How to Grow Bigger Strawberries? Many gardens love strawberries for their beautiful red color and delicious flavor. On the other hand, growing larger strawberries is very simple to learn. They can be grown in improved garden soil or planted in a strawberry pot with tiers and side pockets.
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What Is the Type of Strawberry to Grow?
There are two types of strawberries:
1. June-Bearing Strawberries
At least the middle of June marks the onset of fruit production for strawberry plants of the June-yielding variety. They will continue to produce for roughly four weeks.
2. Everbearing Strawberries
In early spring, or around mid-June, everbearing strawberries will also be available for harvesting.
But these berries will continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the summer, sometimes even into the fall, as opposed to producing a large crop over the following month!
Regardless of the strawberry variety you decide to plant, the following information is applicable. Our berry plants are the everbearing kind.
A bumper crop of berries will be produced by both the June-bearers and the everbearing varieties.
How to Grow Bigger Strawberries?
You must be a huge strawberry fan. You’re prepared to eat them with anything, but your main concern is how to increase the size of strawberries.
The good news is that growing strawberries is easy and uncomplicated, but you do need to pay attention to a few basic rules. This is the procedure.
Examine your Strawberry Plants
Before you plant, make sure to inspect your plants. Examine them for indications of illness and pests, and use clean secateurs to remove any damaged leaves.
To encourage the plant to focus its energy on developing new growth, you may decide to remove any early blossoms or immature fruits if your new plants are little.
When it is completely grown, it will have a better probability of yielding larger amounts as a result.
Choose Where to Grow Them
Strawberries may become highly invasive if left to their ways, which is why many gardeners would rather grow them in containers.
Planting Strawberries in Pots:
Conventional strawberry planters are specialized pots that enable the growth of several plants in a limited area.
As long as they are well-drained, strawberries grow well in a variety of containers and hanging baskets. Use a high-quality fruit and citrus potting mix or potting mix for acid-loving plants as the growing medium, and give the strawberries a gap apart of roughly 20 cm.
Strawberry Growing Conditions:
Strawberries produce better when planted in full sun, so pick a sunny spot for your garden. Yields may be lower, but they will withstand some shade. Berry crops thrive on rich, well-drained soil.
Before planting, it’s important to incorporate some compost and/or soil improver into the soil.
Plants should be spaced 30–45 cm apart in rows 60–90 cm apart.
Every second or third year, swap out the strawberry plants for new, approved runners to keep the patch free of diseases.
Planting Strawberries
Make a planting hole that is twice as big as the root ball of the plant using a trowel.
As the leaves contact the roots, check that the crown is level or only a little raised above the soil or potting mix surface. Strawberries planted too high risk having their roots dried out, and those planted too deep risk them decaying.
Using your hands, compact the earth and backfill the area surrounding the roots.
Although optional, the last step is undoubtedly beneficial.
Cover the strawberry plants in a 5–10 cm layer of straw or sugarcane mulch on the pot or bed’s surface.
This keeps the growing fruit clean and reduces rotting by acting as a barrier between them and the earth.
When to Harvest Strawberries
Depending on the climate where you live, you should gather strawberries from mid-spring to autumn (October to April).
When strawberries are ready to be harvested, they will have deepened in color and appear plump and juicy.
As they taste best when they are fully ripe, try to collect them as soon as possible. To minimize bruising, harvesting should be done as gently as possible. Remove the plant’s stem and stalk as well, if you can.
Caring for Strawberries
There are many techniques to take care of your strawberries, such as:
Watering Your Strawberries
Strawberry plants require maintenance to be robust and fruitful. Give your plants regular watering, especially if they’re raised beds or containers.
Strawberries are prone to mold growth, so when watering, direct the flow toward the base of the plant rather than overhead to keep the leaves as dry as possible.
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Fertilizing Your Strawberries
Because strawberries are heavy feeders, regular fertilization is also essential when cultivating them. To promote flowering during the growing season, apply a high-potash liquid feed every two weeks. More fruit equates to more blossoms.
Additionally, it is beneficial to apply controlled-release fertilizer to acid-loving plants, since this guarantees a uniform distribution of vital nutrients for robust, longer-lasting development.
Protecting Your Strawberries
Remember that you might not be the only person in the garden who adores fresh strawberries. Birds, slugs, snails, and other insects also enjoy them.
Crops can be protected from birds by being netted over them. Strawberries should be planted in pots above the soil line to avoid slugs and snails.
Broken egg shells or copper strips will deter slugs and snails if you are growing strawberries in the ground. You can also use snail and slug pellets.
Replacing Your Strawberries
It’s important to keep in mind that strawberry plants often require replacement every three to four years due to their inevitable deterioration.
Although you can grow young plants from the runners your strawberries produce, it’s usually preferable to purchase certified virus-free substitutes to guarantee robust, healthy plants.
Pruning Your Strawberries
It is best to get rid of runners as soon as you see them in the first and second years. Where they converge with the mother plant, chop them off. Your strawberry plants will be more motivated to flower and fruit as a result of this.
These easy-to-follow instructions will have you harvesting an abundance of strawberries in no time. It’s up to you how to utilize this tasty fruit to its fullest!
Common Strawberry Diseases
Numerous fungal diseases, such as leaf spot, powdery mildew, and botrytis rot, can affect strawberry plants. These illnesses have the potential to seriously harm plants and lower fruit production.
Leaf spot is identified by round, brown dots on the leaves during early spring’s rainy spells. By removing the diseased leaves and using a fungicide like neem oil, this can be managed.
However, treatment for leaf spots is only necessary if you observe a large number of decaying leaves. Most of the time, it’s only a cosmetic issue that goes away on its own.
Moreover, fungicides, baking soda, or a vinegar-water mixture can be used to cure powdery mildew, which produces a white, powdery coating on leaves.
Fruit rots due to botrytis rot, also called gray mold, which can be prevented by spraying fungicide, discarding contaminated fruit, and watering with soaker hoses rather than overhead irrigation.
Take proactive measures to eliminate any damage or rot as soon as you notice it to maintain the health and productivity of your strawberry patch.
Conclusion
You’ll be well on your way to growing a patch of plump, enormous strawberries if you take these suggestions and modify them to fit your unique growing environment and climate.
Never forget that the size and sweetness of your harvest can significantly vary with a little bit of extra work.
The results (literally!) of your labor will be shown as the bright red berries ripen. Savor these sweet delicacies while they’re still fresh, bake them into decadent desserts, or store them to enjoy all year long.