Are you thinking about growing strawberries at some point this year?
If you are, then it’s going to be best to do a little bit of research ahead of time to figure out how to grow them right. You want to make sure that you get the most out of your strawberry plants and you can do this by watering them well and taking care of them.
How much water do strawberries need exactly, though? Well, you can keep reading to get all of the necessary information about watering strawberries as well as other tips about caring for them.
Once all is said and done, you’re going to be much more confident in your ability to take care of your strawberry plants.
How Much Water to Use
Strawberry plants don’t need to be watered too much but they do need to be watered somewhat often if you’re going through a drought.
Essentially, strawberry plants will need about an inch of water each week to thrive in normal temperatures. This requirement will increase to as much as two inches or more during a particularly hot summer.
If the rainfall in your area is sufficient, then you won’t need to go through and water your strawberry plants. In fact, watering them even though it has been raining could be detrimental depending on how much rainfall there has been.
You kind of have to pay attention to what is going on to get the most out of your strawberry plants.
Pay attention to the soil around your strawberry plants. You want the soil to be moist but it shouldn’t be soggy.
As long as you’re staying on top of things, it should be easy to keep things moving along nicely.
How Often Strawberry Plants Need to Be Watered
Your strawberry plants will need to be watered fairly often if it isn’t raining.
These plants are very shallow and this means that they can dry out quickly if it hasn’t been raining at all. Check the soil to see how things are doing so that you can determine if your strawberry plants need to be watered.
As mentioned above, the strawberry plants will need between one and two inches of rain each week to thrive. You can pay attention to precipitation charts for your area to see how things have been going.
Conversely, you can just get used to checking the soil fairly regularly to make a determination.
You’ll want to keep an eye on weather reports no matter what, though. If you water your strawberry plants and then a big storm rolls through your town, then you could wind up watering the plants too much.
Certain weather conditions can cause your strawberries to be much smaller than normal as well.
It’s definitely about finding the proper balance and being aware of what is going on around you.
What Happens When You Water Strawberry Plants Too Much?
Watering your strawberry plants too much can lead to quite a few problems over time.
A good indication that there might be something wrong with your watering schedule is if you notice the leaves turning brown.
If you water your plants too much for a long period of time, then it could cause them to die. The roots could wind up rotting and turning black due to an overabundance of water.
Keeping things too soggy will definitely be harmful to your strawberry plants. It isn’t a good idea to water the plants when the soil is already moist.
It’s common for people who have just started growing strawberry plants to make mistakes. It’s easy to accidentally water too much because you forgot to consider natural rainfall and other factors.
It’s also important to note that your strawberry plants need to dry out between watering sessions.
Sometimes you can water them too much because you didn’t let them dry out well enough. This is especially true during the fruiting season and you’ll need to be especially careful.
It’s advisable to avoid watering your strawberry plants in the evening during the fruiting season for this reason.
If you happen to be using strawberry pots for your plants, then you’re going to want to check the opening to feel how the soil is doing. If things are moist, then you don’t need to water them and it’ll be best to avoid the risk of watering your plants too much.
What Happens When You Water Strawberry Plants Too Little?
As you might expect, strawberry plants aren’t going to do all that well if you don’t water them.
If you’re neglectful of your strawberry plants, then you can expect the plants to have less growth than usual. It’s very likely that the yield from your strawberry plants will be substantially decreased as well.
You need to find the right balance between watering too much and not watering enough. It basically involves being very observant and ensuring that you can take the time to water the plants when they need it.
You have to be mindful of the situation and also need to pay attention to natural rainfall since that can give your plants what they need very nicely.
Some people get really lucky and they live in areas that are great for sustaining strawberry plants naturally.
There will likely be times when you will need to water your plants due to a drought period but it depends on the weather, of course.
Just keep your eyes open and make sure that the soil around your strawberry plant doesn’t get bone dry too often.
Best Watering Methods
Certain watering methods are going to work better for strawberry plants.
Many people like to use overhead sprinklers for plants but these are not as effective for growing strawberry plants. Instead, it’s going to be best to use something such as a drip irrigation system.
If you choose to set up a drip irrigation system, then you should keep it about two inches away from the plants themselves.
This works best because you don’t want to get the leaves wet and it’ll make it easier to avoid watering your plants too much. Remember that strawberry plants can rot if you water them too much and a good drip irrigation setup can guard against this.
Generally, the best time for strawberry irrigation is going to be in the early morning. This gives the plants all day to dry out so that they can be dry by the time that it is evening.
Just keep checking the soil to ensure that you aren’t setting your drip irrigation system to water the plants when they haven’t fully dried out yet.
Err on the side of caution with your strawberry plants every time you’re watering. If you think that you might be watering too much, then you should definitely hold back.
It would be safer and better for the plants to water them a little less than it would be to risk watering them more than they need to be watered.
Mulch can actually be very helpful when it comes to raising strawberry plants too.
If you have a layer of mulch that your strawberry plants can rely on, then it can eliminate problems with weeds while also helping the plants to conserve moisture. It can even prevent water from splashing onto the leaves in many situations.
The only time you will want to be wary of mulch will be if your garden area has too many slugs.
If you have a lot of slugs, then you’ll want to limit the amount of mulch that you’re using. Otherwise, a mulch layer of about two inches will be great for your strawberry plants.
Fertilizer Tips
Fertilizer can be beneficial for your strawberry plants but you don’t really need to go overboard.
You can rest easy because strawberry plants don’t really require a ton of feeding. However, a little bit of fertilizer at the right time can go a long way.
About six weeks after you have planted your strawberry plants, it’s going to be beneficial to give them some fertilizer.
Experts generally recommend using ammonium sulfate or some type of concentrated organic fertilizer. Something such as fish or bone meal will work out nicely here but you can always just buy a commercial product that is specifically meant for fertilizing strawberry plants too.
After you have used your fertilizer on your strawberry plants, it’s going to be smart to irrigate. This helps the fertilizer to move into the root zone where it can do the most good.
You can keep an eye on your strawberry plants to see how well the fertilizer does and this will help you to gauge how to use fertilizer for your plants moving forward as well.
Start Raising Strawberry Plants
Now that you have read all of the above information, you’ll be more confident than ever. You can start raising your strawberry plants and you will have a good idea of what to look out for.
It should be easier to avoid common mistakes such as watering the plants too much now that you know about the potential pitfalls.
You’ll have delicious strawberries to enjoy with your family before you know it.
These plants might be a little finicky about being watered, but you now have the right tools to get things done right.
Enjoy your time growing strawberry plants and just remember to keep your eyes open for how much rain they’re getting.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.