Why are my strawberries growing into bushes??
Question:Last year I planted three strawberry plants. It was about two weeks later that I realized I had inadvertently planted twelve plants in each site.but they had taken by then and I didn't want to dig them up again so I left them and now this year they are growing very tall with no fruits. should I cut them down or dig them up or just leave them be. I sure feel really silly. They are ever-bearing.
Answers:
Strawberries are rotational producers. The first year you plant them they may have a few berries or none at all, and you will get lots of "suckers" or runners. Plant a few of those runners. The second year you get your berries from the older plants and the new plants have a growing year. The third year you get berries from the older plants and again plant the runners. This time however, after harvesting you should be remove the 3 year old plants. So you will constantly be rotating your plants, with no plants more than 3 years old because they stop bearing. You'll have 3 year olds, 2 year olds, 1 year olds. Remove the 3 year olds and plant the runners there.
I suspect this year the problem is crowding. You need to thin out the plants so the ones you keep will bloom and produce. It's hard to cull out a living plant, especially if you're like me and think it's amazing when anything grows at all! But you are doing the right thing if your goal is to have strawberries to eat. This year, blooming is pretty much done, so you can just get in there and dig.
Good luck!
cut this back this fall
Trim the tops few inches back, then they grow bushy and give fruits.
darling, they are strawberry BUSHES. cut them back in the fall. prune the dead ones off now.
Strawberries will take over your yard. You need to dig up the "extras" each year. Its also good to have some sort of border around the strawberries to keep them in. Trimming them and weeding some out will help fruit production.
strawberry plants will quit proudcing if they are growing too thick so what you need to do is dig them up and spread them out at least 6" or more apart and you will not do any good to cut them back
More Related Questions & Answers...