Strawberry patch old run by old people who know nothing?
Question:we have a patch of strawberries that has got out of control but still give us enough.what we would like to do is clear the patch but keep some of the plants for next year please help handfisted pensioner
Answers:
Thin out the strawberries by digging them up and transplant into a shallow box of good compost and water. The plants should send out runners.
Hi Geoffrey No problem about digging all the plants out, turning the soil over, adding some fertiliser and replanting your strawberries now that they've about finished fruiting.
Water in well. (sorry I said that!)
Leave enough space between them so that you can peg in any young runners which will, in time, take over from their parent plants whose yield will drop off with age.
Next year, remove the worn out plants to give the young ones a chance to expand, flower and fruit.
Right what you do is to root several runners off of this years plants. Best way is to get some 3" or 4" pots full with soil or compost and plant a runner in it ,leaving it attached to the parent plant. Do as many as you like/. When it has rooted after 3 or 4 weeks separate it by cutting the runner off. Keep the pots till next spring when they can be planted in the new beds. These new plantlets will not produce as many strawberries in their first year as the established plants. The 2nd and 3rd years are the best for fruiting. Try and keep a few of the older plants when doing the beds for next year. They can be replaced the year after. The ideal way is to take some runners each year so your beds are a mixture of 1,2,and 3 year plants.Each year replace the oldest third of the bed. Cultivate the ground that has been cleared and add fertiliser Try to grow the plants in lines on raised ridges,this helps to keep the fruit off the ground.. It is an enjoyable pastime for older people to potter about in the garden or allotment .
Veronica pretty much has it.
(If no water in well, use rain-butt.)
Sounds scary but it worked for us--rototill the patch right after strawberry season. Then the plants will be easy to lift out of the soil. Replant the healthiest/hardiest ones in neat rows with a paper barrier covered with straw. Keep the transplants well watered until they look like they have caught. Then watch for runners, and keep them trained into the rows.
More Related Questions & Answers...