Caring for strawberry plants in March: They will reward you with lots of strawberries

Caring for plants in early spring is undoubtedly very important. Many of them will reward us for it when they bear fruit. Common strawberries are a typical example in this regard. If we take care of our strawberry plants now in March, we can be sure that we will be rewarded with an abundance of delicious sweet strawberries. For this reason, it is necessary to take care of several important tasks right now in March. What are they? We will reveal this to you in the following lines.

Removing dry parts as a basis

Either way, we have to get down on our knees. First of all, it is necessary to remove all dry parts of the strawberries. Dead leaves, shoots, and other parts need to be collected and thrown away. These parts of strawberry plants are a clear source of various germs and other diseases that strawberry plants can suffer from during the season.

Strawberry runners: Photo by Radek Štěpán

Flat cutter for strawberries in action

Use a flat cutter to treat the soil around the strawberry plants. It must be thoroughly loosened so that the strawberry plants can grow and have enough strength to produce large quantities of sweet strawberries. You must do this before various weeds appear, which will then be very difficult to remove from the field itself.

Fertilizing strawberry plants is a matter of course

Strawberry plants need sufficient nutrients. These naturally give them strength. There are a huge number of fertilizers available. The ideal choice is a mineral fertilizer with a minimum of chemicals. We don’t worry about this because we have fresh compost available. All you need to do is sprinkle it on the strawberry plants and mix it lightly with the soil. The strawberries will then grow like crazy. Fertilize just before flowering, although compost can be added to strawberry plants earlier. Problems can arise with cow manure. Even granulated manure is very strong and could burn the strawberry leaves. We have also written about fertilizing strawberries.

Non-woven fabric pays off

When we cover strawberry plants with it, they will have much better conditions for their development. In addition, we will increase the thermal comfort of the strawberry plants both at night and during the day. Traditionally, this is up to 3 °C at night and up to 7 °C during the day. That’s quite noticeable. Thanks to the fabric, less water evaporates, which is great because the strawberry plants will have more moisture. This is optimal for growth.

Strawberry seedlings: Photo by Radek Štěpán

Mulching strawberry plants

This can be done now, but we will wait a few more weeks. Then we will cover the strawberry plants with straw or dried grass clippings, as is customary. We have not had good experiences with traditional fabric, as although it prevented weeds from growing, it unfortunately completely suffocated the soil around the strawberry plants.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions about spring care for strawberry plants

Why remove old strawberry shoots?

They are a source of many diseases.

What should you use to fertilize strawberry plants in spring?

We usually use compost.
How to mulch strawberry plants?

Straw is excellent for this purpose.

Sources of information: Author

Prepared strawberry patch: Preview photo Pixabay