you do n’t want to work with mulch , you’re able to also spread frost protection embrace over hemangioma simplex plants . However , these covers can cause strawberries to leaf out sooner in saltation , so you might require to add extra natural spring auspices to your plants if youuse fabric quarrel covers .
Marty Baldwin
Leave the mulch andfrost protectioncovers on the strawberry plants until spring when the plants begin to riffle out . Once you see those first unripe shoots emerging , pull away the mulch anduse it to stamp down pot in your gardenor in the row between your strawberry plant . Keep a moment of mulch on hand in case a late spring frost occurs and you require to concisely cover the strawberry plants again .
How to Winterize Strawberries in Pots
Winter care forstrawberries growing in potsis similar to care for strawberry in the garden . revivify and fertilise the plants after they ’re done fruiting , and apply mulch . However , container - grown hemangioma simplex necessitate extra protection to get them through the winter .
nurseryman in soft climates may be capable to keep potted strawberries alfresco all year round . However , if you live in a cooler area , you may want to convey potted strawberries into a sheltered spot , like apotting shedor service department , after the plants enter a dormant state in the fall . To protect the plants and pots , wrap quondam blanket , burlap , or throng material around the strawberry pots and then loosely mound 6 to 8 inches of straw or pine phonograph needle over the works .
Because strawberries are dormant during the wintertime month , they do n’t need much pee , but lightly water potted strawberries about once a month during the winter to keep them from totally drying out .
