Strawberries

[Yvonne]

Can anybody tell me what I have to do with my strawberry plants please? They seem to have finished flowering/ fruiting so do I need to cut back or anything to increase fruit next year?

Thanks,

Abi

 

[Ron Avery]

It depends what sort they are.  If they are a one crop variety, some growers pile on the straw and set light to the lot, in these times of drought, perhaps a job done with care.  You can also get a pair of shears and lop off the old leaves and burn them, the crowns will survive the heat and come back again quite soon.

If you have second crop strawberries you will see flowers developing by now, so  if you have,  you can cut out the old browning leaves and thin out the rest a bit, this will encourage new leaves and friut stems from the base.  If you have contnuous crop strawberries they will yield fruit in Central and Southern France until first frost.

[opas]

I would not set fire to anything , "contoled" or otherwise in 66, no outside fires permited from April to October. Oh except BBQ`s[img]http://bestsmileys.com/firemen/3.gif[/img]

[Yvonne]

Thanks for your advice. I don't see any sign of new flowers so, I'll give them another week and then cut al the leaves off. do I cut them right back to the ground?

Thanks,

Abi (a novice gardener!)

[Ron Avery]

Where are you Abi?  It might be a bit early where you are for a second crop yet, we are in the Aveyron and have second crop strawberries ready to pick, this variety continues flowering until October.  If you are sure that they will not flower again,  just cut them off above the crown, pull off any brown leaves, but leave any new small emerging leaves in place.  If you have any runners trap them in small pots dug in the ground, when they are rooted you can add them to the stock.