What Helps Strawberries Bloom?

Planting Site

• When selecting a site to plant your strawberries, its helpful to know what types of plants were growing on the site in previous years. Strawberries are very susceptible to verticillium wilt and should not be planted where potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants or peppers were previously bedded. Strawberries grow best in fertile soil with a pH ranging between 5.7 and 6.5. Another thing to consider when selecting a planting site, is how many hours of sun the area will get. Ideally strawberries need at least six hours of direct sunlight every day to promote good fruit.

Mulching

• Mulching with straw or pine needles helps to keep the soil moist and keep the weeds under control in your strawberry beds. Use 3 to 4 inches of straw or 4 to 5 inches of pine needles along the rows to mulch strawberry beds. Check under the mulch occasionally to make sure that the soil is not becoming waterlogged.

Fertilizing

• Strawberries do best with a balanced fertilizer of 1 lb. of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet of soil. Fertilizer should be mixed in to the soil before planting, and strawberries will need to be fertilized again in the fall. Ammonium sulfate is also recommended for strawberries at a rate of 3/4 lb. of 21-0-0 per 100 square feet of soil. Adding too much fertilizer can result in over production of foliage, which affects fruit yield.

Renovating

• After the last harvest, it is time to renovate your strawberry plants by clipping off the tops of the plants. Be careful not to damage the crowns. Renovating helps to make the plants less susceptible to disease and also to promote more new growth.